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#1

so..i wana make games

Archive: 23 posts

ok so hear is the run down(ps bad spelling ahead. you been warnd)

im going to high school next year and i want to get a job at media molecule(spaff i hope your lisning)
but my highschool offers very little in the line of traits and so dose my local colege.
so my qwestion is what traits whould i need to get a game desiner job(once again you lisning spaff)

I know I know i can't spell please to go on about it		2009-11-22 12:49:00

Author:
solid-snake
Posts: 212

Build up a portfollio of games work. If games developers can see what you've done already then they know what kind of skills you have.

Working in a team is also something that Alex said was good and if you're learning then it'd mean that other people can cover your weaknesses while you're trying to get started.		2009-11-22 14:14:00

Author:
Shermzor
Posts: 1330

http://www.microsoft.com/exPress/

http://winprog.org/tutorial/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/directx/aa937788.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/aa937791.aspx

That should get you started.		2009-11-22 16:20:00

Author:
Foofles
Posts: 2278

ok whoa.....you lost me there. im just wonering what education i need.

also what about if i download the unreal engin and make somthing decent with it would that boost my portfolio		2009-11-22 17:07:00

Author:
solid-snake
Posts: 212

ok whoa.....you lost me there. im just wonering what education i need.

also what about if i download the unreal engin and make somthing decent with it would that boost my portfolio

Sure. Hands on experience is the most important thing. You can get a free version of unreal engine 3 here.

http://developer.nvidia.com/object/udk.html


The most important thing is learning by doing, to be honest. The schools/courses may help with your knowledge, but the diploma is useless... they only care about your experience and knowhow.

So I just suggest looking into visual studio express and starting to learn some basic C++, C#, or Java. Do a "Hello World". 		2009-11-22 17:36:00

Author:
Foofles
Posts: 2278

You want to make games? I recommend you pick up a book called Beginning C++ Through Game Programming.

It teaches you the basics of C++, one of the most widely used programming languages, while making neat little games. The book starts with simple things like making an inventory system and works up to making a fully-fledged game of Battleship. It's all CLI stuff, but it's fun!

The book comes with Bloodshed, which is a C++ complier. You can pick up a free complier, like Borland's one, but Bloodshed is far easier to use and it helps you format your code.

After you've worked your way through this book you could begin to look into using graphics libraries to make games that have images and sound. You'll probably want to start with SDL.

There are two major graphics libraries, Direct X and OpenGL. You can download Microsoft's Direct X software development kit for free from their site. XBOX uses a variation on Direct X and a lot of games on PC are made using it. You might choose to use the OpenGL libraries instead. PS3 games are written in a variation of OpenGL and a lot of smaller developers use OpenGL because it's easier to use and more widely supported than Direct X.


im just wonering what education i need.
There are specific courses availalbe, but a lot of programmers just have a university-level education in maths.


what about if i download the unreal engin and make somthing decent with it would that boost my portfolio
Sorry to say but no, it won't.		2009-11-22 17:47:00

Author:
Ayneh
Posts: 2454

OpenGL is definitely easier to get started with basic things.

Here is a resource I used years ago: http://nehe.gamedev.net/

Of course before that, you definitely need to learn some basic C++.

http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ seems decent enough...		2009-11-22 18:43:00

Author:
Foofles
Posts: 2278

ok im slowly figuring out that this is hard stuff to do but i done worse.

now please dont call me cheap or one of those people that think he can make anything because he is good at game. its just a thought

wouldnt lbp count as game desine
you creat puzzels obstacals and othe gameplay mechanics and place them into a blank lvl

you creat scripted events to happen at sertin points(logic gates)

add lighting and visual efects and then test test test to get all the bugs out

you publish the lvl and hope it dose well

as far as i can see lbp is a ver dumb down game creation system		2009-11-22 22:19:00

Author:
solid-snake
Posts: 212

I wouldn't consider C++ a good place to start for someone who's completely new to programming.

Actionscript (Flash) or Gamemaker are really good places to start, Actionscript being the better one.
I started with Actionscript (V2 preferably, 3 is more advanced) and it's turning out good so far.
It's better than more advanced languages because you get to see a result straight away and don't have to jump through hoops just to get an image on the screen. And the way the code is written out can make understanding code much easier once you move onto something like C++.
There's also a LOT of resources to learn it as well, and flash portals to get your game out in the open easily

I did try to move onto C++, it's easy right up until you try to get an image on the screen!
Made a few nice text rpgs though 		2009-11-22 22:55:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

I wouldn't consider C++ a good place to start for someone who's completely new to programming.

Actionscript (Flash) or Gamemaker are really good places to start, Actionscript being the better one.
I started with Actionscript (V2 preferably, 3 is more advanced) and it's turning out good so far.
It's better than more advanced languages because you get to see a result straight away and don't have to jump through hoops just to get an image on the screen. And the way the code is written out can make understanding code much easier once you move onto something like C++.
There's also a LOT of resources to learn it as well, and flash portals to get your game out in the open easily

I did try to move onto C++, it's easy right up until you try to get an image on the screen!
Made a few nice text rpgs though

That's what I started with. Last year I memorized it's whole language and I'm going to try to find something a little more advanced soon.

I think it would probably be easier to learn if you were learning with someone else, or something. I remember I learned (Although really poorly, due to my age at the time...) Game Maker when I was 6 or 7, with my dad.

So, yea, probably try starting somehow like that, and work up. (Just don't try when you're six, the only things I made were real poorly made Digimon games.) 		2009-11-23 01:43:00

Author:
KlawwTheClown
Posts: 1106

Actionscript is like a step up from Gamemaker

I never really learnt how to use GM properly so maybe i don't know entirely what it's like.
I see a lot of great GM developers moving up to flash anyway, Matt Thorson for example who made the Jumper games 		2009-11-23 09:20:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

ok whoa.....you lost me there. im just wonering what education i need.

also what about if i download the unreal engin and make somthing decent with it would that boost my portfolio

Oh sorry, i was talking a step up perhaps

Ok once you've learnt programming then do my thing

Since you're playing lbp you should get the general gist of what ypu have to do with logics to get a result.

I recommend starting with actionscript 3.0 (flash). It is object orientated which will be very useful if you then go onto to c and c++.

I'm currently learning actionscript 3.0 myself from no programming experience. I bought a bible and I'm teaching myself with the odd online tutorial for specific stuff. I recommend signing up for lynda (google it) if you want to get good lessons and don't mind the cost.		2009-11-25 15:40:00

Author:
Shermzor
Posts: 1330

Is AS3 any good?

I've heard it's only useful for advanced programmers so i didn't bother trying to convert
The conversion seems kind of hard, you have to break a lot of old habits if you've used AS2 for a while.		2009-11-25 17:26:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

Is AS3 any good?

I've heard it's only useful for advanced programmers so i didn't bother trying to convert
The conversion seems kind of hard, you have to break a lot of old habits if you've used AS2 for a while.

Well I didn't learn as2 but what I've seen from it (and what I've used) it isn't what I like really.

At first i didn't like as3.0 because I just wanted to code straight onto a button to make it press and do something so I just did a few basic flashes in as2.0 for that.

Then when we started our sackcast project I realized how easy 3.0 actually is and I much prefer coding to the timeline/ an as document rather than having code on the timeline, in a button and in an obsure movieclip in a movieclip in a movieclip.

But yeah i didn't do as2.0 so i really can't make comparisons that concern anything more advanced than button pressing 		2009-11-26 19:19:00

Author:
Shermzor
Posts: 1330

I wouldn't consider C++ a good place to start for someone who's completely new to programming.
Depends how you look at it.

Starting with an easier language like Basic or whatever might get you to making something impressive more quickly, but then you could have spent that time giving yourself a solid foundation in a language that you're going to want to eventually migrate to anyway, that is if you're looking to work for a developer like solid-snake does.		2009-12-08 22:27:00

Author:
Ayneh
Posts: 2454

Depends how you look at it.

Starting with an easier language like Basic or whatever might get you to making something impressive more quickly, but then you could have spent that time giving yourself a solid foundation in a language that you're going to want to eventually migrate to anyway, that is if you're looking to work for a developer like solid-snake does.

I disagree with you there, it's not a good idea to throw yourself into the deep end with this stuff.

Starting with something like flash is a lot more rewarding and will make understanding the basics a lot easier. Starting with something like C++ will probably just demotivate you and slow things down in the long run.

Most proffesional developers start with something simple, i wouldn't be suprised if all of them did.		2009-12-08 23:49:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

Well i'm halfway through my Games Design (IMedia) Course at college and we generally use Gamemaker to program (First year) and we do Photoshop,Premiere,After Effects,Storyboards,Word.. lol loads of it, and 3DSMax.

I can help you out in those areas if you want coaching.		2009-12-09 00:07:00

Author:
CreateNPlay
Posts: 1266

I disagree with you there, it's not a good idea to throw yourself into the deep end with this stuff.

Starting with something like flash is a lot more rewarding and will make understanding the basics a lot easier. Starting with something like C++ will probably just demotivate you and slow things down in the long run.

Most proffesional developers start with something simple, i wouldn't be suprised if all of them did.

Not necessarily... modern games typically demand an object oriented architecture and C++ pretty much excels at this. It might seem a little harder to grasp at first, but it'll give you a much better understanding of how games and apps work on the conceptual level.

It might be a little verbose and delicate compared to scripted languages, but that does come at the reward of control.

Most new programmers I know start with C, which on the surface might seem easy to jump to C++, but thinking in OOP terms requires a whole new mental game. Though environments like Java and C# sort of force some degree of OOP on you anyway...		2009-12-09 00:09:00

Author:
Foofles
Posts: 2278

I'm with Dex on this. There is a lot of snobbery amongst programmers that BASIC and scripting languages only serve to teach you bad habits, but I personally think that's rubbish. It will allow you to understand the central concepts early on, in a very forgiving way, which is a good thing.

Personally I'll be glad if I never have to look at BASIC code again, but I don't think it will hurt anyone to start there. I would however suggest that once you have your head around the primary concepts you should try to move away from BASIC as quickly as possible.

Just to clarify, I started off programming in BBC BASIC aged around 8, I'm now a professional software engineer working exclusively in low-level C. In the meantime I also became very profficient in C++. BASIC never hurt me 		2009-12-09 00:11:00

Author:
rtm223
Posts: 6497

Also just to clarify.

YOU DONT HAVE TO PROGRAM.

I'm a 3D modeller by heart and there are many other routes. Find what suits you best.

Enviroment design perhaps? UT3 Engine, Hammer, SDKTools

3D? 3DSMax, Maya, Blender, Zmodeler etc.

Audio? Soundforge, Audacity etc.

A Writer?

2D Design? Photoshop

Cinematics? Premiere, After Effects

LOTS of choices!		2009-12-09 00:13:00

Author:
CreateNPlay
Posts: 1266

I disagree with you there, it's not a good idea to throw yourself into the deep end with this stuff.

Starting with something like flash is a lot more rewarding and will make understanding the basics a lot easier. Starting with something like C++ will probably just demotivate you and slow things down in the long run.

Most proffesional developers start with something simple, i wouldn't be suprised if all of them did.

I'm with Dex on this. There is a lot of snobbery amongst programmers that BASIC and scripting languages only serve to teach you bad habits, but I personally think that's rubbish. It will allow you to understand the central concepts early on, in a very forgiving way, which is a good thing.

Personally I'll be glad if I never have to look at BASIC code again, but I don't think it will hurt anyone to start there. I would however suggest that once you have your head around the primary concepts you should try to move away from BASIC as quickly as possible.

Just to clarify, I started off programming in BBC BASIC aged around 8, I'm now a professional software engineer working exclusively in low-level C. In the meantime I also became very profficient in C++. BASIC never hurt me
With the benefit of hindsight don't you wish you had started with the more "serious" stuff sooner? I dunno, kids are often patronised and fobbed off because folks don't think they can deal with something that they might very well be good at and end up wasting their time...		2009-12-09 00:29:00

Author:
Ayneh
Posts: 2454

With the benefit of hindsight don't you wish you had started with the more "serious" stuff sooner?

No

It's not as simple as just diving into the hardest to learn language and saving time, you'll learn a lot more if you take everything in gradually.
With hindsight advanced programming languages seem simple just like anything does once you've learnt it, it becomes second nature.

However starting off with something like C++ will just slow things down. It's extremely difficult to learn without knowledge in other languages and you get next to nothing to show for your work until you're quite deep into it.
Most likely unless you're super-determined or really intelligent you'll just get demotivated and give up too early.
I'm not entirely sure you've been looking at it from the viewpoint of the beginner here

@Foofles
Maybe i'm not sure what OOP means but i've heard Flash uses it. That's what i've been recommending 		2009-12-09 00:48:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

O_o.....this might helphttp://www.yoyogames.com.....this is the home of GM 7...you have to buy unlim. to make 3d though...2009-12-12 03:11:00

Author:
theswweet
Posts: 2468


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