   Strategy Webgame
  I'd like to build a strategy webgame.  It would be entirely browser based, much like Swirve's Utopia or oGame.My question is two-fold, so thanks for your patience.Firstly, I have no experience whatsoever with code, programming, scripting, or any such thing.  All I have is a concept and some ambition.  Ideally, I would like to find (an) individual(s) that would be interested in helping me put my idea together.  Secondly, provided that I can't find anyone that would be willing to help me with this, I would like to try and build it myself.  This is probably a giant leap given my present capabilities, but it would be worth a try.  Given that, I wonder if anyone would be good enough to tell me of some of the simplest avenues that I might explore in order to do this.  For instance, what are some good coding tools to learn to use, languages or builders.  Also, what tools would I need in order to create a game that is capable of doing the things I want it to do?  Lastly, what are some of the simplest tools that are capable of creating a strategy game, the easiest to learn and use?  If I need to provide more details regarding the nature of my project in order to properly answer these questions, let me know.Thanks very much!-KJ   
Quote:Ideally, I would like to find (an) individual(s) that would be interested in helping me put my idea together. This is not a question, but I'll comment on your hope anyway. It's not happening. It's not like there are programmers sitting around with knowledge and experience, and free time, saying to themselves, "oh, if only I had an idea to work on". Everyone has an idea. The difference is that the programmer can program his idea. The artist can make the content for his game. And so on. Right now, you're just yet another person with an idea. No one cares about you, or your idea.Quote:Given that, I wonder if anyone would be good enough to tell me of some of the simplest avenues that I might explore in order to do thisYou can start by Googling and searching the forum. Google and wikipedia will tell you about the various technologies required in building a website. Further reading will tell you about what is involved in browser based games.If you're going to claim you can expend the time and energy with the motivation to build a game, you should be able to demonstrate your motivation in doing the necessary research.   ;  Hey KJ,Welcome to the forum. Its nice to have a good concept. Almost everyone has a good concept but its more difficult to implement the concept. So to help you with your questions, lets tackle it the way you have asked the question.First, how detailed is your concept? Is it just an idea that you can sum up in 5-10 lines or does it have more details? I am assuming that since you know about browser based games, you know the amount of detail required to make a game concept. For example: The number of resources to manage, the different tasks to perform, etc. You also need to tie this all down. How are resources managed, how does a player get them, increase them, use them will come in the next step of the design. Once you have a detailed document also known as a design document, then your chances of turning it into a game increase by 2% maybe.Second, there are various options to make games. You can use coding languages like PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, etc. You will need to learn about databases to store the data. You will need to learn about HTML and CSS to present your web-pages to the user. Alternatively, there are tools such as Unity, Shiva, Torque that can publish games on the web.I am developing my web game using PHP,mySQL and using a bit of &#106avascript. All the best.   ;  The concept is well developed.  I've written more than 20 pages detailing the distribution of resources, technologies and their effects, buildings and their effects, the combat system, and so on.I think I will explore some of the tools you mentioned (Unity, Shiva, Torque) to get a feel for what is missing.I'm not sure how successful I can be simply learning to code something without any former experience, but I will take a look.  Thanks for the advice.   ;Quote: No one cares about you, or your idea.LOL... a little harsh but probably true...   ;  I don't mind.  If it's true, then it's true.  If I want to do this thing, then I need to find out what sort of an environment I'm going to be working in.  I need to know what sorts of challenges I can get help with and which ones I need to tackle myself.Posts like that are enlightening.  Perhaps not so much as they could be, but enlightening nevertheless.   ;Quote:The concept is well developed. I've written more than 20 pages detailing the distribution of resources, technologies and their effects, buildings and their effects, the combat system, and so on.It doesn't matter. It's not about how well developed it is. It is that you have an idea, and other people work on it (presumably for free, since you aren't talking about starting up a business, or hiring people with $$$$$$).Quote:I'm not sure how successful I can be simply learning to code something without any former experience, but I will take a look. Thanks for the advice.Starting to learn is very easy. Poring enough time over many years to be experienced is hard. The exact same applies to the art side of game development.Quote:LOL... a little harsh but probably true...Not probably. Definitely. The barrier to picking up programming or any content creation has dropped to 0 monetary cost. All tools are available for free. Programming language, IDEs, 3d modeling, paint programs, software synthesizers. Not cheapo useless stuff either. We're talking real tools that professionals use available for free. Simpler tools that professionals don't (often) use, but gets you results much faster. For free.So if you have an idea, but no time to invest in any of these tools, you don't have the time to build your amazing game either.EDIT:Quote:then I need to find out what sort of an environment I'm going to be working inIt's an environment where things happen because you put time into it. If you look at any open source project, guess what they suffer from? Not ideas. People putting hard time into doing the hard stuff.Quote:I need to know what sorts of challenges I can get help with and which ones I need to tackle myself.If you have questions that arise from hard work, we can try and answer them. If you have work to do, you must do it yourself.   ;  I thought mine was more enlightening. ;)On a serious note, if its gonna be a graphical game, try to find a friend who can draw some concept art for you. You will need to host the game on a web server and that costs money. Keep that in mind.   ;  Varus2319, I've sent you a PM.   ;  Here's some advice, Never EVER start with your dream game! You will never finish it, and it'll throw you off and make your despise your idea. Start with a simple login system first. Learn about PHP and &#106avascript even, and work your way up. Make a Login, make the user able to switch one database variable for another (money to items).