Help! I'm trying to make a game.

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44 comments, last by Dragonsoulj 11 years, 8 months ago

You probably won't understand most, if not all, of the things you need to know to program a computer game. I would say you need to wait at least a couple of years, as you definitely NEED Algebra I and II and Linear, but Calculus does come in handy (not COMPLETELY necessary, but almost). And that is only for the graphics part (which is surprisingly only a small part of programming a game, about 10%). You definitely aren't the first kid out of your age group running over here for advice to implement their "great new idea."


And won't be the last ;)
'Knowledge isn't key, but understanding...'

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You probably won't understand most, if not all, of the things you need to know to program a computer game. I would say you need to wait at least a couple of years, as you definitely NEED Algebra I and II and Linear, but Calculus does come in handy (not COMPLETELY necessary, but almost). And that is only for the graphics part (which is surprisingly only a small part of programming a game, about 10%). You definitely aren't the first kid out of your age group running over here for advice to implement their "great new idea."
I'm sorry I'm trying to establish my future now, based on what I love NOW and another thing, I'm not running around asking how I should be making my great game I'm simply asking what tools I should use for the near future. Dick.

EDIT: Oh and btw I know Algebra, I don't know how much but a fair bit

[quote name='MrJoshL' timestamp='1345388451' post='4971113']
You probably won't understand most, if not all, of the things you need to know to program a computer game. I would say you need to wait at least a couple of years, as you definitely NEED Algebra I and II and Linear, but Calculus does come in handy (not COMPLETELY necessary, but almost). And that is only for the graphics part (which is surprisingly only a small part of programming a game, about 10%). You definitely aren't the first kid out of your age group running over here for advice to implement their "great new idea."
I'm sorry I'm trying to establish my future now, based on what I love NOW and another thing, I'm not running around asking how I should be making my great game I'm simply asking what tools I should use for the near future. Dick.

EDIT: Oh and btw I know Algebra, I don't know how much but a fair bit
[/quote]

1. Real math is nowhere near 13 years old ( you will get to learn it as you study so don't worry ) you can also look on http://www.khanacademy.org/ they have great tutorials on mathematics .
2. I started out with "Beginning C++ Through Game Programming" by Michael Dawson which covers the basics really good and also adds a little taste of game programming .
3. C++ vs C# : I use C# for desktop applications since they need to be done fast and they usually don't require so much optimization and I keep C++ for games ( though I'm a beginner in game development ) since I can take my time at games (because it's just a hobby at the moment ) and also they need to run smoothly .
@Kripis One thing you will learn is that when people are giving you advice, you may not like it, but you don't just go call them a dick. I wasn't insulting you, I was just telling you that you aren't the first kid to think like you do and talk about it on this site. And no, you DO NOT know real math, or real computer science for that matter, both of which you need for game dev. I'm not saying give up and wait ten years and get some game development "degree" (which IMHO aren't a good choice. at all), but you do have quite a lot to learn, and by the time you learn it (I'd say a year of dedicated studying with minimal distractions, if you are really smart) you might even decide you don't "love" developing games, because the funnest part of developing isn't working on it, its seeing your finished work. And no, there are not a lot of people who can work on something as trivial as a computer game for a long amount of time. Just enjoy being a kid, and all that entails. Even if you did learn all the things, the time it takes for you to make something would almost ensure that you don't have friends, good grades, or happy guardians. I'm not saying be one of those idiotic mongrels that passes for a "good kid" these days, but still, quaternions, matrix transforms, frustum culling, entropy, data encoding, BSD sockets, function handles, random number generators, Mersenne primes, and a bazillion other topics might be a bit out of your reach now until you learn more. And no, you don't have to learn at the same pace as your educational institution. You can learn on your own, in probably a year. But like I said earlier, you have to be very SMART (not like Derpy Hooves), and dedicated to more than just making some game, you have to be dedicated to PROGRAMMING.

C dominates the world of linear procedural computing, which won't advance. The future lies in MASSIVE parallelism.


One thing you will learn is that when people are giving you advice, you may not like it, but you don't just go call them a dick


Good point, I don't pretend i'm an expert.. if I was, i'd be too arrogant to come here for help. You see, his point is, your young, and your aspirations will change. I can admire that you have a little fight in you for wanting to develop games, but it takes a lot of work (That isn't saying you arn't ever or ever gonna be good enough to make games, its just the fact of life. Even experienced developers find making games tough). This is going a little off topic from what you asked, so i'll keep it brief. Take advice, good or bad, you may not like the forthright ones, but I find sometimes they can be the ones to give you that advice that sets you off.

Good luck.
'Knowledge isn't key, but understanding...'

My qualifcations are not here to showcase, but for those I answer and ask, to get a better idea on my knowledge.

BCS Level 2 Certificate for IT Users (ECDL Part 2)
OCR Level 2 National Award in Business
Level 2 First Diploma in Media
Level 3 Diploma in Games Design and Development Extended
BSc Hons in Computer Games Programming (Current - 1st Year)

You probably won't understand most, if not all, of the things you need to know to program a computer game. I would say you need to wait at least a couple of years, as you definitely NEED Algebra I and II and Linear, but Calculus does come in handy (not COMPLETELY necessary, but almost). And that is only for the graphics part (which is surprisingly only a small part of programming a game, about 10%). You definitely aren't the first kid out of your age group running over here for advice to implement their "great new idea."


Thats a bit harsh, you don't need more than extremely basic algebra and a bit of trigonometry(allthough for some games trig isn't needed either) to make a 2D game, and that has normally been covered in school by most 13 year olds, (i made my first 2D game when i was 12 using pascal/BGI and my first properly polished 2D game when i was 13 with pascal/x86 asm, it wasn't easy but it was doable, Yes, for 3D games it helps a lot to know linear algebra (it is not necessary though, with solid trig knowledge you can get things working anyway and today there are tons of helpful libraries that abstract away alot of the really nasty math for you, There is also absolutely nothing that prevents the OP from picking up any additional math he needs/wants as he goes along, If he has a decent math teacher he/she will be more than happy to help him out if he has math related questions. (and if his math teacher is crap or far too busy to help students learn(allthough, atleast where i'm from it is a teachers job to help students learn) there are tons of helpful people here on gdnet who can help)

There is no reason to wait, just jump in and get started, he has far more time now when he is young than he'll have later in life.
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@SimonForsman I never said there was a huge barrier. I just said that it would take about a year probably, and he needs to find out if he is even interested enough. That is my point in a nutshell.

C dominates the world of linear procedural computing, which won't advance. The future lies in MASSIVE parallelism.

I think you can make it with Unreal3. Because no one can solve all the problems. I'm only 15, so I never wanted to develop a game by myself.Good games require good teams. But if you really want to learn a programming language.C# is better.
Is it true that you need to know REAL MATH cause I always wanted to build a game, but now I know I have to wait.

Is it true that you need to know REAL MATH cause I always wanted to build a game, but now I know I have to wait.

Depends on what game you want to make, if you are aiming for a 3D shooter or such you'll need a solid knowledge of linear algebra and geometry, but if you're just making a tetris or a simple 2D game, some basic coordinate geometry and logic will do.

“If I understand the standard right it is legal and safe to do this but the resulting value could be anything.”

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