[quote name='Tachikoma' timestamp='1318868318' post='4873511']
[quote="Serapth"]Not sure why you are dismissive of "And someone says "Games are software, silly."

Perhaps the OP implied "application software", as opposed "game software"?
[/quote]

This is a valuable lesson most new developers need to learn at some point... application software and game software, when you look up their skirt, have basically the exact same bits...

Sorry for the pervo analogy.
[/quote]

I love you.

Confirm4Crit, I know where you're comning from with your problem. Have the same predicament -- learning programming just to show some prototypes of sound game design.

The best of luck to the both of us

Like I mentioned, the entry level design position is usually something like "level designer". And as it happens, there's never any shortage of people with ideas. So the need tends to be for people who are good at executing ideas (i.e. laying out and fine tuning levels that accomplish specific design goals, or execute on given principles).

In other words, demonstrating that you can create a unique game design from scratch won't necessarily get you in the door (and studios don't want to see your designs anyway, for legal reasons), while demonstrating that you can use the engine, environment, and tools that you're given to construct scenarios which meet design goals, support a story arc, etc., just might.

Hopefully that can be done without the need for much engineering support.

I mean, this is gonna make me sound silly, but I only want to program TO make my own design prototypes.
I don't want to program. I want to program to aid my design.

Funny, it turns out that to make something good requires skills to be learned and mastered. Yes, if you wanted to make movies you could get a camera and shoot, and guess what you'd end up with a shitty looking movie. If you really wanted to do it, you need to learn about lighting, framing and all kinds of cinematic story-telling devices. Hell, even if you just want to write a story, there are rules to be learned.

As for game design, an understanding of how the technology works is important. You are not generating ideas in a vacuum, they have to be implemented on real machines.

Fine, you don't want to be the next Carmack. Nothing wrong with that. But it's never as simple as coming up with a bunch of ideas.

Portal was not the first game to use portals. MSG wasn't the first game to do stealth. It's about execution.

I mean, this is gonna make me sound silly, but I only want to program TO make my own design prototypes.
I don't want to program. I want to program to aid my design.

Do you have a design ready now?

[quote name='Confirm4Crit' timestamp='1318951879' post='4873947']
I mean, this is gonna make me sound silly, but I only want to program TO make my own design prototypes.
I don't want to program. I want to program to aid my design.

Do you have a design ready now?
[/quote]

I've written 2 GDDs that my team and I will go over after we finish our current project, Defend The Jungle.


I don't know if you call GDD's a design or not....but outside of idea and brainstorming for DTJ, that's what I've done.

Funny, it turns out that to make something good requires skills to be learned and mastered. Yes, if you wanted to make movies you could get a camera and shoot, and guess what you'd end up with a shitty looking movie. If you really wanted to do it, you need to learn about lighting, framing and all kinds of cinematic story-telling devices. Hell, even if you just want to write a story, there are rules to be learned.

As for game design, an understanding of how the technology works is important. You are not generating ideas in a vacuum, they have to be implemented on real machines.

Fine, you don't want to be the next Carmack. Nothing wrong with that. But it's never as simple as coming up with a bunch of ideas.

Portal was not the first game to use portals. MSG wasn't the first game to do stealth. It's about execution.

It's interesting that I had never thought of it with an apple-pie mentality, but the metaphor does make sense.

In order to make a good game, you must first make the universe :-p

[quote name='ChaosEngine' timestamp='1319056756' post='4874440']
Funny, it turns out that to make something good requires skills to be learned and mastered. Yes, if you wanted to make movies you could get a camera and shoot, and guess what you'd end up with a shitty looking movie. If you really wanted to do it, you need to learn about lighting, framing and all kinds of cinematic story-telling devices. Hell, even if you just want to write a story, there are rules to be learned.

As for game design, an understanding of how the technology works is important. You are not generating ideas in a vacuum, they have to be implemented on real machines.

Fine, you don't want to be the next Carmack. Nothing wrong with that. But it's never as simple as coming up with a bunch of ideas.

Portal was not the first game to use portals. MSG wasn't the first game to do stealth. It's about execution.

It's interesting that I had never thought of it with an apple-pie mentality, but the metaphor does make sense.

In order to make a good game, you must first make the universe :-p
[/quote]

No, the universe is there. But you do have to learn about it.

[quote name='alnite' timestamp='1319058137' post='4874454']
[quote name='Confirm4Crit' timestamp='1318951879' post='4873947']
I mean, this is gonna make me sound silly, but I only want to program TO make my own design prototypes.
I don't want to program. I want to program to aid my design.

Do you have a design ready now?
[/quote]

I've written 2 GDDs that my team and I will go over after we finish our current project, Defend The Jungle.


I don't know if you call GDD's a design or not....but outside of idea and brainstorming for DTJ, that's what I've done.
[/quote]

Well, that's good! That should be good enough for you to care about programming, no?