Have you ever tried making a game?

So after finding out about Kodu I decided to give it a shot to get prepared for Project Spark. It's very limited, but still pretty cool. Has anyone else here tried it? It's free, and it runs pretty good even on my IntegratedHD laptop.

http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects/kodu

Something I put together as a test stage in a couple of hours. Despite its limitations you can still get some varied looks if you mess with the lighting and colors: Everything below is running just on a B960 CPU.

Shader3 with glow, distortion and focus.

Shader3 -no glow, distortion, or focus

Shader 2(I normally run it in this since it gives me over 60fps while Shader 3 fluctuates from 20 to 75 every other frame). Still looks decent.

If anyone here decides to give it a shot post some pics and updates. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can get a game up and running. The bike shoots missiles and pellets and there's some bots throughout the stage. No enemies yet as this is just a test stage to see what Kodu can do. But from a couple of tutorials I've seen, and playing with the when this/do this programming, it's a breeze to get all kinds of creative stuff going including enemy AI with path as well as target following capabilities.

Alright, seriously going to try and make a game. Have VS2012 installed and shit. See you in 5 years.

Never tried it. How is it?

I used to program games on my TI-85 graphing calculator. Last year (yes, there is a large amount of time between those two events) I made a game in Blender's game engine that almost no one played. It doesn't help that publishing anything with Blender is a nightmare. It only works in Win64, possibly only Windows 7,64-bit. It's got neat lighting. Blender does that well. Also, turn up the volume! The music is awesome (I completely unbiasedly say being the creator.) To see the super-secret level - that I almost put more work into than the rest of the game - just get a total score of 0 (don't press space.) There are also four different endings depending on your final score/access to the secret level.

<-- Title Screen

Second Level -->

Download here: http://wikisend.com/download/294602/PRESSSPACE_1.1.zip

I've been working on a game for Android devices on and off for the last little while. I wrote it from scratch, with Java, almost 6000 lines of code so far, so it's not massive but not small. At one point it ran like shit and I threw out most of my code and started over again. Right now, it runs pretty well, the hardest part is actually generating art since I'm not much of an artist, although it got easier as I settled on a style that was within my ability.

Years ago my friends and I were big into Games Factory. Actually, it even started with Klik'n'play which was the precursor. Half the time working with such programs was more struggling to get around their limitations, but I'd say we actually got pretty good at it.

We managed to finish quite a few games (though I specifically only completed one of my own; I was more about ideas) and in the early days of the internet we even made our own website to host them for download, and eventually even play in the browser via the 'Vitalize' plugin for Games Factory. Our biggest game came in at a huge ass 3MB and it's download page was covered in disclaimers apologising for how long it would take to load on 56k and how it was worth waiting, no really. There was even a period when we were considered one of the best Vitalize websites around, and we also produced a CD compilation which we sold as part of a school project.

Things faded after we tried to move on to the next program in the series, Multimedia Fusion. We never really got the hang of it so much (my main experiment focused on the awesome power of mode7) and we all had less time once we moved on to university.

Just recently after it was mentioned in relation to Gunpoint, I had a look at GameMaker. I haven't done any more than vaguely look through a tutorial or two, but at its most basic level its very familiar to the old Games Factory systems. It even has the good old default 32 pixel grid. So maybe I'll dig a little deeper and see if I can put the old skills to use in a hopefully less awkward program with more potential.

Yea. Made a stupid platformer though gamemaker.

A friend and I tried to make games with RPG maker III back when we were 12.

We tapped out after a week.

Whilst I agree with you on using C# and XNA as a starting point, whats the latest with Microsoft support for the XNA Framework? From what I hear its not being supported/updated anymore. Even VS2012 doesn't run XNA unless you're using Monogame.

@rebel_scum: Yeah. XNA is a solid framework, but with Microsoft ending support, it's basically dead at this point.

I dabble in Unity and XNA (with the idea of converting it to MonoGame, which is continuing development unlike XNA itself). In high school I made a few games in C++, including some text adventures, snake, chase, and Conway's Game of Life. I enjoy it, but I'd never pursue it as a career.

I dabbled a bit in GameMaker, RPG Maker and Adventure Game Studio, didn't get very far though.

No, wouldn't know where to start, its not something i'v ever really took a intrest in though, i just enjoy playing them.

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk

For making Click and Play adventures.

Kind of. When I was in high school I tried making a game with RPG maker on the PC. I didn't even make it through the intro for my game.

Nope.... i think Little Big Planet doesn't count.

@rebel_scum said:

That's a good point, I should have mentioned that. Microsoft are discontinuing support for XNA, so you won't be able to publish any games off of it, I just meant I think it's an effective tool by which you can learn to program games.

No. I hear programming requires that you know more than just the times-tables when it comes to math and I can't draw to save my life. I did once have an active imagination... but the world crushed that right out of me.

I'm currently making a 2D isometric turn based tactical RPG that will use a hex grid in the battle system. I started making it from scratch about a month ago in unity with no knowledge of any programming or unity whatsoever.

Currently have the turn system, the battle system, game state manager, can dynamically spawn in characters with their stats and enemies with correct stats and write them back to the game state to save the game, quite a lot of stuff already.

I'll probably do a blog about it soon detailing it a bit more and I'll talk about what resources I used to get to where I am.

Making a game as we speak, small team. Need programmers with good physics understanding. PM me lol. The local search is going awful.

Game Maker has been mentioned before, but there's also more specialised packages like Adventure Game Studio and RPG Maker both of which keep programming down to a minimum while still allowing for plenty of flexibility should you choose to dive into it. Also both products have been used to develop commercially available games (Gemini Rue springs to mind). There are also suites like FPS Creator and I imagine other toolsets for other types of games out there somewhere.

I also echo those suggesting XNA if you want to get into games programming specifically. That fact that support has been discontinued is of no real consequence since you can still download it and use it to make stuff.

I am currently working on a 2D isometric hack 'n' slash "dungeon crawler" thing as a portfolio piece. I'm using C++ and a bunch of free sprites and tilesets I found online at http://www.reinerstilesets.de/

#

I have made a few. Started with pascal, went to basic, then went to visual basic, then went to asm/c, then went straight C++ . I built my own engines, the last one being the most complicated since the actual gameplay was less a focus and more the server/client applications and getting the basic engine to work. I'd got all the basic stuff done, made my tools, the networking worked well for a couple hundred clients. About then though I got my first real job. I did most of that from 13-18. I tested out of high school at 16 so for about 2 years I spent a lot of time learning and applying that knowledge. The last engine was opengl and supported many things. In the end though, I basically had a an engine with similar graphical capabilities as quake 2, maybe a little better, but more suitable for a large number of players. You can make some simple games in VB but last time I looked at VB I felt like if you're doing that you may as well go C#. I had converted a very large game from VB to C# when it first came out and it was a huge time sink, but I did get it working, and it ran fine. VB is sort of limited in what you can do, but I haven't touched it since 6.0 so that may have changed, didn't keep up with C# or VB because I just preferred C++. I like openGL but that's pretty much just because it works with everything. So I'd say if you try someone elses engine, make sure it's openGL so it's easier to make work everywhere. Just remember, it takes time to really do something other people will like, unless it's a phone game, so just keep practicing. If you get bored of a project, take what you've learned and start another.

@cale: The math knowledge required is really only high if you're doing advanced graphics or physics. You can do a lot without getting caught up in anything too complex. Don't let it scare you away.

I've made dumb flash games in my game programming class. Nothing I'd call a real game yet though.

For those mentioning math skills:

• Do you know how to add and subtract?
• How about multiplication and division?
• Understand order of operations?
• Can use Google?
• ==============================
• Congrats, you now have the math skills needed to make a 2D game.

I've made a bunch of small stuff and have one huge bloated project I'll never finish in Game Maker (I think that program is amazing), and my friend and I also have an entry in the latest Ludem Dare made with Unity http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=23575

Years ago I had wanted to take my knowledge of object oriented programming and make an SNES style JRPG, but I never got past the basic object creations (ie characters, enemies, items, etc.)

This thread (and the Gunpoint creator interview) made mw curious. Got Unity installed and made a ball controllable on a plane. Maaaan that felt like magic. Granted, after that, I put in a skybox and messed something up. But it was pretty damn fun. Af if I need more time consuming hobbies. But I think I'll stick with it. Just poking at it gave me ides.

Was into Dreamcast homebrew back in early 2000 and released two Tetris games built in C++ and made some other unreleased games. Also ported the games over to PS2. Did a unreleased Wii shooting gallery game in C also. Never really been into game programming because of my lack of imagination (3 Tetris games!) but it was always fun to make stuff for consoles and run them on devices you wold not normally run your code on.

/Viktor

Not... really. I've made chunks and mechanics of what could end up being a game, but for now they are just disjointed experiments.

Don't be afraid of Unity. It's your easiest choice and it's also incredibly powerful (all things considered). Watch or read a tutorial or two and you'll have your feet pretty solidly in-place.

I've made a number of games - mostly out of curiosity or as part of class. Never used any of these high level engines though. I made a multiplayer GPS Tron game on Android tablets using Eclipse and ADT, a 3D Yahtzee using DirectX and C++ and a 3D tile based RPG using the same.

I made a Pong clone once while toying with coding and.... I tried making some kind of Pachinko/Peggle type deal when toying with Gamesalad but I gave up cause I'd rather play games than make them. Oddly enough I prefer filming/editing things to watching TV or movies.

Snake but very very basic in C++. After that i realized game making isn't something i could do. I sure would love to though!

I thought about making a video game, but never started one. I hope that counts.

I made a point and click adventure game in Visual Basics class in high school. That would be about 15-16 years ago.

I've made quite a few games/mods over the years. Most of them can be seen on my portfolio website, but it hasn't been updated in a long time.

Most notably, I had the role of level designer on a game called "Back to Bed", which Patrick even mentioned in his "Worth Reading" feature.

...oh, and I also have made a semi-crappy Whack a Mole game for the Android. It's nothing special and I mainly created it to learn how to make apps in Unity.

No, and I wouldn't have the skill to do it.

I'd love to compose music to some small JRPG game though.

I used gamemaker quite a lot as a child/teen and helped make some decent games and solo made a lot of terrible ones with an unfinished turn based pirate games and free runner which both had potential but I no longer had the time to make. I still have gamemaker on even my newest machine and intend to pick it back up one day... Especially after seeing success stories such as stealth bastsrd being made on it. No doubt I forgot everything about the gml code but I even like the idea if making crappy games as an in joke for my friends.

I've certainly had ideas for games, but am nowhere near talented or skilled enough to do so.