Well, I'm not new to programming, but I'm still new enough to be a beginner :) Anyawys, besides trying to do a text based rpg, I havn't really attempted to make any type of game. Now, I know everyone asks what game should they make first, and almost everyone says either Tetris or Pong. But, are there any other games out there that would be a beginner game to make, but alittle different then the usual pong and tetris? Anyone have any ideas, also, what would I need to know to make the game you are suggesting? Gawd, someone just distracted me and I forgot what I was going to say next lol, I swear I must have ADD ... Do most games require knowing the Windows API , do I have to learn directx or opengl to do a simple tetris game. So I guess what I'm asking for is... 1. Game Idea ( Besides PONG! ) 2. What I should Already Know 3. What I might want to learn 4. Scale level of 1-10 how hard it would be for a beginner to make Thanx everyone for your comments.

Quote:Original post by Surg AKA Kunark
1. Game Idea ( Besides PONG! )
2. What I should Already Know
3. What I might want to learn
4. Scale level of 1-10 how hard it would be for a beginner to make

1. Anything simple... My first game was "Master Mind" and I didn't even bother to make it a windows application. I made the entire thing as a text based dos game (windows console). Making a console based game is good because it takes the need for Windows API and DirectX away and makes you focus on the actual game logic. Below are the links to my horrible game and sloppy source.

Master Mind
Source Code

2. Depends on where are want to start. If you choose to do a simple console application then all you need is the basics of the language you choose to write it in and ver little Windows API. If you choose to create a windows game without using DirectX then you will need to know the basic of your language and alot of Windows API (including GDI). Lastly, if you wish to do a DirectX game, then you will need all of the above and a good understanding of DirectX.

DirectX is a little harder because you can choose to do a 2D or a 3D game. You can use Direct3D to do a 2D game and in both cases you will need to know some 3D math.

3. You will probably want to learn to be proficient in your language of choice, the Direct3D API and have some 3D math under your belt.

As for want you want to learn in regards to making a specific game then take it step by step. Design a game first by documenting it's objectives, purpose, scoring, interfaces, everything you can think of.

4. If you create something as simple as the one I made above, then it is probably about a 2 or 3 in difficulty. Not very hard to do, but rewarding in the end.

Hope this all helps, I mean... I'm not much more experienced then yourself and I've probably suceeded in answering none of your questions, but I hope you get something out of it.

Pacman, Asteroids, Breakout, Tic tac toe, Space Invaders - basically any fairly simple (and usually old) game. The good thing about these is that they teach the concepts of more complex games, but are easier to implement. Another thing in favour of this sort of game is that there are many tutorials to be found on creating them, as well as source-code samples, and even if you can't find anything, the concepts are normally fairly easy to figure out and translate into code.

A reasonable progression I'd suggest for a beginner could be:
- Tic Tac Toe:
Very basic game, can easily be done as a console app.
-Space Invaders:
Fairly simple game, uses basic graphics (or can be done in a console if you get creative).
-Asteroids:
Simple game, the player now has more movement than in space invaders. Could possibly have some AI (enemy ships) if you wished.
-Pacman:
Deals with loading in map files. Has some proper AI. Can be done in console mode, but looks better with simple graphics.
-Topdown shooter:
Think something like Raptor: Call of the Shadows. Has complex player movement like in asteroids, combined with some proper AI, loading from map files, etc. Should be graphical (could still be done in console, but would be quite ungainly). Alternately, a sidescrolling platform game (think Mario Bro's).

You can't do much until you have the basics down. That is why you should start with Tic Tac Toe in the console. Once you can do basic graphics, you can then do a Pong clone. After that you will have experience doing graphics so you can move on and do things like Tetris (here's mine). After Tetris, you will have good knowledge of gameplay and game structure so you can do something more complex. I plan on eventually doing a platform game. We'll see. Good luck! The thing is, you have to start with the basics.