Game Making
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
Okay, I will admit I don't write games, and like you, I have ZERO interest in doing so. But at 9 years old, I would hope to drive the creative process with your kid. Help them organize the game, and learn successive refinement. Help them Identify the colors/graphics (find out if they have talents here), or they can search the internet and get "Like this, but bigger... Like this, but scarier" examples. Take the time to teach about organizing, thinking, and problem solving. Writing the script. Finding similar games, with similar modes of play. Is it to publish, or to learn? Or to express? (Why create the game?). Is it really a game, or a digital story? Can we tell the digital story first, using powerpoint, and graphics? Using Flash? (eek) == The challenge is that the TYPICAL 9yr old isn't ready to program, and probably does not want to. But BEING CREATIVE is something they crave. Sharing something they make is AWESOME. Making Mom proud. Being Unique/Popular. Which are great drivers. But so is having fun, and learning in general. I (and this is JUST ME, who has a daughter that was published by like 14) had to learn that she wants to write, and not always a BOOK or a NOVEL or something I recognize as a goal. Sometimes it is just an expression of art, that gets you a step closer. So, like Piano Practice... Help them learn to play the chords they will use in future endeavors. This too may pass. Success is just having had some level of experience until they get bored and move on... Good for you!
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Yeah...he has no programming skills whatsoever. Says he wants to learn...but only in the context of making a game. I downloaded Unity, opened it up and said No Way. :laugh: Maybe. MAYbe, I will look at it again, but it's doubtful. I think he'll have to start off with Scratch or GameMaker. We don't live in the same country, so teaching him something too complicated is unlikely. But I may send him to Code.org for a start.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
Check out Playmaker for unity, that might be more the speed you need to start with.
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Marc Clifton wrote:
and have a whole lot more fun
Nowadays, the first thing that comes to my mind when hearing "D&D" or "LARP" is this video (french with english subtitles,
NSFW): Tom et ses chums! Farador D&D [Part: 1 of 2] - YouTube[^] Tom et ses chums! Farador D&D [Part: 2 of 2] - YouTube[^]If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
In US I think it's more like this: [Dead Alewives D&D - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kgx2b1sIRs)
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
I'd strongly recommend Phaser.js it's a powerful framework that comes with tons of samples, demos and video tutorials. It's fast, fun to use and all you need is their library, a recetn version of any browser and a text editor to start using it!. Let me rephrase that, it's free to learn but if you want to sell your game I don't know if they charge you for that, Ihacen't sell anything. The best part is that after completing their first training tutorial you end up with a very cool game to play with and that sparkles creativity and lights the kids enthusiasm. I thaught my nephew to program with that and we both enjoyed it.:thumbsup:
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
Your best bet for your child is probably "Game Guru" from The Game Creators in the UK. The Game Creators It has a very simply interface when compared to Unity or any of the other major engines and has a lot of flexibility. Unity & Unreal would very likely be over your child's head in terms of complexity.
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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In US I think it's more like this: [Dead Alewives D&D - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kgx2b1sIRs)
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
Now that's just sad :laugh:
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
You can do quite a bit with Unreal. They have a visual scripting language called 'Blueprints' built in, which doesn't sacrifice power for ease of use; so even though he wouldn't be writing an actual language, he'd still be learning key programming concepts. If he ever got far with it, it maintains features of C++ all in Blueprint, so you can inherit/extend classes without ever really touching code. It can get tricky with things like character AI, but they have some basic functions built in to make it easier. Definitely enough for candycorn cowboys and fire bats. There's lots of documentation for it, and a lot of video tutorials that he could use to help him along. Unity is also a good option, but dealing with raw C# and their semi-convoluted component system can be a tricky thing to wrap your head around. That might be jumping a little into the deep end. There's also 0 help with AI systems (path finding, finite state machines, etc) last i knew, unless you start buying add-ons for it. Also, fwiw, there's nothing wrong with writing ye olde text adventure in Basic :) ... Or C# if you care to be current about it.
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
Cocos2d-x is good for C++ multi-platform games. It's not for a novice though. The strength is the same code runs on almost all device platforms. While Unity is very popular, it is not free to use like Cocos2d-x. Cocos2d-x is a great 2D game engine to work with and it's well maintained. If you are a single programmer, who has no money, but does have some real world programming experience, it is the best option around. If you have a little money and no programming experience, GameSalad and BuildBox are drag and drop game designers. The support multiple platforms also.
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
PRG Maker MV is probably what your son wants: www.rpgmakerweb.com This is a 30 day demo. I just tried it...drag and drop. Looks easy enough. I'm guessing he just wants to make a game - the creative part - not really interested in coding.
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PRG Maker MV is probably what your son wants: www.rpgmakerweb.com This is a 30 day demo. I just tried it...drag and drop. Looks easy enough. I'm guessing he just wants to make a game - the creative part - not really interested in coding.
I was looking at that last night. For under $100, yeah, I can do that. And it looks like it would suit what he really wants at the moment. But we're pissed off at him right now. He ate a whole bag of M&Ms yesterday afternoon, after being told not to even open the bag. So I'll make him wait a little bit. ;)
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
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For that age, isn't [RPG Maker](http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/) ([wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPG\_Maker)) better suited than an actual game engine? I guess Kodu fills the same role?
I would definitely not advise to use a real game engine. Kodu is aimed at teaching programming and is free.
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I would definitely not advise to use a real game engine. Kodu is aimed at teaching programming and is free.
Now that you mention it, RPG Maker is paid, I never knew that. I got it in a game making magazine ages ago and had a blast. there's no actual programing required (you can use the scripting language, but it isn't necessary) you just draw maps by selecting squares with pieces from the toolbox, create npc and dialogs via a mini editor, etc...
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Oy My 9 year old wants to learn how to and then make a computer/video game. So. Unity or Unreal? Other? I know zip about games. No interest whatsoever, but my kid... This is what he sent me: Trying to go in a jungle in a haunted house and In a temple of dreams With enemies like ground trolls and fire bats And crystal spiders For the jungle The haunted house has pumpkin spirits and candycorn cowboys As for the temple of dreams there are crystals to dream for anything of the players choice All of that adventure to save mom From being possessed by a demon Which game engine would be best for that sort of game? An adventure with candycorn cowboys and fire bats. 'Cause we gotta rescue Mom.
We won't sit down. We won't shut up. We won't go quietly away. YouTube, VidMe and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc. and FB
My son, age 15, has just been through the same thing. He was also making the choice between Unity and Unreal. He started with Unity based on the number of tutorials and other things. What he found is that the while Unity had many tutorials, many of them were old - referred to earlier versions of Unity - and no longer produced runable output. In short they were not helpful. I also recall that he spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get all the versions and dependencies working together. (and that may be related to the first issue as well). On the occasions I tried to help - a lot of the information was aimed at people who had programming experience, and I found my help was mostly filling in the gaps. Teenagers do not have much patience. He then switched to Unreal. By comparison, he's been able to get it up and running, and has glued together tutorials and sample code to produce a rough first/third person shooter. It still needs work - but he can see progress. He is much happier with Unreal. Now - it is possible that all the pain from Unity has given him the skills to get into Unreal with less problems - but I don't think so. Based on this - if the choices are Unreal or Unity - I would recommend Unreal. Of course - if your Kids are completely green to programming - I would consider Python and Pygame. There are books on programming games with Pygame, and while it's not Unreal or Unity - it is advanced enough to some 3D. For 3D look up Panda3D and/or Ogre.
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My son, age 15, has just been through the same thing. He was also making the choice between Unity and Unreal. He started with Unity based on the number of tutorials and other things. What he found is that the while Unity had many tutorials, many of them were old - referred to earlier versions of Unity - and no longer produced runable output. In short they were not helpful. I also recall that he spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get all the versions and dependencies working together. (and that may be related to the first issue as well). On the occasions I tried to help - a lot of the information was aimed at people who had programming experience, and I found my help was mostly filling in the gaps. Teenagers do not have much patience. He then switched to Unreal. By comparison, he's been able to get it up and running, and has glued together tutorials and sample code to produce a rough first/third person shooter. It still needs work - but he can see progress. He is much happier with Unreal. Now - it is possible that all the pain from Unity has given him the skills to get into Unreal with less problems - but I don't think so. Based on this - if the choices are Unreal or Unity - I would recommend Unreal. Of course - if your Kids are completely green to programming - I would consider Python and Pygame. There are books on programming games with Pygame, and while it's not Unreal or Unity - it is advanced enough to some 3D. For 3D look up Panda3D and/or Ogre.