   Hi..game developers
  Hiho! First of all, let me introduce myself.. I am n2_liquid(duh), and I am 14 years old. I am addict to game development, and I want that to be my profession. I've started with game making when I was 8 years old, using that *ergh* RPG Maker.. After that, when I was 9-10 years old(but I am not sure) I started coding with "game maker" *ergh again*. It isn't really a BAAAD tool, at least I started really coding, because before that, I used to drag'n'drop stuff with rpg maker. With Game Maker I've almost done a MMORPG.(yoh, I am not joking ;D) The game has login system, a simple webpage for create the account, an INI-Based database(SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW I know..), and a (incomplete)fight system. We restarted the project about 3 times, because of some problems with our HDs. But anyway, I really though that "Game Maker" couldn't handle more than 100 players at a time, and so, it wouldn't be a real MMORPG. After that experience, I started to use Blitz3D...But my computer is too slow to run 3D games, even the simple ones!! Actually I am using C++ with AllegroAPI, coded some games, but didn't finish any of them. I like to study, I have time to that. I don't wanna simple to "make a game", I wanna understand how-to and what happens when I make a call like "load_bitmap()", or "draw_sprite()", and that's why I don't like to use APIs that makes everything for me, that's the programmer job!!!Now that you know who I am, I think I can make my question :DWhat way should I take now?? I mean..You think I can really continue with Allegro or I should get another api? Maybe DirectX?? I am on a decisive point, and I don't want to choose the wrong way. I think that Allegro "makes everything too easy", and I don't really like that. Also, do you think it's mandatory to know some AI techs? Actually I simple put a lot of ifs that makes the code confusing and slow.Hey guys, help me! One day I will be like you :D I promise!My MSN?? slashmaker@hotmail.com, Mail: n2.nitrogen@gmail.com. If you wanna somebody that knows a little about programming, and wanna ask anything, just add my msn or send an email, I will be glad to help anyone in any way that I can. Also, I am free to join gamedev teams, if there are any.See ya! =P   
  try what you want, what interests you, learn 3d graphics, whatever you wanterr 100 players is too little for mmorpg? I play on wow private servers (ye ye I know) and there is 70 player cap on my server and it is VERY easy to find other people.   ;  Sounds like you know what you want and thats the hardest part. But as for further advice, keep in mind the following...1) Dont stop what your doing: keep wroking on games and never stop you will only get better and in time it will pay off.2) Play games: dont discriminate against any games, many developers refuse to play games because there are flowers in the game or the title has Super Happy in it. But dont let that top you from understanding many games.3) Test games: if you ever get a chance do tests on others games and learn what makes a good and bad game from that point. Try and break a games operations so to better understand the need for quality....hope that all makes sense, hope you do great.   ;  h0h0 thx for the fast replies!"try what you want, what interests you, learn 3d graphics, whatever you wanterr 100 players is too little for mmorpg? I play on wow private servers (ye ye I know) and there is 70 player cap on my server and it is VERY easy to find other people." by Anonymous PosterEasy to say "do what you want", but with thousands of ways to follow is hard to make a path. heheh :P"1) Dont stop what your doing: keep wroking on games and never stop you will only get better and in time it will pay off." by DasubermechenEverybody said me this... But I can't control myself u.u I start cautious, promise me that I will not get involved in any big project. I make some tiny things and start to walk normally... After I make something a little bigger and start to run, run, run, and when I see I beat my nose on a soooolid wall and fall kilometers of distance away, disappoint myself, and begin everything again, repeating that steps over and over, like I was inside something similar to a while(1)."2) Play games: dont discriminate against any games, many developers refuse to play games because there are flowers in the game or the title has Super Happy in it. But dont let that top you from understanding many games." by DasumbermechenI never did that, and I will never do!Thx a lot! I think that I will learn a lot of things with you all.Cya!   ;  By the sounds of things, it looks like you want to be a low level coder since you dislike using any API (as a side note, I love them, it means less time is spent trying to get stuff to appear on the screen and more time developing on the game), you may want to try the GBA or another console (GP2X, PSP, GP32, Atari 2600 [you get the idea] ). With the GBA you are usually talking directly to the hardware register to process data, load sprites etc. The GBA hardware is well documented and may be a step in the right direction for you.http://www.gbadev.org   ;  Well...In fact I like to "control the machine", but GBA is a lot limited. I will try your recomendations =) I don't want to be a too low level programmer, I just don't wan't to be much dependent on a lib/api/engine or whatever... I don't believe that things like Allegro are used for professional purposes. Thats one of my questions, I don't have a definitive choice about what things to be used WITH C++.Cya!   ;Quote:Original post by n2_liquidWell...In fact I like to "control the machine", but GBA is a lot limited. I will try your recomendations =) I don't want to be a too low level programmer, I just don't wan't to be much dependent on a lib/api/engine or whatever... I don't believe that things like Allegro are used for professional purposes. Thats one of my questions, I don't have a definitive choice about what things to be used WITH C++.Cya!Oh yes they are, that's why there are so many game engines libraries available. It cuts development time of a game by a huge amount saving the need to write everything from scratch. Also a lot of APIs such as SDL and Allegro are cross platform, meaning tat you can port games from system to sytem with relative ease and minimal changes to the original source. Don't go re-inventing the wheel.Examples:APIS:OpenGLDirectXSDLAllegroRenderWareLibraries/Engines:Source EngineQuake EngineUnreal EngineHavokODECEGUITorqueAs for the GBA, you be surprised how powerful and easy the console is to develop for. At the moment, you are contradicting yourself by saying that "You dont want to be dependent on an API" so the only other method is to talk directly to the hardware which you don't seem to want to do either.Basically choose something and stick with it till you reach your goal.Currently I am using SDL and building a 2D engine round it. Later I plan to extend/fork the engine to 3D. SDL is still actively developed and ported to a variaty of platforms such as:DreamcastXboxGP32GP2XDSPSPLinuxMacOSXWindowsand probably some others that I don't know of. Write once, port many times. Personally I prefer working on the game engine then the API, you may have different tastes. What do you want to do?[Edited by - yaustar on June 21, 2006 8:30:06 PM];  What APIs they use at square enix, nintendo, etc? I think that don't use allegro nor sdl =p I know, you should be thinking "hey, this guy thinks that will be something" but, yes, I wanna get ready to work at any game dev company, but something like EA Games, Square, Nintendo, or some other big ones. Yeah, if you think that I am dreaming, sure I am! Why not? Isn't that normal?? Well, dream is a common thing, but run to our dreams is a hard thing to do, and I will do. =pWhat kind of things I need to know to go there? I think that Allegro will not be a good choice. Any 3D ideas? Ogre3D, maybe? Is that TOO MUCH hard? I will buy a new PC, and so I will be able to draw 3D stuff. :PCya!   ;Quote: Well...In fact I like to "control the machine", but GBA is a lot limited. Mode 13h (using some DOS emulator like DosBox) [smile]?InfoInfo2;Quote:Original post by n2_liquidWhat APIs they use at square enix, nintendo, etc?They use the APIs that are available for the platform... As for graphic APIs :  -PC has OpenGL, DirectX, and many others software and hardware...   -Linux and MacOS has OpenGL for hardware...   -PS2 has its own API but I thing that someone made a "port" of OpenGL using this API...  -Nintendo has its own API too (looks like OpenGL?)...   -Xbox is using a custom made DirectX (if I'm not mistaken).For the consoles you won't be able to do "real" development for it unless you get a dev kit with the compilers and libraries you need. You'll also need experience, in other words, a good portfolio, completed games (commercial?) to show them to be recognized as a game developper.  You might also need to prove to them that you'll be able to ship a commercial quality product within a certain time before they sell you the dev kits.Quote:Original post by n2_liquidWell...In fact I like to "control the machine", but GBA is a lot limited.Never underestimate any platform like that they all have their strengths and weaknesses.Quote:Original post by n2_liquidI think that Allegro will not be a good choice. Any 3D ideas? Ogre3D, maybe?Quote:Original post by n2_liquidI will try your recomendations =) I don't want to be a too low level programmer, I just don't wan't to be much dependent on a lib/api/engine or whatever... I don't believe that things like Allegro are used for professional purposes. Thats one of my questions, I don't have a definitive choice about what things to be used WITH C++.If you want to make games all those APIs and free/open source engines are there to help you. Also, using them will show to future employers that you can actually work with SDKs and code that is now you own (which is a huge asset in game programming since you probably won't be coding all the game on your own and might also you 3rd party engines). Also, at least for game programming, it's not the APIs that are important is the achieved work, completed work/games actually. All the "big" companies you want to work for will probably ask you to send a portfolio and they want to see completed and polished projects and don't care what API this uses. I once asked to a EA guy at a conference what I should learn for getting in the industry and he told me that I must stop reinventing the wheel and start making games. I think that this is something you have to think about.  What do you want to do?... Making APIs, engines or any other technology for the rest or your life or making games? That advice helped me a lot to get a job... I made games and showed them proudly in interviews and I always got a great feedback. Right now being more interested in real-time rendering my hobby is building my own engine, mostly a renderer for now and later moving to a more feature complete engine when I'll be satisfied enough with what is already there. By the end of my degree (in about 2 years) I'll have experience in the game industry with some shipped titles, experience with working with others code (when I used open source engines to make games), strong math skills from my degree, etc.  Those are things you will need to get a job in those "EA Games, Square, Nintendo, or some other big ones" you mentionned.JFF   