Hi all,

This is my first post - I hope it's in the right section!

My friend (a 3D artist/animation student) and I have made a pact to try and break into the gaming industry. We've got an idea for a social/educational game that we're really excited about, and we're busy putting together a GDD and some concept art. The game will be about city-building and population management in a sci-fi/fantasy environment, and will also feature some simple combat elements. (pve and pvp)

What is concerning me at the moment is time considerations. We're obviously a very small operation as we're just starting out, and we want to make our first project too hard for ourselves. My question is this: from a programming perspective, is it neccessarily more time-consuming to code a 3D game than it is to code a 2D game?

Some other newbie questions:
- I'm confused by isometric games. Are they 2D, 3D, or can they be both?
- How long do simple, farmville-style social games take (on average) to build?
- Do we need a programmer for this project, or are there any easy-to use game-building programs that we can input our own content/graphics into?

Sorry about the flagrant, infuriating newbishness on display here. I would be eternally grateful for any help!

So wait are you an artist too? What are you specifically? Either way what it comes down to is the fact you're going to have to find a programmer to work with if you want to create any sort of "actual" game, using this project as a way to get into the industry just means you really need to make something decent.

If you're artists you might be better off just making art, use a pre-exsting game and make art for it, or find a team. Are you a designer? Unfortunately being a "designer" by itself is about the hardest job there is to create a portfolio for, people don't hire folks with just design ideas, anyone can do that. At the very least if you want to show off your design skill you'd really have to take the reins and play another role as well, rather that be a producer cobbling together a programmer and any other team members you need, or finding someone that -can- do that.

find a programmer, then maybe our products can help you to complete your project, they are a kind of smart and easy using modeling tool and a game engine, visit our website : www.gamegugu.com to get more informations.

Yeah,Satharis's word was quite right.To be a modest person,and you will get a wide road to walk on. But if you have nothing special , i suggest you ?learn more.When you make some good friend who is good at what you sign,you can try it.

Thanks a lot for the help guys, I really appreciate it.

To clarify, we aren't looking to be hired, and we're prepared to cobble a team together if needs be. Neither of us like the idea of working on a project other than this (I guess "breaking in" was the wrong phrase, sorry.) It'll be hard, but I guess we'll have to try and find a programmer.

Thanks again!

I'd suggest taking a look at Unity3d, which will give you a solid foundation towards your game without having to start from scratch. It has great documentation, plenty of examples, and a helpful and active community. You'll also be able to use your friend's 3d artwork rather than having to learn to create 2d instead. You can also produce a stand-alone executable or run it in a web-browser -- or if you're willing to buy a more expensive licence can even target Android or iOS.

Unity is actually a good choice. It is very powerul, very flexible, very beginner-friendly, and very inexpensive. The basic package is completely free to use in both personal and commercial projects without charging monthly fees or royalties. In fact, it currently has a promotion going on until the 8th that you can get iOS and Android licenses completely free! Seriously - go check out the prices for those licenses at the store. No trial time, no subscription, no royalties, nothing! I have a couple of friends that are Unity enthusiasts that have confirmed that this is the real deal.

Also, if you are interested, the Unity team has semi-periodic online courses that help teach you a lot of the basics. These are also free, and you can just show up and leave whenever (seating is limited, however). The next ones are tonight and on Wednesday. More info: http://unity3d.com/support/online-training/