How to start.

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

Okay I notice this place right now. And notice there is only 2 threads here!
Anyway I haven't made any game yet. For some time problems and learning.
If you know any specific tips or tricks I enjoy to hear them.
I start with c# on unity 5 and know some python and very small c++.
If you don't know how to start well you can find your start here too.
let the happiness enter their hearts.
Note: just to start okay. If you think the topic or massage isn't understandable then say.

 

[destinyduelist]

I think Godot is a fun place for beginners but so is Unity. Look at it this way:
Godot is simpler and will teach you how to think into the logic of programming games. It uses GDScript which is very similar to C#.
Unity is a little daunting at first because the UI and environment is a nightmare, but it has more documentation and tutorials and uses actual C#.
At the end of the day, make sure you LEARN from tutorials and not just copy from them. Good tutorials will explain the logic behind their code and make sure you always keep asking, ask yourself WHY the thing is the way it is and look it up. Curiosity is the best motivation to learn programming especially game development.

 

[ciro64]

If lines of codes are too intimidating to start with and want just to grasp the concepts, Scratch is a good way to start.

If you want to go with a proper game engine but still doesn't want to use code, Godot has visual programming in it:

If you're looking for a programming language that's easy to understand, there's Python. It has frameworks for making games on it, such as PyGame.

If you want to use a Python-like language in Godot, there's GDScript.

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

I think Godot is a fun place for beginners but so is Unity. Look at it this way:
Godot is simpler and will teach you how to think into the logic of programming games. It uses GDScript which is very similar to C#.
Unity is a little daunting at first because the UI and environment is a nightmare, but it has more documentation and tutorials and uses actual C#.
At the end of the day, make sure you LEARN from tutorials and not just copy from them. Good tutorials will explain the logic behind their code and make sure you always keep asking, ask yourself WHY the thing is the way it is and look it up. Curiosity is the best motivation to learn programming especially game development.

Yep Unity is a good game engine. But not much good for starting. I can show you this as a example:

He used a model for frog enemy which had very big weigh. Also it has some futures which can make people crazy.

If lines of codes are too intimidating to start with and want just to grasp the concepts, Scratch is a good way to start.

If you want to go with a proper game engine but still doesn't want to use code, Godot has visual programming in it:

View attachment 65674


If you're looking for a programming language that's easy to understand, there's Python. It has frameworks for making games on it, such as PyGame.

If you want to use a Python-like language in Godot, there's GDScript.

I know such good frendly users UI. (*see python name*)
Okay okay I like python but God could they Make fo pip a better installation? It need wifi so it confuse me.

---

Thanks a lot. I think Game devs become greater soon.

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

I think gdevelop is the easiest to use although idk if Godot will run better on my PC or if it's even compatible with Windows 8.1

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

I think gdevelop is the easiest to use although idk if Godot will run better on my PC or if it's even compatible with Windows 8.1

Well I stick with xp,96,server also 2000 and 10 don't know much you windows.

 

[TheWanderer]

I think the easier choice is rpg maker but the freedom is kinda limited
So I think you should begin with unity
My best advice is create very simple games to get familiar with the engine then grow from there
But if you're not familiar with coding in general the learn what coding is (preferably start with the language related to your chosen engine)

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

Well I stick with xp,96,server also 2000 and 10 don't know much you windows.

Dunno how that info helps me but alright

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

Dunno how that info helps me but alright

Well CJ, check their requirements on the site

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

Well CJ, check their requirements on the site

Well ram now is the issue since I checked them (https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/about/system_requirements.html)

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

Okay try internet archive. It will have older versions. Also check the github .

 

[HikaruKitsune]

If one is more concerned with just learning how to write actual code more than specifically making games, then where is the "correct" place to start from? Especially if one is older and has never written code before, and knows absolutely nothing about how programming works?

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

If one is more concerned with just learning how to write actual code more than specifically making games, then where is the "correct" place to start from? Especially if one is older and has never written code before, and knows absolutely nothing about how programming works?

Well to start you don't need to know any Codding! You can start with game maker studio, it have a 2 ways. Codding and also what I mean a friendly UI for beginners.
If you want you can even start with skratch! My first game was made by that.

 

[ciro64]

If one is more concerned with just learning how to write actual code more than specifically making games, then where is the "correct" place to start from? Especially if one is older and has never written code before, and knows absolutely nothing about how programming works?

There's no single correct place.

I found this, looks intuitive enough, if you want to give a shot: https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_getstarted.asp

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

There's no single correct place.

I found this, looks intuitive enough, if you want to give a shot: https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_getstarted.asp

Oh w3 schools? I know there very well. It good for start learning how to use codes in different languages.

 

[kingofdragons]

If one is more concerned with just learning how to write actual code more than specifically making games, then where is the "correct" place to start from? Especially if one is older and has never written code before, and knows absolutely nothing about how programming works?

Khan Academy

www.khanacademy.org

 

[heywusuh]

This might be a very one beginner-friendly resource on the subject, don't bother with the title's choice tho: https://jocelyn.itch.io/game-dev-for-babies

Edit: also, sorry for the necroposting, but I feel like this one is a relevant topic. It shouldn't die at all.

 

[happymasksalesman happymasksalesman]

I lately start working with old c++ games on c turbo and it is crazy hard to write everything yourself!
A single tip toe tak game rake 107 lines!

 

[GatorCountry]

Personally I feel like coders are real good at giving lay a super overwhelming path because it is simple if you know what you're doing.

I strongly disagree with the idea of using one of these simplified game builder suites that can produce a plethora of games. Instead I recommend a platform and language pairing that's too simple to get lost in potentials.

If you want to make a side scrolling brawler get an engine that does only side scrolling brawlers. OpenBOR has you covered.

Because the point and click stuff, those cats are not learning to code they are learning how the program works. Becoming marks to be frank but more importantly becoming limited.

Secondarily it may seem counter intuitive to say you're going to learn more about coding through an engine that only uses one language and only the bits of that language that cause the functions that define a genre, but, promise, get real intimate with one genre and you'll learn how and know how to do others before you're done making your first game. Get a few levels done in OpenSurge or some similar and then you're ready for Love or some such similar. I promise you are not going to code an entire brawler and not know how to make a platformer when you're done.

Then you're ready for a simple generalist.


As far as language, again, my caution would be don't bite off nor deal in what you can't chew up. So, let's talk about C and Python since they're mentioned. C and all the little extras, lol, is sort of foundational. Which might make you feel like you need to know it but in spoken word almost no one knows latin so foundations really are not needed. That said, knowing foundational language makes you well more informed than your average jamook. So, if you reckon you can handle it go for it. C interprets for Python and C is what's behind Lua. Keep in mind though, the coding gods created for us Python and Lua because C's a dirty slut. So on language, if the above chill and keep it simple made sense then you probably want to keep that energy here too and learn lua or even engine specific script like surgescript.

Once you've learned a simple language and engine you're basically ready to tackle whatever. It'll be different and the programs and suits have a lot more but you won't get overwhelmed.

 

[heywusuh]

Personally I feel like coders are real good at giving lay a super overwhelming path because it is simple if you know what you're doing.

I strongly disagree with the idea of using one of these simplified game builder suites that can produce a plethora of games. Instead I recommend a platform and language pairing that's too simple to get lost in potentials.

If you want to make a side scrolling brawler get an engine that does only side scrolling brawlers. OpenBOR has you covered.

Because the point and click stuff, those cats are not learning to code they are learning how the program works. Becoming marks to be frank but more importantly becoming limited.

Secondarily it may seem counter intuitive to say you're going to learn more about coding through an engine that only uses one language and only the bits of that language that cause the functions that define a genre, but, promise, get real intimate with one genre and you'll learn how and know how to do others before you're done making your first game. Get a few levels done in OpenSurge or some similar and then you're ready for Love or some such similar. I promise you are not going to code an entire brawler and not know how to make a platformer when you're done.

Then you're ready for a simple generalist.


As far as language, again, my caution would be don't bite off nor deal in what you can't chew up. So, let's talk about C and Python since they're mentioned. C and all the little extras, lol, is sort of foundational. Which might make you feel like you need to know it but in spoken word almost no one knows latin so foundations really are not needed. That said, knowing foundational language makes you well more informed than your average jamook. So, if you reckon you can handle it go for it. C interprets for Python and C is what's behind Lua. Keep in mind though, the coding gods created for us Python and Lua because C's a dirty slut. So on language, if the above chill and keep it simple made sense then you probably want to keep that energy here too and learn lua or even engine specific script like surgescript.

Once you've learned a simple language and engine you're basically ready to tackle whatever. It'll be different and the programs and suits have a lot more but you won't get overwhelmed.

Agreed, but the point is that there's ppl who wanna make games but don't want to learn how to code/program. In a hobbyist-like scene, that's a valid path. There's no need to gatekeep gamedev. There are also successfully commercial games that started in let's say rpg maker (I can recollect Ara Fell and I believe OFF is going to have a remake, just to say some names). I'd prefer if ppl started with stuff like scratch, even if it's block-based or a visual language this can actually help you understanding the logics of programming. Anyway, the very existence of those programs are just reflecting a meta development imo, that's the same premise behind evolving from a low-level to a high-level programming scenario.

 

[Graw]

Agreed, but the point is that there's ppl who wanna make games but don't want to learn how to program. In a hobbyist-like scene, that's a valid path

Somewhat. It'll probably lead to more frustration in the end though because you'll always be more limited in what you can do with tools like that.

There are also successfully commercial games that started in let's say rpg maker (I can recollect Ara Fell and I believe OFF is going to have a remake, just to say some names).

Modern versions of RPG maker use JavaScript for scripting. A game like Ara Fell is going to have made heavy use of this.

I'd prefer if ppl started with stuff like scratch, even if it's block-based or a visual language this can actually help you understanding the logics of programming.

Personally, I think the best way to learn the logic of programming is to sit down and learn a programming language. Even if you start with something like scratch you're going to have to learn it eventually. Learning with something like scratch ends up becoming more of a waste of time because you just end up relearning it all again anyway.

I strongly disagree with the idea of using one of these simplified game builder suites that can produce a plethora of games. Instead I recommend a platform and language pairing that's too simple to get lost in potentials.

I agree with this and this is pretty much what I was saying above.

then you're ready for Love or some such similar. I

I found Lua to be a great beginner language to learn in general. The syntax is nice and having just one data structure that can function like an array or a hash map keeps you from getting bogged down in learning about the different kinds of arrays. The lack of built in OOP ended up being beneficial as well because I learned a lot more about how it functions trying to build my own classes out of tables and functions. The main reason I ended up eventually switching from Lua to other languages and platforms was lua's lack of integers. I was making something where dealing with floating point numbers was just not working well.

As far as language, again, my caution would be don't bite off nor deal in what you can't chew up. So, let's talk about C and Python

C is cool and all and you can do anything with it but learning C to make a game is a little bit like learning injection molding so you can make Lego blocks to build something. Personally I prefer D over both C and C++ and it's too bad D never became more popular. The syntax is far less confusing than C++ and it's a lot more safer and reasonable than C.

I saw Godot mentioned in the thread somewhere and while I like Godot and I'm currently using it for my own project I find it hard to recommend for an absolute beginner. Even knowing several programming languages and having had experience with a bunch of engines and libraries I still found it hard to wrap my head around the way Godot does things. A lot of it's kind of counter intuitive and the documentation, while pretty good, can be somewhat lacking. I still find parts of Godot confusing and I've been using it for years. It also encourages a strange mix of inheritance and composition for your data that both work a bit fucky and not the way you'd think. Inherited scenes in particular can be frustrating to work with.

 

[heywusuh]

Ara Fell the prototype was made in RPG Maker 2003, it is on TIA, you can still play that using easyrpg. I'm not sure what you meant by "more frustration" if one goes with the thought of not wanting to do more than that, which is what I'm talking about. Some ppl have clear goals. Not more, not less.

I wonder if David Malan thinks of scratch being a waste of time, but I truly know nothing man...

 

[GatorCountry]

Agreed, but the point is that there's ppl who wanna make games but don't want to learn how to code/program. In a hobbyist-like scene, that's a valid path. There's no need to gatekeep gamedev. There are also successfully commercial games that started in let's say rpg maker (I can recollect Ara Fell and I believe OFF is going to have a remake, just to say some names). I'd prefer if ppl started with stuff like scratch, even if it's block-based or a visual language this can actually help you understanding the logics of programming. Anyway, the very existence of those programs are just reflecting a meta development imo, that's the same premise behind evolving from a low-level to a high-level programming scenario.

Oh yeah bud I kinda got lost in my own points there didn't I? I didn't mean to say there is anything wrong with point and click building but it does definitely read that way. The entire post was meant to say take her easy and don't worry about doing too much at once. Fair play and my bad.

Somewhat. It'll probably lead to more frustration in the end though because you'll always be more limited in what you can do with tools like that.

Modern versions of RPG maker use JavaScript for scripting. A game like Ara Fell is going to have made heavy use of this.

Personally, I think the best way to learn the logic of programming is to sit down and learn a programming language. Even if you start with something like scratch you're going to have to learn it eventually. Learning with something like scratch ends up becoming more of a waste of time because you just end up relearning it all again anyway.


I agree with this and this is pretty much what I was saying above.

I found Lua to be a great beginner language to learn in general. The syntax is nice and having just one data structure that can function like an array or a hash map keeps you from getting bogged down in learning about the different kinds of arrays. The lack of built in OOP ended up being beneficial as well because I learned a lot more about how it functions trying to build my own classes out of tables and functions. The main reason I ended up eventually switching from Lua to other languages and platforms was lua's lack of integers. I was making something where dealing with floating point numbers was just not working well.

C is cool and all and you can do anything with it but learning C to make a game is a little bit like learning injection molding so you can make Lego blocks to build something. Personally I prefer D over both C and C++ and it's too bad D never became more popular. The syntax is far less confusing than C++ and it's a lot more safer and reasonable than C.

I saw Godot mentioned in the thread somewhere and while I like Godot and I'm currently using it for my own project I find it hard to recommend for an absolute beginner. Even knowing several programming languages and having had experience with a bunch of engines and libraries I still found it hard to wrap my head around the way Godot does things. A lot of it's kind of counter intuitive and the documentation, while pretty good, can be somewhat lacking. I still find parts of Godot confusing and I've been using it for years. It also encourages a strange mix of inheritance and composition for your data that both work a bit fucky and not the way you'd think. Inherited scenes in particular can be frustrating to work with.

Uh, listen to this guy! lol learning injection molding to learn lego building is dead on. That for real made me laugh.

Also, you figured out how to make games without leading to frustration and having to relearn the same thing over and over again?! I'm just playing. Very well made points sir.

 

[Netra]

Start using rpgmaker, make a micro pokemon game with some fights and one or two towns, some npc with dialogues and a shop.

If you can do that without getting frustrated and annoyed by the bugs you'll encounter in your work you're ready to move on to another engine and start learning how to make video games.

Don't set big goals, or you'll get too frustrated until you become familiar with the engine and don't rely 100% on tutorials, use the documentation apart or you'll end up not knowing how to do anything without the video on the other screen.

 

[Graw]

Also, you figured out how to make games without leading to frustration and having to relearn the same thing over and over again?!

Not really. There's been lots of frustration and dead ends over the years I've learned programming and game dev stuff. Realistically, a lot of programming is doing the same thing over and over again. Even when you know what you're doing there'll still be frustrations and things that go wrong like anything else in life. A lot of game dev is also tedious. Sure you have all these great ideas and you can program up a storm. Let's say you're making a basic platformer or a jrpg or something like people have suggested. You've got yourself a graphics pack or some nice graphics you've made. Get ready to spend several hours to days setting up animations, tweaking shit, redoing graphics, moving things a few pixels here or there, scrapping it all and redoing it when you realize you did it in such a way that's going to cause twice as much work down the road. Now take all that and apply it to every part of making a game and that's what it's like.

From what I've seen, that's the part of game making a lot of beginners can't handle and that's honestly the hardest part. Most of the actual practical skills you need can be learned with enough time and practice, the hard part is continuing to be motivated and find enjoyment when things get frustrating and don't work out properly. Game dev is a lot like playing old unfair nes games that make you suffer. If you enjoy those kinds of games, you'll probably like programming and game development, if you hate those kinds of games you may not enjoy it so much because small failures and setbacks are going to happen frequently.