hi, i am entirely new to the concept of game development. can someone plz answer my questions 1)which is better for modelling 3d studio max or maya? and which works on linux? 2)after i have finshed creating the characters and all, then what? what should i need to know. is there a book that can help me after that? i want to make a game on the lines of counter-strike so what software or language should i use? thanks magneto

1. either one will work perfectly fine for modeling game characters with, but 3d Studio Max is a heck of alot cheaper ... I don''t know if either of those works on Linux.


2. Refer to the "For Beginners" link in the resources column of the links on the top navigation bar.

Probable languages: C/C++
APIs: OpenGL and/or DirectX

There are dozens and dozens of books written on these. Click on the Books and Software link to learn more,

This all depends. Are you doing 2D or 3D? DX or OGL?

As far as books go, a good book about learning 3D game programming is Prima Tech''s "Game Programming All in One", it''s very good. I just took a Game Development class at the University of Michigan, and alot of people seemd to be positive on that book.

C++ would definitly be the language de facto for game programming. Hands down.

Unfortunately, if you''re completely new you won''t be able to make anything remotely like counterstrike. Trust me, 3D graphics, networking, designing an extremely addictive game, it''s all very befuddling.

I suggest that if you''re planning on learning how to program, start with 2D games (the simpler the better). This will give you an idea of how complex it is to make a game (even pong can be hard for a newbie). Then if you still wanna make games, try learning a 3D API like OpenGL or DirectX.

Of course, you can ignore my advice and dive right into making counterstrike, but I can pretty much guarantee that you''ll just confuse yourself and you won''t get anywhere.

That''s my $0.02