Just an update to say I haven't given up already. In fact I'm working in the background to figure out ways to improve my posting and what I'll be posting on. I'm also in the process of creating a time sheet to assist me on knowing what to do on a particular day rather than leaving it to what I feel like doing. This may sound odd as surely I should be working on what I feel like but I'm doing this so I don't fall into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again because it's comfortable.
I'd like to ask anyone who is reading this to come up with suggestions where possible for things I should try or do. This would be a great help and a motivator as I can try something which I may not have thought of doing. This will also help me by getting into the habit of solving a problem or issue someone else has brought up.
All the best.
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Learning the basics
Spent some time looking for material to help me learn C++. I found a site a few days ago and, deciding to jump right in and learn some coding, I find the site no longer exists. I enjoyed the way the site was laid out and how it taught you C++ so it came as a surprise that it's been removed. Rather than look for any more sites I've bought a book which seems to have good reviews on Amazon. The book is called Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ and it's written by the creator of C++ Bjarne Stroustrup. Being that it's written by the original creator I'm expecting a lot from it.
I used to learn partly through reading books but I always gave up part way through. I'm hoping I can get into this book enough to see it through to the end. I also wanted a book so I did not have to initially look for several sources of information, all the information I'll need will be contained in the book barring any recommended sources the book advises of.
As I'll be following the book, most of my posts related to programming will be directly related to this book until I finish studying it.
I'm unsure how I will approach what I post. I've thought about spending a few hours learning then creating a post like a diary entry but I've also thought about posting on the go. What I mean by this is I would be posting my thoughts as I study so you can get an idea of the process I'm going through in order to grasp what I'm learning. I hope this would be of great help to others and give some insight into how I learn. Bare in mind, with this method of posting, you will most likely come across idea's or solutions which are incorrect, however, the point is to show you how I came up with a particular idea or solution.
Whilst I'm working towards becoming a game developer the next several months may not reflect this. I say this because I've thought about what I posted earlier about learning how to draw. I need to learn the fundamentals of programming before I can even consider the game development side. I do believe it's possible to concentrate on game development from the start but I would much prefer to have a solid foundation and understanding of programming in general. Thinking about it, I could be improving my skills in art and music at the same time so by the time I do venture into game development I should have a nice range of skills to really get going.
I used to learn partly through reading books but I always gave up part way through. I'm hoping I can get into this book enough to see it through to the end. I also wanted a book so I did not have to initially look for several sources of information, all the information I'll need will be contained in the book barring any recommended sources the book advises of.
As I'll be following the book, most of my posts related to programming will be directly related to this book until I finish studying it.
I'm unsure how I will approach what I post. I've thought about spending a few hours learning then creating a post like a diary entry but I've also thought about posting on the go. What I mean by this is I would be posting my thoughts as I study so you can get an idea of the process I'm going through in order to grasp what I'm learning. I hope this would be of great help to others and give some insight into how I learn. Bare in mind, with this method of posting, you will most likely come across idea's or solutions which are incorrect, however, the point is to show you how I came up with a particular idea or solution.
Whilst I'm working towards becoming a game developer the next several months may not reflect this. I say this because I've thought about what I posted earlier about learning how to draw. I need to learn the fundamentals of programming before I can even consider the game development side. I do believe it's possible to concentrate on game development from the start but I would much prefer to have a solid foundation and understanding of programming in general. Thinking about it, I could be improving my skills in art and music at the same time so by the time I do venture into game development I should have a nice range of skills to really get going.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Decided to be decisive
I'm sure some of you may be as indecisive as me. It does not matter what I'm deciding on, I seem to have the natural ability to make the process more difficult than it really is. I've literally spent an hour on many occasions just deciding on what to eat when I would have enjoyed any of the choices I had. If I'm this bad with decision making can you imagine what it was like deciding what language to learn first? Not a pretty sight :)
I initially was leaning towards Java due to having an Android phone and I knew Android would only get bigger so I bought a book on Java. I read maybe 50 pages before my mind started to wonder about other languages. After a week of thinking and constant mind changing, I decided to learn c# instead. My reasoning at the time was that the Xbox Live Market Place was bigger and had a bigger customer base. These were assumptions which I've not really researched to prove these points but this is what I thought at the time. I also liked the thought of having the power of the Xbox 360 to work with so I could make some really fancy graphics and animation. Of course at this point I did not realise the extra amount of work and studying I would need to do in order to create higher quality material.
I found a really good site which taught me enough to create a really simple rock, paper scissors game in dos and I felt really proud of my accomplishment as I did it within 3 days. The feeling of accomplishment soon faded though as I started to think again about the amount of time it would take me to develop an Indie game.
I've scrapped the idea of learning C# and have settled on learning C++. I decided on C++ as the general feeling I get from research is that it's widely used, especially in the games industry. It's not the be all end all programming language but there is a ton of tutorials and books on the subject. I've also read it's quite a difficult language to learn so I would like to challenge myself by starting from scratch.
My next task is to decide how I'm going to approach improving my art skills. This is quite a tough one to decide as I believe there is a certain amount of natural ability when it comes to art. I don't believe it's not possible to get to a high standard but in my opinion, some people have more ability than others regardless of how long they've been honing their skills.
I was watching a few video's on Youtube from a designer called Feng Zhu who is simply amazing at his craft and one tip he gave stuck in my mind. He advised the fundamentals are the most important to learn as, once you learn them, you can draw anything. He goes on to advise most professionals can draw anything as they understand everything in the world is made up of 4 shapes, a box/square, cone, triangle and cylinder. It was a sort of revelation to me to hear this as I used to concentrate on drawing human figures only. I could draw humans okay but if I wanted to draw anything else like a car or plane, it felt impossible and the result reinforced that feeling. Another point he made is, when you're in the industry and you draw something for a client and they ask for something to be added which you can't draw, you will not be in demand for long. This is not to say there aren't people who specialise in certain area's it just makes sense to me to know the fundamentals which will give you the ability to draw what you see/imagine rather than be restricted to what you simply draw over and over again. If you want to feel inspired to draw I would highly recommend you visit Feng Zhu's site http://www.artbyfeng.com/
I think my initial approach should be to start with 2D and progress to 3D. I invested in a Wacom Tablet but I'm going to start by going back to basics with pen/pencil on paper. After I feel comfortable with my drawing skill, I'll start scanning my drawing and colour them in through software. After that I think it would be best to move to digital completely. I may try some 3D whilst doing 2D work but this is a decision I'll make later on when I've gauged how well I'm progressing with 2D.
The most difficult skill I'm going to learn is probably sound effects and music. other than having a laugh with some voice changing software and the odd mess around with DJ software (this was a long timer ago) I've had no prior experience with creating sound. Although it's most likely going to be the most difficult to learn I somehow see it as being the most fun. This we'll have to see.
I initially was leaning towards Java due to having an Android phone and I knew Android would only get bigger so I bought a book on Java. I read maybe 50 pages before my mind started to wonder about other languages. After a week of thinking and constant mind changing, I decided to learn c# instead. My reasoning at the time was that the Xbox Live Market Place was bigger and had a bigger customer base. These were assumptions which I've not really researched to prove these points but this is what I thought at the time. I also liked the thought of having the power of the Xbox 360 to work with so I could make some really fancy graphics and animation. Of course at this point I did not realise the extra amount of work and studying I would need to do in order to create higher quality material.
I found a really good site which taught me enough to create a really simple rock, paper scissors game in dos and I felt really proud of my accomplishment as I did it within 3 days. The feeling of accomplishment soon faded though as I started to think again about the amount of time it would take me to develop an Indie game.
I've scrapped the idea of learning C# and have settled on learning C++. I decided on C++ as the general feeling I get from research is that it's widely used, especially in the games industry. It's not the be all end all programming language but there is a ton of tutorials and books on the subject. I've also read it's quite a difficult language to learn so I would like to challenge myself by starting from scratch.
My next task is to decide how I'm going to approach improving my art skills. This is quite a tough one to decide as I believe there is a certain amount of natural ability when it comes to art. I don't believe it's not possible to get to a high standard but in my opinion, some people have more ability than others regardless of how long they've been honing their skills.
I was watching a few video's on Youtube from a designer called Feng Zhu who is simply amazing at his craft and one tip he gave stuck in my mind. He advised the fundamentals are the most important to learn as, once you learn them, you can draw anything. He goes on to advise most professionals can draw anything as they understand everything in the world is made up of 4 shapes, a box/square, cone, triangle and cylinder. It was a sort of revelation to me to hear this as I used to concentrate on drawing human figures only. I could draw humans okay but if I wanted to draw anything else like a car or plane, it felt impossible and the result reinforced that feeling. Another point he made is, when you're in the industry and you draw something for a client and they ask for something to be added which you can't draw, you will not be in demand for long. This is not to say there aren't people who specialise in certain area's it just makes sense to me to know the fundamentals which will give you the ability to draw what you see/imagine rather than be restricted to what you simply draw over and over again. If you want to feel inspired to draw I would highly recommend you visit Feng Zhu's site http://www.artbyfeng.com/
I think my initial approach should be to start with 2D and progress to 3D. I invested in a Wacom Tablet but I'm going to start by going back to basics with pen/pencil on paper. After I feel comfortable with my drawing skill, I'll start scanning my drawing and colour them in through software. After that I think it would be best to move to digital completely. I may try some 3D whilst doing 2D work but this is a decision I'll make later on when I've gauged how well I'm progressing with 2D.
The most difficult skill I'm going to learn is probably sound effects and music. other than having a laugh with some voice changing software and the odd mess around with DJ software (this was a long timer ago) I've had no prior experience with creating sound. Although it's most likely going to be the most difficult to learn I somehow see it as being the most fun. This we'll have to see.
An update already?
True to my word I'm posting a thought I just had. If you've just stumbled across this blog it was called Journey into solo game development. Upon thinking some more, I've decided to take the solo out of the title. The reason being is that whilst my initial goal is to become self sufficient I'm not going to be arrogant enough to not realise the advantage of other peoples skills and desire to contribute to something they have an interest in. This is still a journey and I'm open to collaborate with other people who wish to take this journey.
Another thing I'd like to point out which I believe important to mention is that I also have a normal 9 to 5, 5 days a week job. I've been working in IT for the last year but it's a low level IT job and has no transferable skill to what I'm trying to accomplish other than typing. I wanted to make this point as I don't want you to think I have the luxury of time as I'm sometimes in work later than I should be and also in the process of making plans on starting a family. I'm not using this as an excuse for not being productive, rather I want to try and show how much can be accomplished even when time is not plentiful.
If you stumble across this site and see some of my work, whether it be code snippets or artwork, and you're someone with expertise, I would ask if you could provide constructive criticism which will help me greatly.
Another thing I'd like to point out which I believe important to mention is that I also have a normal 9 to 5, 5 days a week job. I've been working in IT for the last year but it's a low level IT job and has no transferable skill to what I'm trying to accomplish other than typing. I wanted to make this point as I don't want you to think I have the luxury of time as I'm sometimes in work later than I should be and also in the process of making plans on starting a family. I'm not using this as an excuse for not being productive, rather I want to try and show how much can be accomplished even when time is not plentiful.
If you stumble across this site and see some of my work, whether it be code snippets or artwork, and you're someone with expertise, I would ask if you could provide constructive criticism which will help me greatly.
The journey starts here
Okay, I'm staring at a text box waiting for input for my very first post and, as enthusiastic as I was to start a blog, I cannot think of a single thing to say. I'm not much and have never been much of a writer and I've never really found it easy to express what I mean in words but everyone has to start somewhere. Perhaps it would be best to start by explaining the purpose of this blog.
There are a few reasons why I've decided to start blogging. I've always felt I had a lot to say and contribute but I've never been able to communicate my ideas or thoughts in a way which is clear. For this reason I hope to improve my communication skills by blogging as much as possible. Another reason for blogging is that I often start something and rarely finish. This goes for all area's of my life whether it be improving my personal life, work prospects or knowledge, I just hit an imaginary wall and stop. Don't get me wrong, I don't stop thinking about improving, I just overthink to the point where I chicken out of completing anything. An example would be what career path I should take. I've wanted to be anything from a Muay Thai champion to the next Richard Branson, all big idea's but nothing comes of these idea's as, the more I think of a particualr idea, the more daunting it seem's to be to accomplish it so I stop.
I've identified one main problem I have and that is my perception of time. I seem to have this inner feeling that everything I want to accomplish has to have been accomplished yesterday. I don't know where this feeling comes from but it's stopping me from even starting. For instance, at one point in time I wanted to be a 3D modeller and general game artist, however, as I started learning 3D I realised it would take me at minimum, a year or 2 to get to a reasonable level. With this in mind I simply gave up because I could not wait that long. A few years on and I'm still in the same boat complaining about how long everything I want to learn will actually take to learn. If I spent less time thinking about how long things took to learn I'd most likely have reasonable skill in a few area's.
This brings me to the main reason why I started this blog. I want to document my journey to becoming a game developer with little knowledge on where to start. I'll be posting my thought's, idea's and the way I go about learning how to become a developer in the hope that it will help someone else find their way. What this will entail is learning how to design a game from concept to coding it in a programming language as well as creating the artwork and sound.
I would like to note that this will not be a how to on how to become a developer in the shortest time possible. I know very little about programming, my art skills are no way near good enough to create decent artwork and the only thing I know about music and sound is playing a simple piece of music on the piano (think Grade 2 or an intermediate piece with plenty of practice). As you can imagine, I have a lot to learn and it's going to take some time. If you understand this fact and are interested in doing it yourself, let me know as this does not have to be a lonely journey :)
There are a few reasons why I've decided to start blogging. I've always felt I had a lot to say and contribute but I've never been able to communicate my ideas or thoughts in a way which is clear. For this reason I hope to improve my communication skills by blogging as much as possible. Another reason for blogging is that I often start something and rarely finish. This goes for all area's of my life whether it be improving my personal life, work prospects or knowledge, I just hit an imaginary wall and stop. Don't get me wrong, I don't stop thinking about improving, I just overthink to the point where I chicken out of completing anything. An example would be what career path I should take. I've wanted to be anything from a Muay Thai champion to the next Richard Branson, all big idea's but nothing comes of these idea's as, the more I think of a particualr idea, the more daunting it seem's to be to accomplish it so I stop.
I've identified one main problem I have and that is my perception of time. I seem to have this inner feeling that everything I want to accomplish has to have been accomplished yesterday. I don't know where this feeling comes from but it's stopping me from even starting. For instance, at one point in time I wanted to be a 3D modeller and general game artist, however, as I started learning 3D I realised it would take me at minimum, a year or 2 to get to a reasonable level. With this in mind I simply gave up because I could not wait that long. A few years on and I'm still in the same boat complaining about how long everything I want to learn will actually take to learn. If I spent less time thinking about how long things took to learn I'd most likely have reasonable skill in a few area's.
This brings me to the main reason why I started this blog. I want to document my journey to becoming a game developer with little knowledge on where to start. I'll be posting my thought's, idea's and the way I go about learning how to become a developer in the hope that it will help someone else find their way. What this will entail is learning how to design a game from concept to coding it in a programming language as well as creating the artwork and sound.
I would like to note that this will not be a how to on how to become a developer in the shortest time possible. I know very little about programming, my art skills are no way near good enough to create decent artwork and the only thing I know about music and sound is playing a simple piece of music on the piano (think Grade 2 or an intermediate piece with plenty of practice). As you can imagine, I have a lot to learn and it's going to take some time. If you understand this fact and are interested in doing it yourself, let me know as this does not have to be a lonely journey :)
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