Hmmm... I don't think it really has to do anything with starting out, or being new to programming. I mean, everyone had to start one time.
I think when you are beginning to learn a new system, it is important (well, depending on the person perhaps) that you start with a
limited view of the system.
I'm talking about any kind of system. Would you learn to use 3D max by starting with reading a complete documentation? Probably not.
Usually tutorials, books etc. provide you with a limited scope of things to learn so they are easier to remember. And once you have some practice, you can start learning the other parts.
I think an IDE like AGS has is good for limithing the things you have to know at first. And once you have created something with the IDE, you can start scripting and taking advantage of it's flexibility. But this probably depends on the person. Maybe it's better for some people to start learning scripting right away. Or maybe I'm just talking bullshit here.
And I haven't actually used AGS to create something (I only use it to look at the sources of 5 Days A Stranger once in a while).
