TIGSource Forums

I recently got more deep into game dev and  a question hit my poor lil brain.
"is there a logical path too learn GameDev?"
In most of the book i reed i found recurrent subject that come. How to make a tetris, arkanoid etc so i was wondering if you can help me to make a list of the most common games useful to learn Gamedev no matter what language or software is used.
Think of it as a reference for newb like me to tell them "making a tetris game might be wiser for a first game than the MMORPG you dream of.."
Here a quick one , i'll edit it if you think there's correction need  (yeah right)
That note that it is in no particular order.

• Tic-Tac-Toe
• Tetris
• Arkanoid / pong
• 1942 / SCHMUP
• simple platformer
• "guess the number"
• BomberMan-Like

ok first of all i'm really not sure if i'm in the good section so Moderator, feel free to move it.

I think with the rise of game-making tools and libraries, making a simple platformer would actually be easier than making Tetris, for the uninitiated.  Both MMF and Construct, for instance, have plugins that allow you to basically click a button, alter some settings to your taste, and instantly your sprite is jumping around the level.  All the controls, gravity, obstacle collision, etc. are handled for you.  Tetris, on the other hand, would require delving into math and arrays and whatnot.

For a newbie starting off learning a real programming language, Tetris would probably be a simpler project though.

I'd do something like this:

    * "guess the number" / Hangman (basic interface, select data from a database)
    * Tic-Tac-Toe / Rock-Paper-Scissors (turn-based gameplay, opponent AI)
    * Arkanoid / pong (collisions, stable frame rate, score, levels)
    * Tetris (data structures and how they relate to gaming)
    * 1942 / Shoot-em-up (enemies, bullets)
    * simple platformer / pinball game if your engine does platformers (gravity-based collisions)
    * Bomberman / Pacman (tile-based movement, complex enemy AI)
    * Two-player game of any of the types above (two player inputs)
    * Faceball / Wolfenstein 3D (basic 3d movement and rendering)
    * Network turn-based game (basic networking)
    * Network real-time game (how to handle lag?)

One thing is game development, another is programming. Which path you're choosing?

Both will need some knowledge on algorithms, though.

When I started with programming, I skipped this part and just went to make arkanoid clone in QuickBasic. And I did it. Took me much longer though and the code was really funny. Then I started learning TurboPascal and algorithmic structures and made a huge leap.

Regarding game development, you can just go straight to game-making tools, the likes of MMF and Construct. They replace the textual interface for coding with visual one which makes it very easier for beginners. It also moves focus away from some not so important stuff and allows you to fully focus on design and algorithms (Construct is more algorithm-friendly than MMF is, though).

Thanks Deadeye & Zarathustra.
Deadeye: thats was a bit of a problem, because of software like Construct and MMF,
that mix a bit the thing. But still, i played a bit with construct and from the moment you don't use template you start a the place as anybody else.The only major diff i saw was looking were are the tool needed more than how to implement it. Anyways that what i notice about construct,most of the template weren't suitable for my project so i had to
a) start from scratch
b) code a module by myself in c++
But thats another story.

Zarathustra: Wow better than i imagine, with description of what's learned... marvelous.
Rock-Paper-scissor.. i tough of this one but i wasn't sure if it was relevent. Thanks.

Can those 2 think might share a similar learning path or they are completely different?
That would need 2 ladder then.

Yes they can share similar path. The only difference is that game development has some very short ladders, whereas programming has some very big ones. Though, with high-level programming languages such as Python and ActionScript that might not be the case.

Well, thinking i what this to be a tool for new game develloper,  i guess it would be more wise not to think about developing Gear of war yet  :durr: