Mortal Kombat clone

For your first game, it would have to be a very limited clone, so I'm assuming you're talking about MKI ~ III.

A simple fighting game with No scrolling or animated backgrounds, 2 fighters only and no AI(2 players)(Maybe even a punching and kicking only MK clone) would be a suitable beginning project.

Wait until you get that part completed, then add things like special moves, combos, finishers, scrolling backgrounds, menus, squirting blood and AIs.

If you attempt too much, you'll get frustrated; it's better to figure out the features that make it a fighting game and add the extra stuff later.

Of course, this is IMHO.

When you say make it 2 players, I assume you mean both players at the same keyboard, right? Would there be a problem with two players pressing a button at the same time?

Obviously, a programmer who has worked on a similar project might begin aggressively, but if this is really your first big project it might be best to begin at the very primitive level.

Personally, I like to do things in painstakingly simple increments. I begin without any graphics whatever, testing on a command line. A very basic set of input commands can be tested by having each tested action printing a brief message. Press the 'K' button, and a kick () method is called, etc. It's tedious to work in such small steps, but by testing your code after each significant change, your code will be reliable.

Next, very simple sprite graphics can be created -- blocky little things like the old Commodore 64 games used. That might keep you from losing your mind and ditching the project in frustration.

Collision detection need not be tested graphically at first. Keep in mind that these calculations involve basic mathematics, so they can also be tested from the command line. Soon after, test them using simple circles on a 2D screen.

Artificial intelligence can be developed after the basic game engine (minus graphics) is working. Before beginning the AI, have friends play your game against one another. They'll hate the blocky graphics, but tough!

I would most likely try to expand the basic game at that point -- more detailed moves, and matches that can actually be won and lost. (As I mentioned, I work in painstaking madness.)

Last I would work on either the AI or graphics. I am not particularly skilled in graphic art, but there are many fine artists who could benefit from the experience of working on such a project. I expect it would look good on a resume, also. The great ulterior motive here is to have someone else do a lot of work on the game.

I should point out that I have never created a fighting game myself, so a lot of what I have said may be questionable advice. Gamedev is a great place to meet experienced and professional programmers, so you should be able to find the help you need. You might also check out www.gamasutra.com and other sites.

I think this is a VERY ambitious first project, and will likely be far more involved than you imagine. Just remember that the most important virtue of a good programmer, aside from solid code, is perseverence. Feel free to take a break and work on other projects, but don't abandon this one. Stick with it, and you can (eventually) make a fine game.

I don't think it's that difficult to program compared to the difficulty of getting the graphics. How do you plan to get fighter pics? I hope you have a lot of ninja friends, a single color background, and a high megapixel digital camera.

Mike C.
http://www.coolgroups.com/zoomer

Don't forget character animation (unless you're just going to use 2d sprites). That is a beast of a topic to tackle...

For your first project, that's probably quite ambitious. I'm not saying you couldn't do it, but I would do something FAR simpler for your first few games. You might find that you're in way over your head and will get discouraged. But if you feel like you are advanced enough to tackle everything involved, go for it!

Just a suggestion, try making pong first, its a very easy thing to program. It will introduce you into basic collision detection, simple physics, and even AI if you want it to. Plus, seeing as its so simple it really will not take much time away from you to code another game after it, at least then you'll have a more brief idea of what type of things to expect.