Maybe you should have done something cooler. Like my first ever psychics shit 3d tank "simulator". It was very hard (because I made everything from my tiny head, no papers, no nothing). And what do I have? A fucking tank moving and shooting on a fucking terrain!! Not some ball...
Sorry, no offence.
I'm not a game programmer...screw games
this is main reason why I'm a game engine guy - I just want result, result, result.
even in 3d animation, all I want is result, result, result. I couldn't be bothered with app x vs app y.
if app x can do 10 x faster at modelling, I'll use x for modelling.
if app y can do 10 x faster at texturing, I'll use y for texturing.
if app z can do 10 x faster at char animation, I'll use z for char animation.
end result is that I get 10 x faster result than those who spent their time fighting for their loyal app.
back to the topic - use Unity3D or UDK.
even in 3d animation, all I want is result, result, result. I couldn't be bothered with app x vs app y.
if app x can do 10 x faster at modelling, I'll use x for modelling.
if app y can do 10 x faster at texturing, I'll use y for texturing.
if app z can do 10 x faster at char animation, I'll use z for char animation.
end result is that I get 10 x faster result than those who spent their time fighting for their loyal app.
back to the topic - use Unity3D or UDK.
Well now that you got the ball to roll, you should make it bounce too!
There is some, sometimes a lot, of upfront costs but the end result -- whether on the screen or knowledge gained -- is definitely worth it.
Also, you can create rolling balls at will! [grin]
There is some, sometimes a lot, of upfront costs but the end result -- whether on the screen or knowledge gained -- is definitely worth it.
Also, you can create rolling balls at will! [grin]
If this is your first game project, I'd suggest going with 2D instead. 3D games are much harder to develop. The concepts involved are much more complex. That doesn't mean you won't be able to understand them - it just means the understanding will take all that much longer.
You know Rome wasn't built in a day right?
Writing games is tough and, despite all the HUGE advances in computing power over the past couple of decades, it's even tougher now for the lowly bedroom coder working alone from scratch.
That's why these days, writing serious games takes serious money, time and a whole host of really talented people... And even then things still don't go according to plan most of the time!
So, you can either take it one small step at a time... Hopefully building up enough simple games and projects that, although may look "crap", might just be enough to impress someone in the games industry (if that indeed is your goal) to hire you so that you can work on bigger commercial games.
Or you can "cheat" and use a whole host of tools out there, some of which have already been mentioned in this thread, to get the results that you want 1000x quicker with far less the stress.
My advice would be to stick at building Rome, brick by brick, but only if you REALLY enjoy coding. 'Cos if you don't then perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your goals.
Writing games is tough and, despite all the HUGE advances in computing power over the past couple of decades, it's even tougher now for the lowly bedroom coder working alone from scratch.
That's why these days, writing serious games takes serious money, time and a whole host of really talented people... And even then things still don't go according to plan most of the time!
So, you can either take it one small step at a time... Hopefully building up enough simple games and projects that, although may look "crap", might just be enough to impress someone in the games industry (if that indeed is your goal) to hire you so that you can work on bigger commercial games.
Or you can "cheat" and use a whole host of tools out there, some of which have already been mentioned in this thread, to get the results that you want 1000x quicker with far less the stress.
My advice would be to stick at building Rome, brick by brick, but only if you REALLY enjoy coding. 'Cos if you don't then perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your goals.
Allow me to quote one of the greatest warriors the world has ever known: “It will be hard at first. But everything is hard at first” (Miyamoto Musashi)
When I first started programming, I did it for 10 hours a day. Not because I found it "fun" (admittedly, I did after the first couple weeks). Within a year I saw incredible results:
1) I was able to do just about any simple task - sort an array, manage strings personally, parse text files, software rendering of RGB/RGBA surfaces - without outside help at all. I had even begun work on an OpenGL-based GUI that I kept starting over from scratch.
2) by making my code public, I had attracted the attention of a talented systems programmer who decided to personally "train me up" on topics like hand optimization (the writing of programs to perform optimally instead of expecting the compiler to do it for you), how to evaluate if optimization is worth the bother, and of course that "there is no silver bullet".
And it's a good thing that I did! A guy by the name of Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes 5,000 hours to become an expert at something, and 10,000 to become a virtuoso. If he's right, then I was more than half way to becoming an expert in my first year of programming.
Also, to put the art of programming into an educational perspective:
You aren't going to find many programming jobs without at least a 4-your degree in computer science. A 2-year degree won't cut it. And most computer science graduates still don't know a god damn thing in practice because they're too lazy to actually do anything outside of their schoolwork.
So what it comes down to is, simply, this. Do you want to create games, or do you want games using your ideas created for you? You could surely just commission a team to do it for you, but that won't be cheap.
When I first started programming, I did it for 10 hours a day. Not because I found it "fun" (admittedly, I did after the first couple weeks). Within a year I saw incredible results:
1) I was able to do just about any simple task - sort an array, manage strings personally, parse text files, software rendering of RGB/RGBA surfaces - without outside help at all. I had even begun work on an OpenGL-based GUI that I kept starting over from scratch.
2) by making my code public, I had attracted the attention of a talented systems programmer who decided to personally "train me up" on topics like hand optimization (the writing of programs to perform optimally instead of expecting the compiler to do it for you), how to evaluate if optimization is worth the bother, and of course that "there is no silver bullet".
And it's a good thing that I did! A guy by the name of Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes 5,000 hours to become an expert at something, and 10,000 to become a virtuoso. If he's right, then I was more than half way to becoming an expert in my first year of programming.
Also, to put the art of programming into an educational perspective:
You aren't going to find many programming jobs without at least a 4-your degree in computer science. A 2-year degree won't cut it. And most computer science graduates still don't know a god damn thing in practice because they're too lazy to actually do anything outside of their schoolwork.
So what it comes down to is, simply, this. Do you want to create games, or do you want games using your ideas created for you? You could surely just commission a team to do it for you, but that won't be cheap.
I, too, sometimes feel a little unmotivated and don't feel like doing anything. My current project, e.g, all I've been doing lately is write GUI code. Creating combo boxes, text areas, buttons and tying them in with game logic. And so for tens of in-game windows and screens. It's a 2d GUI based game, so .. yeah lots of writing. Next time, I'll make an editor first.
But then I'll draw a new piece of graphics or write a new music track to get my motivation back. "The sooner I get the GUI done, the sooner I can go on with the game-play programming", I say to myself ... and watch random videos on YouTube instead -_-
Sometimes I hate myself a little.
But then I'll draw a new piece of graphics or write a new music track to get my motivation back. "The sooner I get the GUI done, the sooner I can go on with the game-play programming", I say to myself ... and watch random videos on YouTube instead -_-
Sometimes I hate myself a little.
It's good to read such encouraging replies to the OP :) I think what you're hearing there, mate, is a whole chorus of people who know EXACTLY how you feel.
Hope you get through the wall and stick with it.
Hope you get through the wall and stick with it.
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement