Advertisement

Need advice with RPG making

Started by July 08, 2014 12:18 AM
13 comments, last by Ravyne 10 years, 6 months ago
Well, I believe I shouldnt use this forum for my question since I have very low programming skills, but I couldnt find any other place for this question.
I have got idea of making RPG, 2D (or with very little 3D elements). It would love for it
to be something like famous android game "bard's tale", maybe more pixels related and I would love to make game on pc and maybe later transfer it to other platforms.
I have some piece of story and ideas written down, but I dont have any idea what to learn.. One my friend suggested me Java, but I am not sure if its capable of making that?
To put simple my question is: "Which programming languages are capable of making long rpg game on various devices?"

Did you check out RPG Maker? It's a, well, tool to make RPG's. An example of a game that was made with RPG Maker is 'To The Moon.'

Advertisement

For someone without programming skills, RPG Maker is probably up your alley. Its mostly point and click, and you only have to think of as much programming as you absolutely need to -- even then, it provides most of the programming plumbing that would be easy for a beginner to get wrong or that would just take too much time to do yourself.

I'd seriously look into that, and don't let anyone tell you its not real programming. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't -- but its beside the point. Your stated goal is to make the game, not to become a programmer, so it doesn't matter whether anyone thinks you're a real programmer or not. RPG maker is very capable of what you describe, and is the path of least resistance.

throw table_exception("(? ???)? ? ???");

Well thing is that I want to be programmer. I think game maker is for peoples whom are artists (not me) and I just want to do code things in game(s) I will make.. I am capable of learning something new thought :D
So feel free to reply some thoughts about what should I learn if I want to be game maker and my main concept is to make RPGs.

Well then. You aren't going to like this answer, but I'd recommend starting with Tic-Tac-Toe or Connect Four in any language. Maybe even a basic Hangman. I've used JavaScript, Python, and now I'm working in LIBGDX in Java, to make those basic 2D games.

To find your language just try a bunch of them. Maybe spend a day or 2 in each until you find the one you like and just start making your first game. It will be a while before you're making a 2D RPG game from scratch if you are going to make your own custom engine. I've been coding basic games off and on for about a year and a half and I'm still not there yet. Maybe in another 3 to 6 months for me.

If you have some idea of what languages you want to try out first I can give you some suggestions on where to start.

I am thinking about java really much.. C++ was a bit too confusing for me so I threw it off my list what i'll learn first :-)
Maybe you can tell me any good tutorials books about java?
And I know that I wont start with RPG at first, that would be hm.. Overhelming :D
Advertisement

You certainly *can* program in RPG maker -- I'm not sure about Java, but at least in Ruby and probably others. Languages that would be a transferable skill, not just something that only applies to RPG maker. You can program as much or as little as you like, really -- its just that the system already provides a lot of the typical RPG stuff.

If you want to become a programmer, that's a different goal, and one which starts a long, long way from having a finished RPG (or any game, really) to show for it. Using RPG maker would allow you the ability to see real results in your RPG sooner, and the opportunity to do some programming along the way. Even if your ultimate goal is to be a programmer, starting within RPG maker might still be a good option for you. Otherwise, start learning to program from scratch, but be prepared to work up from the very bottom.

throw table_exception("(? ???)? ? ???");

I am thinking about java really much.. C++ was a bit too confusing for me so I threw it off my list what i'll learn first :-)
Maybe you can tell me any good tutorials books about java?
And I know that I wont start with RPG at first, that would be hm.. Overhelming biggrin.png

Ok, Java. So I'm using a library called libGDX to make 2D Java games. I'm importing the libGDX projects into the Eclipse IDE. Once you learn the basics of programming this is where you might want to start as well.

I'd recommend a site like: http://www.learnjavaonline.org to get started. Using a web environment to jump into the code removes some of the complexity of a compiled language like Java. It covers the basics like control statements and basic data types and also some of the more advanced topics like inheritance and generics. It seems pretty light on content though so I would just try and run the programs and try to get a gist of how the language works.

Once you're comfortable with that you will want to work with an IDE to compile your own programs on your computer and get an intro book like "Head First Java, 2nd Edition" from Amazon. Or even the Java Tutorial: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial.

After a couple of months you should be fairly comfortable in Java and you're chosen IDE. At that point you can start making games with the libGDX library here: http://libgdx.badlogicgames.com/documentation.html.

Good luck and remember to have fun. Starting a new language is always exciting for me. Try not to get too discouraged when you get stuck.

All of the above posts are good as well, but I'd recommend DarkBASIC, which is a variant on BASIC created specially for the purposes of making games. It's not extremely tough to learn. Another engine which I think is even better is Unity3d, but that's not very well suited to 2d game development.

No matter what language you choose, however, you must start SMALL before you can do anything bigger. As with anything new, it takes time to master it completely. Good luck!

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

A little piece of good advice that has really helped me to get on my feet: start small. Start with a Pong clone, or a Pacman clone. Then move up to a Super Mario clone. Then you can think about making your RPG. If you go in at the deep end, you will make a mess of it (if you are anything like me) and end up making not only a bad game, but also not enjoying it. Making a game is something you should enjoy, and that will only happen if you tackle things that are within your current capabilities.

This topic is closed to new replies.

Advertisement