   Building a game
  Hello everyone! I would like to create a tile based game similar to the first Zelda and Final Fantasy I. Could anyone provide me with what programming language would be best for this? Can anyone recommend someone who is affordable and can do this kind of programming?I currently know only HTML. I DO NOT have very strong programming skills at this point and really wasn't interested in getting a prgramming degree. It is intended to be an online game for people to get into. Any help would be appreciated.ThanksNick   
  Tile based games are fairly simple to do, it is really all the added features that can get complicated.  I recommend doing this game in C++ using WIN32.  If you are serious about learning game programming, check out www.gameinstitute.com.  They have amazing classes that start from the ground up.  Programming is hard, so it is important to choose a language and learn it well.  Finding all of the sprites for your game may end up being the hardest part.  Hope this helpsAdam   ;  I normally do not say for people to not listen to someone else on the board but in this case I have to, please do not listen to Adam23.  C++ using Win32 is about the most difficult way to get things done in Windows.  Since you want to make it a ONLINE game I would suggest java/&#106avascript.  This would be the easist way for you to get started.  You have to be careful about what you read on forums because sometimes people will point you in the wrong direction.  theTroll   ;Python is an excellent beginning language, as is C#. I would recommend against learning C++ if your primary motivation is to see your game playable as soon as possible. There are also various game creation toolset (GameMaker, et cetera) that might allow you to do what you want (perhaps minus the online play part, however). These might be options if you are not really in to programming but just want to try your hand at simple games.The online portion will be difficult, in any language, especially for a beginner. You may want to consider making a web-based game using Java, &#106avascript, Flash, PHP or any of the other myriad of web-based technologies out there (not sure which would be most suitable; you may have to ask around).If you still end up having your heart set on C++, there is a workshop here on Gamedev dealing with learning C++. There are also plenty of available online and book resources that cost less than gameinstitute.com (I would not recommend starting there).Know that C++ is not a forgiving language and it will take you longer to see "results" (your game) than if you used other languages or game-construction tools. Good luck!   ;  Hell, since everyone else is pointing this person in all sorts of different directions, I thought I should break it down:Python - Great scripting language that has been ported to every system known to man, but you would still need to recompile it for every OS you plan to run on.Java - Good language, but a bit slow. For a tile based game this would be your best bet and probably yield the quickest results. Java was the first object oriented language I learned and when it came time to switch over to C++ it was an easy transition for me.I recommend using Java for it's networking support and it's clean syntax with it's rules based purely on object oriented behavior. Of course, it has been YEARS since I touched Java(last time I even looked at Java was version 1.1) and so my info may be outdated, but I had no problem learning the language and I was quickly writing some complicated apps using Java!C++ - Takes a few weeks to learn the syntax, but a lifetime to master!Also check outhttp://www.garagegames.com/products/browse/t2d/ for Torque's solutionhttp://www.real.com/ for Real Networks solutionhttp://gpwiki.org/index.php/Game_Engines for a list of game engines under GPL-Ken Noland;  Moving to For Beginners.   ;  Langauge isn't really the primary issue for making this type of game (although the "online" part will be simpler / more complicated depending on which framework / platform you are using - but then again you also have to explain what you mean when you say "online" game ... because you might mean online like the games at yahoo games (game runs in browser), or online like diablo (games communicate with each other using internet), online as in downloadable (small size to install), or online where the actual output is simple html (totally static interface, good for turn based game logic).If you want a normal local game that is simply small and downloadable.  Java and .NET (C# is my pref) are pretty good choices.If you want a normal game that is in an easyier langauge for beginners Python and ruby are good choices (I love ruby and highly recommend the book "Learn to Program" which uses it - It is small, quick to read, cheap (<$20 from amazon) and available free online).  In fact I highly recommend you get that book even if you don't use ruby now, or for this game, it's just a good book to read as you feel like it.C++ is a great langauge, but not really the most forgiving for the hobbiest who isn't necessarily going to try to keep developing their skills for a long time.  In fact, if you do not have a mentor / partner to work with, I don't recommend it as a first choice (although every other language will give you some bad habits and make you think computers are smarter than they really are - in fact pretty much every language past C doesn't really help people understand how the computer is really running).If you want an In Browser game, Java is OK, but Macromedia flash is by far the most popular choice for getting simple fun games working quickly (especially for hobby programmers).  .NET can work as well (C# / VB.NET), but C++ is way too hard for newbies to write ActiveX for such uses)In you want a turn based HTML game, Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, .NET are all decent choices.  Once again, C++ is inappropriate for beginners here.;  Well you should try flash, Action Script seems pretty easy, there are plenty tutorials available online. Check this website http://www.flash-game-design.com   ;  Okay, lete me give more details about it and see what people say.THe game would be run on the internet.  Someone would have a password and username to access it.  It would be tile-generated like what you would find at http://www.tonypa.pri.ee/tbw/tut10.htmlIt is not a game you buy in a box but you can access from your browser.Does this help at all?   ;  I suggest you try PyGame with Python; it's a pretty friendly environment.Btw: I suggest that you do not focus on multiplayer gaming for the first eight to ten years of your programming life. Multiplayer requires systems programming skills that take a long time to grow. Start with single-player.