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A Good Way to Start Out?

Started by Game Sage Jun 18, 2012 at 7:02 PM 3 replies 1.3k views

Original Post

Jun 18, 2012 at 7:02 PM

I have done a fair amount of research on what to use and what not to use when first starting out. After my research I am deciding to start off making easy 2d games such as pong/tetris than I eventually want to remake super mario bros and legend of zelda. Once I get a good grasp on how basic game mechanics work I plan on creating my own simple 2d platformer which I will eventually publish. Would this plan be a good way to start learning game design?

Some usefull information is I really like programming I want to learn that the most but would like to learn how to make my own 2d sprites. My language of choice is C# (C sharp) I know its easy for new programmers to pick up on. Im not sure if it's considered a grahics library but I want to use XNA Game Studio 4.0 in combination with C#.

Any suggestion on how to start out or a change in tools will be very usefull thanks in advanced to anyone who helps me out.

Kuam

Jun 18, 2012 at 7:10 PM

I began a few weeks ago myself. I was planning to begin with C++, but some of my long-time programmer friends recommended I start with C#. I learned the basics of the language, then switched over to start learning XNA.

The beauty of XNA, as I have discovered, is that GS 4.0 works right in C# Express 2010, so you can code in just C# or combine the two. If you have become familiar with the inner workings of C#, then you can probably utilize the myriad of tutorials found online to help you through XNA. However, if it is still unfamiliar to you, I highly recommend investing in actual books that take you step by step through the syntax and explain what each method and expression does as you learn pieces of a game bit by bit.

I'm not sure of your experience level at this point, but if you have none, start with the good ole' "Hello World" and work from there (the first week or two is going to be pretty boring...real basic stuff...just focus on your future goals and remember each boring thing you learn is a piece of your eventual 2D game).

Let me know if you are curious as to what books I used.

Cheers!

Game Sage

Jun 18, 2012 at 7:14 PM

Thanks for your input and yes I am curious as to which books you used if you could recommend a few that would be great!

Kuam

Jun 18, 2012 at 7:22 PM

I am really enjoying Microsoft XNA 4.0: Learn Programming Now. I'm about halfway through it, and I personally feel it has explained each step fairly well. I feel that I'm prepared to be able to code textures, sounds, input, and output, and there is still a lot left to go. I also used Programming C# 3.0 as a beginning guide to my C#. I went a couple hundred pages into the latter book until I was sure I had a basic understanding of C# before switching over to the XNA book.

Because O'Reilly was offering buy one get one free ebook, I picked up the Head First C# book and another XNA book (I think its Programming XNA 3.0 or 4.0, not 100% sure and I'm not on my personal pc atm). I haven't cracked either one of these yet.

Each have a couple errata, but for the most part they are pretty good, and I personally have found them helpful. Again, this is going to depend on your learning style and such. I'm sure more experienced members of the community will be able to give some other input as well.

Good luck!

Game Sage

Jun 18, 2012 at 7:28 PM

Thanks very much for help and good luck on your projects as well.

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