Gamedev Lounge 0010

[Bombshell93]

I've had similar problems with my dad talking to me about my game projects, I've learned to keep it out of my head, the pressure of him constantly asking "can you sell it yet?" "how will you make money?" "will that sell good?" was causing me to hesitate on every project, now that I've started ignoring him when he talks about my games and money I've made a lot more progress.

I've wanted to make games since I was 8 so my ambitions have always been to make a game I would enjoy, if other people liked it that would just be a bonus. The moment you try making a game to impress others rather than yourself, you lose your originality because your forced to look at what the majority of people like (I think that was the fuel for the hundreds of minecraft clones when that first exploded)

the only downside with me is its taken me far too long, a lot of my time now is sinking into job searching, I've been unemployed for 3 years and all I have to say for it is "I've learned a cubic sh*t tone" given the time again I'd no doubt have a game done and polished in the first year, but time moves on and I'm certainly pushing my luck.

[Phaze]

I've had similar problems with my dad talking to me about my game projects, I've learned to keep it out of my head, the pressure of him constantly asking "can you sell it yet?" "how will you make money?" "will that sell good?" was causing me to hesitate on every project, now that I've started ignoring him when he talks about my games and money I've made a lot more progress.

I've wanted to make games since I was 8 so my ambitions have always been to make a game I would enjoy, if other people liked it that would just be a bonus. The moment you try making a game to impress others rather than yourself, you lose your originality because your forced to look at what the majority of people like (I think that was the fuel for the hundreds of minecraft clones when that first exploded)

the only downside with me is its taken me far too long, a lot of my time now is sinking into job searching, I've been unemployed for 3 years and all I have to say for it is "I've learned a cubic sh*t tone" given the time again I'd no doubt have a game done and polished in the first year, but time moves on and I'm certainly pushing my luck.

Well I know my dad means well and all. He was also confused with the concept of making a fangame/being unable to profit from it. God I can imagine the trouble I'd have explaining Free / Open Source Software to him, even if I've never actually contributed to one of those projects yet.

I always wanted to somehow be involved in games since I was a kid, myself. I remember reading an article in the old Nintendo Official Magazine (UK) about games programming and it seemed incredibly discouraging as it was talking about all sorts of advanced math. If it weren't for depression/SSRI issues in 4th year I would actually have a 4 year degree right now. There wasn't all that much advanced math beyond 1st year. After that it was all abstract stuff that wasn't dealing with things like differentiation/integration and more advanced concepts. I never thought independent development was a thing or that I'd be taking a shot at it!

Yeah, I'm realizing I'm running out of "buffer time" as time goes on, myself. I might have 2 or 3 years, including College if I go back next year.

[Bombshell93]

Programming always intruiged me, but I think my main drive for getting into game development is my attachment to creativity, I have aspergers syndrome and while growing up it showed the most, not many friends and issues with day to say life I got angry a lot, but my escape from anger was in drawing and playing pretend, always thinking up characters, worlds, laws for those worlds, hierarchies of gods, kings, species and their relationships with each other, when I realised games were designed and programmed, it became a fixation of mine to see some my worlds and characters come to life. Stories wouldn't do, I'm not a strong reader and couldn't make it through a book reading, let alone writing, movies wouldn't do, it'd require expensive equipment and assistance from people playing parts of the characters, so games were the best bet.

in terms of college I've heard good things about game design courses, according to a friend of mine their first year was planning and concepts, most days they'd have chats about what does well in what games while playing on handhelds, I'd say it seems layed back but when you think of it its still covering game design, so I was considering taking the course and I'd have the time to make a game (which would coincide with my grade as I could make the project the course project) but I'd have to wait until july to even think of signing up, it being halfway through the school year at the moment.

in terms of "buffer time" I'd say plan a small simple game, make it (regardless of efficiency, concentrate workflow on getting the game working) if its a simple enough game you'll have it done fairly quick, this will atleast make a good starting point, its my current premise with the P2P Arcade, a small platformer game, then expanded into a platformer and TDS then platformer, TDS and vertical scrolling shooter. I may go further with the project, but its likely by time I have them done I'll have started moving onto bigger projects.

[Phaze]

Programming always intruiged me, but I think my main drive for getting into game development is my attachment to creativity, I have aspergers syndrome and while growing up it showed the most, not many friends and issues with day to say life I got angry a lot, but my escape from anger was in drawing and playing pretend, always thinking up characters, worlds, laws for those worlds, hierarchies of gods, kings, species and their relationships with each other, when I realised games were designed and programmed, it became a fixation of mine to see some my worlds and characters come to life. Stories wouldn't do, I'm not a strong reader and couldn't make it through a book reading, let alone writing, movies wouldn't do, it'd require expensive equipment and assistance from people playing parts of the characters, so games were the best bet.

in terms of college I've heard good things about game design courses, according to a friend of mine their first year was planning and concepts, most days they'd have chats about what does well in what games while playing on handhelds, I'd say it seems layed back but when you think of it its still covering game design, so I was considering taking the course and I'd have the time to make a game (which would coincide with my grade as I could make the project the course project) but I'd have to wait until july to even think of signing up, it being halfway through the school year at the moment.

in terms of "buffer time" I'd say plan a small simple game, make it (regardless of efficiency, concentrate workflow on getting the game working) if its a simple enough game you'll have it done fairly quick, this will atleast make a good starting point, its my current premise with the P2P Arcade, a small platformer game, then expanded into a platformer and TDS then platformer, TDS and vertical scrolling shooter. I may go further with the project, but its likely by time I have them done I'll have started moving onto bigger projects.

I've always had the same kind of daydream-type stuff. It lead me to eventually create this world that I plan to base my action-RPG around, though I still have a lot of work to do with regards to fleshing out places and characters. To think it all started with a single character! I have the major stuff in mind and a couple of disjointed things as-is.
Though I only intend to make 1 game (initially), I do actually have 5 separate parts of an entire timeline that could be games in their own right with their own stories at the least if it ever seems like a good idea to continue, i.e me and my friends can make a living with it. I'd start with the 2nd though, it seems like a good middle ground to me (namely in terms of party diversity... it'd take too long to explain)!

Eugh, game design courses seem like a terrible idea. It's overspecialization to the point of being crippling. I personally think a Comp. Sci course would be much better as your skillset would be more applicable in a general sense (even if the GD course gives you these skills, the employer(s) may not see this ). Maybe GD courses have gotten better, but they always seemed like a terrible idea to me; something to attract the idealist who isn't quite aware of the greater ramifications.

I've done a few 'simple' games but they were extremely barebones. The first real project I worked on is a TCG game of a friends' design. It's maybe half done (base game is practically there, but it's text-based singleplayer only. I need to separate the client/server and then create a GUI) but I might take a small deviation to work on some C++ stuff. I'll end up cannibalizing part of the friend's fangame engine for my own project as it'd essentially be like the overworld, just with the battle features integrated as there'd be no actual battle screen.

[Bombshell93]

I didn't mention the Game Design course for qualifications, you can't get anywhere in the games industry on qualifications, you could have an award saying your the greatest programmer to ever live and you'd still not get anywhere, I've talked with a number of freelancers in a variety of fields, from design to graphics programming, to engine architecture, to general programming and they all told be the same thing, there is no job unless you have work to show you can do it.
This is why game development courses in universities concentrate more on making a game than the theory, because even if they teach you everything and you know you can do it, finishing the course won't get you any kind of job in the industry.
All that said if you mean to get a job in the games industry, indie or not, you must finish a game.

On the subject of Specialization you won't get a job without it unless your going into design specifically, there are too many people who are good at everything and not enough who are best at a specific thing, specializing is far more likely to get you a job than generalizing, unless you single handedly make a masterpiece and can show it as a masterpiece an interview where you seem generalized will lead the employer to treat you as they've seen and the majority of persons generalizing can't do well in a specific department, generalization is only useful when leading a project, working in direction or design, which a studio would never be without, so the position is never there to be filled.

[NICKtendo DS]

I can confirm that during my course, teachers hammered into the students' minds that a portfolio is the most important thing ever. Companies don't give a crap about grades.
I've got my diploma, but that doesn't stop me from expanding my portfolio. Princess Fantasy Catventure for example was finished long after I graduated. Even if it's made in Game Maker, it's portfolio gold, nay, platinum.

I've been told that when making a portfolio website, it should be clear what your specialties are. I built my website from the ground up 4 times or so. Even still, I tweak my website to look better, appealing and, as advised by my teachers, doesn't steal the attention away from the content (<-that what matters in a portfolio). I think the fact my website has a Sprites section is a clear sign I'm a Pixel Artist. Having a home page full of game projects, playable, finished or unfinished/canned, is a plus aswell.

I have yet to see where I'll land in the industry. I'll get there, one way or the other. One option I see is Vlambeer (<-they made Super Crate Box). They work with Game Maker and generally use sprite- and pixelart, and I shared a floor with them during the Indigo in Utrecht (We had Bouncy Cat playable while they had an RPG/Shooter game called Serious Sam), so we've met. It fits my profile perfectly. 1 problem: Their team is very small and are very unlikely to hire. We'll see what the future brings.

[Phaze]

Yeah, I can agree that proof of work is especially important.

I just think that with a Comp. Sci degree, you have the option to work with a regular programmer job while an employer might be a bit hesitant to do so if you have a Game Design degree. That's the case over here, at the very least. Unfortunately not everyone's dreams hold up in the games industry.

[Bombshell93]

well like I said, I didn't mention the game design course because it'd be a good degree, I mentioned it because it'd be a good chance to get the time to work on a game, building up your proof of work in that project. Not that you cant do this in other courses, but with it being fairly contextual your course work won't have to get in the way of the development, more so it is the development.

[Sengir]

I haven't been having much fun programming (I always stress about it as a livelihood and worry about money and everything, woops) so my dad suggested making a fangame just to futz around with while I'm in college, especially so I can drop it and don't get so stressed out as I'll be working on more important things for my classes.

Uh, ok...........

[Previous]

Hey Sengineer did I tell you about theTSELDAproject? Also known as LEGEND. It is a zelda fangame, if you didn't fugure that out yet. I've started making it a few years ago. It never went far. However, it's still running. Nowadays, I have other things on my plate that come first (mostly DIG) and I'm usually not working on it at all for several months and that's okay because it is my own, absolutely not important project I can work on in whatever way I like and feel like and if I don't feel like, I don't. :-)

[Mr.Destro]

OK I was told to post this in one of these topics.

I am creating a game and I want peoples opinions on the test demo... like how I can make the overall product better and all that stuff...
Here's the link: http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/21042...-test-demo

Please Note: I have read the rules... and as I don't fully understand them I was told to post in one of the Game Dev Lounges... if a higher ranking member wants to move this please feel free to...

[Shade]

OK I was told to post this in one of these topics.

I am creating a game and I want peoples opinions on the test demo... like how I can make the overall product better and all that stuff...
Here's the link: http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/21042...-test-demo

Please Note: I have read the rules... and as I don't fully understand them I was told to post in one of the Game Dev Lounges... if a higher ranking member wants to move this please feel free to...

Is it supposed to be somewhat similar to Metroid?

[Bombshell93]

does anyone else have strange behaviour when programming?
if I know how to do something and it just takes a long time to code, I often find myself stalling doing it, finding other things to do and getting distracted, but once I start it, I don't want to stop, the urge to complete and perfect it keeps me from sleep, more often than not I'll spend all day on youtube, decide to do 1 code to consider myself productive then spend hours upon hours programming all sorts of bits and bobs!
my sleeping goes to hell but I'll be damned if I don't get productive.

[Phaze]

I think that's normal.

Or at least, that's me.

[Kami]

That's normal, well for myself anyways.