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Game design

1040 Views 10 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Quasimojo
Was looking for a good game designing program. No clue where to get started. It's just something I want to look into. I have some friends that are great artiest and we thought it might be cool to make a game within the next couple of years.

Anyone know of any good programs/books for this?

Currently in school for engineering. However, I'm still quite a bit aways from any computer classes. Just wanted to point out that eventually I'll have the math that's required for it.
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Well a good program for making good 2D games is Game Maker. www.gamemaker.nl is the website I think. Don't worry, it's in English


To get full usage, however, you have to pay for it to get a reg key.

Another good one for making 3D games is DarkBasic Pro. It requires you to learn the DarkBasic programming language, but there are plenty of tutorials supplied with the program. You might be able to pick this up from a local store or something, but a 30-day trial is available and you can purchase the program online.

I've had good experiences with both these programs and would recommend them to anyone
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If you are looking for good 3d engines to mod in Hammer for HL-2 and other source games and the Elder Scrolls Construction Set for Oblivion are both very powerful and well supported systems. They are also free if you own those games.
Looking at Darkbasic pro. I noticed some complained about not being able to use OPEN GL. But besides that most people seem to like it. Looks like lots of work. However, I expected it to be.
http://3dgamestudio.com/

you can actually do some amazing stuff with it, if you try hard enough
Well, I started with gamemaker, but i havn't got much out of that... Don't use something that does all the work for you, or you will be a wannabe
EX: The 3-D Game Maker is dumb...
Quote:


Originally Posted by ravicus
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Well, I started with gamemaker, but i havn't got much out of that... Don't use something that does all the work for you, or you will be a wannabe
EX: The 3-D Game Maker is dumb...

If the design and playability aspects of the game are what he's focusing on then a simpler graphics builder isn't such a bad idea; it will let him get to the meat of what he wishes to focus on.
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The best way to learn about game design is to fool around with modding tools for games like HL2, unreal tournament, etc. Other then that you pretty much have to design your own engine or license someone elses. I've read numerous game design books and most of them require that you have good knowledge of programming languages such as C++.
Whats your programming background?
Are you wanting to actually design an engine and stuff from scratch using a low-level API like Direct3D or OpenGL?
Or are you wanting to do level/character/internals design?

There's a big difference between #2 and #3. #2 requires you to be very proficient in math. Exposure to 3+ dimensional calculus, 3D Vector properties, and calculations by matrices are a must. #3 isn't all that hard for someone that has some time to kill and is artistic or creative and able to understand the basics of how an engine works.

There's several good books out there. I hear the Torque engine is a great tool for #3. But for #2, you need a book for 3D game programming using DirectX 9. Skip all the old crap that doesnt matter anymore. Designing games for DirectX puts you more on the cutting edge than learning about design of 2D sprite-based shooters or something. While they share some commonalities; those things can be learned either way. DirectX programming and general COM programming are a COMPLETELY different animal.

Good luck on the engineering degree. My best advice is to try hard early for two reasons: 1) A solid GPA going into junior level classes (where it gets very hard) is a nice safety net if you don't do so well later. 2) Multidimensional Calculus, differential equations, basic and advanced linear circuits, and digital logic become VERY important bases for later. Try hard to understand and do well in them all so you've got a better fighting chance for later (when most people switch majors to something easy like a Business degree)
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My suggestion would be to start out doing mods and stuff. Slowly work your way up by making more complicated mods. Then move on to other things. If you try to make a game right off, my money is on that you will get overwealmed.
Microsoft has been putting some nice resources out there for the beginner as well:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/coding4fun/default.aspx
...or, more specifically...
http://msdn.microsoft.com/coding4fun...3+Introduction
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