Game Development 101

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http://www.mediafire.com/download/m60diph7ea65mo2/GameDevelopment101

This guide was created with help from the following game developers:

Robert Nemet-Robby

Christian Smith-SuperSmith18

Brendon Dutton-Porkchop Productions

Chase Brey-GamerFreq

This guide was organized by:

Grant Sullens-AnEducatedGuy

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©2013-Grant Sullens-indiegames.co.nr, All Rights Reserved

This guide will start where most things start, an idea in your head. You must know where you want to walk before you start walking there. Making a game is no different. Come up with a good idea and build on it. Come up with plot, characters, and background dynamics for your idea. It helps a lot to have the basics ironed out in the early stages, as to not cause any hiccups in the later ones. The most important thing about your idea is that you have to be excited about it. The last thing you want to do is lost interest in your idea after you have done all the work! Lets see what some developers have to say about Step 1.

Christian Smith says: Have an idea of what you want your game to be. Before you start doing anything that involves game programming, you must have the game you want to create pre-planned. Let's face it, jumping into a game development software without having an idea of what you want to do can be pretty awkward. To prevent this from being a problem, you should always have a brainstorm idea for your game.

Brendon Dutton says: Start out with some small idea you created, and make a mockup of a game screenshot. Once you know what you want the game to look like, you can figure out how it’s going to play. It’s important to remember not to stick too close to your original mockup, though. If you want to change something halfway in and discard your plan, that’s okay too.

Robert Nemet says: Make it interesting, and write down whatever idea or story you believe would be your game in the future. This way, you should be able to track how your game begins its course.

Chase Brey says: Make sure your your idea is something original; don't copy or take ideas that have already been done before. Always make sure your idea is something you know you can create and bring it to life in your game because if you try to make something you know will be too hard for you it will end up failing. But most of all don't just come up with one idea. Think of a bunch then choose out of those because sometimes if you just go with the first idea that came to your head you'll end up realising that it’s not as good as something else you just thought up.

Side Note: Complete Originality

Brendon Dutton says: Mr. Brey stressed the importance of not copying someone else’s game. However, so many games have been made that it is virtually impossible to make something completely original. For instance, my current project (Blockford Adventure) is very obviously inspired by Super Mario games and other 2D platformers. That’s okay, though, because those games are great and there is nothing wrong with making an homage to a game you like. Still, you should try to bring something new to the table, or at least combine your game with ideas from other games. I mean, Minecraft was just Infiniminer with a whole bunch of new features and the focus shifted from PvP to open-world exploration.

So, at this point you have come up with an idea and built the basis of a game plot. Now it’s time to pick what software you will be using to make this game.

Robert Nemet says: Take a look at the game engines you can use to develop your game with. Whichever engine feels easy to learn and use for you is the engine you should try and work with. I, as the developer of Lunacy - The Darkness, prefer the Unity engine, since I'm accustomed to it, and I can learn things on that engine very easily, and feels comfortable to use. But that's my opinion, if you wish to use the UDK for example, then I won't stop you.

Christian Smith says: Find a easy-to-learn development software. Once you have a solid idea of what your game will be like, you should now start looking for a software in which you can make your idea into an actual game. A great software for people that are beginners is Unity. Unity basically mixes a game development software with a game engine, so you can develop and publish your game all in one software. Unity also has a huge forum, with tons of troubleshooting and Q&A's. So if you ever get stuck at one point in your game, you will always have these forums by your side. Of course, there are tons of other great development softwares out there. Just find one that you feel suits you and your good to go!

Brendon Dutton says: It’s definitely important to choose the correct software to build your game. If you want to make a 2D platformer, then Game Maker or Construct are good choices. However, if you want to make a 3D FPS, then Unity or Unreal Engine should be your software. On the other hand, 2D games are often made with Unity and 3D games can be made with Game Maker, so if you’re already accustomed to one of these and can create what you’re envisioning, it doesn’t make sense to learn a whole new software.

Chase Brey says: As every other person here has said its good to pick an engine that fits the style of game you want to make but on the other hand you must also make sure the engine you do pick is in your skill level because if you choose one that is more for a pro and you yourself are still a beginner all its going to do is take more time and be harder on you.

Side Note: Know Your Software

Christian Smith says: Learn how to use the software you have installed. Jumping into a new software without learning the basics is like driving without going to driving school. If you want to be successful with your game development software, learning the basics is a necessity. Whether its learning how to add a sky to your game world or learning how to add organic matter, you will always need to learn how to do simple game programming things. Many People on YouTube make tutorials on how to use software for beginners. I personally think this is the best route to go, since you can actually see how to do things and get a hands on with it. If not, then you could even go to forums or people that have used the same software your using right now to learn. Whatever you feel like you are comfortable with is what you should shoot for.

Now you have your idea and your software, so now the real work begins. Time to build a “rough draft” of your game. Don’t try to be perfect, this is the time to mess around a little bit and experiment. Try things out and most importantly think outside the box.

Robert Nemet says: Ensuring you have your game engine, try and picture how your game would look like. Think about the style your game will adopt, try to create sketches, and most importantly, try to add a story behind it. It's the most important element of a game. Usually it's best to keep the story written down, so any changes can be easily placed in. But be sure to get the story completed before actually beginning development, or it'll be a pain to make.

Christian Smith says: Start with a "Rough Draft" of your game. Using everything that you have learned, you should now feel at least a little comfortable with the software, right? If not, then keep researching. If you feel you are at a comfortable level, then you can start making a rough draft of your game. This part is up to you. If you are trying to make the draft similar to your game, then use everything you have learned specifically for your game to make a quick sketch of your game.

Brendon Dutton says: Your rough draft doesn’t necessarily have to be pretty, so you can use placeholder graphics and there doesn’t have to be sound. When you finish the prototype and create something playable, it might be a good idea to have a few friends test it while it’s still in this stage. If they enjoy it, you know you’ve got something good. If they have some recommendations and/or criticisms, try to address those until you’ve got something you can begin to build upon.

At this point you have created an idea, selected your software and began the creation process. Now its time to form that rough draft into your game. Don’t expect it to be perfect the first time. The most important thing is to stick with it because soon you will see that end product that you envisioned.

Christian Smith says: Start making your game. Once you have made a rough draft, you can now start working on your actual game itself. You should, first, find everything you added in your rough draft that you want to add in your actual game. For example, if you used a terrain and made mountains on your game, and you want to do this on your actual game as well, then do exactly what you did on the rough draft to do this. If there is anything else that you want to add in your real game that you added in the draft, don't hesitate to add it. Once you stumble across something new in making your game, you must then find out how to piece them in with what you already have created. In this part, YouTube and Google are your best friends. Once you have learned, add it to your game! If there are any problems, just troubleshoot them or see if anyone else had the same problem on Google or YouTube.

Robert Nemet says: As you'll develop the game, it'll start to form a picture. Try and arrange that picture to the way you wanted to in the very beginning. Try and get more people involved. Having beta-testers and critical feedback is a good way to make sure your game is heading in the right direction. If you wish to work solo, nobody stops you, but you'll have no idea what the general "reception" of your game might be. Release a demo or a short beta version of your game. This way, people will have a (slight) idea of what your game will be about and what to expect. This is all work-in-progress stuff, so it should be noted that the final product will be different than the beta.

Brendon Dutton says: When you’re developing, make sure your code can be edited very easily. Try to make the game modular. This means that if you want to take out any feature, you can just delete it and all the other parts won’t be affected. In the same sense, you may just generate ideas you like and want to tack them on to the game. Try to release a new version to your beta testers whenever you add something new. It’ll be easier for them to test one feature at a time.

Side Note: Finishing Touches

Chase Brey says: Now you have began one of the most important stages: editing and revising. This is the part where you fix all the issues such as bugs, graphical errors, and misspellings. For this part I always find it easier when you get a second opinion such as giving an early copy to a friend, or better even another developer. Someone you could trust to be brutally honest with you, someone who will not hide any of the problems with it. Even though this doesn't sound good trust me when I say it will help your game to be much better in the end.

Your time to shine has come! You have worked hard and created your masterpiece. Now you publish.

Robert Nemet says: Publish the game. This is the only way to get the audience to see your game and play the game you made. There's no other way. Whether a free downloadable game or a game you can buy, you'll need to upload it. The platforms (PC, PS3, Xbox, etc) which are suitable for your game (and can be played on) should be noted so as to allow players to identify what the requirements would be.

Christian Smith says: Publish your game. Once you have completely added everything and your game is finally made, you must publish the game if you want the audience to play this. A lot of game softwares have a built in application that allows you to publish games for different platforms such as PC, iOS, or any other platform. Choose the platform you want to publish your game for, and start publishing your game for that platform!

Chase Brey says: Now you've completed every other step you've finished making sure every edit and every mechanic works. If so, then its time to put your game up. There are many, many places to do this on the internet, but out of all of them I myself would recommend Indiedb, Moddb, or GameJolt. All of these are fantastic websites with a great community to help you through the process of uploading your game.

Brendon Dutton says: Some places you should not publish your game include YoyoGames, and whatever school you go to, if you are in school. The people at these places will not give valuable feedback and/or will not care about the game. Make sure you can find a community of helpful indie developers, such as GameJolt. If you want to sell your game, I would recommend GOG.com (if your game is retro), Desura, and of course Steam (you have to pay a fee to get your game on Steam, though, and then it has to be approved by the Greenlight trolls, so maybe not...).

So, you have published your game. Now it’s time to let people know about.

Chase Brey says: If you want your game to get out there you have to be brave. You can't be afraid to ask people to play it and have people tell their friends about it. Some of the best ways to get your game out is by having Youtubers play it, find someone who has fans you can't meet and let them, basically, give you free advertising. Also ask people who are big online or have some sort of fan base to promote your game. Don't show off your game by spamming your game link or say you'll give some one elses game a good rating in exchange for the same. That’s buying your fans and that is a definite no-go in the developer community. In short, let your game spread by giving it to someone you know could spread it for you.

Robert Nemet says: Spread the news and wait. Popularity will eventually shine on your game, and it will be worth the wait. Nowadays, if you succeed in getting a famous LP'er to play your game and post the video up on YouTube, that's a fairly good start. Then watch as people play your game, and see what they think.

The best game developers never settle for what they have created. Yes, they admire their work, but they see how to improve their game or how to make a new one.

Brendon Dutton says: It’s basically a given that while you’re developing your game, you’re going to come up with ideas for other games. Don’t start developing those while working on your current game, because you’ll lose your focus. You should definitely write the ideas down, though. Once you’ve finished your game, you can look back on this list and find ideas you like. Then you can make another game! Don’t stop developing!

First of all, I would like to say that this guide is a very general, but useful, guide on game development, so take it for what it’s worth. The worst thing you can do with this guide is follow it exactly. As a game developer you must find your own way you create games. I advise you to take this guide and use it to aid yourself in finding your own personal methods.

Second of all, if you liked this guide please let us know at http://indiegamr.blogspot.com/. Please show your appreciation by clicking the donate button. It helps out alot. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this guide feel free to email me at indie.gamr1@gmail.com.

Finally , I would like to thank everyone that helped in the creation of this guide. Not only the developers listed above, but also all the developers on gamejolt.com that were nice enough to give me feedback. This guide wouldn’t have come together without you.