Hi, I’m starting out in game development as a whole and while I have some experience with programming in the past with small things like mods and a single byond game that I took over for a previous person I’m rather new to the start from the ground up thing.
im looking to get some advice on where to start for tools/material/resources for such. I already have the core concept for the game hashed out, this has been a relitivly solo thing so far so any help is appreciated thank you.
1 hour ago, MidnightFoxGaming said:Hi, I’m starting out in game development as a whole and while I have some experience with programming in the past with small things like mods and a single byond game that I took over for a previous person I’m rather new to the start from the ground up thing.
im looking to get some advice on where to start for tools/material/resources for such. I already have the core concept for the game hashed out, this has been a relitivly solo thing so far so any help is appreciated thank you.
Your question is very broad. You have PC and Console tagged with the title but no indication of what platform you want to start developing on, and if you know any programming languages to date. I'm assuming you've done some scripting when modding games?
We can direct you better if you're able to let us know what platform you would like to program your game on, and the type of game you're making.
Depending on your experience, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time learning general programming before you can even hit game programming. If you're also looking at developing for PC and game consoles, you're going to have to learn how to work with the appropriate engines, and APIs. This will have a pretty high learning curve overall.
You can also look into tools like GameMaker Studio 2 - https://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker They offer drag and drop, plus GML which is their scripting language. This can give you a good start before expanding into a more mainstream language.
Programmer and 3D Artist
I’m wanting to work for both pc and console, some knowledge with java and C++ as those have been what I’ve used for modding or started to learn via self teaching from books. The language I have the most experience in is sadly client based and won’t work for these platforms as it’s based from about 7 languages including the two I have experience in. While I’m aware of the learning curve to be able to do this I’m hoping to be able to find advice on where to start and what to use for resources in the creation of the game, such as engines and model creation programs and the likes. I’ve set a high bar for myself with this that will take a long time to meet as there’s not much experience behind me outside a small 2D game I worked on on byond but all the while I see it as a challenge to myself and want to have a good set of tools to do it with. As for the scripting I have minimal knowladge on python as a primary language but lots of material that’s usable to learn it with. I have others interested in helping me with making this game but they want to see proof of it being a serious endeavor before joining on and helping out side of the occasional idea.
I'll start with just Windows and C++ first.
Are you familiar with all of the following in C++:
When it comes to consoles it depends, which console? Are you looking at developing for mainstream consoles, or something like Dreamcast?
If you're talking about making games for Xbox One, and PS4 as an example, you can do this with the Unreal 4 Engine, however you have to consider that you require developer licenses which are granted by Microsoft / Sony. This is not a straight forward process, and requires jumping through hoops.
This is why setting the bar too high off the bat is a recipe for failure. Your best bet is to either stick to PC, Mobile, or homebrewing for something like Dreamcast and be the best you can before splitting platforms.
The best thing you can do for yourself is read a good book on C++ such as C++ Primer (NOT C++ Primer PLUS - they're different books, and plus is garbage). Once you've made a lot of test programs and fully understand the above list, you can move into picking up an engine like Unreal 4, or developing your own game engine using something like SDL. SFML, or Allegro. (I'm not recommending Unity because it's C# based).
If you decide to stay with JAVA, you have options as well, but I'm not sure on what to recommend because I learned JAVA fairly quickly after using C++ for so long, in which I only needed a reference manual. I'm sure there are JAVA game programmers here that can recommend a good book. You can look at Libgdx for Java once you're competent in general programming - https://libgdx.badlogicgames.com/ which is built upon LWJGL https://www.lwjgl.org/
Programmer and 3D Artist
Hi Midnight,
Especially for new developers, I really suggest using World of Hello for development.
By default, you have access to 2D and 3D tools, as well as instant networking. Another cool feature is that if you put together a team, you can work on the project together in realtime.
Finally, if you make an app using your computer, it is automatically ported to Android (and soon iPhone) with no extra coding, and if you want to continue development work on your phone or tablet, you can do that too.
Just visit World of Hello or on Google Play to start developing without needing a development environment, IDE, or developer licenses. You can even code and upload files on your phone without uploading your own APK -- simply download the World of Hello app.
There are a few tutorials here for coding, and I expect to release another this weekend for basics.
You can also view the documentation (which tells you how to code and what you can code). If you need help reading the document, there is a brief explanation on how to use it here.
Even if you decide not to use World of Hello, I highly suggest trying it out and seeing if you like it, first. You can stop at any time.
I also love working with new (and/or experienced) developers, so I would be glad to help you out over a voice/video chat service if you ever need it. Since it's such a new engine, you can also let me know if you need certain features and I can work on it ASAP. Unfortunately I don't yet have console support, but I plan on adding it in the future, which means the app you work on now will eventually be automatically ported to consoles.
Hopefully you'll find my tools very helpful, because I created them for people like you.
Treyten,
4 hours ago, Treyten Carey said:Hi Midnight,
Especially for new developers, I really suggest using World of Hello for development.
By default, you have access to 2D and 3D tools, as well as instant networking. Another cool feature is that if you put together a team, you can work on the project together in realtime.
Finally, if you make an app using your computer, it is automatically ported to Android (and soon iPhone) with no extra coding, and if you want to continue development work on your phone or tablet, you can do that too.
Just visit World of Hello or on Google Play to start developing without needing a development environment, IDE, or developer licenses. You can even code and upload files on your phone without uploading your own APK -- simply download the World of Hello app.
There are a few tutorials here for coding, and I expect to release another this weekend for basics.
You can also view the documentation (which tells you how to code and what you can code). If you need help reading the document, there is a brief explanation on how to use it here.
Even if you decide not to use World of Hello, I highly suggest trying it out and seeing if you like it, first. You can stop at any time.
I also love working with new (and/or experienced) developers, so I would be glad to help you out over a voice/video chat service if you ever need it. Since it's such a new engine, you can also let me know if you need certain features and I can work on it ASAP. Unfortunately I don't yet have console support, but I plan on adding it in the future, which means the app you work on now will eventually be automatically ported to consoles.
Hopefully you'll find my tools very helpful, because I created them for people like you.
Treyten,
Thanks treyten even though I dont have an Android but rather an iPhone I’ll certainly be looking at it as most of the potential team does use androids or windows based phones. The real-time features will certainly be a real plus
