My inner game developer/designer

[Kellie Gator]

As a kid, I wanted to be a game developer. I was well on my way to start an education in programming and stuff like that, BUT, I bailed out in the last second because I realized it would involve a lot of complex math I couldn't bother with and I figured MAKING a game wouldn't be as fun as playing them. Too technical and convoluted for me. I realized I was more of a storyteller and moved on to writing.

But sometimes that gamer in me still has ideas, great ideas that I can't imagine would work well as novels but great as video games. I had a bit of a eureka moment last night about an idea that would be brilliant, bold, edgy but... I dunno how it'd work as a novel. It seemed more like it would work as an RTS 'cause it involved war over resources between two superpowers and some rebel groups, but it'd be strongly tried to real world events and conflicts and my own ideas over what could happen in the future.

But I dunno how to make video games. ;w;

It's frustrating 'cause I was proud of this idea. I guess nothing says I can't learn how to make games now but I don't like programming and it'd feel like starting over my whole education 'cause I already went in the direction or writer and studied biology because I was hoping to make work with animals or something rather than a boring computer job.

So ask myself, has this idea gone to waste or what can I do with it? 'cause I'd hate to see this idea I'm passionate about go to waste.

[Wolflich]

Last night? I wonder if it will still seem brilliant next week.

[Kellie Gator]

Last night? I wonder if it will still seem brilliant next week.

I think it will, 'cause I haven't seen anyone use the same idea yet. I might be wrong but so far I haven't heard of it.

Well, okay, the idea of war over resources isn't new but I feel like I have a new spin on it that makes a lot of sense.

[Alexxx-Returns]

Is it not possible to sell the idea to a development team? Or team up with a developer and make it awesome?

[Kellie Gator]

Is it not possible to sell the idea to a development team? Or team up with a developer and make it awesome?

I guess but who would wanna hire a nobody like me? The idea was mostly based around the universe in a novel I admittedly haven't even finished or published yet. .___.

[Dr. Doggo]

The only way to make games is to just start making games. Grab GameMaker: Studio or Unity and do their tutorials and do tiny little pet projects for the fun of it.

You may not achieve your "dream" game but when making tiny little games you'll happen across an idea that you really really like and find that you can actually make, probably all by yourself.

[Kellie Gator]

The only way to make games is to just start making games. Grab GameMaker: Studio or Unity and do their tutorials and do tiny little pet projects for the fun of it.

You may not achieve your "dream" game but when making tiny little games you'll happen across an idea that you really really like and find that you can actually make, probably all by yourself.

Are they easy to use without ending up with shit projects, though? I'd hate to use store bought assets and make some cut-and-paste mess and my ideas were mostly around the story behind the game even if I would probably make the most brutal and gory RTS ever if I had the skill.

[RTDragon]

I use RPG Maker when i work on games as well as playing other games with it. Though the latest one thats going to come out this october on Steam is RPG Maker MV which for the first time will be for mac as well. Though the retro rpg makers 2000 and 2003 on steam are good since you don't have to script but a lot of the games made from it use events to make CMS and CBS.

[Dr. Doggo]

Are they easy to use without ending up with shit projects, though? I'd hate to use store bought assets and make some cut-and-paste mess and my ideas were mostly around the story behind the game even if I would probably make the most brutal and gory RTS ever if I had the skill.

With GameMaker if you're not keen on scripting (I highly recommend learning it anyway) you can use drag-and-drop functions for your "code". Art is something you'll have to try handling yourself, but I'd call it a new hobby. You can make very good projects with Unity, many full games were made in it. GameMaker has less games to show, but there are examples like Hotline Miami, Gunpoint, Risk of Rain, and the recent Undertale.

Your first projects WILL be lackluster, and an RTS with 3D graphics is an idea that would have to be set back by years. Arcade clones will be your first games, and after that, a copy of those games with a unique spin on it, or an arcade-ish game of your own invention.

Trying to make games is pretty hard, and it's a multi-disciplined hobby that will overwhelm you if you don't start super small. Thankfully it costs NOTHING to start using GameMaker or Unity, and you'll find that outside of the work and frustration you may really enjoy it, and making something you realise is actually good and could be sold if more work was done on it is something that kinda happens by accident!

Edited October 16, 2015 by Sir Gibby

[RTDragon]

Use the BYOND engine. It's simpler than most game engines, has a good-sized community, and it's an optimized engine unlike most game engines out now days where you need tons of extra mathematical knowledge just to get it to run at any decent frame rate or make multi-player not de-synchronized headache. BYOND takes care of almost all of the hard work for you, and there are plugins and libraries all over the BYOND website.

It's about 30x more flexible than stuff like RPGMaker, and it's FREE.

It's good enough to make games that get on Steam (NEStalgia.)

Actually a lot of other game makes have had games made for steam. As well as quite a few visual novels. However one thing i did not mention about rpg maker is that there is a free one called VX Ace Lite. Which is a great start if you want to try it out. Though i already have VXAce, XP, VX which i bought from the rpg maker web. And 2003 which is on steam (Going to buy 2000 when it's on sale on steam.)

However if you want to use MV considering since instead of using RGSS your going to be using Javascript which is quite popular which is why rpgmakerweb youtube channel been making episodes about the features of MV. Though with the multiplatform support which is Mac as well as Android, IOS HTML5

[Chrysocyon]

I thought being a game developer was one of my dreams when I was younger. I loved messing around with level editors of a lot of games, making my own Doom maps, stuff like that.  But when it came to actually making my own games from scratch, I never had the patience to learn.  Turns out I my dream was I really just wanted to play my game ideas and not necessarily make them myself.  For the most part, the only thing I have fun with is level design and graphics.

When I was younger I tried Game Maker, several RPG Maker versions and some other things I can't remember, and more recently I've tried BYOND and Unity.  Most engines simplify the programming so you only need to learn the basics to work with them, and there's also tons of tutorials and add-ons to help you out.

As far as trying not to make a game look cut-and-paste, I think RPG Maker has that the worst.  There's not a lot of flexibility without getting into programming for it and most of the premade assets are overused and unoriginal.

If you really want to try to develop a game yourself, after doing some tutorials for whatever engine you want to use, I would suggest focusing on gameplay before anything else.  Graphics, sound, music, etc. can come once you get something playable.  Maybe you could get someone to help you out with making original assets if you have some gameplay to show off.

[Conker]

My brother taught himself how to program via Gamemaker. This was back in high school. So I mean, there's nothing stopping you from learning on your free time.

The thing is, game ideas should be about gameplay first. If you came up with a story idea, write a novel. That's the trap a lot of "I want to make games!" people that don't know how fall into. They come up with story ideas or worlds or anything else that would work just as well as a movie or a novel, with nary a thought to how the game might play or differ from other games on the market.

I'ts an interactive medium, so you have to think about interaction first.

[Valery91Thunder]

Write down the concept and describe it as detailed as you can; sketch some mock-up screenshots and concept art; imagine the musics and the voice of your characters (if you want them to talk); then organize everything in a nice-looking and easy to read format, and look for a team of developers that's in need of a good idea to start gamemaking, and collaborate with them. There's nothing wrong with working in a team.

[Kellie Gator]

Your first projects WILL be lackluster, and an RTS with 3D graphics is an idea that would have to be set back by years. Arcade clones will be your first games, and after that, a copy of those games with a unique spin on it, or an arcade-ish game of your own invention.

I was considering maybe 2D graphics but I wouldn't want it to look like total pixel crap like what's trendy now so idfk.

My brother taught himself how to program via Gamemaker. This was back in high school. So I mean, there's nothing stopping you from learning on your free time.

The thing is, game ideas should be about gameplay first. If you came up with a story idea, write a novel. That's the trap a lot of "I want to make games!" people that don't know how fall into. They come up with story ideas or worlds or anything else that would work just as well as a movie or a novel, with nary a thought to how the game might play or differ from other games on the market.

I'ts an interactive medium, so you have to think about interaction first.

You make a great point and I mostly agree with you. Just, well, I'm proud of my idea but I can't imagine how it'll be interesting as a novel. When I think about it in my head it seems like it'll be more effective and fun as an RTS than something to read. Dunno how to overcome that obstacle.

[Conker]

You make a great point and I mostly agree with you. Just, well, I'm proud of my idea but I can't imagine how it'll be interesting as a novel. When I think about it in my head it seems like it'll be more effective and fun as an RTS than something to read. Dunno how to overcome that obstacle.

To really answer that, I'd need to know more about the idea. But based on what you said, war, politics, dwindling resources, etc? Yeah. You should be able to get a book going with that. First part is coming up with characters, but you'd have to do that for the game anyways. Once you do that, see where they take you.

[RTDragon]

I thought being a game developer was one of my dreams when I was younger. I loved messing around with level editors of a lot of games, making my own Doom maps, stuff like that.  But when it came to actually making my own games from scratch, I never had the patience to learn.  Turns out I my dream was I really just wanted to play my game ideas and not necessarily make them myself.  For the most part, the only thing I have fun with is level design and graphics.

When I was younger I tried Game Maker, several RPG Maker versions and some other things I can't remember, and more recently I've tried BYOND and Unity.  Most engines simplify the programming so you only need to learn the basics to work with them, and there's also tons of tutorials and add-ons to help you out.

As far as trying not to make a game look cut-and-paste, I think RPG Maker has that the worst.  There's not a lot of flexibility without getting into programming for it and most of the premade assets are overused and unoriginal.

It's mostly because of the games made in VXAce that use the RTP maker on steam why the RTP has a bad reputation. It's not bad but... most don't really know how to take full advantage of using it correctly. (Which is why i've been practicing with using the shift clicking technique that useful in the rpg maker system.) Though quite a few of the known commercial RPG maker games use custom graphics as well as scripts.

[Onnes]

You make a great point and I mostly agree with you. Just, well, I'm proud of my idea but I can't imagine how it'll be interesting as a novel. When I think about it in my head it seems like it'll be more effective and fun as an RTS than something to read. Dunno how to overcome that obstacle.

I concur with Conker that, if you're considering this as a game concept, you should start by figuring out how it will work as game. Story and setting and important, but taken alone all they get you is an interactive novel. If you seriously want to take your concept further, then a fleshed out design document on how the thing should actually play could serve as a concrete roadmap for building it.

[Zeitzbach]

BUT, I bailed out in the last second because I realized it would involve a lot of complex math

What

That's only if you're going for 3d-physic engine bullshit and wanting to make it as real as possible instead of using the built-in one.

The only math you will ever use in making game is trying to go too far and making really good character growth and exp curve exponential bullshit. Most of the stuffs are simplified now with made-up formula.

[Kellie Gator]

To really answer that, I'd need to know more about the idea. But based on what you said, war, politics, dwindling resources, etc? Yeah. You should be able to get a book going with that. First part is coming up with characters, but you'd have to do that for the game anyways. Once you do that, see where they take you.

Well, it's in a fictional universe and a spinoff to a series of novel I've been working on.

Basically a nation of futuristic nazi reptiles (yes that sounds insane, that's part of the point) invade and take over a Congo-esque nation rich with coltan and other precious minerals. Not because they want to use the minerals, but to control it and more or less hold the world hostage because in a world with high tech laser guns, robots, drones, supercomputers and cybernetic implants, coltan and other minerals are in higher demand than ever.

A rival nation that's extremely dependent of these minerals because it has one of the highest consumptions of technology declares war on the nazis. It becomes a struggle between genetically engineered super nazi reptiles on one side and cybernetically enhanced reptiles with the support of murderous child soldiers on the other. Hijinks ensue. :V

I don't have a coherent beginning, middle and end though... and please, don't steal my idea, fuckers.

What

That's only if you're going for 3d-physic engine bullshit and wanting to make it as real as possible instead of using the built-in one.

The only math you will ever use in making game is trying to go too far and making really good character growth and exp curve exponential bullshit. Most of the stuffs are simplified now with made-up formula.

I didn't know this at the time and it was also ten years ago so I guess game development/design was different back then. And it still seems like tedious work is the impression I get.

[Conker]

Well, it's in a fictional universe and a spinoff to a series of novel I've been working on.

Basically a nation of futuristic nazi reptiles (yes that sounds insane, that's part of the point) invade and take over a Congo-esque nation rich with coltan and other precious minerals. Not because they want to use the minerals, but to control it and more or less hold the world hostage because in a world with high tech laser guns, robots, drones, supercomputers and cybernetic implants, coltan and other minerals are in higher demand than ever.

A rival nation that's extremely dependent of these minerals because it has one of the highest consumptions of technology declares war on the nazis. It becomes a struggle between genetically engineered super nazi reptiles on one side and cybernetically enhanced reptiles with the support of murderous child soldiers on the other. Hijinks ensue. :V

I don't have a coherent beginning, middle and end though... and please, don't steal my idea, fuckers.

That def sounds like the fun backbone to an RTS game. I totally agree with you there.

So I guess if you really want this to be a game, the thing to ask yourself is, "how do I set it apart from every other RTS out there in terms of gameplay mechanics?"

[RTDragon]

Uh, wrong. Dead wrong. Even in my 2D game, there's a lot of higher-order math just working with the basic pixel/sub-pixel and tile-based movement systems.

 

There's the code for tile movement using pixel gliding

 

That's part of the code for pure pixel/subpixel movement independent of tiles.

So, uh, what were you (incorrectly) saying, again?

Actually it's really difficult to add 3D features in 2D game maker programs. There's a reason why 2D pixel  spiriting is still a thing in games. 3D artwork is much more difficult since there's a lot more requirements to it.

[Kellie Gator]

That def sounds like the fun backbone to an RTS game. I totally agree with you there.

So I guess if you really want this to be a game, the thing to ask yourself is, "how do I set it apart from every other RTS out there in terms of gameplay mechanics?"

I haven't really played RTSes in 20 years and just recently started testing some out so I'm by all means a noob who doesn't know a lot about the genre or how each series is different save for visual style.

[RTDragon]

I haven't really played RTSes in 20 years and just recently started testing some out so I'm by all means a noob who doesn't know a lot about the genre or how each series is different save for visual style.

A lot of the RTS aren't exactly the same story wise especially if you count hybrids.

[Kellie Gator]

A lot of the RTS aren't exactly the same story wise especially if you count hybrids.

Maybe not, just, my idea felt like it might fit in if you look at back at the resource-heavy ones like Dune II (my first RTS ever) and C&C, but also tie in with real world issues like conflict minerals in Congo.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Kellie Gator

[Zeitzbach]

Uh, wrong. Dead wrong. Even in my 2D game, there's a lot of higher-order math just working with the basic pixel/sub-pixel and tile-based movement systems.

 

There's the code for tile movement using pixel gliding

 

That's part of the code for pure pixel/subpixel movement independent of tiles.

So, uh, what were you (incorrectly) saying, again?

That's higher order math?

Should I be laughing at this kind of joke?

Edited October 18, 2015 by Zeitzbach

[Zeitzbach]

Most USA school systems consider Alg. II as starting higher-order mathematics (it and pre-cal/calc/trig are all AP/College cred classes if you get them in high school) in every school system I've been in, so that's my taught belief, yes. Perhaps Calculus would be better as an example of higher-order math, but you don't get into that until you start trying to do more complex things like getting into atmospheric simulations (Space Station 13 as an example, that code is so complex and in real-time it's pretty much responsible for the incredibly laggy nature of the game.)

And that's why I say actual complex math is rarely used especially with today engine.

The only thing close to complex nowaday is actual growth system in exponential but that's only if you want to do those online MMO stuffs. Even MMOs now stick to a rather more linear growth too lately because the current trend for gaming is "simpler = innovative". Even the exp per kill is something like (Level^2 * Health/0.1 * Type bonus * Party bonus * blahblahblah) which is just a bunch of simpler stuffs with a bunch of variables. Some of them even make it even easier where the entire thing is just "0.1% - 100%" (think GW2) instead of actual EXP gain.

Stat growth can also be limited to just simply defining every possible level variables in .txt file or json and making the game read the entire thing if you don't want to do random growth.

You don't throw around log or dx anymore unless you're planning to create an entirely new software where you try to make a program that can render video faster than usual. As long as you have the head to imagine and design how the entire code should work, coding is easier than most people think.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Zeitzbach

[Kellie Gator]

That's higher order math?

It is for me.

I suck at math. :[

[RTDragon]

Unless your using Ruby which the first three PC rpg maker games XP VX/Ace uses. The exception would be the latest one MV which uses javascript.

[Onnes]

I've never understood why coding itself is often considered divorced from mathematics. You're basically solving logic problems, and you're trying to find solutions which are the most general, efficient, and parsimonious available. This is pretty much the essence of applied mathematics.