I am wanting to get into game development and eventually get a degree in it but since that is still a few years away I want to start now so basically I want a simple game idea so I can make a simple game to kickstart my career(hopefully) also I am open to any tips and advice like which engine to use or other things like that.
Development: I would say, not for beginning, but later, use Unreal Engine (good, graphics, I heard its hard to use) or Unity (simpler, but easy for some people), depending on the game genre.
Main Resources: Kickstarter is a good way to get going, in terms of funding. Instead of stock audio, use text to narrate the story and characters, storybook style. Maybe even an actor? A few?
Genre: RPG/Adventure game? Open world games are great for these, allows players to progress how they want.
Story: I'd like a game like a reverse role in an adventure game. Being the final boss? No, more like starting it out with the hero at his/her best, let them play as him/her fight the final boss (like Castlevania, Symphony of The Night) let it go on... BAM! And then jump to the chronological start of the story. That oughtta give them a taste of what's to come, make them wanna work for it. But never made that work tedious, no grinding or backtracking (at least too often). Then I'd say, introduce other characters that help the hero (or villian, its your game) get along in the story. Give them non cliche personality. THEN KILL EM! Seriously, emotional moments like these give the story more drive, players more motivation and also new possibilities for you to work with.
That's all I got. Good luck!
You could start like the olden days and make a few flash based games.
Actually, let's start with a basic question. Can you program?
If not, most people would recommend Game Maker, but I'll recommend ENIGMA, a free and open source alternative, just to get your feet wet. If you actually want to do game development, you'll have to learn how to program. That means C#, probably.
If you can, then my previously mentioned roguelike idea still stands. If you want to work on more graphically-oriented games with an actual 3D engine, I'd go with the free version of Unity, at least to start out with.
Just start writing down ideas and designing games. Game design isn't something that requires a degree (just a good deal of skill creativity and thick skin) so def star asap. All the info you absolutely need to know can be found in a couple books or online and then you should just work at like you would any craft.
Start with pen and paper for your first several games.
thanks for all the replies I think I might go with the idea of the rougelike ( just to make sure that is something like hammerwatch right?) anyway I will probably use gamemaker because everytime I try and download ENIGMA chrome blocks it and says that it is malicious. I do know very basic programing (I.E: if, else, sleep, etc) but I would be willing to learn more if I could find a free source to learn it from.
Ok so I got enigma to download and it is great I love it thank you for recommending it to me It's like a better version of gamemaker
I am not a video game designer by any means but I can show you stuff that I found and could interest you.
http://www.eteeski.com/
You should look up this website. It will teach everything you need to know about video game design and uses free software so you do not need to buy anything. All of the tutorials from what I know of is free.
Ideas: Ok, I am not going to tell an idea that you should use otherwise you are gonna have to give me 49% of what you make, SALTS. Ideas have to come from you and find people who share the same vision as you. You would be the only one that can perpetuate it further. Do a genre that you would like a make out of whether it be a JRPG, Street Racing, Third person shooter, whatever. Don't try to become the next Final Fantasy or the Next Call of Duty, or the next Half-Life. We've got those. Do something that makes your game different and unique from other games in a good way. Not saying there is anything wrong taking inspiration from other games. In fact, used that but add your own flavor to it. The same thing I am saying is applied to music.
Is there a particular role you want to play in developing a game? Ex. Programmer, Animator, 3D model design, sound director, etc. For programming, C++ is the main programming language used for game design so do learn that when you have the time.
That is some stuff I can at least share with you. Hope it helps. Just remember patience and perseverance are key to learning anything.
I'd say start out simple. Your first game should be something like solitaire or chess. Don't overwhelm yourself trying to take on bigger projects until you can do something basic from start to finish.
Avoid flash or java, the last thing you want to do is perpetuate the ecosystem of shitware. You want to be able to learn about how games work, so stick to open source libraries and engines. PyGame might be the perfect place to start. Python is extremely accessible for new programmers, works cross platform, doesn't need any fancy expensive SDK or IDE or anything like that, and its syntax is practically pseudo code so it is an intuitive way to prototype ideas as you move on to lower level languages.
Goodluck, and enjoy the journey!
Start out simple. Trust me. I am learning Unity and Blender both are easy to use once you get the basics down. If. Thats for 3D. For 2D i bought Construct 2 for 100€ its good for fast development to build an idea that just come to mind.
So start simple. Make a 2D endless runner. And put a little twist into it. That i will leave it to you.
I would say start with something really simple in either Flash, or Unity, look at www.kongregate.com for examples, (in fact, if you could talk to some of the developers on there, they could give you tips as well).
I am not sure what type of game you should make, that is entirely up to you, and what you think you want to work on. Whether it is a turn based strategy game, or a tower defense, or a side scrolling 2D platformer, or whatever.
Look no further than http://videogamena.me/
I've procrastinated many a time by pressing the button on this page
Watch the extra credits series on your first game for some awesome advice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCODtTcd5M1JavPCOr_Uydg