March 15, 2012 - 2:48am — BluedeerLegend18
Yeah... so I'm trying to make a video game. I've always wanted to be either a video game designer, author, or both, I just want to spread my creativity into the world. And I have an awesome idea that isn't possible to put in book form.
But before i get to that I want to know how to create it and put it on the internet. I know I'm young and I don't have that much experience, and I understand that creating a video game is very hard and takes up a lot of time with coding, designing, programming, etc...
But I really want to create a video game. So if any of you have experience with this kind of thing or something similar, I really need some advice. I know I probably can't create a game at this age (I'm not even considered a teenager yet), but still... I just really need to do something with my life. Just thinking about it ain't gonna get me anywhere...
If you want to know more about my game, I'll explain it under the cut...
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Well I'm not sure about a title yet but I've already decided it will Japanese. I'm thinking about Yasei (wild) Kyouhon (running wild), Inu (dog), Ikusa (war) or something else may pop up... but I want it to describe the game in a simple, short way.
It's sorta a mix of Feral Heart, Arokai, Okami, and my own ideas. You're a wild dog (I'm sorta want them to be known as inu in the game, but not everyone knows english so I'll probably just call them dogs) living in a huge, Japanese-like, fictional world. You can choose what species of dog you are/ Most of the breeds will be Japanese breeds such as Shiba (my fav dog), Kai, Hokkaido, Kishu, Shikoko, Tosa, and Akita Inus, some Chinese breeds such as the Chongqing, Chow Chow, Pug, and Shar Pei. I might also mix some other breeds in there such as German Shepards, Labrador Retrievers, Greyhounds, Collies, Aussies, or Huskies. I might even throw in some extinct species such as the Dogo Cubano, Cordoba Fighting Dog, and the Tahltan Bear Dog. I'll start out simple and only include a Shiba Inu in the first version of the game but as I get better I'll make more species.
You can create your dog in the beginning, but you cannot change the markings that much. You can still change them, and some dog breeds may have markings that are available to them and not to any other dog, but they'll be similar to the real breed. You can change the colors, size, weight, and all of that.
Different species will have different abilities and special features. For example, the Shiba Inu are very good at hunting, Labradors are better at swimming, Greyhounds are fast, Huskies can survive cold environments, etc.
The main point of the game is to either participate in a plot or explore. It's a game very much like Feral Heart where you run around and make friends with other online players, but it has much more to do then Feral Heart. There are NPCs, both dogs and other animals. The NPC dogs are usually special dogs that are very rare to come by, such as a special dog that sells very good swords (yes, there will be swords in the game) for a very high price. The animals can either be hunted or kept as pets, sorta like Impressive Title. Except when you hunt you won't get items, you can get food however. Pets can help you in battle (for example, a snake can poison your enemy, a cat may stun it, you can ride horses, etc).
You can also sniff things out. As you smell more things your sense of smell increases. But basically, you start out with smells that lead you to garbage or cooking (if you are near a civilization), and the food might fill your hunger a little bit. Then you continue to small animals, larger animals, other dogs, mini enemies (you'll understand why they are "mini" enemies later), and then to ever more special, rare enemies that unlock you something if you beat them. The more special it is the harder it is to sniff and beat the enemy and the more rarer the enemy will appear. For example, if you beat an enemy you might get special markings, then progress to wings or special powers/weapons, and the highest being something like invincibility.
You can also get jewelry, such as necklaces, helmets, armor,coats to keep you warm in the colder climates, and then weapons such as swords, fangs, etc...
But when you aren't running around and being free, there is something going on with the plot. For example, I might put in an evil god NPC or play as him himself, and you and a bunch of other players online must fight him. You can get special rewards from fighting him/her/it.
Well... that's my idea... anyways, It's just an idea, I might just abandon it and leave it for someone to add on...
Alice (holographmoon) might
And its a good idea! Very creative and thought out.
It's an awesome idea to make
You might want to think about putting a team together to help you out, trying to develop something all by yourself with no prior knowledge is a real hassle.
And there are a bunch of different ways to approach it. First you have to figure out what kind of game it is; is it a flash game with 2D sprites running around? or do you have an entire 3D world?
a 2D flash game might be more feasible for you as opposed to a 3D one. I only say this because you'd need to get a lot of expensive programs for 3D that are very taxing on the normal person's computer than say just Adobe Flash is . I should know because I am a Game Design student and I have about 4 3D programs and it requires A LOT out of your computer.
But if you are interested in the 3D kind, start learning it early. The most common programs are 3DS Max by Autodesk and ZBrush by Pixologic. ZBrush is just for sculpting models, what you produce in there is not ready for a game in the slightest, so if you get Z Brush you need something like 3DS Max with it to make it game ready. You can also use Maya, which is also by Autodesk. Those programs are really expensive however, you would probably only be interested in the trial versions. I think there is a free program called Blender that you could practice with. I have no idea, since I'm a student I get all the Autodesk programs free |D
And after you build all of your models (characters, environment pieces, etc.) you need a game engine to put it in and run it. The Unreal Developer Kit is the best choice, it is a professional game engine used in a lot of AAA titles like Gears of War and Silent Hill, and it's FREE. there is also an engine called Unity and while there is a free version, it sucks compared to the licensed one.
I'd really recommend going the route of Adobe Flash and having it be a 2D game, as it is possible to do it that way. Coding in Flash is easier to figure out than it is to learn the whole 3D process, trust me XD
But for now, just build up your concept, make sure it's really solid. Know what the story is, what the characters and environments look like, how the gameplay flows, etc. If you'd like, I have a bunch of game design documentation from my classes you could use to help you build yours up. Another thing I'd recommend is looking at the articles at gamasutra.com
it has a lot on making games and is very helpful.
Also, just start practicing, whichever route you take, just start looking up tutorials on how to do simple things. Like for Flash, just look up how to code some simple buttons or animations. Practicing all those little bits is less daunting than a whole game, and you well be better practiced and skilled by the time you are ready for a full game.
hope this helps a bit, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. I'm a game designer as well but if I don't know the answer, I have access to a ton of industry professionals and other students like me that would be more than willing to help :3