How to get started developing?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by Gronmore, Feb 28, 2012.

  1. Gronmore

    Gronmore New Member

    Feb 26, 2012
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    Hey,

    I was wondering if anyone knows a good place to get started making games. I understand that it's not an easy task, but I need a place to start. I was looking in to making a 2D game with a turn based battle system. What's the best engine & how do I learn to use it.


    Thanks for the help.
     
  2. AlienSpace

    AlienSpace Well-Known Member

    May 28, 2010
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    Independent developer
    There's probably better choices for 2D, but at least for 3D, Unity is pretty nice. You can just download it and start playing around with it, and it has video tutorials and a large user base to learn from.

    Other than that, if you have the time and really want to learn how to build games from the ground up, you should start by learning a programming language. So, start with a book on your chosen language. Then once you're achieved a certain level of mastery, then you can try your hand at making a small game. Depending on what graphics you want for the game, you might then also want to learn something like OpenGL or DirectX.
     
  3. AlienSpace

    AlienSpace Well-Known Member

    May 28, 2010
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    Also, if you want better advice then you should give more detailed information on your current knowledge and level of experience in things like programming, art, design, etc. Likewise, you should specify whether you want to do little programming, or if you really want to learn a lot and maybe eventually work at a professional dev studio. Otherwise all we can give you is a generic answer like... "learn c++, then program a game".
     
  4. Gronmore

    Gronmore New Member

    Feb 26, 2012
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    Lol yeh sorry. I'll try to brak it down better. I have no programming knolage I'm willing to learn but the less the better, I just need a place to start. I'm working with someone who wants to do the art. They also dont have any programming skills. As far as design that where I have the most experience I've made a few board games and card games, so I know a bit about conceptualizing something.

    What I want to know is where does someone like me fresh of the boat, start learning and what's the quickest path.

    Thanks for the help. Sorry ima toal noob... I just downloaded unity it's cool there is a lot to it I'm gonna start looking in to tutorials.
     
  5. tipatat

    tipatat Member

    Feb 11, 2012
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    Game Maker
    SF, CA
  6. suetmon

    suetmon Member

    Sep 28, 2011
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    I have to agree with tipatat Unity is a great engine but you have to realize that it is not easy. you are after all making a 3d game so just consider that.
     
  7. Gronmore

    Gronmore New Member

    Feb 26, 2012
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    Im not looking for an easy way out. I'll play around more with unity, but it looks like the 2d is harder to do in it. Do you know if it's possable to make lest just say like an old school jrpg with unity?
     
  8. jwei44

    jwei44 Well-Known Member

    Dec 4, 2009
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    High School Graduating
    California
    Just my two cents? That's a bad way to think when tackling programming. I suggest you actually look into simple iOS apps and Objective-C before you even attempt to make a game. As my professor had always says, games should be the last thing you attempt to base programming knowledge on. Learn the basics first, then look at some books about 2D engines like CoCos2d. if you understand, go right ahead. Otherwise, learn more Cocoa Touch.
     
  9. david_loqheart

    david_loqheart Active Member

    Feb 3, 2012
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    Founder of Loqheart: Game Development
    San Francisco, CA
    I would suggest trying out Corona, which is a lua language-based platform. Compared to other platforms or languages, it's the easiest to get started with. They have great tutorials and a vibrant community.

    It's what we built our game, Cannon Cat, on and I've met a lot of non-programmers that have built games for the first time on this platform.
     
  10. DistantJ

    DistantJ Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2012
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    I've built apps entirely in XCode with Objective-C and done a bit of Cocos2D, but for games my favourite SDK to use is Multimedia Fusion 2, simply because I've been using its different incarnations since 1997 and recently an iOS module was added to it. It's a more visual style of coding, more about checkboxes and drag & drop than constant typing. It's a good place to start but I definitely recommend knowing some code, particularly Objective-C, because you'll want to have full control of your project once it's in XCode, but if you want to minimise the amount of coding required, check this software out. It's a pretty hefty investment - you need a Windows PC alongside your Mac (or a dual-boot or parallels) to run MMF2, you need the Developer version to release the game without the MMF2 logo, and you need the iOS exporter which also costs money, but if you design a good game you'll make your investment back.
     

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