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Coolkids

So. I want to make a video game.

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Where should I start, I mean, I know I do not have "good enough" C++ skills, but I really don't any 3D modelers, scriptwriters, map editors, etc in my area. Any suggestions? Sorry for my bad vocabulary.

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There's a pretty cool Humble Bundle right now with a bunch of game development software and resources available for cheap (looks to be mostly for sprite-based games). Unity is another option you could look at. It would help to know what kind of game you had in mind. If you don't know the answer to that, then you should start by figuring that out.

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Well, given you're so adamant about your skillset, you could start by dreaming about making one ;-)

Or choose a different career path. I dunno, a helicopter pilot, a Navy S.E.A.L. or whatever.

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What style are you going for? 3D open world or retro style open world?

If you're going for retro use GameMaker. If you're going for 3D use Unity or Unreal. I've used all 3 and Unreal feels like it needs more people and takes the most amount of time to do anything because it allows for the highest quality production. All 3 are the standard and free to use.

So you're bad at writing code and you can't 3D model or anything else really but you want to make a game? Go for GameMaker. Its the easiest place to start. There's even 3D capability, but before you go making an Open World game... make a game. Start to crawl before you go marathon running.

Otherwise just mod Skyrim. Start from scratch. Back when I used to make Morrowind mods, I ended up making my own little world. Not quality enough to be released, but it started from scratch without the base world.

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You might be better off to build up your skills by modding something before jumping into making a new game from the ground up (or even from a GCS up). Though there's also a point with any sort of creative project where you have to "just do it" and stop worrying about how it comes out (you can always scrap it afterwards if the results are abominable, as long as you made something).

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yeah the "just do it" is important, especially if you're learning. People think the planning phase is, but when you're doing something you can also be planning, because when you code, your mind begins to wander. KEEP NOTES. As you play what you have made you figure out new things to do. Like it would be so much cooler if instead of just buying fish I could make a fishing pole and go fishing.

I see so many game dev forums full of people in the project recruitment phase... looking for graphic artist to make graphics for a game not even made yet by a person that hasn't started programming. The graphic artist better have a portfolio, because none of the "programmers" ever have a portfolio of game videos or demos. Its just one of my biggest pet peeves. I could just be an elitist.

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Seconding the "mod an existing open world game" sentiment. If you know nothing of game development or programming, going straight for an open world game is the wrong way to go about it.

Also seconding the portfolio thing, if you can't send example art or demo programs with source then getting hired in a company where you can learn the technical skills to make an open world game from scratch will be impossible. I got in to the industry with a demo CD, and every junior I've interviewed has been expected to have something similar.

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I saw that you're 19 on your profile; you still have plenty of time to start learning some of those skills you've mentioned. My advice is go to school for it, or buy a book, or learning software that you could use to teach yourself. Autodidactic learning is the best way of retaining knowledge I believe.

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Youtube tutorials. Those work most efficiently. Just look up what you need or want to do. As someone that's been in charge of hiring programmers on rare occasion, I find a guy with no degree that watches Youtube tutorials surpasses someone with a 4 year degree.

The beauty of programming is someone will always do it for you for free on a forum. Which makes me sad. Post that "I want to do this or that" and some rube will give you an example and a demonstration for free. All you need to do is copy and paste the code. Its one of the things that sickens me about programming. How eager people are to answer your problem for free.

I can just about make a game from scratch using tactics like that.

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Gosh really? And here I had such high hopes you'd be a hydroelectric engineer.

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Oh yeah there's also RPG Maker, that's pretty easy.

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I'd suggest finding some other people to work with. Not a lot, but maybe just a small team t bounce ideas off of and turn to for some creative or technical assistance when needed.

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Of course, if you use Game/RPG/FPSMaker or whatever, don't be surprised if people bash your game for being exactly like a million other similar games made by people in your same position.

Those "-maker" packages are a paradox: on the one hand, they allow "everybody" to make a game. At the very bottom of the barrel, you find people who just tweak some of the ready-made samples that come with them, and release them as their own. On the other hand, everybody and the cat will tell you that to make the most out of them, you do need to have some programming/art skills, which then ofc begs the question why would you rely on such a "crutch" to begin with.

If you just want to say "I made a game" as a one-time affair in your life and then never touch game programming again, then such packages may be just what you need for q "quick release" (besides, they were around since the 80s, so the demand for them is nothing new).

On the other hand, keep in mind that no memorable or commercially successful game was ever made with such a package (not to be confused with licensed engines/middleware libraries), so if your interest in "making games" goes beyond a "quick release", you'll need to learn the hard way. No shortcuts.

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Spelunky Classic, Risk of Rain, Hotline Miami were created using GameMaker.

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Phml said:

Spelunky Classic, Risk of Rain, Hotline Miami were created using GameMaker.


Gunpoint. Nuclear Throne. More and more games are being made with GameMaker.

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They ain't ringing any bells. Might as well slap the titles of 3 random games from my 100-in-1 famiclone, or pick three at random from the Android market.

In any case, they aren't the Doom kind of memorable, or at least arcade legends like Bubble Bobble.

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Hotline Miami's been a bit of a deal for a long time. Even has a popular sequel.


Though no, I haven't heard of the other ones other than Spelunky.

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Maes said:

In any case, they aren't the Doom kind of memorable, or at least arcade legends like Bubble Bobble.

Hotline Miami, strangely enough, is one of the few games released in the last ten Years to have a similar kind of attitude of "fuck the rules" towards game making as Doom, and is considered by many to be that kind of memorable. And Spelunky is consistently listed in top games lists since it's release.

You might want to look outside of your corner of the Internet once in a while.

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An open world exploration game isn't a good start for someone with literally no skill in game design. I started out making simple platformers in Construct 2, one of the easiest to use game creators I've ever worked with. It's made specifically for people who are into the art side of creation and have no skill in programming at all with a simple drag and drop code system, in fact rather reminiscent of Blockland's events system.

They have a free demo version of Construct 2 which allows for 100 lines of code (actually quite a lot for small games) with a million and one tutorials on their website

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Meh, it seems that my corner doesn't include contemporary indie gaming or top-ten lists of gamemaker-made software. Ofc I didn't miss on the likes of Cogs, World of Goo, Limbo, Eversion, Jets and Guns, Inside A Star-Filled Sky etc. but AFAIK, those weren't made with Gamemaker.

Maybe I'm just an old fart that still believes that a good, original game can only be hand-coded, and that Gamemakers are like using cookie-cutters.

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I agree with Maes, I want to create a game using MY OWN ENGINE. Its worth a try learning with Game Maker, Ill take a look. Thanks for the suggestions!

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Wow I can't believe I forgot...

Dust Force, Shovel Knight, Stealth Bastard and AVGN Adventures are GameMaker.

I can't find AVGN and Shovel Knight, but I remember interviews during development saying they were. I remember a lot of people were pissed that the AVGN game was so simple and GameMaker.

GameMaker's aren't cookie cutters. They have their own GML, but you can hand code things. A lot does end up being cookie cutter, but sometimes developers have limited talent.

Here's a task for you to get your feet wet. Top down Zelda clone. Start with movement. Go to combat and then enemies. You don't even need combat, just boxes. Since you want open world, you can literally have it go forever map by map.

Heck Pong should probably be everyone's first created game. I know it was for me. Easy to make. Start making Atari-ish games to learn. Space Invaders, Asteroids.

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geo said:

GameMaker's aren't cookie cutters. They have their own GML, but you can hand code things. A lot does end up being cookie cutter, but sometimes developers have limited talent.


Didn't say they have to be, but pushing them out of that slippery slope presumes that the user-creator will also put in a lot of "outside talent" in the form of custom code, resources, etc. in addition to the "point and click" or "play with blocks" provided tools.

Certainly, skilled game developers can use Gamemaker just as any other framework or middleware, just in those aspects that allow them to focus on the creative part, rather than doing the groundwork of writing an engine from scratch etc. Those are maybe, what, 1% of Gamemaker users? The other 99% just wants to "make a game" quick...and it usually shows.

But then again, talented developers are more likely to develop and use their own tools and engines over time, and use those instead...so it's kinda like a chicken & egg argument here.

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That's the problem with free game makers. Low hanging fruit.

Game development is an art. Like any art there's shit and there's stuff that gets mainstream and catches fire. For a million starving artists there is one millionaire.

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Coolkids said:

I agree with Maes, I want to create a game using MY OWN ENGINE.

It's certainly a worthy goal, but I can tell you from experience that you will spend more of your time getting your engine just right that you will actually making your game. You'll need to ask yourself if you like designing your games more than you like designing tech at some point.

(My day job is as an engine programmer at Remedy, even on a large scale project like Quantum Break rolling your own tech has just as many advantages and disadvantages as using someone else's engine.)

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You could always make Doom maps. *Shrugs* Admittedly this isn't quite ideal if you're looking into programming as opposed to design, but it's a good way to start off regardless. Small steps.

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Coolkids said:

I agree with Maes, I want to create a game using MY OWN ENGINE. Its worth a try learning with Game Maker, Ill take a look. Thanks for the suggestions!


Well good luck with programming your own engine with 0 programming skill.

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SavageCorona said:

Well good luck with programming your own engine with 0 programming skill.


Stranger things have happened but 24 hours in and I don't see any follow up like wow guys I made 2 pong paddles and a ball move.

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