PDA

View Full Version : Looking to get my feet wet



Iron Ace
06-06-2005, 07:02 AM
As the expression around here goes. This is not a resume (though it looks like one), just a way of presenting the info that I see often asked for by responders to topics similar in nature to this one. I apologize for the length of the post and hope that anyone with experience can give me any additional advice.


Goal:
To create varying games solo as a hobby, possibly commercially releasing them in the future. Also future work might entail working as part of a team.


Experience:
I have done level design professionally for just over a year a number of years ago on a budget title and its sequels. This required a lot of scripting which I enjoy doing very much. I also processed art work with Photoshop though never created new content with it.

I have used several map and game editors that come with the games I play, often being frustrated by the lack of their power to affect the game in question. I also made board games (sort of) as a kid, though I used LEGOs for my boards. :)

I have programmed quite some time ago in Pascal, Fortran and Basic but never in C/C++, Java or anything very useful by today's standards nor in a professional manner.


Current Plan:
I am planning to get a BS in programming in the next few years in order to get a better career as well as help bring my game making passions to fruition. I hope to at least learn a good deal of C++ syntax from a book before starting this as a leg up. I also am thinking about taking some art classes as I have little training and knowledge in this area.

I am looking at getting an SDK of some sort. I plan to start simple and build up; starting with a tic-tac-toe game if need be since I am not rushing to make, "the next big game." I have some ideas for 2D games which I understand are a good place to start and plan to start there.


Questions:
- What SDKs would you recommend I learn? I plan eventually to do 3D but primarily want to start out with 2D scaling up to a 3rd person side scroller like Castlevania, Mario Bros., etc. After several years of that I will maybe look in to 3D.

- Is there a good method, book, website for self teaching art production for games? (again, 2D primarily.)

- Any other tools, web sites or books you could recommend for a newb who is patient and self taught?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully reply! :)


Forum: Indie Basics Post New Thread
Logged in as Iron Ace Title:

Message:
[Font] Arial Arial Black Arial Narrow Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Fixedsys Franklin Gothic Medium Garamond Georgia Impact Lucida Console Lucida Sans Unicode Microsoft Sans Serif Palatino Linotype System Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana [Size] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [Color] Black Sienna Dark Olive Green Dark Green Dark Slate Blue Navy Indigo Dark Slate Gray Dark Red Dark Orange Olive Green Teal Blue Slate Gray Dim Gray Red Sandy Brown Yellow Green Sea Green Medium Turquoise Royal Blue Purple Gray Magenta Orange Yellow Lime Cyan Deep Sky Blue Dark Orchid Silver Pink Wheat Lemon Chiffon Pale Green Pale Turquoise Light Blue Plum White Close Current Tag

Close All Tags

Guided Mode Enhanced Mode
As the expression around here goes. This is not a resume (though it looks like one), just a way of presenting the info that I see often asked for by responders to topics similar in nature to this one. I apologize for the length of the post and hope that anyone with experience can give me any additional advice.


Goal:
To create varying games solo as a hobby, possibly commercially releasing them in the future. Also future work might entail working as part of a team.


Experience:
I have done level design professionally for just over a year a number of years ago on a budget title and its sequels. This required a lot of scripting which I enjoy doing very much. I also processed art work with Photoshop though never created new content with it.

I have used several map and game editors that come with the games I play, often being frustrated by the lack of their power to affect the game in question. I also made board games (sort of) as a kid, though I used LEGOs for my boards. :)

I have programmed quite some time ago in Pascal, Fortran and Basic but never in C/C++, Java or anything very useful by today's standards nor in a professional manner.


Current Plan:
I am planning to get a BS in programming in the next few years in order to get a better career as well as help bring my game making passions to fruition. I hope to at least learn a good deal of C++ syntax from a book before starting this as a leg up. I also am thinking about taking some art classes as I have little training and knowledge in this area.

I am looking at getting an SDK of some sort. I plan to start simple and build up; starting with a tic-tac-toe game if need be since I am not rushing to make, "the next big game." I have some ideas for 2D games which I understand are a good place to start and plan to start there.


Questions:
- What SDKs would you recommend I learn? I plan eventually to do 3D but primarily want to start out with 2D scaling up to a 3rd person side scroller like Castlevania, Mario Bros., etc. After several years of that I will maybe look in to 3D.

- Is there a good method, book, website for self teaching art production for games? (again, 2D primarily.)

- Any other tools, web sites or books you could recommend for a newb who is patient and self taught?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully reply! :)

sparkyboy
06-11-2005, 06:01 AM
Hi Ace,

Welcome to the best indie forum around.Reading your post seems very much a mirror image of myself,although i'm not in nor going to college.

There are a gazillion sites around that you can find articles and tutorials about programming in various languages.Just remember google is your friend.

Here's a few that I frequent:-

www.blitzbasic.com (great basic language with 2d and 3d)
www.blitzcoder.com (you'll be directed to new site!)
www.gamedev.net (great articles and such)
www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/ (great software based 2d game library)
www.gamasutra.com (good site about the industry of games)
www.asharewarelife.com (great insight from a shareware success)
www.dxgame.com ( superb 2d in 3d engine that is just blowing me away which is based around VB6)

Man there are so many.Just remember do like I did,walk before you can run.I haven't programmed much in the last 6 years or so,but I have released 3 titles(serious ones that is!) in the past 12 years.
As anyone will tell you,its no good having the best ideas and intentions in the world if you can't bring a product to market.Start off slowly,finish and then progress to the next level.It hasn't done me any harm.

I have faith in you ace,good luck and don't give up with your endeavours.


All the best

Mark.

Iron Ace
06-12-2005, 08:22 AM
Thank you for the nice reply, I was beginning to wonder if I posted to the right site. I will check out all those sites, thanks a bunch.

Out of the SDKs you link to, which do you think would be the best to start with? I do plan to start simple and finish. I like to think I have a realistic approach to it after lurking here for a bit observing the common pitfalls.

sparkyboy
06-12-2005, 08:31 AM
Well Ace,check out allegro if you want,that is pretty easy and feature rich,and their are also other additions from 3rd parties.

If you want 3d acceleration in a 2d world,checkout dxgame.

Anything else just post here and if I can I'll help ok.

All the best


Mark.


P.S.

Allegro is also FREE (always a good thing!!!)

Ryan Clark
06-12-2005, 08:41 AM
I was beginning to wonder if I posted to the right site.Since you say you have never programmed professionally, nor do you know C/C++, I think you're posting on the wrong site, yes :) You'll need to start by learning to make games... this forum is more useful to folks who already have the skills required to make games, and want to discuss the finer points of indie business (or complex technical issues).

So yes, check out the sites sparkyboy listed, they will certainly help you on your way. You may also be interested in our game programming wiki (http://gpwiki.org). If you stop by the message board on the wiki, we'll certainly do our best to get you started!

Now, regarding your question of which SDK/library to use, it really depends on your long term goals. If you want to work in the game industry (for a larger company), you will probably need to be at least somewhat familiar with DirectX. If you want to go it alone (or if you're interested in cross-platform development for Windows/Mac/Linux), you'd do well to look into SDL and OpenGL.

Good luck!

Iron Ace
06-12-2005, 04:17 PM
... I think you're posting on the wrong site, yes :) ... You may also be interested in our game programming wiki (http://gpwiki.org). If you stop by the message board on the wiki, we'll certainly do our best to get you started!Good luck!

I registered there a few days ago actually. Ironically, I see that (your?) site as much more targeted to the technical aspects rather than as a good place to start. I don't see a newbie board there aside from how to use a wiki. Maybe you can point me in the right direction there.

Ryan Clark
06-12-2005, 05:11 PM
I see that (your?) site as much more targeted to the technical aspects rather than as a good place to start.Yes, the wiki is dedicated to the technical side of game programming... but I think that is where you should start. Afterall, you need to know how to program, and how to use gaming libraries/SDKs in order to make a game, right? :) I can't imagine starting at any other point.

First, learn whichever language you intend to learn. (C++, I imagine?) Next, choose a library and learn to use it (DirectX? SDL? OpenGL?). Make small sample programs with the library to ensure that you know how to display graphics, play sounds, and get input. Once you've got the hang of your library, try making a very very simple game (pong, space invaders, tetris, etc).


I don't see a newbie board there aside from how to use a wiki. Maybe you can point me in the right direction there.No, there's no newbie forum (though perhaps there should be?). Just post a message in whichever forum seems to fit best... we won't bite :) "Off-Topic" is always a safe bet!