I have zero experience when it comes to game development. It's not that I'm completely ignorant. I've been doing everything I can to try and learn, just short of actually enrolling in school for it (I'm kinda poor, and can't really afford it.) There's only so much I can gather from internet tutorials, though. I need someone to give me some advice, or tips. Even an encouraging word would be appreciated, really. I'm working by myself, and the whole thing seems a little overwhelming at times. Be gentle.
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What's up dawg....these days you definitely don't have to enrol unless you want a piece of paper that states you qualified, you can search for YouTube videos that can give a good solid foundation( I have learnt many things this way, I learnt how to play guitar without spending a single cent ). Also this site has many tuts you can look at, so in my opinion its in your hands and I assume you have general programming skills so now its just a matter of understanding OpenGL API and I would recommend Qt as well, it will save you from headaches in the future( depending on if you will use shaders or not ) and also dont forget that the forums on this site can also provide assistance
What's up dawg....these days you definitely don't have to enrol unless you want a piece of paper that states you qualified, you can search for YouTube videos that can give a good solid foundation( I have learnt many things this way, I learnt how to play guitar without spending a single cent ). Also this site has many tuts you can look at, so in my opinion its in your hands and I assume you have general programming skills so now its just a matter of understanding OpenGL API and I would recommend Qt as well, it will save you from headaches in the future( depending on if you will use shaders or not ) and also dont forget that the forums on this site can also provide assistance
You really should not be giving people people advice while you are still asking basic questions yourself. As a matter of fact, sending someone who is extremely fresh towards Qt for game development is borderline malicious. Qt is a massive framework with a lot of possible pitfalls, even for someone who already has experience in the general area of (game) programming.
LeftoverPixels: I assume from the way you phrased your post that you do not have any kind of experience in programming. My suggestion would be to pick a language (like Python or Java) and try to learn a bit programming. Just simple programming, not game programming. It's too early talking about OpenGL or any of that.
I would also explicitly advise staying away from both C and C++. Once you have assimilated a few of the basics and begin to understand a bit more we could start talking about where you want to go and learning what kind of language would make most sense (both in respect to what you want to achieve as well regarding how much pain you want/can go through to achieve that).
I agree with wath BitMaster said.
It should also be said that it is possible to design and create games without much programming at all, using an engine or software such as Unity or GameMaker.
Haing said that, personally I would do pretty much as what BitMaster suggested.
I learned all I know about games from internet. I am a begginer too and trust me, if you want to learn from tutorials you will need to be patient. Firstly I recomend to learn a programming language and after you can do some basic stuff go on to a game engine (SDL, SFML, HGE, UNITY, etc). Keep yourself motivated starting small at the begining, don't be shy to ask and read anything about game development. Good luck!
Let me tell you two fairly quick stories in regards to enrolling in college or classes to learn it.
- Me, I went to college thinking I would learn something new about game development and everything they covered I had already read about and learned between GD.Net, Gamasutra, and Flipcode.
- Jason Rubin, formerly of NaughtyDog, told me most the guys he worked with on Crash Bandicoot had no college degree and a couple even had no high school diploma or GED.
My point for telling you is that you can learn everything on your own without classes or college. All it takes it dedication and using the online resources available to you like all the language tutorials, tools, libraries, engines, articles, etc. Just ask questions here as you just did and have a thirst for knowledge, no matter how cliche that saying is it holds true. I'm not saying don't go to college or anything, I'm just saying that you don't have to stress over it if you can't afford it.
I've codified by advice right here. It's a daunting read, but it should tell you about everything you need to get started at least from a technical perspective.
My major advice.
Dont over think it. Just pick something and go. You can waste your life trying to figure out the perfect language/library combo and ironically, you dont have the ability to make the decision anyways, so dont bother!
Start small, iterate and build on your successes.
If you have no successes, maybe programming isn't your thing? Perhaps try art or level design.
Still no successes? Ever considered wood working?
Success at game programming comes from a few simple things... curiosity, perseverance and experience. You've got those three things, all the other pieces fall into place. What looks like voodoo now will look trivial to you in a few months time. That or you will be off making some damned cool wooden sculptures maybe?
I have zero experience when it comes to game development. It's not that I'm completely ignorant. I've been doing everything I can to try and learn, just short of actually enrolling in school for it (I'm kinda poor, and can't really afford it.) There's only so much I can gather from internet tutorials, though. I need someone to give me some advice, or tips. Even an encouraging word would be appreciated, really. I'm working by myself, and the whole thing seems a little overwhelming at times. Be gentle.
Possibly the first thing you should look at focusing on is asking the right questions and communicating your needs effectively. Your post doesn't really explain what it is that you need help with.
Other than that...
1. If you haven't already, pick a language. The language that you should pick is the one with the development environment that you can afford to work with and are able to get installed on the computer you have available to work with (C# should be a good option, I also hear good things about Python). Ultimately, just getting yourself started is the goal here. A lot of the techniques you'll pick up as you learn should be transferable to other languages.
2. Learn the basics of programming in that language. This is where you want to understand the simple stuff like basic output, variables, user input, conditionals, loops, functions.
3. Using what you've learned, write a few simple programs that do something that you either find useful or interesting. Do tutorials and exercises that make use of what you have learned. Applying what you've learned will help you understand it better.
4. Learn some object oriented programming techniques. Apply what you've learned.
5. Get an image on the screen. You may need to look into working with a graphics library at this point.
I think I've oversimplified steps 4 and 5 as I'm running out of time to write. When you get to those points, if it's still particularly hard then there's something that you're unaware that you need. Again, asking the right questions will help identify what it is that you need to focus on to make the progress that you're aiming for.
I should mention that working with a program like Game Maker can also be rewarding. Building a project with such a program can give you a feel for the sort of things that you need to consider when programming your own game. It may even be worth looking into for that very reason. Personally, I found it worthwhile (and fun) working with such a program from the late 80's for the C64.
Not to be negative or defeatist here but... If it turns out that you have absolutely no patience or taste for programming, consider other means to express your creativity. Doing high quality artwork or writing takes significant discipline however, if you find it a more convenient outlet, you may want to give it serious consideration.
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Sorry about the delay in response. Thanks for the advice everyone, you've all been a huge help. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
@BitMaster, you seem to assumed that I have no background in development...I have been coding for a while, because I ask a basic question about game dev does'nt mean I dont know what I am talking about, I can refer you to my profileon another forum site if u wanna see that. Your tone is a little arrogant as far as I am concerned.
In this day and age people can learn over the internet( there are many online universities and this is the cheaper option for most people, my self included ) so unless you are suggesting that the information on the internet cant be trusted at all, I think it is perfectly sound advice
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