Hey,

i want to start with game developement and my dream is to develope a tower defense game in 2D or 3D, but i don't know how to start.

I've already devloped some applications in C#, PHP and C++ but just some small things, not 100% class based, but i've never developed a game. I've already wanted to do some 2 years ago but i didn't get it.

I don't know which way i should go because I'm not asbsolutely new to programming but i never did something with graphics, like animations and so. I've did some things like a slidbar in C# but that's not the same, right?

I've thougth about starting with OpenGL but is that a good idea? I've also thought about starting with an Game Engine like Unity, Cryengine Irrlicht.Net or something like that but i have no clue if that's a good way to start.

Like i said i would like (or my dream is) to make an Tower Defense Game with some nice graphics, like these old warcraft 3 tower defense game Element TD (if someone knows here). I loved to play that and i think that's, what i want to do. Not 100% like that and not that many varients of towers.

Should i start with OpenGL or should i start somewhere else? I've also heard about SFML but i don't know, what that is.

Like i said i thing i also need to start with making graphics or animations, how should i start there? Blender or is that not required?

Thanks in advancve and sorry for my not 100% good english. ;)

Hi TDLover,

In an effort to maximize your chances of making the game and minimizing the technical challenges (I believe you are more interested in making the game than learning a lot about programming correct?) I would advise:

- Unity

It is a straightforward engine with very strong tools, and a good link to store assets that you could use to effortlessly build your tower defense. There are good tutorials that would really help you get there very quickly. It allows for C#, so you won't be lost.

Seems like the best fit based on your above post.

Hi TDLover,

In an effort to maximize your chances of making the game and minimizing the technical challenges (I believe you are more interested in making the game than learning a lot about programming correct?) I would advise:

- Unity

It is a straightforward engine with very strong tools, and a good link to store assets that you could use to effortlessly build your tower defense. There are good tutorials that would really help you get there very quickly. It allows for C#, so you won't be lost.

Seems like the best fit based on your above post.

I'm interested in both aspects, not just the "game".

I've also like to do a lot of the work for my own, i mean not just "click" and done. ;)

I've also thought about using Unity, like i said in my post, but i'm not sure. The Cryengine is also something i mentioned, but i think it's to much, especially for the beginning, so i think Unity would be an better choice. Is Unity for free? I think at least it requires a registration or something like that?

But in Unity i still have to Code, right? Which programming language is it using?

One question, also: What is CLI and is it hard to work / learn / using OpenGL or Directx? I've also heard about SharpDX, SlimDX and OpenTK for C#, are this good alternatives and what is a good advice for C++? I think OpenGL right.

Does nobody know what SFML is? I've also heard it's good.

I also would have to start with animations etc. or can this all be done in Unity or do i need something like Blender, Photoshop or Paint.Net? Like i said in my first post I#ve never did that before. If someone has an book advice, that would also be great. If someone has a german book, that would be the best. ;)

C# is actually the one thing i'm currently the best in.

I've also made some small things with JS but nothing really big.

CLI is short for Command-Line Interface, e.g. a text console like the Windows Command Prompt or a Linux/OSX terminal emulator, and is the exact opposite of using a graphics API like GL or D3D.

It's hihgly recommend you spend some time working with the CLI first. Even simple 2D graphics coding requires you to be a competent and experience programmer, meaning you've spent considerable time learning how to read, write, design, and maintain code before you worry yourself with drawing things on screen. You literally won't have any idea what you're doing other than copy-and-pasting code samples you won't be able to understand unless you start simpler with the CLI, or use a bigger pre-existing engine like Unity (which lets you have stuff on screen and doing interesting things before you even start writing your own code).

Damn, i thought that would be an library or something. I didn't knew, that it was the command line.

But like i said above i've already made some desktop applications using a database, i've already made Ping Pong, which was pretty easy and a lot of cli applications before i started making winform or wpf applications.

Unity includes the tools to take art assets made in Blender or PhotoShop and turn them into game assets. You should probably start out looking at Unity and trying to understand what its animation system actually does (it's fully documented). You seem to have a pretty big lack of insight into what exactly a game actually does.

I've said that i don't have made any animation or graphic yet, but i've made some using c#, changing the positon, make it look like an animation etc.

Yea, but i think i could not answer the question what a game exactly is doing, at least not in all aspects, like animations.

Unreal Engine 4 is also an option. You can do games in it without ever touching C++ programming. ( blueprints) . The community is awesome, and could help you. Epic Games themselves support Blender fbx pipeline.

Yea, right. I didn't get that name. ;)

But Unity has also an awesome community, right? That's what i have heard at least.