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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperTechnical (Moderator: ThemsAllTook)How good should I be before I start making games?
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DigitizedDuck
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« on: November 06, 2016, 06:57:40 PM »

I mean I'll be only using Unity and GameMaker for 2D games. This leaves me to C# and GML. My current school curriculum will only be teaching me the following:

C++
Java
Software Engineering
AI
Mobile software development
Developing multimedia

Of course I'd still be making games but not gonna dive too deep until I'm ready. I don't want a simple script to make everything harder for me so I'm learning programming to be able to debug.
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ThemsAllTook
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« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2016, 07:41:21 PM »

Working on a game is one of the best ways to learn. No reason to wait. Just keep the scope of your first game manageably small, and you're good to go!
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oahda
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« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2016, 01:09:04 AM »

"Only"?! Tongue
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Pishtaco
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« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2016, 02:03:37 AM »

Make, and finish, small shitty games. As many as you can.  Hand Any KeyCrazy
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DigitizedDuck
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« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2016, 06:00:21 AM »

You guys didn't understand me, apologize for not being very clear.

Yes, I would be making games even without programming skills, but I'm not going to get involved in any real projects. The question is when is the right time when it comes to coding?
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DigitizedDuck
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« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2016, 06:06:51 AM »

"Only"?! Tongue

I mean why not? They're the tools I'm most familiar with...
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ThemsAllTook
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« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2016, 08:01:41 AM »

The question is when is the right time when it comes to coding?

If you can read a language reference for whatever you're using, you don't need any academic knowledge to start tinkering. Having an interactive project like a game is a great motivator to figure out syntax and APIs. You'll get there in no time. Just make an easy bare-bones goal for yourself, like drawing a square on the screen that moves when you press a key, and leaf through the documentation for your language and API until you can figure out how to make that happen. Once you've gotten that far, you'll have a good idea of the basics, and can continue the same process to iteratively build more complex behavior on top of it.
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NoLocality
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« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2016, 11:21:44 AM »

Make, and finish, small shitty games. As many as you can.  Hand Any KeyCrazy

This.

Tinker, play, experiment, make a million lil' prototypes, be not afraid to make craptastic games at first, watch tutorials, read articles/books pertinent to what you're trying to learn, try entering a game jam, try new things, try everything out of your comfort zone.

Pretty soon you'll be able to look back at your "old stuff" and laugh at how bad you were...this is about one of the best signs to look for as it means you're improving.

You guys didn't understand me, apologize for not being very clear.

Yes, I would be making games even without programming skills, but I'm not going to get involved in any real projects. The question is when is the right time when it comes to coding?

Same answer as before honestly...just don't get too discouraged.  Everyone has those "I can't do this!" moments when first learning to code, it passes and soon it's kinda like riding a bike or learning a new language...soon it just kinda becomes second nature.

Practice, practice, practice.   Coffee
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deWiTTERS
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« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2016, 11:41:51 AM »

Here's a programming challenge for you: Make a text based game where the computer thinks of a number from 1 to 10, and the player has to guess it. Next thing is 1 to 100 and computer says higher/lower.
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oahda
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« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2016, 04:34:55 AM »

Here's a programming challenge for you: Make a text based game where the computer thinks of a number from 1 to 10, and the player has to guess it. Next thing is 1 to 100 and computer says higher/lower.
I usually start people off with something like this too. c:
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alvarop
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« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2016, 06:48:28 AM »

Or start with a piece of software that doesn't require much coding, like Construct 2 and Game Maker. That way you will learn how to make good games, game design, etc, while you get good at coding in school. You will make the transition easily, and once you get into programming, making games will be easier.

I do recommend you start coding as soon as you can though, so this may not be the right path for you. Coding a lot is the only way to get better at it, in my short experience.
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i make games that can only ever be played once on http://throwaway.fun
Garthy
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« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2016, 12:34:10 PM »

> The question is when is the right time when it comes to coding?

When you can look at the task you've set yourself and think: "I know how to do 90% of this, and based on past experience I think I'll be able to figure out the last 10%".

Let me second the advice to start with something small, and work up from there. You'll learn a lot, and put yourself in the position where you can feasibly attempt increasingly complex projects.
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Krux
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« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2016, 02:43:08 PM »

The earlier you start making games, the better you can become in making games. You will learn as you actually make the games. Only make games, that you are sure you can finish. Don't plan big projects, unless you already finished projects in a similar size. A game needs to be fun from the beginning. When you plan is, that your game will be fun eventually after you have spent a ton of work on it, it is very likely, that you will loose interest in working on the project at all, or even start hating working on that project. It is very important, that your process of making the game itself is a lot of fun, otherwise you will just stop making it. Making games is not a sprint it is a marathon.
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ndnninja15
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« Reply #13 on: November 08, 2016, 08:30:18 PM »

I started making games with zero object oriented programming experience, had some minor programming skills but nothing really passed the basics. Also hadn't touched a pen/pencil to draw for years. But I didn't like the professional office engineering environment and said fuck it I'm gonna make a game. I didn't know shit about game dev February 2016 and thus started making games being horrendous. The only way I got better at making games in order to reach my I'm good enough point was to keep making more games.
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Richard Kain
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« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2016, 10:07:25 AM »

I would echo what everyone else has been saying. The best way to gain experience on making games is making games. Jump in, get your hands dirty with some quick and lean designs, and then rinse and repeat to your hearts content. If you aren't satisfied with the polish on a title, release it for free. Releasing smaller early games for free will get you a lot more players, and a lot more feedback. Feedback is valuable.

The clean graphics and production values of larger titles are a product of time and experience. Don't expect your first games to reach those levels. Be willing to throw together some rough projects, just to learn. I focused a bit too much on polish for my earliest title, and the design and gameplay suffered for it. While it's something to aspire to, it will hold you back if you focus on it too heavily early in the process.
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voidSkipper
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« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2016, 03:14:52 PM »

You'll never be good enough, so just start as soon as you can make something compile without errors.

No "real projects" that are dependant on other people and realistic will take a rookie coder anyway, so you're not going to damage anything important.
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