How Long Did it Take You...

[XianForce]

To make your first game? Like from when you actually started Coding it, until that moment when you were SO damn excited, and then later look at it and say its crap? How hard was it?

Just a question (This WOULD be the right forum, correct?)

Reason I'm asking is cause as I've been going through these SDL tutorials...they make sense, but it just seems insane and mind blowing, the amount of time it would take to actually make a game with this...previous experience for me has been much easier libs...so it seems way out there, but its fun/cool/nerdy/whatever you wanna call it =)

[trufun202]

To make your first game? Like from when you actually started Coding it, until that moment when you were SO damn excited, and then later look at it and say its crap? How hard was it?

Just a question (This WOULD be the right forum, correct?)

Reason I'm asking is cause as I've been going through these SDL tutorials...they make sense, but it just seems insane and mind blowing, the amount of time it would take to actually make a game with this...previous experience for me has been much easier libs...so it seems way out there, but its fun/cool/nerdy/whatever you wanna call it =)

The answer to all of your questions is...it depends. It depends on the complexity and depth of the game. You can knock out a Pong clone in an hour, assuming you have the programming knowledge to do so. One of my first games was a Frogger clone, and I think I spent 2 or 3 weeks on it. On the other hand, I developed a puzzle game that took me nearly a year - because of the different modes of play and the storyline.

Golvellius, my current project, was started back in May and its far from being a game that you'd wanna play.

My advice would be to learn and understand the fundamentals of programming. Then go play some old 2D games and ask yourself, "How would I code this?", "How would I make this character jump?", "How would I make this item appear?", etc.. Over time you'll start to figure stuff out.

[XianForce]

haha, yeah I've thought about things like that before, and I've made a few things with a DS lib, PAlib...but PAlib was real simple...this is my first attempt at something...complex? I guess. It makes sense, it just seems to be remembering all the parameters for different built in functions.

[LuciDreamTheater]

It's been so long that I don't remember, but it couldn't have been more than a month. In my first programming class, we were given an open-ended assignment as our final project. I chose to do Pong, and when I was working on it, I programmed furiously. To say the least, I was passionate about my first game. As for when I realized it was bad code, it took a long time -- years.





(If text games are included, then I finished Guess the Number and Black Jack before Pong. They didn't take more than two days, at most. Even further back, I worked with RPG Maker 95, but I didn't ever finish anything with it.)

[systat]

It took me 2-3 years.

But I never had anyone to teach me I learned it by myself.

[Arce]

To answer the question...Uh, lessee...

One-hundred sixty-two million, seven-hundred and forty seven thousand, one-hundred seventy four seconds as of 6 minutes and 39 seconds ago...?

[Aeolus]

To answer the question...Uh, lessee...

One-hundred sixty-two million, seven-hundred and forty seven thousand, one-hundred seventy four seconds as of 6 minutes and 39 seconds ago...?

Um lets see

172,747,174 secs / 60 = 2,879,119.56666 (repeating) mins
2,879,120 (rounded up) mins / 60 = 47,985.3261111 (repeating) hours
47,985 hours / 24 = 1,999.879 days
1,999 / 365 = 5.47 years

It took you 5.47 years to create your first game? And to figure out that you are 18, probably almost 19, so 19 - 5.47 = 13.53 years old.

So you started making your first game when you were 13.53 years old? haha

[programmerinprogress]

*cough* he's 17 (according to the 'team' page anyway)

also 12/13/14 isn't that ridiculous, I started to consider learning C++ when I was 14 (but the real magic didn't happen till I was 15 , but I wanted to do something when I was much younger, I just didn't have the 'know how' back then )

[Ginto8]

*cough* he's 17 (according to the 'team' page anyway)

also 12/13/14 isn't that ridiculous, I started to consider learning C++ when I was 14 (but the real magic didn't happen till I was 15 , but I wanted to do something when I was much younger, I just didn't have the 'know how' back then )

I started learning HTML when I was 9... And I did some basic Java stuff when I was 11, and then a bit before I turned 12 I began programming in C++.

I guess that makes me a freak? o.0

[LeonBlade]

...but the real magic didn't happen till I was 15 ...

Ahh yes... puberty...

[Aeolus]

...but the real magic didn't happen till I was 15 ...

Ahh yes... puberty...

HAHA damn you got to it before i could... Man PIP i feel sorry for you, you had to wait till 15 for the real magic huh? Lol jk jk

[LeonBlade]

No time for this Aeolus... lol

[Ginto8]

...but the real magic didn't happen till I was 15 ...

Ahh yes... puberty...

HAHA damn you got to it before i could... Man PIP i feel sorry for you, you had to wait till 15 for the real magic huh? Lol jk jk

^phone post?

[dandymcgee]

Golvellius, my current project, was started back in May and its far from being a game that you'd wanna play.

I beg to differ.. but I got the point

[systat]

It took me couple of years, I am not sure how much, because in a process of learning I lost my mental health and social life, ROFLMAO