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Where to start?

AnonymousTheSpyAnonymousTheSpy
in General
Hi guys,

I'm new here. I've been to two of MakeGamesSA meet-ups in Cape Town. (I'm the guy who used to work in the film industry who doesn't talk to anyone. =P )
I'm going back to study next year but I'm want to get my hands dirty with some game design now. I'm just not sure where to start. I don't want to get stuck learning a program to find its a dead end.

To be honest, my only real programming knowledge I have is what I learnt of Java back at school. (but I did make an arena combat game for my final project)
I was looking at Flixel (which is free) or the free version of GameMaker on steam.
Should I start with these or should I be starting with basic coding again in C++ or Python?

Ideally, I would like to aim towards learning to make something Roguelike, like FTL.


Comments

  • dislekciadislekcia
    Why not start with a board or card game? A roguelike card game would be badass!
  • pieterpieter
    I agree with @dislekcia, board or games are perfect for someone starting out game design. Go buy yourself a handful of cheap dice, some paper and markers, and you could have a playable game by the end of the day. Getting a digital prototype ready for public testing can take anywhere from a week to a month.

    And if you find you have a good concept you can always go digital later.

    Also, if you are planning on using GameMaker, DO NOT get the Steam version, rather get the version you download directly from their website yoyogames.com/.
  • AnonymousTheSpyAnonymousTheSpy
    edited
    Alright, I guess that makes sense. I can then see if the games I have in mind work mechanically.
    But I also want to start learning the appropriate programs, even if the first few games I make aren't fun or mechanically sound.

    Can you tell me what the difference is between the Steam and website version?
  • AnonymousTheSpyAnonymousTheSpy
    Which would be better HaxeFlexil or Gamemaker?
    And what is the downside of Gamemaker on steam?
  • KarujiKaruji
    HaxeFlixel requires a rather solid grounding in programming, and has a smaller community and resources around it. I'm not sure if any of the member here would be of much guidance in using it. Bonus, it's completely free.

    Game Maker is more friendly to people who don't know much, or any, programming. The community, in general and here, is quite sizable and can help. I haven't tried the free version in a while, but I believe that there isn't much that you can't do with it. It's the export licenses that you have to pay for.
  • AnonymousTheSpyAnonymousTheSpy
    Thanks for the info.
    I looked at the intro to HaxeFlixel and I found that I at least know the basics needed.

    So would you recommend GameMaker or is there something else you recommend I should be using?
  • dislekciadislekcia
    AnonymousTheSpy said:
    So would you recommend GameMaker or is there something else you recommend I should be using?
    The standard advice here is: Download everything you can find tutorials for, try a few tutorials in each, stick with the one that makes the most sense to you and/or the one you went off-book in the tutorials on to make your own cool stuff.
    Thanked by 1FanieG
  • francoisvnfrancoisvn
    Karuji said:
    HaxeFlixel requires a rather solid grounding in programming, and has a smaller community and resources around it. I'm not sure if any of the member here would be of much guidance in using it.
    I've used HaxeFlixel a fair bit. It definitely requires more programming experience compared to Game Maker, but it is a great framework if you have the skills. That said, even if you have the required programming experience, starting with something like Game Maker that holds your hand a lot more is a great idea and I would advocate for it. If you start with HaxeFlixel you'll probably eventually end up with a game, but if you start with Game Maker you will pretty much hit the ground running with a game.

    Here's an extended Game Maker tutorial I hear is pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUtKzyIe0aB2HjpmBhnsHpK7ig0z7ohWw

  • TuismTuism
    +1 for game maker, but also +1 for unity if you've already got programmer chops to handle more advanced stuff. The sheer amount of support out there for unity makes it easy to find things you need help on, should you need it. Working on a less popular engine means you might not always find help when you need it, and google turns up crickets.
  • pieterpieter
    Differences between GameMaker Stand Alone from Yoyo, and Steam:

    1.) Yoyo version gets updates sooner than Steam version.
    2.) Can't use Yoyo Game's Marketplace on the Steam version.
    3.) Your license is tied to your Steam Account, so there's an intermediary between you and GameMaker, which can only cause complications. Like if Steam on your PC stops working for some reason.
    4.) When you buy the Stand Alone version, you get a Steam key anyway. This also true for all modules you purchase from the Yoyo website.

    Here's an FAQ over on Yoyo Game's website for more information.
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