Sooo.... I've been thinking. Since games are something I have a passion for and also something that I have a natural bend toward and I naturally ponder the design of games that I play. Plus I have programming skills. And ultimately it would be amazing to be able to not have to work for the man.
I think I want to try my hand at making a game myself.
But I'm intimidated. I'm not much of an artist and I've never really done any game programming.
What I want to make is something of a cross between don't starve and better than wolves. A game based on surviving, exploring, and ultimately conquering an infinite and hostile world. A game about starting with nothing and crafting civilization. A vision I imagine is not too different from what Flowerchild wants with RTH. I imagine making my own game would save me from the constant urge to make unwelcome suggestions about his new game. ;)
My question then is this. I know there are at least two people here who have made games themselves.
Is this a crazy project for my first game?
I have debated between 2-d (like don't starve) and 3-d voxels (like minecraft) I think the 3-d voxels offers so many more possibilities but it seems very intimidating for me compared to making a 2-d game. How hard would it be comparatively?
And finally. I know C# well. But I love Clojure and want to program in it. Is it too slow? Should I learn C instead?
Question about creating a game
Re: Question about creating a game
my 2 cents might not be worth much, but I'll give it a shot.
Honestly, I don't think you need to be too much of an artist to make a good game. It might be cliche, but everyone's gotta start somewhere, and why not do that with this? Use whatever tools and talents you have at hand until you either improve or manage to find someone else to do it for you. But yeah, I can empathize a bit with you as I too am not much of an artist despite the fact I'm a web tech major at my college(gotta take several art classes) and intimidation has always been one of my biggest stumbling blocks.(that and sheer laziness XD)
As for the game concept itself, I love it. And that concept doesn't seem like it would demand anything extra special in the graphics department either. Do you plan on going for real time control of the character as minecraft and don't starve? or more of an rts control of several characters?
Honestly, I think a 2D version akin to don't starve that applies principles from minecraft and BTW would be very interesting. Especially if you could incorporate a sense of height as an added challenge.
For programming languages, All I've learned so far basic C++ and a little bit of java. I would say (from what little I know) that if yer gonna bother using C just go straight for C++. FC has said that he prefers using C++ over java so I would trust that opinion and say that C++ would be a good idea. Sadly tho, I don't know what Clojure is.
Again, just my two cents, might not be much help, sorry if that's the case.
Honestly, I don't think you need to be too much of an artist to make a good game. It might be cliche, but everyone's gotta start somewhere, and why not do that with this? Use whatever tools and talents you have at hand until you either improve or manage to find someone else to do it for you. But yeah, I can empathize a bit with you as I too am not much of an artist despite the fact I'm a web tech major at my college(gotta take several art classes) and intimidation has always been one of my biggest stumbling blocks.(that and sheer laziness XD)
As for the game concept itself, I love it. And that concept doesn't seem like it would demand anything extra special in the graphics department either. Do you plan on going for real time control of the character as minecraft and don't starve? or more of an rts control of several characters?
Honestly, I think a 2D version akin to don't starve that applies principles from minecraft and BTW would be very interesting. Especially if you could incorporate a sense of height as an added challenge.
For programming languages, All I've learned so far basic C++ and a little bit of java. I would say (from what little I know) that if yer gonna bother using C just go straight for C++. FC has said that he prefers using C++ over java so I would trust that opinion and say that C++ would be a good idea. Sadly tho, I don't know what Clojure is.
Again, just my two cents, might not be much help, sorry if that's the case.
"So tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" - Hiei
"Snow is not fire, so it can still rain." -Kaitocain
"Snow is not fire, so it can still rain." -Kaitocain
Re: Question about creating a game
Well I was actually hoping for the input of someone with some experience.
Re: Question about creating a game
:( Sorry man. Wish I could've been more helpful. But yeah, the only experience I have in making games is one time when I was 15 I used Game Maker to make a side scrolling shoot em up game.
"So tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" - Hiei
"Snow is not fire, so it can still rain." -Kaitocain
"Snow is not fire, so it can still rain." -Kaitocain
Re: Question about creating a game
No worries man. I just don't want this thread to end up as a bunch of people sharing their unsubstantiated opinions. :)
Re: Question about creating a game
While I haven't done any commercial games development, I have been making simple games since I started programming on my Commodore 64, so take anything I say with a bucket of salt.
Edit: Ah, well never mind then
Spoiler
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It does sound extremely ambitious, and without some planning and goal setting it might be a struggle to build something that big.
I'd suggest starting by making some smaller scale games with some of the ideas from the final game you want to incorporate, a terrain generating program, a fixed map survival game (tower defense, or like project zomboid), a 2D builder akin to terraria, a puzzle game with the mechanical ideas you may want from BTW style machine building. Something with very basic gameplay that give you a sense of how to develop the parts of the final game.
If you haven't previously done any game or graphics/sound programming, you may want to look into a game development tool like Unity or similar that might save you from having to develop the engine entirely yourself.
I for one would be interested to see a axonometric game with 3D voxels, so about halfway between Don't Starve and Minecraft, but the choice between 1st/3rd person view and how you would manage things blocking your view might be annoying to resolve.
On the graphics side, you could use simple images or free graphics resources as placeholders, or contract out for art design.
I'd suggest starting by making some smaller scale games with some of the ideas from the final game you want to incorporate, a terrain generating program, a fixed map survival game (tower defense, or like project zomboid), a 2D builder akin to terraria, a puzzle game with the mechanical ideas you may want from BTW style machine building. Something with very basic gameplay that give you a sense of how to develop the parts of the final game.
If you haven't previously done any game or graphics/sound programming, you may want to look into a game development tool like Unity or similar that might save you from having to develop the engine entirely yourself.
I for one would be interested to see a axonometric game with 3D voxels, so about halfway between Don't Starve and Minecraft, but the choice between 1st/3rd person view and how you would manage things blocking your view might be annoying to resolve.
On the graphics side, you could use simple images or free graphics resources as placeholders, or contract out for art design.
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FlowerChild
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Re: Question about creating a game
Sorry man, but the point at which you start creating a full game using the design concepts in BTW, essentially becoming competition for RTH, is the point at which I stop offering advice :)
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FlowerChild
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Re: Question about creating a game
Actually, it also becomes the point at which I am no longer comfortable with you being a member on these forums.
Obviously, that's nothing against you man, as I like you a great deal, but hopefully you will understand this puts me in a very difficult position.
I'd ask you to refrain from discussing this project in these parts, and if as a matter of courtesy you could PM me letting you know what you decide to do with this, I'd be much obliged.
Obviously, that's nothing against you man, as I like you a great deal, but hopefully you will understand this puts me in a very difficult position.
I'd ask you to refrain from discussing this project in these parts, and if as a matter of courtesy you could PM me letting you know what you decide to do with this, I'd be much obliged.
Re: Question about creating a game
Sorry man I didn't even think it might bother you. I don't want this to be a competition (and I don't think it would be much of a competition anyway) I just want to make a game so I can put all these ideas I have swimming in my head somewhere and make something fun to play. I guess the way I described it sounds a lot like it would be. :(
Edit: Wow... Er ok...
Edit: Wow... Er ok...
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FlowerChild
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Re: Question about creating a game
No problem man. You're of course free to do as you choose, and it doesn't affect my opinion of you in any way, however, it does affect whether I view you as an ally or competition in my plans for the future, and thus how much of my own development process I'm willing for you to have access to and influence upon.
If this is the route you choose, I'd certainly prefer that we part company as friends, but it does mean we'd have to part company.
This does serve as a wake-up call for me however, in terms of how the more time I spend finalizing BTW, the greater the liklihood that someone will decide to implement something similar to RTH before I can. So thanks for lighting a fire under my ass :)
If this is the route you choose, I'd certainly prefer that we part company as friends, but it does mean we'd have to part company.
This does serve as a wake-up call for me however, in terms of how the more time I spend finalizing BTW, the greater the liklihood that someone will decide to implement something similar to RTH before I can. So thanks for lighting a fire under my ass :)