Scirra

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

So I downloaded this program called "Scirra" or "Construct" or something because it promised it was easy. Well. Maybe it is. In fact, by looking at the program, I can tell it is easy, as long as you have some idea how to do this type of thing.

Look, I can't even use in-game level editors without getting a headache, so I don't know if I can even BE helped, but, is there anyone willing to teach me the ropes on this thing? Or better yet, to help me make a game?

So far I have the following thought up: It is going to be a Tactical RPG, kinda like Final Fantasy Tactics. And, uh, that's it.

Tl;dr: Downloaded Scirra, I'm an idiot, need to be walked by the hand to make a Tactical RPG.

Thanks.

[Dux is not you]

I had never heard of this engine before, and will probably try it out sometime. Sorry I can't help you right now. I hope you can find the help you're looking for.

[Valigarmander]

I've never used Scirra before.

Do you have any experience with making games?

[Valentine]

I've never tried Scirra but it looks kinda like Game Maker which I used to use. I can't give you any specific tips based on what you've said but a good general tip for any big project is to reduce it to lots of single focus small problems. For something like this I would start with creating the player character then getting it to move.

Have a try at that without focusing on the rest of the game and see how you get on.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

I've never used Scirra before.

Do you have any experience with making games?

Once, I watched my friend make some Crono sprites walk with some game making program. >_>

Where did you guys start when you wanted to make games anyway?

[Valigarmander]

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

Where did you guys start when you wanted to make games anyway?

I think the first game-making engine I ever used was ZZT:



Simple graphics and gameplay, but if you know how to manipulate the code (which is fairly easy to learn), you can make some pretty fun games. I think ZZT still has an active online community.

After that I tried The Games Factory, which was also really easy to learn, and a lot more visually appealing, too. But that was almost a decade ago. Now I usually just mess around with Game Maker and Flash.

[Cosmonautical]

^^ I started by modifying games written in Q-BASIC, learned to mod the pc game Doom, and eventually learned some basic oldschool C++, then moved onto a very early game building software called Klick N Play, which the Games Factory/Multimedia Fusion line is based on - they even still read and are perfectly compatible with Klick N Play files.

About that time I taught myself to use 3D modelling applications called POV-Ray, MoRay, Blobs 3D, Poser, and Raydream 3D.

After my stint with KNP, I took a class for TrueBASIC and then Visual BASIC.

Around that time I learned how to skin realtime low-poly game models in Starsiege, Tribes,(everything I'd done prior to that was pre-rendered with and occupied actual 3D space) and Poser.

I generally lost interest in writing games for a while around then, since my friends lost interest and games had moved out of what I considered an "accessible" range, and spent most of my game-related time customizing bot scripts and writing trainer utilities for Battle.net games.


I really strongly recommend the Games Factory or Multimedia Fusion to any newbie. They're not free, but they're almost entirely visual. Some basic understanding of math is necessary with any advanced scripting, though, even if you aren't hacking the text yourself. The Klick N Play application that they are both based on was a very interesting tool to get to know, and going back to it I haven't actually forgotten any of the advanced techniques I learned with it. Both of them come with basic tutorial, which I believe is included in the demo, if you're interested.






Although, before all of this, my friends and I used to imagine creating our own video games throughout elementary school, but it never got further than me creating maps and character concepts. One of my friends was incredibly uncreative and only ever came up with stuff like "Mega Dude" and "The Legend of Ren" which were clone ideas of what they sound like.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Originally Posted by People of the AMS

Although, before all of this, my friends and I used to imagine creating our own video games throughout elementary school, but it never got further than me creating maps and character concepts. One of my friends was incredibly uncreative and only ever came up with stuff like "Mega Dude" and "The Legend of Ren" which were clone ideas of what they sound like.

Huh, you created maps and character concepts? You were further along in elementary school with your game development than I am now...

Haha, at least I'm more creative than your friend who came up with "Mega Dude." Was he special or something?

By the looks of that screen, Val, ZZT seems to be within my range. And I don't care about graphics in the least. As long as I have an outlet for what I think are outstanding ideas in storytelling and gameplay, I am happy.

[Valigarmander]

Here's a link to the ZZT community. There's a few tutorials, but I think the best thing to do if you're interested in ZZT is to download it and a few games to get a feel for how it works.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

^ I have one question: Is it capable of making a Tactical RPG? Sorry for laziness.

[Valigarmander]

Yes, though it would require a bit of advanced coding. ZZT-OOP is easy to learn, though.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Um. Advanced coding...? Wanna help me? Haha.

[Valigarmander]

I'm not sure if I can even remember ZZT-OOP. But if you have any questions, you can ask me.

ZZT probably isn't the best program to use to build a tactical RPG, but it's simple to learn at least.

Edit: There's also the OHR RPG CE, which I know can be used to make tactical RPGs, though it would require a LOT of advanced coding. But it could be done.

[Cosmonautical]

IRHP, you probably should start off with something simple like a basic overhead shooter game or overhead racer (ala Sprint) and progress from there.

The MMF tutorial starts with a Breakout clone to familiarize you with basic functions like movement and destroying objects, a scorebox etc.

A TTRPG is a very advanced and technical game style, usually with heavily unique move commands. I don't think you're going to find it reasonable to pretend you're going to get an isometric grid up with rpg-style characters any time soon. I can tell you I've got the basics for a mechanism already in my head, but it's a long way from beginner status.

[Cosmonautical]

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

Haha, at least I'm more creative than your friend who came up with "Mega Dude." Was he special or something?

Tell the truth? I'm not sure why he sucked so hard at it. Maybe he had a directive from someone else on it, I wouldn't have asked at the time because I was just a kid and wrote him off as fail.

Most of our maps were just us screwing around, I think we used some of them to role-play out of boredom on the playground. Or at least we intended to, but we probably just ran around yelling like lunatics, as kids do.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

So...it's pretty much impossible for me to just jump into this type of thing and make what I want, isn't it? Well, I figured as much but thought I'd poke around...

Maybe I will just start with something else, since it looks like I have to...

[Kargath]

You need to be able to think like a programmer.

Remember, a computer is an obedient idiot. You have to structure *everything*. If you can't conceptualise that, you'll never make a game.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]