making homebrew

[katachristic]

what steps would be taken in making a new homebrew game.
for instance, if i wanted to make the helicopter game for homebrew, where would i start?

[VampDude]

You would start by learning a programming language, then firstly creating something simple to run within DOS or Windows.

[katachristic]

thanx! im a very quick learner
for example, i started playing guitar a month ago and just between now and the time i wrote that last post
i wrote about 3/4 of a new song im making!
im good w/ my hands and have a near photographic memory.

This should be fun!
btw any reccommended languages? im googling now so god knows what ill find.

[VampDude]

There is C and Linux, though which to use is down to the person as they are different.

[BlueCrab]

Making a game, or indeed any sort of program can be a lot of work, but once you get something up and running, the results are quite inspiring. If you really want to learn how to make a game, the first thing to do is to learn how to program.

The programming languages of choice in making games (especially homebrew games for consoles) are pretty much C and C++. Since C++ originally started out as an extension of C (since then much has been added to the language), learning C first would probably be your best bet. Also, in my opinion C is a much more suitable language to MOST homebrew projects. There are plenty of resources online to learn either of these two languages, and there are always people willing to help out, if you seek them out. Note that simply learning the basics of a programming language will give you pretty much no knowledge of how to actually make a game. Very few programming languages have graphical support built-in, and C/C++ is no exception. You will end up having to use libraries that extend the language itself (on the Wii, you'll almost certainly end up using libogc, which has its own learning curve).

After learning a programming language, then its time to start learning something about game design issues. Designing a game, especially depending on how realistic the game will be, can often times involve a lot of knowledge that you might not even think would be applicable. If you're planning on going with a 3D game, you'll likely need to know quite a bit of linear algebra (matrix manipulations and the like), as well as physics (for obvious reasons, and this may mean the need to know some calculus as well). Even 2D games will require some degree of math (they'll likely require some physics, although probably nothing that would involve calculus; also you'll most likely need to know some trigonometry/geometry to get a 2D game done). Beyond that, you'll have to learn the techniques that you plan on using to make the game look the way you want it. If you're doing 3D, prepare to do some modeling and map making. If you're going 2D, designing some sprites and tilemaps will likely be the way you'll go. This of course, is not to mention all the mathematics you'll likely need in any sort of control scheme nor music/sound effects, or anything else of the like.

Finally, once all that setup work is done, the next step is to actually design out what you're going to do. It is always a good idea to have a thorough design in mind (and probably on paper) before you try to start programming, otherwise your code will end up being more confusing than it is helpful.

All in all, writing a game, or other sort of homebrew is quite rewarding, but it is a heck of a lot of work, especially starting from square one. If you're indeed serious about learning to program and make games, I'd suggest picking up some books at your local Borders (or whatever book store you have in the area), and learning the basics of programming first. Like I said, a good place to start is the programming language C, as its one of the most universal programming languages there is.

Keep in mind, the professionals spend a long time learning how to do stuff, so don't go in expecting to produce the next Final Fantasy. At the same time, don't allow yourself to get discouraged -- making a game can be a lot of fun once you get the boring stuff out of the way.

Just as a side note, I learned most of what I taught myself about programming through trying to make a homebrew game for the Dreamcast. It was this experience that made me sure of the fact that I wanted to pursue computer science in college (I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science back in May).

[katachristic]

i will learn C then!
its a good thing you advised me to use C b/c like i said i was googling and i found a UCLA website that directed me towards python.
it would really suck to learn a language and find out im going the wrong direction
i should be pretty good at this though.
ive always excelled at math and the only sciences i have trouble with is some chemistry and most microbiology. physics is a strong point though. i also have strong language skills that will enable me to write a good story if im ever good enough to make a game with a plot. i really, REALLY should learn how to type properly though
thanx for all the help to both of you!

[katachristic]

i found a lot of lessons on learning C, so thats cool

but the site basically says that C++ is better in every way. true?
maybe C is just simpler and thats why BlueCrab suggested it?
im just going to continue with C.

anyways the website teaches it w/ this program call codeblocks
is it worth a damn?
it sux though b/c every time i try to open a new project it hits an error and has to close
i already joined the official codeblocks forum to ask about it
im going to go and check after im done here
if no one can give me any good answers there then ill just find an earlier version.

peace.

[BlueCrab]

i found a lot of lessons on learning C, so thats cool

but the site basically says that C++ is better in every way. true?
maybe C is just simpler and thats why BlueCrab suggested it?
im just going to continue with C.

C++ is not "better in every way". Both languages have their places, and for the most part, its my opinion that C is usually better for the majority of homebrew development.

anyways the website teaches it w/ this program call codeblocks
is it worth a damn?
it sux though b/c every time i try to open a new project it hits an error and has to close
i already joined the official codeblocks forum to ask about it
im going to go and check after im done here
if no one can give me any good answers there then ill just find an earlier version.

Code::Blocks is an IDE that has gained a lot of popularity in recent times. I've never used it myself (I use Apple's Xcode as my IDE of choice), but have heard a lot of people saying how much they like it. As for needing it for the tutorial you're reading, you could obviously still do all the programming without it (any text editor, even Notepad can edit source code), it just becomes the issue of how to compile it from that point (which isn't very hard, if you know how to use a shell/command prompt).

If you're having massive problems with Code::Blocks, there are other IDEs that you could probably use just as well (of course adjusting for the parts of the tutorials that will inevitably deal with using the IDE). One that had a lot of favor in the past (but apparently isn't developed any more) that would work is called Dev-C++ (yes, you can do C with it too). Also, if you're a college/university student, you may be able to get the full version of Microsoft Visual Studio Professional for free. Even if not, you can get Microsoft Visual C++ Express for free. Any of these will do the job of giving you a IDE to learn with, but be warned that using any of them (including Code::Blocks) for console-based homebrew development may present its own set of challenges.

[katachristic]

is apple xcode available for windows?

i havent even glaced at the lessons, i just copied and pasted it into word docs.(so i dont have to go online)
i dont know if anything in the lessons is specific to codeblocks

if u could tell me about shell/command and compiling like that then i would probably just do the entire thing on wordpad
that seems convenient

[BlueCrab]

Sadly, Xcode is not available for Windows, only for Mac OS X.

As for how to compile stuff, that varies from compiler set up to compiler set up, so its not exactly the easiest thing to explain.

Also, don't use Wordpad. Notepad will work, but DO NOT use Wordpad.