A boards game

RedXIV

Ok, so I mentioned this on EnterNow's thread and its something that nearly happened before in the Game Editing days but I think we were a bit too ambitious last time.

So now I'm wondering if we should start smaller, especially with the people we have interested in this now. A lot of people here are looking to get into game development, with varying degrees of experience so I'm suggesting a collaborative effort. We've enough people here with decent programming skills to help upskill the ones newer to the discipline. It doesn't have to be anything magnificent, just something we can use to help people learn the basics and give them some good experience.

What say ye? Any takers? Any opinions?

Anyone out there?

satchmo

Sounds like a good idea. You might get further if you just go ahead and outline the bones of a games you think would be suitable, rather than waiting for a design by committee (which would probably be massively overscoped anyway).

I don't have time to contribute, but I'll happily answer any programming questions people have.

tok9

I'd definitely be interested in this. Currently making my way through the C++ tutorials on the new Boston.

batistuta9

I might give it a go

I wouldn't be really looking to get into game dev but wouldn't mind getting some idea what it's like, try it out, etc.

what language(s) would be involved?

deconduo

I'd love to do something like this.

RedXIV

Ok well to keep the ball moving I'm suggesting something very simple. maybe a 2D platformer, something that we could easily throw together an example of in something like gamemaker and then flesh it out a bit with proper code after? My own coding skills are very rusty, hence why I'd like to keep this simple and I think a collaborative effort would be good for many people. And with Satchmo's gracious offer of programming guidance, it should be fair to say we shouldn't hit a complete brick wall anyway.

So thats my proposition then, obviously others can take it and tweak it, we can do what is the most popular choice but for now:

• 2D platformer - 1 level to start with
• Prototype in GameMaker
• Flesh out in programming language (thinking C++ but this is open to people's preferences)

returnNull

would love to get involved but have too much going on in RL at the moment to commit..

koHd

I'd be interested in contributing. As is outlined in my own thread though, I'm not experienced in game design and have only coded basic OO programs in Java. The most complex being a text based hang man program.

I'm studying in NUIM, and over the summer I plan to use our awesome new library's computer section as a base for working on my own projects.

It has a reasonable number of computers and an awesome google/facebook-esque open office floor plan. You don't need to be a student to enter that part of the library so it's perfect for collaborating in person if needs be.

Do you plan on collaborating mostly online?

hooradiation

RedXIV wrote: »

What say ye? Any takers? Any opinions?

For the love of jegus, use some manner of source control.

Bit Bucket isn't bad, but it's limited to five users.
That said, it's probably the best you're going to get for free.

SirLemonhead

hooradiation wrote: »

For the love of jegus, use some manner of source control.

Bit Bucket isn't bad, but it's limited to five users.
That said, it's probably the best you're going to get for free.

GitHub?

gizmo

Perforce has a free version too which I use for home projects. It's pretty easy to setup, the only caveat being you need your own server. Unlike...

Github which provides hosting via github.com. However, I don't think it's really the best for games, at least those which are art heavy, given how it stores every version of the source assets on each client. There are ways around it of course but it's definitely something to consider when you're setting things up.

As a third option, if you have your own server there's also SVN with a TortoiseSVN client which you can look at too.

Either way, definitely use some form of source control or get ready for a world of bloody hurt.

Anima

I'd be up for contributing from the programming side of things. I'm fairly experienced in C++/C#/Java but I don't have much experience in a gaming context.

I've been playing around with the Box2d library to learn a bit myself. It could be used to create a 2D platformer so thats an option.

As for the source control, why not just start with github for now.

RedXIV

koHd wrote: »

Do you plan on collaborating mostly online?

I'd presume it'd have to be done online, simply because the more people that get involved, the harder it is to get everyone talking at the same time, let alone the same place.

Regarding source control and noting the issue we had last time trying to source art assets, I'd say github would work for now. We can start with very basic art work and move on to fancy stuff when we're making good progress.

I know there are exams and college stuff going on for May so I was thinking may setting the 31st of May as the cut-off date and start working/brainstorming from there on in. I found last time that letting people join whenever tended to make it all very haphazard so I'd like to avoid that this time if possible. Would that suit all interested so far?

satchmo

Projects like these always end up lacking artists, so it might be good to spread the word on the Digital Art & Design forum or elsewhere.

TPD

As with others, I'll throw in some programming help from time to time, but I'm not making any lengthy commitments :P

Anima

So that's about a million coders we have it seems. Good start

tok9

Anima wrote: »

So that's about a million coders we have it seems. Good start

Ha, was thinking the same thing.

I'll throw my hand at anything really but I can't guarantee it'll be any good :P

RedXIV

Well as stated, this initial project is more about seeing about how the boardsie dynamic works, and giving some of the newer folk to development a look at the game creation cycle. So even if this project turns out rubbish, the point is that we've figured out

1. Who has particular strengths
2. What the best method for collaboration is
3. How the basics of code work for those new to it
4. If its worth trying something a bit bigger

I definitely think we should aim small here, something with a realistic goal over the summer like a single level platformer, just so we have an achievable target to aim towards.

DesperateDan

Dunno if I've got the time to get involved but would enjoy it too

gizmo wrote: »

Perforce has a free version too which I use for home projects. It's pretty easy to setup, the only caveat being you need your own server. Unlike...

Github which provides hosting via github.com. However, I don't think it's really the best for games, at least those which are art heavy, given how it stores every version of the source assets on each client. There are ways around it of course but it's definitely something to consider when you're setting things up.

As a third option, if you have your own server there's also SVN with a TortoiseSVN client which you can look at too.

Either way, definitely use some form of source control or get ready for a world of bloody hurt.

+1 for SVNs by the way, MUCH sexier than git. We used Assembla with TortoiseSVN, very cool

ShooterSF

I'd love to do something like this just for fun. I have some knowledge of a few languages but like most here: don't ask me to draw Maybe if there was too many involved we could split up into 2 groups - nothing competitive or anything!

sulc84

We need better monopoly for PC.

ShooterSF

sulc84 wrote: »

We need better monopoly for PC.

Monopoly is not even a good boardgame! Never mind a board game I'd like to play as a video game.

(Coming from a big board game geek!)

TPD

Is there a version of Settlers of Catan for PC? It's about the only board game I play any more.

megaten

I'm up for helping out with stuff like UI/Graphics if this ever gets off the ground. I'm not great at pixel art but I can do some relatively simple stuff. I'm not free until June though.

Torakx

I would love to get involved in this, unfortunatly im too busy with college stuff to be of much use right now(probably right up to September).
Making a 2d and 3d game with Unity.
But I hope we could all see project updates etc.
And issues especially.
A good project to follow and learn from.

Also just to note.
From looking at the industry here in Ireland and the way small groups are setting up companies, I think a good structure and project management, is the first thing to focus on before you start.
If you have someone focussing on the timeline, workflow/pipeline and data control for sharing and networking with assets etc, you will find the project is more likely to get finished.
Once you have that person to set clear goals, I think you will find everything else you need here to get the game made.
It seems to me one of the main reasons there are not as many game dev companies as there could be, is down to lack of management with development knowledge and general coordination.

RedXIV, since you have knowledge with making games and got this in motion, you could set out a list of skills needed to make the game. Maybe aswell, a concept document of a basic game explaining the genre,platform and gameplay etc.As a form of reference and guideline.

Positions needed might be:

Project Manager? (if you dont want to manage and rather spend more time coding etc, you could always find someone who is interested in management in game development and give them some experience in that asepct of game development)

Concept artist? (Maybe not needed, depends on the other artists and coders)

Coders

Pixel Artists

UI Artists

Game designer? overseeing overall visual look, focussing on gameplay and mechanics with the coders,GUI and menu integration between artists and coders etc.

Sound Engineer

If you had peoples names after each category, even if some are in several areas, you will have a map of sorts to start setting goals and tasks.


Just some thoughts I had, based on some college stuff we have been covering.

The 2d game I am working on is limited to atari 7800 graphics.A good way to stress test your abilities to make good game mechanics with low resources.
Maybe an idea you could try here too.

mahamageehad

Hey all!

I'd love to get involved in this. Also, congrats on the new forum!

I want to move into games development but I come form a Multimedia background so have a mixed set of skills.

Skills wise I guess I'm firstly a creative person. Drawing, painting, photoshop, and some experience with Maya/Blender, even clay modelling. Programming wise I have some experience with Objective-C, Actionscript, Javascript and a little bit of C#. Game-wise I've mainly used Flash to make games, I have some experience with Unity also and I'm currently playing around with some canvas type html games. I've also done some animation- stop motion, flash, after effects and Maya.

So...... how can I help!

koHd

+1 on the project manager idea.

It'd be nice to have somebody that could concentrate on that side of the project as their priority.

We're practically all amateurs. And most are at the very beginning of learning their trade. So without a good structure it could easily go pear shaped very quickly.

After college exams finish, maybe we could kick the whole thing off with game idea submissions? Then have a vote for the idea to go with?

RedXIV

Some great points on this thread have been raised and some good candidates as well for particular skillsets. Its nice to see that we're not completely starved on the artistic side either, we did seem to have a glut of coders to begin with.

I am still conscious of making this very simple to start with, as some of ye probably already know, I was a founder of a game dev studio a few years ago and we lasted only a year before various issues arose to make it impractical to continue. But I took some good experience and fundamentals with me and one would be bang in line with what Torakx is saying, structure is vital. Especially when working with people remotely and DEFINITELY when you have a lot of people working on the same project.

One of the other things I learned the hard way was "don't run before you can walk". Don't get me wrong, it sounds like we've great potential here as a group, but potential isn't the same a product. I'm definitely in favour of starting very small and getting one good, clean, polished example, be it a single level, a tech demo or even just a good engine.

But I didn't start this for it to be a dictatorship I'll go with what the majority wants. I would just suggest starting small and scaling up. The other thing to consider though is that professionals won't have the time to do this, as pointed out, we are all amateurs here so if we structure this right, not only should we get a decent portfolio piece out of it, but we should also up-skill everyone involved. Maybe not so important to the hobbyists but if people want to get a head start in an industry, could be worth putting the effort in.

I don't mind putting a bit more thought and planning into this (to fulfill the "project manager" role so to speak), but if that's to happen, we really need to decide with a little bit more detail what we're doing.

I would ask then things like:

• 2D or 3D
• Platformer, FPS, Driving, Puzzle? pick a genre! that helps us nail mechanics!
• Platform? Stick to PC or look at mobile apps for ease of distribution after?
• Tools? What do we want to build this with? Answers with the upper questions will help here but its still a decision to be made
• Probably most importantly, what are peoples possible commitments? I don't mean how many hours can you squeeze in between work and sleep but whats a reasonably amount of time you can dedicate to this? For some it will be an hour a week, others might be able to fit in 10 hours. But this sort of information will help.

Maybe if people post answers to the above as well as their already mentioned skill sets, I can collate the results and give a bit more planning and structure to it?

hmmm this might be the reason I FINALLY sign up to SurveyMonkey

I'll throw something together to make this a bit easier for people
EDIT: Survey Monkey Link to help gather responses. Let me know if I missed anything

koHd

RedXIV wrote: »

I would ask then things like:

• 2D or 3D
• Platformer, FPS, Driving, Puzzle? pick a genre! that helps us nail mechanics!
• Platform? Stick to PC or look at mobile apps for ease of distribution after?
• Tools? What do we want to build this with? Answers with the upper questions will help here but its still a decision to be made
• Probably most importantly, what are peoples possible commitments? I don't mean how many hours can you squeeze in between work and sleep but whats a reasonably amount of time you can dedicate to this? For some it will be an hour a week, others might be able to fit in 10 hours. But this sort of information will help.

I'll put my responses here for now. But as you mention, SurveyMonkey would be a much better way to gather this info.

• 2D
• Top down strategy - I already have a particular idea for a game in mind
• PC or tablet
• No real knowledge of specific tools
• I could potentially commit around 40 hours per week if I don't get work over the summer (student).

I had plans to work on my own game anyway. But working on a team project would probably be a better idea. I will most likely learn more and get valuable experience.

So, if the project has proper structure and the right ratio of relatively experienced people to noobs, I would definitely invest a lot of time over the summer. I plan on making a career out of in the end so it would be helpful for my portfolio and the next year in my degree.

EDIT: Right after I replied I see there is now a survey. Doh!

mahamageehad

Survey completed, thanks for setting that up Red!
I'm happy to pretty much work on anything, except project management preferably!!!!! Best of luck with that!

ShooterSF

Filled in. I have some basic coding in a few languages and learn quickly. The last time I tried to draw a stick figure though my laptop exploded and I was drawing it with pen and paper!

RedXIV

Note to self, keep shooterSF away from art assets...

pg5678pg

Would love to be a part of this project, I have a good bit of experience using XNA and Unity using C#. Any plans so far on what platform would be used to develop the game?

Anima

Any update with this? What is the result of the survey?

RedXIV

Am going to stick with as above, the end of the month before moving ahead with this, I've 8 responses to the survey so far, anyone else who's interested still has another week to put their interest in. I'll put together the results then and give a proposal then based on what I've seen.

8 responses though (excluding myself) is a good sized team though! Very promising!

koHd

Exams are over. I'm ready to get cracking. First step, project manager's action plan?

I take it Red is the PM?

Mr. CooL ICE

Just completed survey.

I have very little experience in game dev but am in the middle of some OpenGL Android tutorials, so there is little I can contribute.

That said, I didn't see anybody offering sound. I could knock together some songs that are slightly better than MIDI quality if you don't mind a SNES feel and if necessary, could probably get some actual recorded music together if its called for.

tok9

I wouldn't be too worried if you lack experience. I think it's safe to say you are in the majority (like myself) but I'm looking forward to getting cracking with this and learning from it.

Who knows we might even release something in the future

koHd

I've just downloaded GitHub.

Since this is my first introduction to proper version control, I downloaded this handy free ebook guide:

Progit

Good so far.

returnNull

just be aware koHd that the free github accounts mean all your repo's are viewable by the public.

returnNull

just dont want your Call of Duty/Pokemon/monkey island hybrid game been stolen on you

tok9

returnNull wrote: »

just dont want your Call of Duty/Pokemon/monkey island hybrid game been stolen on you

You had that idea too?

returnNull

tok9 wrote: »

You had that idea too?

well was humming and haawing about nicking ideas from monkey island but said fuk it ,its gone be in 3D!!:)

koHd

returnNull wrote: »

just dont want your Call of Duty/Pokemon/monkey island hybrid game been stolen on you

I see you were already snooping around my repo's then...

RedXIV

Alright guys, just a heads up, tonight I'll be putting something together and it will go off interest showed in the survey mainly. If anyone is still thinking of getting involved, do post here or complete the survey in my previous posts by the end of the day.

Cheers,
Red

RedXIV

Sorry about the delay in getting this together guys, real world stuff has made it impossible to sit down with it for the last few days. I will get something up here tomorrow and we can work from there.

First milestone missed! Just like real life

mahamageehad

RedXIV wrote: »

Sorry about the delay in getting this together guys, real world stuff has made it impossible to sit down with it for the last few days. I will get something up here tomorrow and we can work from there.

First milestone missed! Just like real life

Take your time Red! Better a decent plan late than a shoddy plan on time! :cool:

RedXIV

OK guys so here's my plan for the first stage of this. Taking into account the various answers given in the survey, there are a few things that have shaped my design. We have a good variation of roles that people are interested in but there is definitely a strong inclination towards code (unsurprisingly).

The tool/language I'm suggesting we use is the Corona SDK, a multi-purpose tool that can publish to iPhone or Android or others. Corona uses the Lua scripting language which is a bit easier to get to grips with but it can be altered with C++ if necessary. I'm recommended we start with this as

• Its got a good community and a lot of resources
• Developing for various platforms gives us a better look at multiplatform code
• Mobile apps are a nice way to show what you can do for those of you who'd like to show this off as a portfolio piece

As regards the game for us to start, I wanted something that had a majority of interest as well as being something that would cover enough of the basics for others to splinter off and do their own thing if they wanted to after this was done. With that in mind, I came to the conclusion that a 2D Tower Defence game covers a lot of the points I'd like us to cover. Things like:

• Drawing Sprites
• Moving Sprites
• Game Variables
• Animation
• Enemy AI

I don't want to go too deep into the design as there are a few people who have expressed an interest in the design aspect of the game and lets be fair, everyone who works on a game has their own ideas So I won't go into too much detail here, instead I'll concentrate on what I'd like us as a group to accomplish in the next month.

Monthly milestones are short enough to be realistic and long enough to achieve relatively large amounts of work. This could be broken into weekly milestones if required but until it is, I'll stick with monthly. As I mentioned when I started this, the primary driving factor behind it should be a tool for people to learn. If you are going to be possessive about code you write, this might not be the project for you. I would like everything to be open to all collaborators and with this, all code should be accompanied by plenty of comments. If you use code from somewhere else and don't know exactly what it does, say so in the comments and someone else might be able to figure it out. I'm using code as a baseline as its one I'm most familiar with but the same should go for everything. If you're creating a soundtrack, it should be available in edit-able form, wireframes etc for art assets also. No idea if that's what happens on the music/art side but just be aware this whole thing will be open source.

There are a few people who have plenty of time for this and they will probably get the most out of it, as it true for anything you put time into. The more code you write, the more you will undoubtedly learn. One of the reasons I chose the Corona SDK is that if you don't think you could contribute to the main chunk of code, perhaps you could modify it to work for your own device?

JUNE MILESTONES

Ok so for the month of June, taking into account the phenomenal weather in the next week or so, I'm going to suggest we start small.

1. EVERYONE, and that means everyone, should download the Corono SDK. Even if you're not confident about working on it, downloading it is the first step. Do it here
2. Attempt "Hello World" - The legendary first program everyone tries when the start something new. Try and output, however you like, the words "Hello World" when you run your app. Just to get you familiar with the interface that Corona provides.
3. Attend a "Team Talk" - We are going to need to communicate a lot for this, and while this thread can be thought of as HQ, we are going to need a good bit of back and forth. I'm suggesting Sunday the 9th for the first one, but that can change if people are unable to attend/doesn't suit.
4. Define the game in a more complete manner. This is primarily for the artistic sides which have to invest a lot of time to get the look right. We need to have an idea at least of art style, overall mood and game mechanics past "fun game".
5. Something to appear on screen when we run the code - Artists, musicians, coders, hopefully we will have SOMETHING by the end of the month, even if its a simple black square that appears on the middle of the screen, the important thing is that everything else is a mere derivative of that. Once we figure out how to display a sprite, we're half way there.

This is all open to change guys if there is something you are not happy with, but please don't say you don't like something or don't want to do something without offering an alternative, its very hard to keep momentum up when that happens

Finally, for those looking for perhaps more detailed instructions, please attend a team talk or better again, volunteer to tackle something. Think you could come up with a nice start menu piece of code? go for it! Want to start up a catchy tune? brilliant! Nice idea for concept art? We'd love to see it! Let us know here so we don't have a lot of people doubling up, or at least if you are doubling up, you can help each other. Ideally I would like us to get about half way through the month with a few small chunks of code that the authors can explain to everyone else and we'll move out from there.

Comments are most welcome guys! Criticism is expected, your opinions matters the most as you are the guys doing this! My input is purely motivational/managerial, with perhaps the odd dive into code.

Let me know what you think!

ShooterSF

Cool. I actually made a little game in gideros last week and its similar to corona and uses lua so I can probably help a little with the language if anyone is completely new to it and has problems (though Im still only learning!!)

As for Sunday it's not my best day. Working from 4pm.

Now to download a few tower defense games.

Mr. CooL ICE

Cool. Downloaded Corona SDK last night before but didn't have a chance to play with it much. However, LUA was something I was thinking of learning at some stage, so this is a good time to start.

Sunday should be good for me, but preferably before 7

koHd

In person meeting on the 9th, is that the plan?