Hi guys!

So, my really simple question (I supposed you could call it simple) is whether it should be reasonable for someone with art/writing skills to be able to start their own project. I took my stabs at programming, and I just didn't really jive with it. I can design levels and such, but my strongsuit is in 2d art/Conceptual art, and writing.

So would it be reasonable to try and start a project if I have an idea(s)? It would be a slow coming project, but it would just be something to work on in spare time while I work on school/art, unless of course it starts taking off.

So, there's my question.

Well, are you actually a designer? Generally it's the designer who starts a project, regardless of whether they are also a programmer or an artist or what.

I'm not a programmer, either, and I've always wanted to try one of these tools Jbadams suggests: http://clicktobegin.net/tools/how-to-make-games-without-programming/ or http://clicktobegin.net/tools/more-ways-to-make-games-without-programming/.

Someday...

You can always lay the groundwork for a project of your own without knowing how to code. Lots of management and decisions that can (and often should) be made before a line of code is written.

Make friends with programmers, find one who shares a similar vision or otherwise jives with your general idea and goal, and drag them into your web so that you can put them to work as your complete slave. Pat them on the head, give them food, praise them, and tell them they're doing all the work, are a god, etc... (Or better yet, just work with them and function as a team of equals)

I think the team of equals option might work better. Just a hunch. Lol.

Well essentially, this project I'm talking about is a fantasy simulation/sandbox game in the vein of spore where the player creates a race and levels them up from an individual to a ruler of a realm. That's the jest of it, but starting off it would be working towards building an engine from scratch that would support the gameplay, so the artwork would be more of something to bring into play once the engine was in the works.

So what is the best way to make friends with programmers? I'm getting prepped to head to SCAD for a BFA in Sequential Art, but that's not gonna be till next spring/fall, so I'd like to go ahead and find someway to get my boots wet.

It seems a bit difficult to start on a very programming heavy project as an artist/writer.

I'm not telling you to give up on the game you have in mind, but maybe you should start off with something more focused on writing and art to prove that you can actual deliver a decent project. Then maybe you could try working on your bigger project with the programmers you worked with during your smaller ones.

That's just my input, not that I have any knowledge about this stuff.

I think the team of equals option might work better. Just a hunch. Lol.

Well essentially, this project I'm talking about is a fantasy simulation/sandbox game in the vein of spore where the player creates a race and levels them up from an individual to a ruler of a realm. That's the jest of it, but starting off it would be working towards building an engine from scratch that would support the gameplay, so the artwork would be more of something to bring into play once the engine was in the works.

So what is the best way to make friends with programmers? I'm getting prepped to head to SCAD for a BFA in Sequential Art, but that's not gonna be till next spring/fall, so I'd like to go ahead and find someway to get my boots wet.

That is not a good starter project. It is, as overactor says, very programming-heavy. It also doesn't seem directly related to sequential art, unless I'm not understanding the term correctly. I've heard the term sequential art used pretty much exclusively used to refer to 2D comics/manga/graphic novels/slideshows. Spore is a 3D game with procedurally generated graphics. Are you a 3D artist or a 2D artist? You should choose a game concept that plays to your strengths, the same way you would apply for jobs for which you had relevant skills and interests.

Also, a minor correction "That's the jest of it" the word you want here is gist. Jest is a joke. Gist is a vague outline of meaning.

writing, artist, storyboarding, testing, documenting. Depending on the game and the tools used to make it, programming could be considered a minor role.

this http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/wizard-choice-complete-and-free/da7b8bb9-6a2f-4aef-b80f-7a819b4aa69c

for example, is a great game and requires more effort from the writer than the programmer.

If I had a strong programming framework done, I wouldn't mind joining an artist/writer if his work was good. Actually, after I'm finished with my new game framework, I may be willing to work with an artist so I can test out my stuff. Right now, I don't want to but I may be willing to. It all depends on the situation. In the right circumstances and if the programmer and the artist had already both done a significant amount of work. If you only want to work on it on and off for a long time though, most programmers would probably decline. That doesn't show commitment.

Given your artistic skills, I'd give more thought about UI/UX design. You've already got the hands for this, so why not define how the player will interface with your game?

I'm also assuming you're able to design.

Now the major obstacle I see will be pitching this idea to a programmer later down the road, but obviously, the more/better documentation you have the better. You might convince programmers of your level of engagement with well defined documentation.

By the way, good documentation is not measured in quantity (just thought I'd clear that up before I end up with someone submitting me another 1000-page long document about elves and dwarves again...)