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[s0]

I'm not sure if anyone has said this yet, but if you are highschool take a computer science class.

i took what i guess is my country's equivalent of computer science in high school but only because it was easy and i could play games during it. i'm a nerd so i already knew all of the stuff we were tought. i had already made my first crappy ASCII game then.
 

[Player 3]

I'll have whatever you're smoking. Not a lot of us want ads in our games.

It doesn't give you ads in game 

It's giving un-noticeable ads but in IDE (the very bottom of it). And these ads are always showing TGC site.

Notice that Blitz may be a bit better, but it isn't free 

Then I'll be giving DarkBASIC a shot!

[st33d]

if there really is any point in committing yourself to learning a full language, or if it's best to simply cover "just enough" to meet the needs of your projects?

Nobody learns a full language. Just make something.

Back in 2005 I had an idea that I would learn programming. I would learn it through sheer determination despite the fact that I was too stupid to know how to program.

I've made over 20 games now and my IQ has probably jumped up 10 points.

If you stop saying what you can and can't do, you find out you can do anything.

Fuck it, I think I'll fly today. Anyone need a lift?

[Masakari]

As an artist, programming really is a pain in the ass. I can only do so much, and my mind really isn't formatted to the kind of analytical thinking I see from programmers I know.

I've been doing a side scroller on/off for about 2 years, was doing it in UDK since I've worked with UE3 professionally alot, but I recently concluded I can't dedicate the time or resources to making it the game I want to make with that kind of production values (think Shadow Complex but without bland art). So I'm gonna start rebuilding the project as a 2D game, somewhere between [Canabalt + Flashback + Another World] kind of visuals.

But since I'm not a programmer, I'm looking at engines with editors that really help me out - the two options I'm most inclined for at the moment are Construct 2 and Unity. I fully expect I will end up hiring or joining forces with a programmer regardless - at some point, even if I did get confortable with the programming, it will be better to focus just on the art and design of the game.

[baconman]

Game programming and art are both about proper space control/usage. Only difference is with programming, you're using math to do it. But then again, you use that for pixel art anyways. (looks at avatar)

[st33d]

I'm an artist as well and I don't have a logical mind. I tackle programming in a right-brained fashion.

My point is that you can break your own mould.

It's not about being talented. It's about being willing to invest enough time to change who you are. If you don't have the time, then that's alright. But it irks me when people say things are impossible for them. I've spent many years trying to prove that isn't the case.

[baconman]

I'm an artist as well ...

Wow, that is some pretty effin', st33d!

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

It's about being willing to invest enough time to change who you are. If you don't have the time, then that's alright. But it irks me when people say things are impossible for them.

I totally agree. While I had the mathematical and artistic sides down, I always persuaded myself I simply couldn't learn to program - happily, this turned out not to be the case. I think anybody can learn to program, but finding a good tutorial for either your language, your genre, or - ideally - both, is a huge help.

[Nix]

It's not about being talented. It's about being willing to invest enough time to change who you are.

This is useful advice for every aspect of life.

[Headless Man]

I'm an artist as well and I don't have a logical mind. I tackle programming in a right-brained fashion.

My point is that you can break your own mould.

It's not about being talented. It's about being willing to invest enough time to change who you are. If you don't have the time, then that's alright. But it irks me when people say things are impossible for them. I've spent many years trying to prove that isn't the case.

This is wrong.  And it is particularly ugly kind of wrong because it's at once happy-clappy 'you can be anything you want to be' bullshit, and also condescensing, judgemental 'you just aren't trying hard enough' bullshit.  The truth is, you have no idea what other people are or are not capable of.  Likely they don't either - but they no doubt have a better idea than you.  Some people are just no good with abstract problem-solving, are wasting their time past a certain point, and would be better off focusing on the skills that come more naturally. Congratulations, you have reached competancy at several different things - but not everybody can do that, and often it's not a terribly good idea to do that even if you're theoretically able.
That said, to some extent basic knowledge of these different things are really important for everybody involved in the collaborative process - especially for designers/planners, so it's good to give different stuff a shot.

[st33d]

Well maybe if you had a happy clappy attitude you'd have a few more super powers.

Try to bear in mind that I'm in my mid-thirties and been around the block long enough to know that you can learn skills by investing time (5 years minimum) as opposed to assuming you're incapable.

[s0]

Programming in something like GML is the easiest shit in the world. I hate math, was terrible at it in school (despite my best efforts) and am sort of annoyed by math geekery. If someone like me can make a decent game in Game Maker, so can you.  The whole idea of these "easy game making tools" is that they don't require any "talent" for abstract problem solving to use.

[1982]

Programming in something like GML is the easiest shit in the world. I hate math, was terrible at it in school (despite my best efforts) and am sort of annoyed by math geekery. If someone like me can make a decent game in Game Maker, so can you.  The whole idea of these "easy game making tools" is that they don't require any "talent" for abstract problem solving to use.

Are you saying you were bad in school math, or bad in abstract problem solving? At least my school math had nothing to do with abstract problem solving (which I later found out I am good at). I only barely survived math in school.

[mirosurabu]

Also, if you're struggling to make progress while learning on your own, find someone else to help you / teach you. While learning from books and the Internet is cool, it's way less effective than when you're learning with someone else / when someone else is teaching you.

And, the "natural skills" thing is bullshit. Skills coming "naturally" is equivalent to things being explained to you very well. I, for one, know that programming didn't come to me naturally at all (at least, great deal of it).

[ink.inc]

Game Maker: So Easy, Even C.A. Sinclair Can Do It

[moi]

I've not seen a gamemaker game by CASinclair yet

[s0]

thats because u r dum and you don't read the feedback forumz
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=12423.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=8226.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=10097.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=13519.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=9651.0

i haven't seen any games from you btw

[1982]

thats because u r dum and you don't read the feedback forumz
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=12423.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=8226.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=10097.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=13519.0
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=9651.0

i haven't seen any games from you btw

Damn those look fresh, I really should finally give a GM a go too...

[st33d]

I've not seen a gamemaker game by CASinclair yet

He had a few in his sig when he had the angry moustache man as his avatar

[Fauxfox]

I highly recomend. http://www.scirra.com/ I swaped from game maker to this, and i couldn't be happier.