Excited to be here!

Summary:

Not exactly sure where to start...

Excited to be here!

Project Hybrid 01 Dec 2007 20:16

Hello everyone,
I'm really not sure where to start, but I think the important things is to be here and introduce myself. I have no programming background whatsoever, a little bit of scripting, but that's about it. Where I come from is an art background. I have experience doing pixel art with Javaground for cellphone games and did very well there, but but primary focus in my career has been concept art. I studied at the Art Institute in Santa Ana, Califorinia where I learned many aspects of 3d art, which I also utilize in my career. What I came to find is that while I can create all these assets, I would like to be able to integrate these myself. Even if it's a little stupid game, who cares! I'll make a bunch anyway right?

Now, as far as I know, programming a 3D app is a bit more complicated than a 2d app…. So I think I'd like to start with a simple 2d platformer-a-la-megaman. Also, this will be a joint project with another novice, who should introduce himself shortly….

-Hybrid

Re: Excited to be here!

demonchild85 01 Dec 2007 20:27

Hi, how's everyone doing today?! I was shown this website by brother who is a great concept artist and I got interested in doing something similar. I was hoping to someday work with him and perhaps we can make our own company. That would be cool. I haven't really gotten a lot of experience with this kind of work, but I've always been pretty creative and able to come up with good ideas pretty quickly. I love video games and I've beaten tons of them, so now I think it's time for me to make one of my own. So any help that anyone could offer me would be appreciated. Well, thanks for taking the time and I hope that you all have a great day. Take care and have fun out there! High Five! lol.

Re: Excited to be here!

Linkage2 02 Dec 2007 05:11

Welcome to GDN. It's pretty handy you already have good art skills, being able to make good sprites/models and such can really help give games that nice touch of good graphics. I'd also imagine that it's probably a lot better to be an artist learning programming than a programmer learning art; programming is something you can learn whereas art for the most part is a skill most people just kind of have.

And yes, 3D is considerably harder than 2D game programming. You may not be making something like Megaman right from the beginning, but with some practice in general design you can work on that as you go along and eventually get it done.

Anyway, I guess the first piece of advice to give is that you should choose what programming language you're going to use. Assuming you want to start off fairly simply, a BASIC or similar language would be good. Two such languages I know are Basic4GL and Brutus2D, there are probably more but I can't remember many of the top of my head. :P

Re: Excited to be here!

Project Hybrid 02 Dec 2007 17:11

Sounds good. As far as putting a platformer together, I don't think it has to be the first thing I do. It's just a short term goal ^^. Now, in terms of the programming languages you mentioned, can you tell me a bit about the differences, and why one might be used over the other? Or if they are about the same. One thing I wonder about is BASIC for example, which seems to have many variants. Would it be beneficial to stick to one language family?

Re: Excited to be here!

Anonymous (74.86.235.x) 02 Dec 2007 22:20

Hi both new comers and welcome.

One thing I wonder about is BASIC for example, which seems to have many variants. Would it be beneficial to stick to one language family?

That is a hard one. Som esays yes and some other will say no.

Best advice i can give is that try everything possible. There is no such a thing as best programming language. It totally depends of what platform you have, how skilled you are, what type of games you want to do, how much patience you have and lots of other things.
Number of different BASIC variants is richness for that language but it is also a weaknes. Eventhough there is ISO certified BASIC syntax and functionality, there ain't no modern basic dialect which would follow that standard. Richness is that what ever you want to program, there should be at least one dialect that will fill your needs and syntax is pretty "basic".

If you want basic-kind-of and powerfull programmin language, you should look FreeBASIC. It it free, for 3 different platforms, very fast (faster than many commercial dialects) and it supports lot's of functionalities other dialects only dreams of (oop, classes, pointers).

For basic which is fully pointed to game programming, then maybe BASIC4GL is good shot. Bad part is that its only for windows and what i have heard, its not fast.
If you can live with interpreter, then thinBasic is worth to check. It can do amazing things with windows platform.

If money is not a problem then powerBasic is also a very powerfull tool for windows. It is propably fastest basic dialect, though i think its not so much faster that its worth of its price if we compare it to freeBasic.

I would not stick in one language family. Study them all and find the one you like and feels best.

E.K.Virtanen
www.ascii-world.com