Does Anyone Actually "Do Anything" Here? :
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I've seen hundreds and hundreds of threads on here, because I read websites when I'm bored. So I read seeing if someone has something going that makes me motivated to do something myself. The one time I tried to pull together a serious team of "n00bs" here (on a different SN) I got laughed off the board. So I tried my own thing...and it didn't work too well. Well here I am out of JAVA class, reviewing C++ and learning VB.NET, and SDL, OpenGL and Pygame pretty much didn't work for me, so I just wanna do engine coding now. So it's like I've given up.
But I wonder, out of all the "n00bs" I see on here, what happens to them? It's usually a couple posts about wanting to make a game "but I don't have any programming experience, and I can't draw but I wanna do design" or something like "I WANNA MAKE AN MMORPG." Anyone actually accomplish anything besides the experts? :| I mean, hell I tried and just couldn't do it because I shot too far, trying to do games before I could work an API. Sadly I think this is the fate of many people on here who seem determined. I'm a computer science major in college (Okay I'm really just transferring from community college having taken some basic Intro to Programming classes) who has a strong interest in music composition, and pretty much everything to do with video games. I wish I could start again, and I'm looking at some old code thinking "WTF was I thinking?" so maybe I'll start a new project now...feels good to try again.
I just hope I don't fail...and I kinda wish I'd see a few people have more success then me. For the experts I ask "What can you do to not be an indefinite 'n00b' ?" and for those new I ask "What do you really want to do?" Do you wanna work hard and do something you're proud of, or just sit around coming up with "cool ideas" and expecting them to just happen? Tell me what you think. This is just what I've noticed.
The fact that video games are being made and that there are ppl who can answer the noobs question pretty much answers your question. These ppl weren't born programmers, designers or artists. The idea is to start small but stick to it. Programming video games is still programming and if you don't enjoy programming, I doubt you'd enjoy programming games.
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Quote:Original post by Qitsune
The fact that video games are being made and that there are ppl who can answer the noobs question pretty much answers your question. These ppl weren't born programmers, designers or artists. The idea is to start small but stick to it. Programming video games is still programming and if you don't enjoy programming, I doubt you'd enjoy programming games.
I enjoy programming...I'm just not good at it. It's like, I find it fun to play with the logic, but the failure hurts my self-esteem. It's a love/hate thing I guess.
And I know there's always gonna be experts and there's always gonna be "n00bs" but the thing is I never see anyone in between. I see people who are like "Hi, I've been programming for 8 years now" and then I see "Hi, I don't know what a programming language is but...." (Not to insult the intelligence of anyone, I'm exaggerating) Is it that game programming is just a harder form of programming that requires years of experience first, or is it that no one bothers to talk unless they're totally new or an expert? Maybe it's just me...
Yeah.
Check out the Gamedev journals, (under the 'members' tab), Hopedagger, Stompy9999, SimmerD, dgreen02, Scet, Sir Sapo and I(among others) all have active journals where we post the stuff we've done.
Check out the Gamedev journals, (under the 'members' tab), Hopedagger, Stompy9999, SimmerD, dgreen02, Scet, Sir Sapo and I(among others) all have active journals where we post the stuff we've done.
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Quote:Original post by Prinz Eugn
Yeah.
Check out the Gamedev journals, (under the 'members' tab), Hopedagger, Stompy9999, SimmerD, dgreen02, Scet, Sir Sapo and I(among others) all have active journals where we post the stuff we've done.
I read the Journals and Help Wanted sections a lot. You guys do some great work.
What I'm looking for though is those who are in between learning a language and building a large game, you know kind of at my level. I feel a bit isolated where I am now. I could sit and try to figure out a game on my own, end up nagging GameDev forums about my stupid dev issues until I get annoying or something works, though I was hoping I could find a few people in the middle.
I've been programming for close to 9 years now, started with QBasic back in the day, and when WinME can was forced into C++, but I've grown to love it, and have made major improvements over my time, I still get confuse with alot of actual game design stuff (usually im just over thinking it), but I've made several small games, and continue to make games.
Tho I've never been in a group project, probably cause I've never know anyone that programms in real life. and the internet is so hard to colaborate and share.
But yeah I'd assume alot of people here are undergoing many projects and are being quite successful, I mean just look at the IOTD's, they're a great example of indie progression.
Tho I've never been in a group project, probably cause I've never know anyone that programms in real life. and the internet is so hard to colaborate and share.
But yeah I'd assume alot of people here are undergoing many projects and are being quite successful, I mean just look at the IOTD's, they're a great example of indie progression.
I think that I fit snugly into your supposedly empty niche of "in-between" programmers. I have half a dozen projects, most of them stagnant, and none of them finished, but not because I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't been programming for 8 years but I am definitely developing my skills and have evidence of my work. I try to help those behind me and look for advice from those ahead of me. I don't think it's that uncommon, really.
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Quote:Original post by oscinis
I think that I fit snugly into your supposedly empty niche of "in-between" programmers. I have half a dozen projects, most of them stagnant, and none of them finished. I haven't been programming for 8 years but I am definitely developing my skills and have evidence of my work. I try to help those behind me and look for advice from those ahead of me. I don't think it's that uncommon, really.
That helps a bit. Count = 1 for now!
I've got a few projects that I've given up on too, and nothing working now. I was designing a text-RPG and I tried to add too many things at once and didn't really prepare for them with the structure, so I abandoned that. SDL was hell for me so I kinda gave up on Tetris, then I wrote an Al Bhed translator because my girlfriend speaks it sometimes online, (FF X language) and I accidently translated backwards, but even when it worked I accidentally deleted the source code, which frustrated me. I try to do things, but I give up on things too easy, and I've had some rather bad luck and bad ideas. I can't believe I've been programming for 2 years now, but I have.
When I was a coding newblet, making my first steps into the big world of C++, I found it was much easier, (and hence much more rewarding because I actually accomplished things) to make mods rather than trying to make games from scratch.
When making mods, there already lots of content creation tools, there's already a solid game framework to build on top of, there's already networking code in-place, theres lots of other people working on simmilar things to help you...
Modding is just easier than to make stuff from scratch.
Making your own game *is* much more rewarding than making a mod, but the chances of failure are higher. Failure can be a motivation killer, so you should keep your goals within reach. Starting small can be a motivation killer too, because you lose interest. That's why I recommend modding something like HL2 - coz with a small amount of effort, you can make something really cool that will inspire you.
My path from being a n00b to being semi-experienced:
During that time I have always visited this site for help and info, but throughout my modding years I usually used other sites specific to the game I was modding. Perhaps that's where some of the newbs who disapear go?
When making mods, there already lots of content creation tools, there's already a solid game framework to build on top of, there's already networking code in-place, theres lots of other people working on simmilar things to help you...
Modding is just easier than to make stuff from scratch.
Making your own game *is* much more rewarding than making a mod, but the chances of failure are higher. Failure can be a motivation killer, so you should keep your goals within reach. Starting small can be a motivation killer too, because you lose interest. That's why I recommend modding something like HL2 - coz with a small amount of effort, you can make something really cool that will inspire you.
My path from being a n00b to being semi-experienced:
->Learn C++ basics ->make very very simple games ->make simple mod ->try and make better games from scratch ->feel the sting of failure ->make bigger mod ->try and make better games from scratch ->feel the sting of failure ->start make bigger mod with a team ->go to university ->make simple engine ->make simple games ->complete university ->finish making bigger mod with a team (that's right, a big mod can take 4 years!) ->use my modding experience to get a job ->use job to makie games with team ->use game-making experience to get a job making engines ->make engines ->get tired of making engines, want to make games again!During that time I have always visited this site for help and info, but throughout my modding years I usually used other sites specific to the game I was modding. Perhaps that's where some of the newbs who disapear go?
Chalk another one up for the "in-between" crowd (not that "in-between" crowd, the programmer's "in-between" crowd [disturbed]).
I would say the biggest game related thing I ever did was my 4 Elements 3 entry. Turns out it didn't work like it should have on half the machines I try it on, but it was still something at the time. I really haven't done much since, other than a fairly simple todo list program.
I think I want to get back into game development, especially using XNA.
I would say the biggest game related thing I ever did was my 4 Elements 3 entry. Turns out it didn't work like it should have on half the machines I try it on, but it was still something at the time. I really haven't done much since, other than a fairly simple todo list program.
I think I want to get back into game development, especially using XNA.
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