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MAKING video games

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by SecretWishes, Aug 25, 2019.

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  1. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    -----
    Continued from previous thread:
    http://www.ins-dream.com/forum/index.php?threads/video-games-youre-playing-now.64911/
    These screenshots are from the MVP (minimum viable product) phase... Kind of like a proof of concept. The graphics have been SUPER simplified so I can focus on the engine of the game. It's running but nowhere near complete.

    You'll also have to keep in mind that I am just ONE PERSON... I can only apply so many hours into a personal project. Bills still have to get paid you know? So comparing it so say Duke Nukem 3D is pretty unfair considering they had a team of about 300 people working on it for nearly 3 years... If they worked 40 hours a week and took 2 weeks of vacation a year...

    That's about 1.8 million man hours on that game. For me to produce a game at that level by MYSELF would take me... (calculating) over 865 years! So yeah, next time you wonder why a game costs so much... it's because it's a LOT of work to make a game.

    Well anyways... here are the screen shots at MVP:
    bbtsg.jpg bbts.jpg JSIc.jpg JSIg.jpg

    Just click on them to enlarge them... The two "cleaner" coding areas you see are from the drawing section of the games. The actual engine looks a lot more confusing...
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
    .John.Doe. likes this.
  2. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    Here's a look at one of the game engines... well, part of the coding. It's too big to fit on one screen... soo... yeah... a sneak peek into what's behind your video game. I had to reduce the resolution slightly in order to shrink the file to a manageable size for the forum...

    eng.jpg
     
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  3. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    Thanks... I know it'll be fine... I just need some more time hitting the boo- er... codes.

    I'm actually quite proud of my progress. I just learned how to code like this in February. So we'll see how it goes as time goes on.
     
    .John.Doe. and Sly Von like this.
  4. Mircelene

    Mircelene New Member

    Good luck! I found JavaScript to be quite daunting. It looks like you are making more progress than I ever could with it, though. I hope your project turns out well!
     
  5. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

    In my case, i tend to opt in for more involved mechanics, though i do agree, a simple game can be made in about a half hour.
     
    .John.Doe. and whitecoffee1 like this.
  6. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    What kind of training/learning did you do? I liked using Udacity's Intro to JavaScript course. It's free and from what I understand, MANY schools/bootcamps designed their curriculum around that course, including mine.
    How much more involved and in control do you need to be? You can use the wysiwyg to take care of the common quick stuff, but also have the option build completely in raw code, just like Unity and Unreal.
     
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  7. Mircelene

    Mircelene New Member

    I was taking a C# class about... gosh, twelve years ago. I received an introductory JavaScript textbook from a classmate. I only messed around with it on my own time out of curiosity for the things I might do, but despite similarities to other programming languages I just didn’t have the time or motivation to develop anything worthwhile. Looks like you’re not having trouble in those regards. Keep up the good work!
     
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  8. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    Ahhh... yeah... JS has evolved a LOT since then... and it's a lot easier than C#. Check out Udacity. You'll see what I mean.

    All programming languages as I understand it (and my brother will attest) have pretty much the same general structure. It's a matter of vocabulary (codes) and relatively minor grammar changes (syntax).

    If you (and anybody else here) want to know the basic CONCEPTS of programming, look for LightBot's Hour of Power. It's a free online "game" that operates on a basic level of programming. My 60+ year old mother did it and can now hold a basic technical conversation now. If she can do it, then I think anyone can do it.
     
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  9. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

    Self-taught. I've looked through documentation for GML and Javascript, and most of my learning has had to be through trial and error for lack of resources at the time.

    I dont always code everything, although most of the fine control i like tends to require it. Of course, i do the complicated mechanics first.
    But even with all that, between my work, and other projects, game development tends to take a back seat. It's really just a hobby at this point.
     
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  10. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

    This thread was created to cater to a conversation in another thread. Feel free to talk about your creations, as long as the rules are followed.
     
  11. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    If you decide to get back into JS, I HIGHLY stress looking at MDN and W3 for your sources. They are THE documentation for just about everything officially live in JS. Most of the feature's from draft editions of JS are also there, but implementation may vary from browser to browser (Edge vs Chrome vs Firefox vs Safari, etc)
     
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  12. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    from http://www.ins-dream.com/forum/index.php?threads/video-games-youre-playing-now.64911/
    Close! I already defined moving as a variable, but you used Moving... I don't know of a single programming language that ISN'T case sensitive. Oh well better luck next time...
     
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  13. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

  14. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    [​IMG]
    Now that's just a poor excuse...
     
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  15. RiBU

    RiBU Trusted.Member

    I have downloaded bunch of programs and tried so hard to learn how to make a decent working game which incorporates elements of visual novel, rpg and perhaps a simple mini-game within rpg to make it playable. It consumed much of my time and energy. I burned out and quit. I find it frustrating because I can make great 3d art which remains unutilized. If only I could find someone to collaborate with.
     
  16. SecretWishes

    SecretWishes Trusted.Member

    Yeah... RPGs are considered to be among the harder games to program. There are a LOT of elements to track and trace just to make a minimally viable product. On a 1-10 scale, most programmers I know would place it in the 7 or 8 area.

    I would probably get back into it, but cut it way back down on the order of complexity... If you are looking to give it the "adventurous" feel, I would start with a point-and-click style game and focus primarily on the story and graphics. It'll reduce the coding level to a MUCH more manageable one for a beginner and allow you to take full advantage of your 3d art.
     
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  17. RiBU

    RiBU Trusted.Member

    Sure, that sounds great. I've never tried to make a point-and-click style game. Is there a particular program I should get in order to make it happen?
     
  18. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

    Honestly, it depends on what all you want the interaction to be like, but game maker studio 2 would be my first recommendation.
     
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  19. RiBU

    RiBU Trusted.Member

    I had in mind something like "takeover" if you have ever played that one: https://www.patreon.com/StudioDystopia … the mechanics within the game are simple, you just click options and arrows to change backgrounds.

    Naturally without more complex stuff like sex scenes animations etc.

    I have tried to accomplish something like that in Ren'Py but what I've never managed to figure out were things like time within the game - like how do you to make a character sleep and wake up at a certain time or how to condition a character to be at a certain place at a certain time or it is "game over". Or how to earn/pay money and other such currencies within the game. I've managed to create a space, but it was all "dead" and stuck in "now" without development, new events etc.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
  20. TriadSibling

    TriadSibling Bro/Sis Enthusiast

    Most of those options are really just variables that change in the background, and can be checked by other objects/scripts/etc.
    The one based on time can be pretty easy to set up, but you would need to either use computer/real time, or create a set of variables like "hour", "minute", and "second", and have them all change at intervals to keep an internal clock.
    My particular process is complicated to explain, and there is no doubt easier ways to keep time in today's game maker engine. You could probably find tutorials for it online.
     
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