PlaneShift
Fan Area => The Hydlaa Plaza => Topic started by: rathma on April 10, 2003, 03:36:45 am
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I was just thinking about making a computer game with a bunch of friends. Is there anyone who\'s expeienced enough to tell me how many people i need to have, what everyone should be responsible for, and how to learn it. I know there\'s something called c++ i need to learn, but that\'s about all i know on making games. Can someone help me out?
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:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Your post is quite amusing! LOL! you have a LOOOONNNNGGGG ways to go. Unless of course you just want to be the guy who tells everyone else what to do! :)... Im not going to go into any detail on what you need to do though. Dont feel like it.
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You\'re joking rathma, right ? :D
Otherwise I can only tell you first learn a programming language (like C++) then get better after that you should improve your skills, then improve your skills even further, then you can learn special things (like opneGL or database programming) and a few years later you may be able to start a game project with several ppl.....
Well you can make games way earlier, but don\'t belive anyone would be interested in games like \"guess the number\"...;)
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If you really are serious about making a game and have no 3D experience what so ever i suggest learning Gmax its a free 3D tool from discreet that is very professional and fun to use just look at my site http://le3dstudios.cjb.net nothing impressive but it shows what Gmax can do anyway I\'ll stop blabbering and give you the link http://www.discreet.com/products/gmax
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thanks, i guess i\'ll take a look there. But when i said i wanted to learn about making computer games, why did everyone laugh? Every person who made computer games started somewhere, i just need to know where! I have a c++ book but it\'s really lame, i guess you can make games like tic tac toe but that about cuts it. Maybe it\'s not so much that i want to \"make a game\" but want to be on a team of people who work on a game. Maybe i can do character design or texturing. Anyone here know how to make characters,objects...that stuff?
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oh, nvm i see i can make characters and stuff on the site kyp14 showed me. But i don\'t know what i get??
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rathma, I think that the point that people are trying to get across is that it can take a long time to start to program anything very meaningful.
I can only speak for myself but I\'ve spent years just writing little programs like:
int main()
{
printf(\"Hello World!\\n\");
return 0;
}
Which isn\'t really exciting but you have to build up from that.
I\'m sure it\'s similar in other areas... ( well maybe not art, I\'ve known some artists in school that must be magically talented.... God I hate them :) ).
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Andrew
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The reason people are laughing is because even programmers who have worked in computer code for AGES don\'t just toss a game up in a few weeks. It takes years, more often than not. There\'s no formula to create characters, objects and whatnot, and there\'s a lot more than just coding; web artists (artists and programmers are often not the same people), creative writers, sound crews, testers and on and on.
I guess the question is; do you just want to make a game (as I have to say that probably anyone can just make a game) or do you want to make a GOOD game?
Basically, your best bet would be A) finish school if you\'re still in B) get a computing degree (as just having C++ knowledge will not a game make) C) spend a good portion of your time coding as it\'s not just knowing the coding but your familiarity with it and D) make sure you really want to spend several years of your life creating said game, as it\'s going to take at least that long.
If that doesn\'t sound too daunting, then more power to you, but I assure you - you\'re not going to learn how to make this sort of MMOG with one book on programming.
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I\'ve wanted to make computer games since I was about eight. My stepdad told me back then that some day he would teach me how. As a result, I decided there must be some game-making program on the computer, so I did a bunch of searches on it, but I couldn\'t find it. A couple years later, I found a book on Thin C. I read through that entire 2.5 inch book and did everything it said. So I had learned Thin C by 6th grade. Unfortunately, no one else in the world has heard of Thin C. I think it was a beginners program for Think C, which was a primitive form of C, which is a primitive form of C++. Anyway, back in those days I made a couple text-based games. Some of them were like mad libs (pretty good, if you ask me), and I also made some really crappy rpgs. Some of them did the same thing no matter what you typed. I also had fun with \\a, making the computer beep in an infinite loop. Anyway, my programming skills got rusty. There were no programming classes at my middle school or high school and my stepdad never taught me how to make games. I downloaded some programs off the internet for making certain types of games. I made some of those that were fun, but very limiting. I also bought all sorts of games where I could make my own maps and campaigns. Then, in 11th grade I moved to a new school and took an Intro to Computer Programming class. It\'s all C++. That\'s where I am now. I\'ve made a couple good text-based games (my friend played it for 4 hours one night, then went and fought the ogre and died, hehe, I made it so the ogre gets stronger the stronger you get. ) Some day, I will make good games (unless I die before then), but I don\'t dream of learning Visual C++ today, starting a great game tonight, finishing sometime this weekend, selling it and making billions of dollars. Basically, what I\'m saying is, there are many people who want to make games, and it takes a long time. If you haven\'t even learned C++ yet, you have many years ahead of you before this thing is done, or started.
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Everybody i\'ve talked to said it will take tons of years and i\'m ok with that, i just want to know if learning c++ is the first step i should be taking, because right now i\'m in 8th grade and elementary school doesn\'t even teach you how to TURN ON a computer so i kinda hafta teach my self right now. So is reading a book called \"the idiots guide to c++\" the right step for me?
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Well I took a C++ class at school but if I were you I\'d buy books on C++ and read through them all and do what they say. Also you can look to colleges who offer classes. You don\'t have to go to the college to take classes there, at least at most colleges. Depending on what exactly you want to do you will need to learn to model as well. Creating a game isn\'t an easy task though. A game made by a large company alone can take about a year and a half. And that is by people who have been doing this for a long time and with a large group. It is going to take you years alone to learn how to program enough to create a really good game. If I were you though I\'d start off small. The first language I learnt was Pascal. It\'s a very simple language to learn and it introduces you to the basics of programming. But whatever you do, good luck. I myself am going into Game Design/Programming given I graduate my Senior Year at High School....which isn\'t looking to good...anyway Good Luck and all.
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Originally posted by rathma
learning c++ is the first step i should be taking, because right now i\'m in 8th grade and elementary school doesn\'t even teach you how to TURN ON a computer
Yes, learning C++ is the first step, IF you want to take part in the coding of the game. If you can draw really well, then it might be better to try something modeling. Then you don\'t need to learn C++ at all.
Something you should ALWAYS keep in mind: a game making is not only programming.
music + art + models + maps + *content* + *story* + *idea* = game
Oh, I forgot to mention: code :)
So you need to know what can you most excel in.
If you really feel, it is programming, then you are absolutely not late at all. As Acraig suggested, be satisfied with small programs first. Enjoy the feeling, that you will get, when you see something WORKING that is made by you. Even a simple for() loop which adds numbers can give this feeling to you at first. It will, trust me :)
Be patient. It is even possible, that you will never make a game (DONT PANIC), but while you learn, you find something, that really gets your attention, what you will really love to do (database programming, AI, web, etc.)
There are so many things. Everyone\'s dream is to \"make a game\". Even mine. I have been programming for 3 years and I always wanted to make a game. So far I did database programming, web programming (cgi, perl), I made a cellular automaton, but never so far a game. I don\'t even think I will ever get to start one...
You probably want to make a game, because it looks nice.
Well listen here: a game is not only nice 3D!
I still enjoy idea full old C64 games, sometimes better than todays\' \"bleeding edge 3D this and that\". I can tell you: 3D alone is bullshit - sorry. Content is much more important. Keep this in mind.
(Of course, when both are present, that\'s nearly a miracle - like PS :)
Good luck on your journey!
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Greetings,
E.
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Not to change the tone or subject of this little thread?but another thing to take into account is ?the Game?.
Most games follow an ?if, then else? standard. If a happens then b happens else c happens. I would suggest while learning C++ or java or even excel you try and simulate a standard board game. A relatively simple game should suffice at first (simple is black jack). Then try loftier types of games such as risk. And by far the most complex games are your wonderful RPGs, many years ago a game combat game of chess came out (Arcana if memory serves) this was a simple game of chess, but each piece had stats, as they entered an opposing square they did really simple combat?the game was great fun.
After you learn how to make simplistic games like these?the next step is graphics. And in modern games this alone is an area where one person can not do it all. Most modern games include teams of well over 30 people (MMORPGs and such may have over 100s doing certain things). The goal for you is to find out what you like to do, and then go with it. Also there is a lot of place for simplistic games, cell phones and PDAs have opened the market once again for simple nice games. I recall there is a game that almost everyone with a PDA that I know had called drug dealer or some such name, the code was very good but simplistic, yet it was a great game, and I am sure if the creator wants it he can use it as a stepping stone to getting a job and budget for a better game.
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Havent read the others posts so who knows might be repeating someone here.
Its good to see some one wanting to make a game, Unlike these others ill tell you its not as hard as they say, takes time however, and determination. You dont realy need programming abilitie to start, if you have the artistic abilitie and know what your doing you can create enough work to get the attention of coders (if you know where to go to find them), there are a number (well actualy there are alot) of Free 2d game engines or construction kits on the web which can take the bite out of programming, some simple some very detailed, and most of these engines have there own small communities of artists and Coders.
by the way El, a coder is a programmer.
I began useing Verge2 then went to Sphere both excellent 2d RPG console engines (which can be programmed to do every thing from RPG\'s to Sidescroller, sphere even has Network abilitie and rudimentary 3D).
The Communities of the Verge and Sphere engines (their actualy very inter woven having members from both going back and forward) They are however getting pretty old now, ive been with them for along time, and alot of the old creative fire has run out. Alot of the major projects have died or gone on to better things (one of the most promising has moved onto the GBA) and many of the artists have left (although they where in short supply to begin with.
You could try RPGmaker, if your going that way for a game, its very module orientated and you dont need much in the way of programming skills although artisticly its very limited in what you can do (also i think you have to buy it now?). I used to have a link to a site that had over 100, 2D engines. but its long since gone :( .
Just remeber you dont have to be a coder to make a game, although knowing what aspects go into a game is, read up on the type of game you want to make and what things are expected and needed. If your neither an Artist or Coder then your game idea will have to be pretty interesting to get any attention from the people you\'d need.
My own project started 14 years ago, as a click and point adventure game programmed on my old mac in a programme called HypeCard (a graphical, very customizable database programme, perfect for a point and click, id explain further but those that have used it would know what i mean). 7 years later it had become a suedo Console style RPG with point and click interface, but then i got my first PC, and I started again as it went from point and Click to a proper Console (SNES) style game, 6 years later im still going on it (mainly due to not having a fixed story line or design), and recently began again with the final release of my engine of choice, Sphere 1.0.
Best thing id say to you is, get a complete design draft done before you start anything, if not it will dog you down badly, ive learned that from experiance, but still havent applyed that lesson to my project (naughty me) :P
Saying i have a idea for a great game and not showing anything for it, or not showing that you know what your doing, will get you some nasty responses or silence in reply at the very least.
And finaly start out small... even a simple Pong clone, r tetris rip off takes alot of work. just dont give in
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Originally posted by Bigfoot
by the way El, a coder is a programmer.
Did I say, a coder is something else??? ;)
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E.
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I don\'t know that C++ is the be all and end all of languages to develop games in, although it is definitely probably one of the most popular and something employers will be looking for.
If I were to go about learning how to program I\'d try and figure out the basic concepts behind programming. One way of doing that is to expose yourself to a number of different languages and types of languages.
In computer science the popular school of thought at the moment is that there is 4 programming paradigms.
Iterative programming, such as Basic, C or Pascal. The program basically follows a series of steps and does each step in order. There can be forks in the paths that the program takes.
Object Oriented programming, such as C++, Java and LPC ( I mention LPC because it is an easy language to learn and get involved in coding text based adventure games). This basically treats the program as a series of objects that pass messages between each other to tell the other components what is going on.
Functional programming languages, such as Miranda and Haskell. This treats things as a function similar to the way mathematicians write down equations. These are mostly used in mathematical modelling and the like.
Logical/declaritive programming languages, such as Prolog and Mercury. These treat programs like a logical framework. These are often used in AI research and the like.
So if you find that you like programming or want to investigate it I would recommend checking out what is out there, you might only ever use C++ in your job, but if you have played with everything that is out there it should give you more ideas on what is possible and what makes computers tick.
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if you\'d like to be on a dev team, its nothing to go find a non commercial dev team and sign up.
I got hired on a dev team (music dp at http://www.geocities.com/alienproductionsadmn/ ) about a year ago to make this game. I didn\'t do much, all i did was send a resume with a sample of a song that i did using fruity loops, n-track study, and sound forge and bam they let me on. I decided to drop, cause I wasn\'t interested in the game at all, i just wanted the experience. We were all just beginners, but thats how you learn. Hows the saying go?Stupid people in numbers is a strong force, ur some\'n like that.
Anyway, I recommend that you search out a noob friendly group of people that have the same wish to create games as you do
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i once used an interesting little engine by the name of ZZT, it was Epic MegaGames first ever release made by Tim Sweeney. It used ASCII characters for graphics and its own simple OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) language... I had alot of good times with that program.... and the language was simple to learn, yet it gave me a good taste of programming basics. The only problem is that it is fully DOS based and some people have trouble running it.... but if you can find it, grab it.
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Originally posted by paxx
I recall there is a game that almost everyone with a PDA that I know had called drug dealer or some such name,
I know this is off-topic, but I know the person who first made that game. Drug Wars 1.0
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Tim Sweeny => God himself
And on the 6th day he created the Unreal Engine, and on the 7th day he rested, while the rest of us got to bask in its glorie!. Halay Yula
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soemething you should ALWAYS keep in mind: a game making is not only programming.
music + art + models + maps + *content* + *story* + *idea* = game
I could think of SO many story plots for a game, and i could make tons of popular games. But it\'s pretty hard to find someone and tell them i have an awesome idea for a game so get people to make it for me. That\'s why i\'m learning c++ .
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well good luck if you can make a good game eventually no one here is going to complain,
oh and a word of warning please don\'t try and make a FPS unless you have a really innovative idea for one or can produce jaw dropping visuals cause of you don\'t do one or both of the 2 for that genre it ain\'t gonna turn nobodys head.
oh and if you want to make a simple yet fun game with out much coding try 3drad http://www.3drad.com its a entry level development tool rather nifty to don\'t underestermate how nifty it is.
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It`s depends on what type of game you want to make.
I make lots of 2d platform games by myself and they take about 2-10 days but if you`re want to make really good 3d games it takes lots of time,money and very good friends... :D
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A general tip. Learn a language (as if it hasn\'t been said in every post) Look at the most popular ones adn decide which you want to learn.
BASIC: Very simple, DOS based. Easy to learn, but there isn\'t much to master in it. It\'s an excellent way to kick off your career.
Pascal: Don\'t have much experience with this. I know quite a few people who started off in Pascal and only later learned more powerful stuff. Also DOS based.
C: Structured programming (so where the 2 above, by the way). Not easy to learn. you might be best off learning C++ anyway. The basics are practically the same. Only small differences (like printf() compared to cout <<).
C++: Object orientated. Basicly means that you have a lot of blocks and you pull them together to make a program. Of course you have to make th blocks. Very practical, although quite hard to learn.
Visual Basic: Code-wise it\'s just a Windows version of BASIC. You get the added advantage of being able to utilize the Windows enviroment to the full (VB is made (stolen!!!) by Microsoft, so Linux and Mac our out of the question), making life very easy for an application or database progammer. It sucks for making games though.
Delphi: Don\'t know much about it. I think it\'s just a visual and updated version of Pascal.
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seldom laughed that hard at a post!!!
...sorry, don\'t get it wrong, but making a good game can be even harder then making a fully usable gui application
if you\'re thinking of 3d then you should give some free open-sourced pre-made engines (cube, crystal space, ...) a try, but still you\'ll need some programming skills (afaik!)
and that\'s just the beggining of it!! ...then there\'s the graphics, the movement and animation (it\'s a real b**ch to make a smooth animation), but the REAL problem is the idea itself and especially the levels (or the world)
btw: PS runs on crystal space
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I do some indy game coding in my spare time, so I thought I should hurl my 2 cents onto the pile for ya.
A great source of info on game development is http://www.gamedev.net They have lots of resources in the form of articles, aswell as a large community based on a forum and an IRC channel. So there\'s plenty of ways to get more constructive flames to your question \"How do I make games\" ;)
I would also recommend http://www.gamasutra.com/ for some good articles.
As far as learning a programming language is concerned, you may or may not have your work cut out. This depends on the way your brain is wired up :P . Well probably not, but it certainly helps if you have a logical understanding of the way computers work. If you dont have this then you might struggle.
C++ is highly recommended as a language to use for games programming, as it has the happiest median between performance (ie speed, very important for getting that all important FPS figure) and structure. Also, a lot of the API\'s used in game programming (such as DirectX, OpenGL, win32) are designed with C++ as a primary language. (I believe DX actually has VB components as well, but I never use em)
However, C++ is not an easy language to learn if you have never programmed before. Still, I can recommend a very good book for the purpose: SAMS Teach yourself C++ in 21 days. (Yes I know it sounds like a rip, but its genuinely a good book)
After that your gunna want to start using your programming skills to throw a game together. There is a series of books edited by And? LaMothe, published by premier press (http://www.premierpressbooks.com) that cover pretty much every aspect of game production.
Hope thats coherant enough for you.
oh and to clarify, Pascal and Delphi are mathmatical programming languages. Beyond that I dont know much about them.
Edit: Forgot, game production is a lot more that just coding too, as has previously mentioned. Have a look a gamedev, and you should get a feel for how much that is true.
~X
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Delphi is more associated with database management systems although it can be used to rapidly develop Windows-based software. I\'ve noticed quite a lot of simple Windows programs developed using Delphi and used it a couple of years ago to develop a database system as part of my junior college studies.
Game development is never an easy thing. Sure it\'s easy to talk about and ideas are always rife when you chat up 24-hr gaming gurus, but when it comes to the crunch and doing the actual work, a lot of talent is required, and that talent is not always found within your circle of friends (That\'s why there\'s Planeshift)
There are many aspects in making games and if you wanted to make one entirely on your own you\'re better off being a programmer. Otherwise if you\'re not that ambitious, working in a group where each person has some specialty would certainly produce better results. 2 heads are better than 1, but too many cooks will spoil the brough.
If you head on to the Fragnetics site my team did up a Counterstrike map of our school about 3 years ago and that alone was ridiculously difficult already. We spent several months developing the map itself so we have an idea what it\'s like for those who are into more complex stuff such as modding or creating entirely new games itself.
It\'s certainly never easy but with the right minds and more importantly the right attitude, you should be able to get somewhere. Minesweeper is perhaps the most widely played game on Earth and it didn\'t take 1.5 years and a tens of developers to finish it.
My take on it is that you need a good idea, the right attitude, and the right team to get the job done. You don\'t need to start out big like what the rest have said, but taking small steps each time will eventually lead you towards bigger achievements in the field.
Good luck!
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hum you might want to start making your game with something thats not som hard to learn and is free to i suggest you start with game maker...
here you can check out a game i am making with gamemaker on my site: Cateyesoft (http://www.cateyesoft.tk) :D
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I would also like to add, C and C++ are not that different at all, you can do OO C and structural C++, they both have their advantages, I prefer C, since the advantages of C++ are in my opinion outweighed by the disadvantages.
And making a simple game isn\'t all that hard if you understand the logic, it just takes a fair amount of time, I made my first game in C in about 4-5 days (opengl y-shooter)
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who told you that stuff ? OO in C ???
The reason why C++ was invented was that C was outdated and did not support OO programming. It never changed until today (atleast not the ansi C standard). Maybe you are using a strange compiler...;)
If you prefer C, thats you choice, but maybe the main disadvantage of C++ is a completely new orientation towards oo programming. So you have to learn a completely new style, what may be hard if you\'re used to algorithms.
But if I\'m mistaken tell me a disadvantage of C++, please.
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well, not a lot of disadvantages, but longer compile times :p
And there\'s only one feature that i really like in c++, member functions.
And OOP is fully possible in C, C++ just makes it easier.
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chances are you are not going to make a good computer game with your friends :) . You might be able to make a mod for like strategie games, (thats what I\'m into right now), Warcraft 3, or like everyone said, you could program crappy text based games. I suggest if you are learning C++, look at the tutorials they have on the web on how to program in 3d. There are good tutorials on opengl/direct 3d http://www.drunkenhyena.com/
go here, really good stuff.
Ok, getting back at something I was trying to say.
You won\'t make games with your friends :) . You have to go to college, complete a program, get a degree, learn stuff on your own, bla bla, then if you lucky you will get a job as a programmer( considering market today), but NO it won\'t be no game making job.
By that time you childhood will pass, you will loose love for games :( , you will have wife and a few kids and you life WILL SUCK!!!
btw I\'m not speaking from my own experience, it\'s how I see the whole situation :)
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well... I normally don\'t skip the majority of posts in a thread before posting but today I was naughty and I just did :P
anyways, the easiest way to get started and get insta-results (compared to programming your own game from scratch anyways) is to do some mod work =D
Half-life and UT2k3 both have well documented engines with lots and lots of sites telling you how to do simple changes and give you the groundwork to make more advanced steps ^^
it\'s not quite the same as building your own game but if you can take a mod far enough it\'s almost as good sometimes :D
MMO-wise I think you\'d either have to pretty inventive with the engine (like RPGHalf-life are doing) or you\'d be better off just making your own (even if it does take years and years and years and lots of crying ;) )
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Ya, doing a mod is a good start, or maybe a TC. Ive worked on a few mods and TC (i was one of the original founders of the once popular gta - carmageddon tc (which i cant even find anymore :/)) As well as scripting a few mods in tribes.
Why not take the latest release of PS and just edit the models and skins, its a start of getting some experience.
psp7 opens most of the texture files u can find in the art folder, (ive not looked at the models yet, too busy but u can find them in the models.zip i assume)
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you guys are actually such big deals...people from all sorts of computing areas...
so many issues come strikingly clear to me now, it\'s like enlightenment!
p/s: don\'t flame me for posting a nonsense message, i\'m just expressing my awe :P
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lol i remember carmaggedon, gta was awsome, there used to be so many cool maps to download, like that snow town, or hamburger city or whatever.
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Real languages:
C++ is the most used computer language for applications programming, and the closest thing to an industry standard there is.
PERL is fast and very portable, but not as good for games. Much better for web programming. There\'s More Than One Way To Do It.
Lisp (And scheme, and other such languages) are recursive. They are good for AI programming and many math things.
Assembly is very fast, but very hard. Assembler is rarely used now, but is often needed when working with portable devices (TI graphing calculators (Except the TI-89 and above, which can use C), PIC chips, microcontrollers, etc.) It is good for small, quick programs.
BASIC and it\'s variants (QBASIC, etc) is simple, easy to learn, and hated by higher level programmers. Mainly because it uses GOTO a lot. GOTO is generally considered a Bad Thing.
LOGO is a simple old language. Moves a \"turtle\" which draws a line. It\'s fun, and can be a nice intro. Only the older coders remember this one.
Semireal:
Scripting languages for games. Unrealscript for the unreal series, WCIII\'s trigger language, and similar languages. needed if you make mods. Unrealscript is easy to learn, and is an actual programming language.
Odd esoteric languages:
Turkey Bomb: very fun. It\'s the only known programming language that is also a drinking game. Requires multiple people and alcohol. Hard to make useful code with, but good to get the company to pick up the bar tab.
BrainFu*k: Yes, there should be a c there. My favorite, it has 8 operators <>+-[],. and is turing complete. Quite a challenge to do anything useful with. Name describes what it does if you use it too much.
INTERCAL: Designed to be different from any other programming language. Something of a joke, also an exercise in logic and paitence.
Malebolge is a programming language designed to be evil. Stay away from this unless you are an expert programmer looking for a challange. (Only one person has ever made a successfull program.)
Non programming languages and things needed for gaming.
MAXScript: If you model with 3dsmax or gmax, it\'s used to make your own scripts.
OpenGL: Library set, used for 3d graphics rendering.
Direct 3D: Set of libraries, similar to OpenGL, but Microsoft based.
3DStudioMax: The best 3d modeller around. Also the most expensive. I use this.
Maya: Another good 3d modeller. I\'ve not used this.
Lightwave 3d: Another good 3d modeller. Good with lighting.
Adobe After Effects: Used in making videos, ie for cinematic sequences.
Adobe Premiere: Used to capture and edit video fotage, good for cinematics.
Adobe Photoshop: Used to make textures, backgrounds, any type of images. About $1000 last I looked.
Other adobe products are also often usefull, such as illustrator.
Oh nearly forgot: Compilers.
for C and C++, use either Microsoft Visual Studio, or GCC.
For perl, activestate perl is your best bet on windows.
BrainFu*k: use BlueFern, from alephmobius.8m.com this is still beta.
There are of course other things, but i won\'t go into them now.
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The hard part isn\'t programming, but making good, fast and usable code. Also, programming isn\'t all, but you can make hella fun games with Programmer Graphics and free sounds/music. Just don\'t expect to make the next Quake or GTA for a good while, while programming isn\'t the only thing needed to make a good game, it\'s certainly the main part of making homemade games (unless you use some sort of game making program).
And for the love of the lord, remember, the biggest part of ANY game should be gameplay!
Well, the steps i suggest you take in making games is:
1. Plan carefully what kind of game it should be, and what it will contain. Also plan how much time you are willing to sacrifice, and what you want to use your time on.
2. Find out what tool to use to do the job, not much use in coding a simple platformer in C++ when Games Factory does the job better and faster.
3. Whip up some quick pseudo-code to further plan your game, make sure you get the programming style and neccecairy functions in (remember, you can do this outside with a pen and paper, get some sun :p ).
4. Code a basic framework for the game, where you can insert modules as they are required. Make sure you don\'t do it too detailed and forget about the objective of the coding.
5. Insert some basic gameplay, then quite simply expand on that as the development progresses.
PS: I focused on coding, since that is what I enjoy doing, and spend minimal time creating the GFX for games.
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Also, don\'t forget music. Find someone good at composing, & make some background music. It can really alter the quality of gameplay, and the setting.
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ok, i think you are going too far there.
tam tam tam taaaaaam
*lower note* tam tam tam taaaaaam
bethoven
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oh? I wouldn\'t put beethoven in a game, but look at avp2. that had all suspense up untill you met the aliens (then it got worse) but the music created the entire attitude. Good use of music can change a game entirely.
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but then again, the first game you make probably won\'t be AvP2 quality :p
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true, but it\'s good to know that something is important, even if you don\'t have it. I\'d much prefer to know about all the things that I could do better than to be in the dark about them. for example, while I can make some rather nice models, my uvw unwrapping stinks. Knowing that it exists and that I\'m not that good at it lets me practice more on that, instead of just trying to make some really wierd distorted textures.
Edit: Also, look at mario. that\'s stuck in many people\'s heads forever, and it wasn\'t all that great.
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When I was real young playing reader rabbit of all things on my first ever PC around 5 or 6yrs old I decided I had wanted to be able to do that. Well I started by learning Basic, then VB, then Pascal, and well found at coding I suck! Then a computer broke on me and I tore it all apart and somehow fixed it. That was how I found out I was meant to break it and fix it and build it again! Now I play with thinktank db\'s and mainframes for construction companies. Weeeeeeee Like others have said find out what you excel in. If you find dissapointment in coding and find that you can\'t make your game think that it is not an ending but another beginning to find what yer really good at. :)