How To Get Started With Game Development

1
How To Get Started With Game Development
2
Introduction

• These slides will be posted online
• The idea of this
• Feel free to interrupt
• Pete Starting ambitious games and failing
  miserably about 25 in probably helped the most,
  as well as reading a ton of books.

3
3 Steps to Starting a Project

• 1) Set a short term goal
• 2) Finding resources
• 3) Work on the project

4
Set a Short Term Goal

• No longer than 6-8 months. I prefer 3-4.
• Too long of a project has a bigger chance of
  boring you eventually
• Try to make sure your goal is feasible enough to
  accomplish for the time frame you gave it
• Some goal suggestions

5
Goal Suggestions

• Learn a programming language
• Easier graphics package (DXFramework, SDL,
  Allegro, PyGame)
• Couple arcade style games
• Tougher graphics package (DirectX, OpenGL)
• Make a scroller game (top or side scroller)
• Learn 3D graphics
• Make a small 3D game
• Make a bigger 3D games (using pre-made engines is
  nothing to be ashamed of)

6
Finding Resources

• Game Development is huge now tons of resources
  out there.
• The toughest part is knowing what it is that
  youre looking for. Community can help with
  this part

7
Internet Resources

• Google
• freeprogrammingresources.com
• cplusplus.com
• sgi.com/tech/stl
• gamedev.net (GDNet)
• - Articles Section
• - Forum FAQ
• 3dbuzz.com
• entity.ummu.umich.edu/wsoft/library/links.shtml

8
Workshops

• Wolverine Soft
• - Xbox Development
• - DXFramework
• SIGGRAPH
• - Maya, 3DSMax
• - Photoshop?
• IGDA Presentations

9
Classes

• Art
• -
• Music
• -
• Film
• -

10
More Classes

• Communications
• -
• Business
• -
• Math
• -

11
More Classes

• Programming
• -

12
Books
13
Community

• GDNet Forums
• WSoft Mailing List
• IGDA

14
Working on Project

• Avoid feature creep
• Outline your projects before hand
• Save it for the sequel!
• Debugging the project
• Logs
• Remote debug if possible
• Profile your code (VTune is a profiling tool)
• Finish It!
• Inspire yourself by talking to other GDers and
  by seeing their projects