How to get initiated to Games developement ?

[Khalil A]

Hello, my friend a I want to start developping games either in Android and for PC. We don't know what to focus on exactly, we are beginners and we have tried to watch tutorials on Youtube but it is not helpful at all.

 

[PenguinManiac]

Game developer wannabe who failed to keep up here. I'm no expert, but I know a few things you should keep in mind to start:

• Start with small projects: Don't start big. Really, don't. You don't have the knowledge to make anything big enough, and, even if you somehow managed to go on and learn things as you go, your code will get so messy you'll have to rewrite it. Start small to get familiar with your game engine of choice and the programming language you've chosen, too.
• Focus on one language at a time: If you're serious about this, then you'll have to learn how to program, no excuses. Depending on the game engine you've chosen (it's not really recommend to start by building a custom engine, considering there are absolutely viable options out there), you'll have a more or less restricted batch to choose from. For instance, the most recommended language for Unity is C#, whereas Unreal Engine favours C++, if I remember right. Anyway, focus on a single language when starting out and learn its ins and outs.
• Focus on developing single features, one at a time: The key to development is setting realistic, short-term goals you can reach. Break things down as much as you can, and then start developing each single features. You want to develop a platform game? Start from the sprites and make them work. Next, horizontal movement. Jumps and physics come next, then obstacles. It's much easier to do this than just blurt out "I want to make Super Mario".

Start with a simple idea based on the fundamentals of a genre (overworld, unit and a navigation menu for RPG, obstacles and physics for Platform, etc.) and keep in mind these things. Oh, and don't forget to stay patient. It will take years, and the bad news is that there are no shortcuts. Don't make the same mistake I did.

 

[arachnophobik]

Why don't you start with PC and go to android once you get the hang of it? I think it's better to have a PC version first and have a mobile version later. As the previous poster has suggested, start with small projects and work your way from there. That's pretty much a basic key element whenever you're starting out in game programming, a simple pong game could help you get started. Also, keep in mind of what engine you're using, some might be harder than others while some can be really easy that you don't even need programming knowledge that much.

 

[olaryeankarh]

Or on the contrary to the poster above, you could pick Android first then PC later. Really, whatever tickles your fancy or whatever it quickly accepted by your immediate environment. Please do not attempt to start building games like FIFA 15, COT or GTA. These games were built by an entire team (a company in fact). So just pick it up little by little. Slooowwwly, you will get there.

Goodluck mate.

 

[Gladdy]

Why don't you start with PC and go to android once you get the hang of it? I think it's better to have a PC version first and have a mobile version later. As the previous poster has suggested, start with small projects and work your way from there. That's pretty much a basic key element whenever you're starting out in game programming, a simple pong game could help you get started. Also, keep in mind of what engine you're using, some might be harder than others while some can be really easy that you don't even need programming knowledge that much.

Isn't it easier making a game on Android? especially if you lack experience... you don't have to invest as much time into it or money. A PC game can take a very long time to develop compared to a simple Android one.

Anyway, you should be more specific and give us more information. You said you are a beginner but what does that mean? You never made any games or that you don't know anything about coding?

I think that you should always start with a basic plan. What sort of game do you want to make? What will it be about? How long will it be? What budget do you have available? and so on. After you draw out your plan you can focus on more specific areas.

 

[Zyni]

Your question is very broad. Some greater specifics would probably help you get better answers. I'd also suggest doing some further research, besides visiting youtube.

Have you done any modding? That might be a good place to start to get familiarized a bit.

 

[Frank]

Start small. First you need to know at least the basics of programming. There are plenty of tutorials, be it on YouTube or otherwise where you can great knowledge of it and I highly suggest having that tied up before moving on. As for your first project, I know you're anxious to get to the game you want to make, but trust me, start small. Make a tic-tac-toe. Or pac-man. Or tetris. 2048 is another super-simple project you can do in a day. When you create one of these (my advice is doing it on your own, but if you want to follow a tutorial, then that's fine too), try adding a new feature. Something that's completely original and your own. It will force your brain to think differently and work through the bugs.

Best of luck to you.

 

[PenguinManiac]

Isn't it easier making a game on Android? especially if you lack experience... you don't have to invest as much time into it or money. A PC game can take a very long time to develop compared to a simple Android one.

Not necessarily. Obviously, though, when you think of a PC game Steam immediately pops up, whereas the idea of an Android game makes us think about simple time killers, so the latter will surely be easier to program. However, the same game would be easier to develop as a PC game: testing is way quicker, you don't have to adapt your app to different screen sizes, and there are way more game engines available for PC games than Android ones (or, at least, there's higher compatibility).
Overall, I agree with Arachnophobik. It's better to start developing on PC.

 

[sima061]

I think that's a very broad question, but you clearly have to start with the basics and what would that be is easy to research. Obviously learning to program, practicing and trying your new knowledge out on smaller projects before you actually start creating what you currently have in mind.

 

[streettallest]

There are a lot of materials online that can help you on this. Am presently learning from a good friend of mine, he is into android games development. He learnt almost everything from YouTube and forums like this. I just love the excitement that comes with developing a game that people are exited playing. Lol

 

[overcast]

Start small. First you need to know at least the basics of programming. There are plenty of tutorials, be it on YouTube or otherwise where you can great knowledge of it and I highly suggest having that tied up before moving on. As for your first project, I know you're anxious to get to the game you want to make, but trust me, start small. Make a tic-tac-toe. Or pac-man. Or tetris. 2048 is another super-simple project you can do in a day. When you create one of these (my advice is doing it on your own, but if you want to follow a tutorial, then that's fine too), try adding a new feature. Something that's completely original and your own. It will force your brain to think differently and work through the bugs.

Best of luck to you.

I agree with this. Start as small as possible. And then add your skills like you add bricks into the house. This way you can learn many small things in short time. I have found that some of the games are built over several years. And it should not be that hard even if you are single programmer. You just need focus and get things without bugs in game.

 

[Frank]

I agree with this. Start as small as possible. And then add your skills like you add bricks into the house. This way you can learn many small things in short time. I have found that some of the games are built over several years. And it should not be that hard even if you are single programmer. You just need focus and get things without bugs in game.

You put it awesomely. Like bricks of a house. Works well for pretty much every skill as well. You need patience. And I like what you said about games being built over several years because that's true. Also OP, take this into consideration - AAA games are built by teams of hundreds if not thousands for a period of several years. I assume, you'll be doing most of the work on your own so be mindful of that when setting your goals.

 

[overcast]

Yes multiplayer games and the games that have higher level graphics are built with 100 of workers working round the clock. Not only developers but testers and graphics people changing even minor pixel every single day. It's not easy to build game in a day or two but yeah if everything is premade then sure it's possible.

 

[WarVet]

I agree with this. Start as small as possible. And then add your skills like you add bricks into the house. This way you can learn many small things in short time. I have found that some of the games are built over several years. And it should not be that hard even if you are single programmer. You just need focus and get things without bugs in game.

Yeah even though I have almost zero game building experience I find that most skills in life are developed that way. There is no point in trying to learn everything overnight. Slow and steady is the way to go until one day you wake up and realize that you are already very good at what you do. It's just the way things go.

 

[Tania997]

Game developer wannabe who failed to keep up here. I'm no expert, but I know a few things you should keep in mind to start:

• Start with small projects: Don't start big. Really, don't. You don't have the knowledge to make anything big enough, and, even if you somehow managed to go on and learn things as you go, your code will get so messy you'll have to rewrite it. Start small to get familiar with your game engine of choice and the programming language you've chosen, too.
• Focus on one language at a time: If you're serious about this, then you'll have to learn how to program, no excuses. Depending on the game engine you've chosen (it's not really recommend to start by building a custom engine, considering there are absolutely viable options out there), you'll have a more or less restricted batch to choose from. For instance, the most recommended language for Unity is C#, whereas Unreal Engine favours C++, if I remember right. Anyway, focus on a single language when starting out and learn its ins and outs.
• Focus on developing single features, one at a time: The key to development is setting realistic, short-term goals you can reach. Break things down as much as you can, and then start developing each single features. You want to develop a platform game? Start from the sprites and make them work. Next, horizontal movement. Jumps and physics come next, then obstacles. It's much easier to do this than just blurt out "I want to make Super Mario".

Start with a simple idea based on the fundamentals of a genre (overworld, unit and a navigation menu for RPG, obstacles and physics for Platform, etc.) and keep in mind these things. Oh, and don't forget to stay patient. It will take years, and the bad news is that there are no shortcuts. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Great ideas. Too many aspiring developers start to work on project bigger than themselves, they try to use languages in ways they shouldn't, and start working on a lot of features at once so they lose sight of the bigger picture. The exact opposite of what you said. Why did you fail to keep up? You seem to know your stuff.

 

[PenguinManiac]

Great ideas. Too many aspiring developers start to work on project bigger than themselves, they try to use languages in ways they shouldn't, and start working on a lot of features at once so they lose sight of the bigger picture. The exact opposite of what you said. Why did you fail to keep up? You seem to know your stuff.

I don't fully know myself. I guess I just lost interest as time went, and I also got progressively busier with school. I was driven by curiosity more than anything, there was no true "passion" that lead me to start, and I later found myself lacking the motivation I needed to keep going. Maybe one day I'll come back to it more seriously, but that won't happen in the near future.

 

[overcast]

I think PenguinManiac explained a lot better than many of us on this thread. I have to agree on Unreal engine vs Unity's learning curve too. I just downloaded the unreal engine. It seems it's not designed for the low end machines. So most of the modern machines may do well with it. I personally think that it takes time to get comfortable with game development.