VERY Junior developer help

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by 5ku112, Jul 29, 2009.

  1. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    So i'm 13(just turned 13 1 week ago) and was wondering if I could gain some insight on becoming a developer for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform.

    First of all how many teenager,kid developers do you know? I've heard of a 12 year old make an app called Moo Cow Fury. The game is okay for a TWELVE year old in fact i'm really impressed that he can develop at such an age, but does he reach a medium that other 20+ developers can attain? Sure he can develop and learn to code, i've never heard of other teenagers that can develop but if its just a small app it doesn't make a difference in the AppStore. Another developer i've heard of is Lim Ding Wen,again very impressive but still not "denting" the AppStore. 4,000 downloads? That doesn't make it "popular" but it is worth a download. A very sucessful developer is Jonah Grant, a twelve year old who made the classic game Pong better with features such as open feint and social networking. Definitely worth a mention as a good Pong port. But the point of this is to see if I can contribute to a medium that they havent obtained yet (getting featured on the top 50)

    Do I have enough resources?
    I have an iPhone 3G running 3.0
    A VERY old PowerBook G4 (Doesnt have intel so it wont with the SDK but there's a hack I can use to get it to work on it)
    I havent paid the 100$ for the developers program...yet
    Java coding experience and some C++ coding knowledge.
    So I need to buy a new laptop and pay the 100$ fee? Or is this unnecessary?

    Is there anything important I need to know? Like if I need to fund small advertising if I release an app? Because its hard to get your app noticed if nobody knows about it.

    Thx.
     
  2. dangerz

    dangerz Well-Known Member

    Apr 23, 2009
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    I think you certainly can't go wrong in trying to develop. I started programming at a very young age (younger than you actually) and it's led me to a great career.

    You will need a better laptop probably. You can get away with not paying the $100 fee until you're really ready to test on your phone.

    The Java and C++ experience will help you out. You have a headstart, so take advantage of it. Even if you don't make it in the iPhone world, you will learn a lot that will really help you in the future.
     
  3. kohjingyu

    kohjingyu Well-Known Member

    Mar 20, 2009
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    Singapore
    I'm 14, and I develop iPhone apps. I knew c++ and actionscript, before I started learning objective-c. It's very different though.
     
  4. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    Any advice on starting out from concept to reality? Like any beginner tips?
     
  5. dangerz

    dangerz Well-Known Member

    Apr 23, 2009
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    Write down what you want your app to do and all the features you'd like. Organize them into a priority list.. what do you want for 1.0? What do you want to build out for the future?

    After I do that, I write down the order that I want to program everything. This helps because it gives you a roadmap of where you should be.

    After that, program :)
     
  6. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    #6 5ku112, Jul 30, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2009
    So I was reading and researching and I came across this thing where you can get the iphone to talk to 3rd party hardware acessories. How does this work I heard the APIs or whatever weren't released, what is this and how do I use it?
     
  7. oioioi

    oioioi Member

    Mar 5, 2009
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  8. RookieStudio

    RookieStudio Active Member

    May 4, 2009
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    I don't think age is a problem if u are eager to learn and there are lots to learn. Let's say u are building a game and doing every thing, other then coding u will need graphic skill, 3d modelling for 3d, sound, marketting, building ur own web etc. Of cos u may sub out some task for professional.

    It's good to start young! Start something u enjoy.
     
  9. WellSpentYouth

    WellSpentYouth Well-Known Member

    Jan 11, 2009
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    iPhone programmer
    App Tech Studios, USA
    I started programming when I was younger than you. I did my own graphics, coding, and marketing. It is tough to learn, but believe me, you will have a TON of fun!
     
  10. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    I'm sure I can make something good and push it onto the AppStore I just have to pay the 100$ and get a MacBook. Any suggestions for what kind of MacBook I should get?
     
  11. fazfznz

    fazfznz Well-Known Member

    Jul 27, 2009
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    Hrm, i want to geet in the App business but i have no knowledge in C/C+ or any of that stuff. 5ku112 , if you would need any help in advertisiing, i'd be glad to help you with that and some other things. Send me a PM or something lol , i'm a Junior in High school so yea i'm relatively young as well, not as young as u guys :p
     
  12. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
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    Hey, I'm 14, developing Lunar Smoke, maybe we could create a developer/publisher company. Minor Development (what a crappy pun) or something.
     
  13. jammertk10

    jammertk10 New Member

    Aug 1, 2009
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    Hi, I've been lurking around these forums for a while, but reading this got me motivated to create an account for posting. I'm 14, interested in developing for iPhone/iPod touch. I've tried some basic stuff using Obj-C/C but nothing very intensive (flip table views/touch and get alert messages) and I was wondering where to go from here, any advice would be great! Also, if it means anything/he could help, my father is a C veteran/guru/master, but nowdays he mostly codes in Java/J-Boss.
     
  14. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    #14 5ku112, Aug 1, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2009
    @fazfznz
    Whoah advertising already? A bit early for that considering I don't even know what to make, but im sure I'll ring you up once I get things going.

    @Kamazar
    Although it would be nice to be in a working group I would like to branch out into my own industry, maybe we could do crossovers and be supportive developers like sister companies? I might join you...hmmm I have to think about it.

    @Jammertk10
    Although this thread was intended for MY developer I guess it could be used for general developer help. I'm actually just about in the position where you are;small coding knowledge with a dad who knows a lot, have you tried asking your dad for help? Mine knows nothing about the iPhone platform but your dad has a lot of exp judging by your description. If you think you have enough experince you can join Kamazar( and me???) in the company group thing if you want some support on a project.

    We could join kamazar and make a developing team, but I really want to make my projects individually...maybe we could be associated under one company but help each other develop and support each others apps as we see fit? If you(Kamazar) agree or can think of something, then yes! I will join your company.
     
  15. fazfznz

    fazfznz Well-Known Member

    Jul 27, 2009
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    5ku , Kamazar was talking to me about the Publisher/Developing thing. I'd be cool with helping u advertise too.
     
  16. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
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    Well, since I'm using the GameSalad engine which requires no specific coding knowledge (just knowledge on coding concepts ;)), I obviously won't be able to help you much beyond, well, the bare concepts and maybe some math stuff (which I'm good at) if you ever need it. So yeah, I'm leaning more toward your idea. Independent companies that support each other with an umbrella title or something. Unless I can talk face to face with someone and we're dedicated to the same idea, I'd rather do my own thing, too :p

    Like fazfznz, he's gonna try to help me a bit with ads and spreading the word. Not sure how well it'll work, but hey, the chance of success definitely makes it worth a shot. And since we're all pretty young, the experience'll no doubt help us out later on, as cliched as that sounds.
     
  17. 5ku112

    5ku112 Active Member

    Jul 13, 2009
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    #17 5ku112, Aug 1, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2009
    All right it's settled i'm joining our publishing group! Once we get everything set up we can start operating. Are you good with designing advertisments? You can help by promoting Kamazars game.

    Whoops you posted first kamazar:p
    Yes it's nice to be able to develop independently but still have people to support you rather then having all this work done by yourself. Unless you already came up with a company title we still have to exchange information so we can chat outside the forums. And I'm still not an official developer so I can only help you from the background with general stuff. And it would be nice if we could get jammertk10 to join since were all beginning devs and it would be a big help to add more to our "ragtag" group.:D
     
  18. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
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    4 teens venturing into the world of programming. These are the moments I thank god I don't watch Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica :p

    What we've got worked out seems like a good plan, though. I'll PM you my AIM, 5ku112. We can talk more about it later, kinda late here.
     
  19. Bluellama1

    Bluellama1 Well-Known Member

    Jul 25, 2009
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    #19 Bluellama1, Aug 1, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2009
    I am 13, and if I had the money I would make an application. It would take a while to get right, but I definately would like to contribute to the app store.
     
  20. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
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    Emphasis on the money. I'm gonna end up spending a good $500 getting Lunar Smoke off the ground :(
     

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