So... Making games?

For Beginners

Started by Maniacis August 20, 2008 01:44 PM

18 comments, last by Silicon Munky 15 years, 8 months ago

17,203

August 20, 2008 07:33 PM

Quote:Original post by sadron
We talking Game Maker or GameMaker 'cause there is a difference between them. (Besides the space in the name)

Could you elaborate please? I'm aware of
http://www.gamemaker.nl
which redirects you to
http://www.yoyogames.com/make
They both appear to be about the same program, created by Mark Overmars.
Google also shows http://game-maker.en.softonic.com/ - but that also redirects you to yoyogames.com, where the latest version is Game Maker 7.0.

I digging more deeply, I also found GameMaker Lite 1.2.2 by Al Staffieri Jr. - for Macintosh computers. Is that the non-space one you're referring to?

And trusting you that there's a difference between them besides what OS they run on and having a space in the name or not, how is Super's and Matthew's recommendation to give the program a try affected by the difference?

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

Maniacis

122

Author

August 21, 2008 07:41 AM

First i would like to say thanks to all people who replied to my topic :)

Second, i actually got more confused. Some is saying "Stick to Java", others: "Go GameMaker".

I'm queite confused, but i guess i just stick to learning Java.

superpig

1,826

August 21, 2008 07:53 AM

There is no right answer.

Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse

Darkrider0318

144

August 21, 2008 07:56 AM

Hey maniacis,

I messed around with game maker for a bit. Actually had seem some great products from similar sites and some that were from earlier versions. The biggest point I have read and come accross is you have to know a language to get further into the construction. C#, C++, etc are a common ones. I ve started in classes and will be following C++ through the courses with intro into others. From a stand point I would say you can learn a little using them but starting with a language and working around it seems to be better.

Ive picked up a few books on Direct x programming which looks pretty informative also.

DR0318

Darkrider

hardcoded1337

124

August 21, 2008 11:18 AM

If you're not planning to program your own engine and making 3D game, pick Torque Game Engine. Well documented, strong community, source code,indie license(you can sell the content), all for 150bucks. The best thing is that there is a book for it, made for total beginers with no previous experiences, it covers scripting, modeling, texturing, sound engineering... - all to make a game.

If you're interested, PM me.

Maniacis

122

Author

August 21, 2008 11:57 AM

Well, i think i'm going to make engines my self, but thank you anyways :)

Silicon Munky

162

August 21, 2008 12:12 PM

Quote:Original post by Maniacis
Well, i think i'm going to make engines my self, but thank you anyways :)

Writing an engine is a great way to learn, and that's how I took my big jump into game development after a couple years of programming, but it's also a huge undertaking that will take you several years. I agree with the advice that the others gave, start incredibly small and make sure you finish what you start.

MaulingMonkey

1,729

August 21, 2008 12:33 PM

Quote:Original post by Silicon Munky
Quote:Original post by Maniacis
Well, i think i'm going to make engines my self, but thank you anyways :)

Writing an engine is a great way to learn, and that's how I took my big jump into game development after a couple years of programming, but it's also a huge undertaking that will take you several years. I agree with the advice that the others gave, start incredibly small and make sure you finish what you start.

Maybe, but...

Captain P

1,092

August 21, 2008 03:40 PM

Quote:Original post by Maniacis
First i would like to say thanks to all people who replied to my topic :)

Second, i actually got more confused. Some is saying "Stick to Java", others: "Go GameMaker".

I'm queite confused, but i guess i just stick to learning Java.

If you want to know a bit more about game development as a whole, play with GameMaker for a while. I've done 4 years of level-design before I started programming. It has given me a great deal of insight that's still very useful now that I'm a game programmer, even though level-design has little to do with programming. After creating a few simple games, start programming. Because you built a few games already, you'll have a better idea about what you need to program in order to get a game up and running.

Of course, you can jump straight into programming just as well. It's up to you. :)

Create-ivity - a game development blog Mouseover for more information.

Silicon Munky

162

August 21, 2008 03:44 PM

Quote:Original post by MaulingMonkey
Quote:Original post by Silicon Munky
Quote:Original post by Maniacis
Well, i think i'm going to make engines my self, but thank you anyways :)

Writing an engine is a great way to learn, and that's how I took my big jump into game development after a couple years of programming, but it's also a huge undertaking that will take you several years. I agree with the advice that the others gave, start incredibly small and make sure you finish what you start.

Maybe, but...

It depends on what you want to get out of it. I wanted to become a rendering programmer, not specifically a gameplay programmer. Writing a small engine for my own tech demo helped me learn what I needed to get a job working on my company's graphics pipeline/engine.

Edit: I agree with you though, if the OP doesn't want to get into rendering work specifically and actually wants to make games, then using a prebuilt engine is so much better since making your own engine is a huge piece of work.

So... Making games?

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