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Hope a GM can answer this one.
dogsdress
Member Posts: 157
Well when im older i want to join a big game company and i had a think and i want to join simutronics. now what i want to be in it is a different matter. is it possible to be one of those people that gets interviewed by the company's such as E3 and i could talk about the game. cos if that is possible then i will join when im older.
Also one more thing, who comes up with all the idea's for your game
thanks
nick
Comments
I'll see if I can't answer some of these for you. Not knowing how long of a timeframe we are talking about when you say "when im [sic] older" ...
The first step is to determine what it is you are interested in doing regarding games. Are you an Artist? a Programmer? A level designer?
If you are interested in the graphical arts then I suggest getting your hands on a copy of 3D Studio Max or the Educational version of Maya (it's free). Learn how to create models, animations, etc.
If you are interested in engine programming then I suggest learning C++, Client/Server asynchronous communications, as well as DirectX and OpenGL. A background in geometry and calculus will come in handy.
Level designers need to be able to visualize and develop areas for players to explore. Learning the Unreal Editor is a good start there.
There are many schools that offer concentrated study in Game Development. Full Sail and The Guild at SMU are the two big ones I'm aware of. It is always a good idea to have a portfolio of your abilities available to send with your resume to prove your are worth the effort of hiring.
Good Luck.
Cirakin
Cirakin, what about game design. If I were to design the battle system or soemthing like what kind of skills the character has. What area should I try to work in and what kind of program do you suggest I get used to?
I use gamemaker from time to time. Not sure if you have heard of it.
Game designers are the jack-of-all-trades types so you'll need to have an understanding of every part that goes in to making a game. You need to be able to describe your battle system to the programmers with enough detail that they can actually code it and explain the animations you want for the combat moves well enough that the animator can animate it.
The game designer is also the person that's usually responsible for the overall vision of the game, even if the basics of the game weren't their idea originally. They have to keep that vision in mind and make sure the rest of the team is on the same page. They usually do this through the design document so you need to be familiar with Word and Excel, and more and more frequently these days Wiki.
I'm not all that familiar with gamemaker but if you're looking for a decent, industry standard, toolset for cheap or free I'd suggest either the Neverwinter Nights toolset or UnrealEd.
If you want to make RPG's (MMO or otherwise) you can't beat the NWN toolset for getting your feet wet. If you don't already have it - and if you're interested in RPG's why don't you have this! - I'd suggest getting the latest version of NWN, I believe it's called the Diamond edition. At this point, and assuming Atari's financial woes don't cause it to slip, you might want to wait a couple of months and pick up the newer version that will come out with NWN2. It's basically the same engine but updated to provide better graphics and a much nicer UI.
You can get UnrealEd with Unreal or via download or, better yet, with a copy of the book Mastering Unreal Technology. The book is not only a good introduction to using the tool but it also has a ton of extra resources that will come in handy though most are available online.
I have made some NWN modules with the NWN toolset, and I highly recommend it. It is easy to use as a beginner, but allows a lot of scripting for advanced design. I cant wait for NWN2 to see what kind of improvements they have put into the toolset.
-eosa-
I think the one thing that prepared me for a game design position as a GM for HJ was helping to write our own game engine back in 1999. Using C++ we created a basic, working rpg game which ran on a Linux box, complete with Windows clients to connect to the game.
Another thing you want to learn is being familiar with how XML can be used in a googol of situations, from database storage to data communications to webpage markups.
I'd suggest:
Learning Unix/Linux
Learn C/C++, Assembler, possibly even Java would do
Learn the Windows API
Python or some other scripting language
UnrealEd or the NWN Editor
**Play other games to see how they do things
Be organized and learn to document plans ahead of time
Don't be afraid of another fellow GM or designer telling you how something might work if done a second way. Constructive input is NEVER a bad thing. You might actually learn something new!
Don't be afraid to ask a fellow designer to bug test your system. Sometimes a fresh look can find what you missed.
**This will give you a basis to see what you like and dislike about game design. If you hate it their way, try to improve on what they did wrong.
~~ FGM Razu ~~
~Hero's Journey~
Well, I'm not much of a programmer.. But hopefully I can get in the habit of remembering all the codes and how to use the programs.. I have a c++ semester set up for next year hopefully I wont fall behind.. :<
Thnx for the advice.
EDIT: What are your thoughts on programming, is it hard to learn and do I need high math skills? (I am very bad with math.. but I have all these fantastic ideas floating around in my head! I dont know what to do..
Learning the syntax of a programming language isnt overly difficult. It's just that learning a new language just like taking french lessons would be for an english speaking person. But utilizing the language takes mathmatical skill wich varies with the complexity of what you are trying to accomplish. A strong understanding of mathmatic, logic and problem solving abilities are the basis behind actually coding.
c/c++ use a large amount of algebraic concepts. Lets say you wanted to have robomaid ver 2.0 make your breakfast. you would algebraically give it the instuctions in the order you wanted things to be accomplished. Forgetting your algebra might just have her buttering your bread before putting it in the toaster
You'll need to know alot about matrices and vectors for gaming. Calc and trig on top of algebra.
You might be more suited to working on things like quest design and content writing if you arent an analytical thinker.
I just want to design some part of a game.. I guess I can be okay with that.