Where do i start with a game

[XXOraXX]

If i want to create a game then what do i need to know, where should i start, are there any books that would help. I am a complete newbie at gaming but i've played them since i was 4 so i know what a good game should have and stuff like that. So where should i start?

[TyKeiL]

i guess there would be a few ways to build a game,

you can be any number of roles, but if you want the game to be what you want it to be and have final say in everything then you have to be a jack of all trades,

and ontop of that(the main part) is you have to have charisma, convincing ability, intelligence.

because you have to build the team of people..

in thoery you should be able to build up with paper and pencil a plan for business and creation of game and ideas that you can go make an investment portfolio and slut it around to as many businesses and individuals as you can getting the funds to pay your talanted and devoted team of individuals to sharing your vision.

or you can go download an opensource engine of any kind and start with the basics of pong invaders and that type untill you eventually upgrade slowly taking people on board,
then youll be 40 have loads of real world experience to back you up.

the first one is a risk, the second one takes much more time and probably will be more of a personal growth thing,

really im just rambling on because its late at night and you asked a very vague question and i felt like bull****ting some answer out of my ass to see what you would reply to me.

goodnight all

[SniperMaster]

i wish ppl wouldnt post theese "i wanna make a game. tell me how" threads.

[TyKeiL]

youd think thede realise that theres no one way to do anything,

that there ideas on how to go about things are just as valid as everyone elses,

the only way to get something done is to do it,

i just love spewing crap

[Neom]

Heh u should be one to talk SniperMaster i belive u were the one talking asking that question a while back.And While if u do wana be in the gaming busness I would join a team because unless you want to spend a few years Learning C++ and OpenGL then mabye DX.
PS:SniperMaster What ever happened to your game ?

[Danny1152]

1 You need a decent modeling application like 3DS Max or Truespace

2 You need a good graphics application like photoshop

3 You need a good programing appication like Visual Basic

4 You need the skills to work with 1, 2 and 3

5 You need to have good ideas in your head

6 you need a decent story board

7 you need all the spare time you can get

8 and finaly you need to get in contact with a good publisher if you dont want all the time you spent on the game to be wasted

thats what i think anyway.

[dhin]

I'll add this to danny1152
9) if you don't have 8 you'll need an agent that can get contact with a publisher.

Otherwise he's right.

NOW, if you want to create a game the first thing to do is always sit down and plan it out. Important things to consider while planning are:

What is the story? (Make a detailed Story board and script, this may change but you need a solid idea)
What type of game is it going to be? (FPS, RPG, Strategy, etc)
Is it easier to start out with it as a MOD? (Do you really want to creating a completely new Engine and Program or will existing resources work?)
Has it been done before? (I cannot stress the need for originality. This is both graphically and ideologically, players will not want to play another rip off idea that offers them nothing more that the fact that you made it.)
Who do you need? (Rarely can an individual create a game all alone. You will need to built a team of talents, people you can trust to follow your plan, but also people who can give input to help refine your idea, and people that can do what you need them to.)


Good luck. There are a lot of people out there trying to do the same thing, you'll need talent, luck, and a killer idea to be able to make it.

[TyKeiL]

we;; justa few more sense of mine,

you dont need talent or skills, persistance pays off,..

be the most driven individual constantly work tirelessly to get your ideas up and riunning

and things will hapen. persistance is the most important factor for anything

[Neom]

ANother HUGE THING TO THINK ABOUT IS do you real want to make games ?????you should realy thing this throught.Game making is not for every one And most people that ask this find that to start making a game u need to do more then play it.There are tons of things needed to make a game,And your probably dont have the most important which would be Programing skillz.If your a modeler your have real bad because you would have to gather a bunch of coders to make a engine for you.unlike a programer which can code the game and use some cheap art until is finished then he gets some Artist and Bam small indy game.but your modelers have it tuff while your can just make models they can do nothing with out a engine.somthing i would do is make a mod.Mod are way ezzyer to make and youe need no coding.i sujest your find a engine your like and start to map and model away.If i were you i would wait until DOOM3 which will be the next bench mark game

[jak3d]

xxoraxx, i was to post the exact same question, all i want to know, if is some soft to program it specially, i?m good with all the grapich and my brother is exelent programer, and i want a small game, something for me, just for a star, and i have a lot of avainable time, so if any can anwers, that, i know you sniper are doing one, so if anyone can help me i be greatfull,:D
________
OUTDOOR SWINGERS (http://www.****tube.com/categories/812/swingers/videos/1)

[SniperMaster]

Danny1152>
1)No, you need a moddeling program that can create models.
2)No, you need a program that can do graphics
3)Yes,but you need a better program that VB
4)Yes
5)No, well, and yes.
6)No, you dont
7)Yes
8)No.....it doesnt HAVE to be published.

Dhin>
1)You dont need a detailed story, because as you make the levels/content you might think "wouldnt it be good if he was killed" for example
2)Sorta obvious :P
3)Yes, mods dont have much flex, but are much easier to create.
4)It doesnt have to not be done before, but it cant be a rip off story. THink about all the counter terrorist games out there....CS,TO.....they all have the same idea to them. (apart from CS is the original :))
5)Definitly.

[Stingray]

Go to somewhere like www.flipcode.com or www.gamedev.net and start with some of the basic coding tutorials, make a pong game, make a tetris game, work on your coding skills and build your way up.

Alternatively if you just want to do modelling, pick a game you really like (Quake 3, Halflife etc), start making some custom models for it and when you get the hang of it approach a MOD team and ask to join them, if you're good and dedicated you'll be much appreciated. Plenty of game modelling tutorials can been found on www.google.com or you can try having a browse around a site like www.polycount.com .

Good luck and have fun!

:)

[Vitor]

I would like to learn a more about making games too....

I think that XXOraXX don't want to create a big game, to be published, with his own engine, etc..., but he want to make something simple, to learn the easy stuff.

I don't know much thing about making games, but I think create a mod it's a good way to start. Choose a game you like (UT2003, Quake III, Half Life, ...) then start by importing a simple model to an exsting level, then create your own level, then change all the game ;)

You may also start learning a bit of c++. Here are some links of c++ tutorials (I'm starting to learn too) :

GameTutorials (http://www.gametutorials.com/Tutorials/tutorials.htm) -> In my opinion the best one to start learning c++, OpenGl, DirectX, C...

Cprogramming (http://www.cprogramming.com/) -> A great one too.

There is also www.gamedev.net

P.s.-> Sniper-> I think people have the right to start making games. And to start they have to ask "How do I make games?", so if you don't like help this people just don't reply...
And about your anwers to Danny1152:
1) I belive a "decent modeling application" is the same as "moddeling program that can create models". It may be easy create a model to a game in a decent program than with a bad one like Zmodeler. :roll:
2) The same

[Black_Robe]

Originally posted by SniperMaster
[B]Danny1152>
1)No, you need a moddeling program that can create models.
2)No, you need a program that can do graphics
3)Yes,but you need a better program that VB
4)Yes
5)No, well, and yes.
6)No, you dont
7)Yes
8)No.....it doesnt HAVE to be published[B]

Are you retarded or something. 3ds max IS a modelling program and so is Truespace therefore CAN create models.Get it? Photoshop is probably THE biggest 2d graphics program going at the moment so therefore CAN produce graphics.Get that one? Every great game has a great story, crap games often make you run around killing things for no reason, as soon as you kill enough then you move onto the next level, not very immersive is it?

[Vitor]

I totally agree with Black_Robe. Just an example about the need to have a good story: Did you played Eternal Darkness (for Gamecube), The legend of Zelda, The loungest journey (just the ones that I remember in the moment), all this game are great, not just because the graphics and other things, but mainly because of its great stories. Games are like movies, and a movie without a story is a really bad one. So I don't think the story is a less important thing. If you are creating a simple game, like a 2d adventure game (I know is not too simple), at least make a good story, so people will enjoy play it.

[Kit]

A couple of years ago I was pretty active in the Quake III comunity (I even had my own "it never moved from the initial idea" MOD), and altough I´m surely in no way an expert (not even close), here´s a bit of advice, from my little experience on the field:

1. ALWAYS have a good idea before you start creating a game (before you start creating anything actually), there´s no point in creating anything that´s been done before (please, no more Countrt-Strtrike copys!!!).
If you have what you think it´s a good idea, be sure that it remains a good idea for at least a month... too many times I´ve had great ideas one day that sucked the next one.
Planning is the key to fulfilling a huge project like a game, and the bigger your project the more planning it´s going to take!

2. Chances are that you are going to be working with at least 3 or 4 people (probably a lot more), make sure that these people know what they are doing and that they can proove themself usefull. If you have to send someone 500 ICQ messages and 370 mails to get him to do one lousy model, then they are wasting your time! It´s better to have a small team of cool people that a big one with nothing but retards!

3. Creating a program takes a lot of different skills: programming, modelling, texturing, level building, and there´s also the sound and the music, and a lot of more stuff. If you want to create a game, you need to know about all these things...

Annnnnnnnnnyways, I hope my little misfortunes in modding land can help you. I should proof read what I´ve written but it´s too long and I´m tired....so, I´m sorry for my bad english

Good Luck!

(oh, and also, don´t listen to people like SniperMaster, ok?)

[Neom]

There might be a method for you people that just want to make a game and not waste any time learning C++ AND do not want to want to make profit off of your game.i would try DarkBasic.It prity simple **** u wont be able to sell it but what the heck eh ?
For thos of your saying you want to make a game to sell and make large ammount money off of u can only dream.Im telling you this from exp.i Have tryed to make a total of 9 games Witch have all crashed and Burned.The reason is simple.your probably dont have enuf Exp to make games.Only after your have made several mini games(not only clones) and have truly progressed can your go futher.And agian Im going to say this it all depends What your are?Coder:start making mini games of your own use coders who cares if i lookes like **** your working your way up :)
Modelers:join a team is all i can say i dont c any other way unless u go the darkbasic way.

Personaly ive stop trying to make games and have started to make Demos(programers art Shows off hard-coding skillz).to work on my codin.then slowly i will all i know to a engine until its just the way i want it.After that i have a story line and i start to gather some coders and plenty of modelers And LVL designers.

Take my word game making is not a 1 time thing you must have Plenty of exp.

[dhin]

SniperMaster - as far as story, and originality go there are many schools of thought on those. Look at it this way, Unreal, doom, and Quake, they are all the same game. Sure they each sell alot but really they all pretty much blow the same. They suck those gomes only apile is multiplayer, past that the only thing that they are good for in improving physics engines for other games to use so they don't have to write brand new ones. Games that become classics are games that wrap the player in a blacket of thought provoking story and situations where the player is left thinking what the hell have I got my self into. How many FPS games are there? How many make it with out a good story? For example - Max Payne awsome story but just another shooting game, still the stroy makes up for the lack of originality in game play (except for that bulit-time thing which really is quit an original idea.) Too often games try to make up for their story short falls by spending a long time on graphics and all they end up with is a flop. Or at least that is my opinion. I chould be wrong, but then that is a matter of opinion also.

[shift]

Well I wholeheartedly disagree with any sentiment suggesting a game needs a storyline. Mario never needed one. Super Monkey Ball doesn't need one. Rez doesn't. And, of course, Tetris never had to explain itself. In fact most of the instant pick up and play greats have no story whatsoever. If you want to get into making games then the best thing to do is forget about telling a story, forget about immersive plot developments and screwball twists.

Think of something that is almost too simple. Work on it. Develop it. But never lose track of that initial dynamic, because that is what makes the game work. If at the end you can still say in a sentence what your game is about then you've succeeded.

In short, don't try to do too much.

And please, please think of a concept that involves something other than killing.

Good luck!

[lockdown2000]

Ok, heres my two cents if you will
To answer the question: "If i want to create a game then what do i need to know, where should i start"

Where do you start? You start by going to your local bookstore and buying some CODING BOOKS! Like Java/C++/C/Visual Basics. You read em' and you figure em out. Next you DO NOT Jump into 3d graphics. I cant tell you how sick I am of people saying "I want to make a game, a 3d game.." No, you start SIMPLE!!!! Most people dont realize that to make a 3d game you need a crew, you need background and you need a lot of time. Start simple again. I am still learning code! First "Game" I made was a guessing game on my calculator. Thats a "game" Dont you dear jump into computer graphic games just yet you! After you get your basic TEXT based games down in java or whatever your coding in, start learning the basics of drawing with that code. Java can draw boxes and make "3d" like boxes. After you do that, why don't you try making a BATTLESHIP like game, where the player can move his ships and there is a comp opponent. By doing this, 1) you learn how to use graphics, 2) you are learning how to make actions and define certain "rules" or parameters, and 3) you are learning ultra crude AI. After you learn graphics, why not move on to another language? Expand and learn everything all over again. Text based, then simple graphics.

TIME: All that should take you like 2 years! Im serious about that too.

After you have done simple graphics, now you can move onto side scrolling games. My first side scroller was made in FLASH and I am damn proud of it! :) When you learn how to make a side scroller you can make it more advance with "power ups" etc. Then you can start learning how to make more complex things, like side scrolling plus moving "up" ladders and fighting bosses etc. Make a plot to your game and go from there.

Time: 1-2 Years

Even with all this, I really think you spend like another year or two learning and advancing your skill.

But now, your ready for 3d graphics. 1st learn 3d. That will take you a good 3 yrs to be mediocore. :) and then you can start adapting, looking up pre-made engines etc.

In the end it will be what.. 8 yrs before you even begin to make a 3d graphic game. So far I am in my 2nd yr of 3d graphics, and my like 5th yr learning to code. But yeah, where to begin. With the BASICS!!!!!!!!

And thats how it should be. So forget about making COOL 3d games, and start learning how to make low end guessing games!

Good luck.

[Vitor]

I totally agree with you lockdown. I don't know much about programming but I start some time ago making some programms in my Texas Instruments Calculator. I think you really should start from the BASICS.

[lockdown2000]

Exactly my point victor. BASIC is where it is at!

Only yesterday or like this week, I finally solved my problem of figuring out how to make a countdown timer on my calc. So for every like counting 10 then subtract one. so like it it looks (small peice like this)

For(a,a+1,100,1) <-- counts from a defined a, and ands 1 to a for a certain period
if a==10 <-- when a = 10 do something
0->a
(b-1)->b <-- subtracts 1 from a given value of B
goto start
else
if b==0
then
disp "done"
else
goto start

yeah that make look ultra simple...now...but it was a pain to figure out a while ago. :)but yippie!