Making Your First Game: Practical Rules - Setting (and Keeping) Goals - Extra Credits

These tips will move into the details: how to plan your production schedule for your game, what to do when those plans go haywire, and more.
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#ExtraCredits #Gaming #GameDesign

[@tzengyuxio]

(0:28) Tip #1 Don't plan a project that you think it'll take you more than a month. (0:43) Tip #2 It's gonna take you more than a month, but don't sweat it. (1:13) Tip #3 Don't worry too much about the design of your first game. (1:30) Tip #4 Set milestones. (1:42) Tip #5 Take those big milestone tasks and break them down even further. (2:15) Tip #6 Send yourself producer emails at the beginning of each week. (2:33) Tip #7 Review your game at least once a week even if life gets hectic. (3:01) Tip #8 Don't worry about production values. (3:25) Tip #9 Don't spend more than one hour trying to do anything yourself. (4:02) Tip #10 Make people play your game.

[@josiethompson2420]

+曾于修（Tzeng Yuxio） this should b @ the very top

[@RebekahAmberClark]

+Josie Thompson Agreed!

[@gamesmaster35v2]

+Josie Thompson "had to repair"? Is what I get from Bing. Is it way off? And sorry if I'm spoiling the mystery.

[@dzikiLOS]

+曾于修（Tzeng Yuxio） Internet needs more people like you ;)

[@aHedgerowFrog]

bumpin for upvotes

[@Sprited]

Tip 1: Don't plan something that'll take longer than a month. Tip 2: It's gonna take longer than a month.

[@kahncena22]

+Sprited xD

[@everythinghd6484]

+Sprited He meant it by set small goals that won't take longer than a month, even though the game will take more than a month

[@fede1324ee]

In my school i have programming and we have to make a game for the end of the year. Only 2/Groups delivered in time out of 12

[@INFIDELITYMUSIC]

+fede edelstein jeez that sounds hard.

[@fede1324ee]

TheWaffle 31 yeah, this year I'll try to deliver in time and a good game

[@ScipiPurr]

This is one of the reasons I like participating in Ludum Dare events. The time constraint forces you to keep your ideas small. Plus after the fact you are pretty much guaranteed to get constructive feedback.

[@bikerscout2012]

I absolutely love all the cute people and graphics in your videos!

[@nielsdejong6266]

(art by Scott DeWitt)

[@xvincplayerx8]

You sound high on this.

[@Nylspider]

I know! It's an amazing art style that I love!

[@edenojack]

I've been working on an adventure game for a little while on and off, for each roadblock I've come across I've started a project that focuses on that roadblock. I've now got a small collection of rather nifty projects, that all leads into a bigger one. This is working for me, I've always got something to do, and I'm slowly creating more as I go along.

[@MustNotContainSpaces]

If I might add something to this: Use version control! It is not just for writing code, it works for any kinds of files. There are few things as frustrating, as accidentally hitting delete on a precious file and seeing all your hard work vanish in front of your eyes. Also, if you make changes to your stuff and they turn out to be bad, it is incredibly valuable to be able to just roll everything back to the last working state in an instant. A modern vcs (especially git) might seem very complicated at first, but there are a lot of very nice overlay (I personally recommend "Sourcetree") that do a lot of the complicated stuff for you. Oh yes, and you don't need any kind of hosting for version control (at least if you're using a modern one - stay away from subversion et al.), it also works fine locally.

[@VP1NTO]

I'd like to say, I'm not a gamer but as a non-gamer I have learnt so much from you guys. The series you're currently doing really speaks to me as a student mechanical engineer. Thank you so much for your videos!!!

[@SeanLamb-I-Am]

These are exceptionally valuable tips for a wide range of projects, and it's good to remind ourselves of these tips as we explore new activities. A model railroader friend of mine likes to say that "our eyes are bigger than our abilities" when he advocates for new model builders to work on smaller projects.

[@wolfson109]

I recommend reading about agile software development. It's about breaking your software up into 'user stories'. Each user story is an explanation of the action/feedback loop for a single interaction between the user and the software. It can really help to get out the smallest possible product with the highest value.

[@mennoltvanalten7260]

"go to internet if your stuck for an hour" is a good tip, i got code for things of which i don't know how or why it works, but it works, so i just copy paste it into new programs

[@AstroHopefulBenjaminGottsch]

My programing teacher had us make choose your own adventure games. They are really easy to make, by just having a series of if statements. If you are any good ad animating you can use the graphics options on python to make a choose your own adventure style game that shows the end result.

[@vaevictus4637]

The picture with the guy that nailed random pieces of wood together was absolutely brilliant and reminds me of every first project I've ever done for anything. lmao

[@LosPiraguas]

So great tips, it helped me a lot to continue my game and get better in organization.

[@zomb_rand0m16]

I took your advice and made my first game in four days with three levels! thanks so much

[@DoubIeRose]

I always forget about these episodes, then I see them in my sub box and it makes me happy.

[@voxhominem]

tip ∞ use some sort of source control and make sure to use descriptive commit messages so when you get lost reading over your code you can understand what you were thinking when you implemented it

[@rmn4]

Sorry, but given how good the grammar, spelling and vocabulary of this series is, I just have to point out that "Implement" was accidentally misspelled as "Impliment" (at 2:08). Thanks for another great video!

[@tarquinnff3]

This series is also great advice for writers, or creators in general.

[@ebrooks317]

The little game at 4:19 is so adorable!!!!!!!

[@vatekehcorlon867]

You guys should definitely do a live stream of making one of these simple projects it would be fun to watch but also a great learning experience for all of us

[@sendcuddlesplz]

You know what I am going to do, I will make the smallest possible game and build off of that to make it larger. Thank you so much for the advice. Also, next episode I will post another comment as a question. See ya!

[@pepesajicraft705]

I made my first game in a day. It's just a maze that leads to a room painted as exterior.

[@abramthiessen8749]

Same. I made tic-tack-toe in around a day using C++. It sounds like you got farther than I did.

[@123TeeMee]

Same for me, but I'm struggling to make anything that would take longer

[@supbscripter4079]

I made tic tac toe in C# with an ai and all it's really neat :D

[@unendeavouringbear7195]

Within 8 hours I managed to completely code and create basic designs for a 2d platformer with functioning enemies.

[@helloworld2848]

Unendeavouring Bear What engine

[@Kuhchuk1]

I was really pleased with the reference to Shadow of the Colossus.

[@Yorick257]

I wish I saw this video when I was writing my bachelor's thesis : D which is completely unrelated to games, but tips are really good

[@adamofblastworks1517]

Important to coming back to more complex programs and such or on team programs: comment to explain EVERYTHING going on. Also if you join a team in the far future, I think I've heard it's important to track changes and who made them... though I'm not the clearest on how to do that.

[@bhanujoshi6989]

I lost my motivation but this channel really helped me ...thanks

[@CornishCreamtea07]

I'm really bad at planning mile stones, I just don't know how long it will take me to do something.

[@AlexPope1668]

Try your best, and make notes so you can adjust for next time, e.g., "Animation took forever. I either need to expect it to take 4 times longer next time, or break it down into 4 smaller milestones." That way you'll get better at planning milestones.

[@Necroskull388]

Set some that seem basically reasonable, and move forward. If you fail to meet those milestones, adjust your expectations. The best way to learn this stuff is through experience.

[@AndersDahnielson]

I just love how each week is being 8 days in the schedule calendar. :)

[@dqflynn]

Here's another nice tip that helped for me: Find friends that share a love of making games and recruit them! A friend and I are working on some stuff... I suggest you do the same!

[@coolerthanice32658]

+dqflynn Hey im just getting into video game designing too, i'm motivated to try and start building a simple game like these tutorials have tought us, I have a lot of friends, but i have tried to talk them into it, they say its going to be a waste of time. I think not, lets get in touch?

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

AAAAAAAAAAAA THIS IS WAY TOO GOOD!!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I feel like i'm going to combust with so many insights, and now starting something feel like something i can do not an amorphous mammoth creature.

[@nexttoradio]

Love you all! Keep up the awesome work!

[@mitchell2719]

This isn't just good for games, but great for any software project. Something like Trello is great for planning

[@gingergoat3027]

I would also recommend going to unity3d, the website, then go to learn, then tutorials. Watch some of those! You will learn alot from it, even though you're kinda not creating anything yourself.

[@hikerwolfspaine8200]

Nice stuff I like the idea of playing the game throughout development I write quite a few short stories and everytime I come back to a story I re-read the last few chapters and find everything I did wrong but didn't notice as I started to run out of energy also any new ideas can be easily implemented by ripping sections out these chapters earlier than trying to go back and locate any part of the story that doesn't agree with your newer ideas also I can't write anything larger than three pages which makes it a lot easier too.

[@TheSpacecraftX]

Well... I chose to make mine in a language I already knew and now it's hurting me. I'm using Visual Basic 2008 to make a static graphics point and click dungeon crawler. Combat is basically turn-based random number generation with different probabilities depending on your equiped weapon. And the only animated graphics are GIFs of enemies. I'm finding my options for movement on a 2D space limited by the language I think.

[@saltysandwiches3554]

You really shouldn't use visual basic for games, it doesn't fit the task. You should rather try some tool/library made appositely for games, even if really simple, game maker or unity for instance. That doesn't mean you shouldn't program in visual basic, it's good excercise.

[@kajgies]

I would not use Visual Basic for games. If you want to create your game in an engine try GameMaker or Unity(2D) else you can try programming in C++, it's a bit harder to learn then most languages but it still is the industries standard, has virtually no limits and is as fast as you write it. And I wouldn't use gifs for graphics if I were you, you can convert them to jpg/png pretty easy.

[@banama1758]

visual basic ? are you mad

[@saltysandwiches3554]

***** Visual Basic is somehow even worse. Anyway I agree on the fact that c++ is the way to go, but it is a very abstract to start. I would suggest Java or C# if you are going for high level languages, html5 or Javascript for scripting.

[@TheSpacecraftX]

I agree that it in hindsight it was a bad platform to use but I thought to begin with that I'd be best using a language I already knew. I am currently also learning Javascript but I've done some research and found I'm doing it the difficult way.

[@sprazz8668]

I remember the time I spent over 8 hours spread across about two weeks trying to solve one issue in my shitty Construct game then didn't even touch anything to do with game development for like three months. I could have used some of these tips.

[@j.hellsing8812]

My approaches on games yet: Make up each new part spontaneously after finishing the one before. No planning ahead, just an abstract idea about what it should look like. Yeah, it didn't work out.

[@mincoder]

Play testing is very useful because you have biases about your game.

[@MrInternetHermit]

Ironically enough, these tips work for making board games, card games, or even other hobbies/passions.

[@hinokiodokidoki7013]

i've just watched 2 video and this make my passion on coding and making a game goes up, sry for my messy english

[@LightningCayo]

Extra Credits I believe the closest I came to designing anything in a game was making a basic map in Team Fortress 2. I still have the screenshots to show what I made. :P I know it sounds pathetic, but I felt proud making my first map.

[@extrahistory]

Lots of designers start off with making mods and maps inside other games, especially Valve-related ones because the tools are so accessible and perfect for beginners. Be proud of yourself! And keep making stuff! Even if you end up deciding to not pursue games as a career, take that joy you felt when you finished something, and apply it to the next goal or project you want to do. :) --Belinda

[@LightningCayo]

Oh my gosh, you noticed me! ;w; I do plan on going into video game designing/directing. I plan on making a 2D platforming game. And your videos on game designing have been very helpful in making me feel more confident in getting started. Plus thanks for the kind words, I was very proud and relieved I created a map. Albeit, a small map with a floor, walls, skybox, ammo kit, health pack, windows and train in it. :p

[@psielemental]

This is *immensely* helpful to me, since i just recently started working with RPG Maker VX Ace. To many people say it as "simple", even Totalbiscuit. ;/ Yet, it is a powerful software once you get into scripts. Maybe give an short overview over game engines / software in an future episode ?

[@darkmage07070777]

I do have a question: how does one foster creativity with game ideas? I mean, I know you want to keep it small and simple, but I can't shake the feeling that the game should at least have something different about it, some gameplay quirk that people go "Huh. That was a thing".

[@Lizard_geek]

I find my self pretty decent at modeling, rigging, animating, level design, lighting, texturing. But coding looks a little intimidating not because of the code its self but everything you need and the processes you have to go through to apply the code. Honestly don't know how to explain myself there but yea. Also I do my work in Blender, a 3-d modeling software that is completely free.

[@ChelseaGunners]

how did you start off with making a game? I'm thinking of starting a 2d platformed game but it'll be pretty simple what engine should i use?

[@unendeavouringbear7195]

Look around at your school or work and find someone who's willing to code the game, it can be a learning experience for both of you, I used a friend to texture my 2d platformer because I'm not the best at art.

[@Kindrick]

For my first game, it's probably just gonna be a game using Hellcore with a better version of the game (not using Hellcore) being the next one, with the blind-friendly features being built in and properly implemented instead of just clumsy addons.

[@Scixxy]

I intend to use all of these tips to write a novel.

[@benny4466]

almost 2 years on my first game,still on my first level

[@shadowace112]

dont add 50%, do the scotty rule, multiply the estimate by 4 so when you get done you'll look like a magician getting it done so soon.

[@Oxmond]

Step 1: Learn to code! 🤘🤓🤘

[@Z3roBl1ss]

Honestly, I think this is all good advice, but I'd just be really bored trying to make a game with a scope that small, because I'd know that the end result is too boring and bad to measure up to my own expectations. I like small games, but I don't like trash. Prototyping is another thing. I can totally see a prototype being a first viable goal that you'd want in 1 month, and then start to polish it until it actually measures up to what you want, even though that might take up to half a year. I think people only quit if they don't see their progress, so setting milestones is a good way to keep at it.

[@calmetosis]

Nice video!

[@jaxxtheasshat8954]

Well, I'm going to college for game designing, and I've got a massive idea. I've always known that even with my friends who also intend on working with me, it wasn't going to be our first game. The idea of never being able to indie my idea kills me, though.... And I don't even know what engine to start with XD

[@ThePC007]

I've also got a pretty awesome idea, but it is somewhat complicated to program. Well, I've been game developing for about 4 years now, so it's not really the lack of skills that matters, but the lack of time. :/

[@cjspellsfish]

Me;*watches video until end* The Prince from Katamari Damacy; Skiggity skotro, I'm sneaking into your outro. Me;*Gets run over by Katamari* This is a joke about the outro song. Laugh.

[@DuranmanX]

Funny, I have the same problem with playing games as EC is listing making them Some games take longer than month, some I forgot about, some I go weeks without playing, some I get bored with and just stop playing

[@miningcreeper7838]

9k subs away from 1 mil when I was watching this

[@DavidOliveiraUfc]

thank you! :D

[@Loading-tr7yv]

I’ve been very good at #10

[@Gruggo]

Would it be worth trying to finding some time to learn some thing such as XNA, I was thinking about picking up a book on it, perhaps 'Learning XNA 4.0' from O'Reilly, and having a read through that and building a few of the examples. I've just been doing a diploma in software development, and have done quite a bit of work with C# in doing that. I don't even know what kind of a game I would like to make, I just know that I want to write software, so I'm constantly looking for new things to put my mind to and learn.

[@nathanreaman8938]

I've already finished my first should i start my 2nd?

[@NoxeroAndSari]

What would be a good starter language to learn and program games in?

[@DragonOfDrakness1992]

Many of the languages are very alike in the way they functions (loops, arrays and so on) it is just the syntax there is different. So I would say it all depends on what program you are making the game in and what that program supports (for Unity would JS or C# be a good idea to start with)

[@INameIsGood]

***** Thanks you, i already know basics of c++ ( i stopped before headers) and made some games without graphics, just words in in screen, was fun, but I didn't knew if C++ was deemed worthy by true programmers as program to make games with :D (this is not sarcasm)

[@Elepole]

INameIsGood You can make a game in any language. Choosing a language depend more on what tools you want to use for your game when you start making more advance stuff. (Hell, Minecraft is made in Java, a language than most game programmer deemed unfit for game)

[@DaikoruArtwin]

Doing a Flash Game for your first game is a good idea, as there are many tutorials out there and Flash Games can easily be distributed through sites like Newgrounds. They use ActionScript 3, which is almost identical to JavaScript. C++ may be the too tough for a start. I got a good chunk of experience with AS3 and JS, but when I tried C++, I just faceplanted against tons of technical and subtle problems. I've seen many say that C++ isn't really the best language to use if you're creating a small game, and after having tried it, I can see why. It got lots of potential, but there's also a lot of things that will just slow you down.

[@Niosus]

***** Don't start with C++... Just don't. I'm studying computer science and I make money on the side doing freelance programming work. I figured that I really should get some working experience with C++. So I decided to make a very basic physics engine in C++ just to have something to experiment with. Even with all my background and previous experience, it took some significant effort to get started with C++. If you want something a bit more robust than JS, I'd say go with C#. It is supported in the Unity engine so you can work from there. JS is a bit easier to get started with, but it is also a lot easier to write messy/buggy code which eventually may become unmanageable. C# forces you to follow certain best practices but that comes along with a bit more frustration when you are just getting started.

[@SAMACSTUDIOS]

I've worked on countless game projects - from retro to unreal engine. However, I have never actually finished a game, other than a little school project. This past month I've been diving in trying to make a game that'll be realistic, and I always make my game too big - and when I think about removing the content, I realize the core is crap, or simply a replica of another game. How do you come up with a simple idea? Something like "shoot a portal gun to make portals"? Basically I need something that I can build on, instead of "Shooter" or "Small Skyrim-like game"

[@Johnson09641]

+Josh “Camas” Steinhauer That's the thing.. what do you want to make? is it something small and indie-like, or call of duty size? You should plan what you want to do. Try first maybe to think what you like about games, what parts, and break them down to the simplest part and build from that

[@SAMACSTUDIOS]

btw guys, I've figured out what I wanted to make, and I've actually been working on it for a couple months now! Thanks for all ya'll help! You can pop over to indiedb.com/games/hero if your interested :D

[@SAMACSTUDIOS]

+Sohrab Azar I personally post once a month. :D

[@Mal_]

So I don't get who this refers to.. Full-Time student/job? Can they really make a game in a month or two? Or does this refer to someone working full-time on a game?

[@tamerofhorses2200]

I have a question. As a total beginner, is it better for me to learn a coding language like C or C++ or just use a visual game making program ? (e.g.: Unity 5 etc..)

[@edwnx0]

+Manguch Beg I'm a beginner too. I'm using the Unreal Engine and I feel like the visual programming in Blueprint has helped me understand a lot about how games work. I think trying an engine first to get your feet wet is a good idea. And then decide if this is for you and go deeper by learning how to code.

[@liamaspinall6906]

+Manguch Beg Quick question, are you more interested in programming or actually making a game? If your answer is programming i'd suggest learning a semi-basic language for a basis then more onto an engine, if more making a game I have found unity to be more then capable.

[@Plebma]

+Manguch Beg Unity does include coding (C#) but it has much less of it. Something like unity is much better, and many professionals use visual based programs like it. Personally I am pretty good at programming in Java and could probably make a game using it but would much prefer to use something like unity as it allows you to focus on the game itself.

[@Meloncov]

+Manguch Beg If your goal is to be a individual developer, do both. Eventually you are gonna want coding skills, so you should start learning those, but if you start from the ground up, it'll be a long time before you're able to develop your design skills.

[@EduardoMartinez-dm5pp]

hahahahah omg my sides haha "Gaem" xD

[@metalkez]

Do you guys have a crystal ball or something??? Just pointed out at least 5 issues I am having with my development.... Thanks for the mootivation bost haha, I'll come back next month when I feel like shit again...

[@nathandecena7694]

Number 7 the Boss

[@LannisterFromDaRock]

One man SCRUM! :)

[@clonerstive]

Awesome

[@AndrewMeyer]

1:31 (Tips 5-7) Hold on, did you basically just recommend scrum? ;-)

[@ShyanTheLegend]

What games have you guys made?

[@carterwiliamson8950]

I want a game that is not to short

[@dacypher22]

I would like to actually suggest to look at your game every DAY rather than every week. You don't have to actually do anything, but you need to think about it. It can be as simple as figuring out what you need to do next, and then go to the part of your code/project where that would be done and add a comment or something. I am a professional programmer (in enterprise development, not game development which I do as a hobby) and it is amazing how fast your brain will erase where you were at and what you were doing. If it slips out to two weeks, you will have a hard time even remembering that you made it (I have complained about horribly written code in our application before at work, asked who did it, and then was embarrassed to find that I wrote it only about 2 weeks ago; I'm serious).

[@reubenfrench6288]

Would you guys say that modding is a good place to start? I'm thinking about trying something on the SC2 editor.

[@Louis-cw7fk]

+Reuben F i found that it was a very good place to start, especially the sc2 editor as it isw simple :)

[@harrymansfield6189]

"A good programmer knows his stuff, a great programmer knows how to use google" - One of my programming teachers Mike Witik

[@alpkahro]

Wow

[@kantar007]

give that man a medal

[@Hanabi782]

A round of applause please

[@RainOn2SunnyDay]

Remember guys, don't reinvent the wheel!

[@bcvuazy-old6585]

He deserves a reward

[@ZNac]

If i want to try and do something simple 2d, whats a nice coding launguage for it.

[@fuelks]

A platformer? Use the PyGame library for Python. Go watch tutorials on it, it's super easy to get into.

[@youngyen2089]

woah, its Znac

[@brookayanaw9540]

I think gd script of Godot

[@SoleiLilyn]

LibGDX Java if you want to not use an engine and get to learn coding (a bit harder though since you'll be looking at code and there's no set tools for you)

[@justasydefix6251]

@@webots125 GDQuest ones

Small tip: Do not let yourself think that only the work you do directly to your game (code, art, sound, etc) is the only work that counts. Spending some time with pen and paper thinking and writing down ideas, possibilities, mechanics and the best ways to achieve them is also VERY important even if you discard most of them for the sake of keeping it simple.

[@DaikoruArtwin]

That'd be the Game Design Document part. It's a necessary thing in a company where not everyone fully understands the general image of the project they're working on, but it's often seen as a waste of time when working alone on a project. However, even when you're working alone, the GDD is still a very useful thing to have around. In any project, "Where to start?" is always a problem, but in a Game project, you also need to know with what kind of thing everything will need to interact with. If you don't plan your things correctly, you may face a problem when you come across complicated features that you did not anticipate at first.

[@Necroskull388]

That's not just important for organizing a team, it's absolutely vital for any game you intend to finish. Working without a direction will just leave you constantly asking yourself, "...Now what?" I guess that's alright if you're just goofing around and experimenting with design concepts with no intention of putting the game on the market, but not if you're trying to make a real game or get experience with the development process. IMO, the only difference between a design doc for a side project and one for a team effort is that you can easily modify the design doc on a whim if you're working alone.

[@Wtfouk]

Analysis in any project is one of the biggest part of it all. You will spend more time on paper than code. And it is supposed to be that way so you are able to keep track and follow the guide lines you set to yourself.

[@hyperspacey]

I'm a programmer by trade and my most valuable development tools are my white desk and the dry board marker I have to write things on it. Dumping information from your brain into text and diagrams is increeeeaaaaaadably powerful.

[@redfayl]

DaikoruArtwin as a programmer, that cannot be farther away from the truth. Writing lines of code is not that hard, although tedious at times ... coming up with a system that is feasible, modular to changes, and just works is hard. Even with college assignments I need to sit down and think of all the cases I need to include and all of the things I need to implement before starting to work on anything. It helps discard ideas that sound good, but are actually pretty bad once you start to implement them. It does not only make your thought process clearer to understand (because yes, it may be your solo project but even then you can lose track of what you were trying to do), but it also saves time by eliminating some of the guesswork and discarding bad ideas.

[@UnboxedtvNet]

I hope you guys will do a "Making Your First Game: Accepting Criticism" episode, I mean with what went on Steam with games like Day One Garry's Incident, Slaughtering Grounds and Air Control it seems first time developers really don't know how to handle bad reviews

[@mikkolovesgaming1723]

This. They've touched upon what to do with the feedback you get, but I think the point could use some hammering home too.

[@Ashtarte3D]

This is definitely a two way street issue though. Devs need to learn to accept criticism, but also need to recognize what "criticism" they are recieving isn't worth paying attention to. In our current internet anonymity culture there are far too many people that don't understand the core concept that criticism is about helping, not hurting; or that criticism should be fair and not based on your own ideals or interests. Just going on to user reviews in Metacritic is a prime example of these problems. Take any fairly popular, well recieved game by journalists, say Assassin's Creed 4: There will be at least 5% of the user reviews that rate the game a 1 or 0. A score of 1 or 0 should be reserved for games that flat out don't function at all, such as infamous blunders like Superman 64. Just because a game is not a genre you like, or you don't enjoy some aspect doesn't mean it's worth not points. That score should be objective, not subjective.

[@guard13007]

Never thought about that, but I agree this is a very important lesson to learn. I've not had a bad incident yet, but I have replied to a comment on a project of mine in a bad way that I really shouldn't have. >.>

[@jameslillie5445]

You could include Fez in that example. I heard that he was used in a documentary during crunch time for one of his projects and left the industry because of how much criticism he got for having a bad attitude.

[@logicalfundy]

* Never take criticism personally. * You can't please everybody. * Communication is important, and communication is a two way street. * Some people are just jerks demanding attention. Pay them no heed.

[@AtlanticGiantPumpkin]

I'm trying to make a story based game in RPG maker (kind of like To the Moon but probably not as good) with my brother and his friends. They all go to a school for people with autism and Asperger's, so they're kind of the coolest super geniuses you'll ever meet. We all wanted to make a video game with a great story due to the lack of ultra popular video games recently. One chick and my brother already know how to code, two people are doing art, I'm doing story and soundtrack, and honestly we are super pumped!

[@anthonycooke942]

Please let me know if you complete it! I love playing games made in RPG Maker! Plus, like this video said, get people to play your game.

[@jaysprake1502]

Yeah Me To!!

[@jimmyleg5]

Is it about trains?

[@dolebiscuit]

Good luck to you all! I'd love to play your finished product :D

[@hauntedcupoftea]

Josie Alyvia it's awesome. will you launch it? (can I join in too?)

[@YamiZee]

My first game will be a Katamari MMO with super realistic sand physics, and its gonna be on earth and the entirety of earth will be detailed including my house and your house and I'm going to write it in c++ and its not going to do any of that silly unloading objects stuff that katamri does when getting bigger. It's all gonna stay,including when your the size of new york. Theres gonna be a vs cpu mode where the ai will design the perfectest path possible and will be impossible to beat. There will be no glitches. Every object will have hd textures btw. I'm gonna add 10 new features every week, even once it's finished. Will not disappoint. Starting tomorrow. Wish me luck!! :DD

[@cbucks6613]

Hows the game going XD

[@mihajlo5804]

Is it finished? xD

[@quinceanerajones9212]

are you rich yet?

[@1STAPPEARANCEHULKED]

You guys all realize that he was being sarcastic right?

[@benasamalevicius9617]

@@1STAPPEARANCEHULKED r/woooosh

[@AbdurrahmanKhallouf]

I hope everyone new would take the advices, I learned them the hard way, the hard way sucks!

[@davidabeats]

Same mate, same

[@omarcarbajal7601]

I am currently learning the hard way....I should have planned it all out earlier.

[@omarcarbajal7601]

***** I could have had this info when i started my project but oh well. I wont quit

[@ralien3066]

i was learning the hard way had a huge text adventure that really for a first game was too big and complicated especially as 3 weeks ago had to abandon it because of my GCSE exams but i literally 5 mins ago took an idea from my other game and am actually going to adapt it in to a smaller game that will also be text based so when i start my big game i can use bits from the prototype and use them to make my job easier i'm just glad i have an excellent resource that being EC and there great community

[@kahncena22]

+x24sonic u rlly read that all? i read 5 words got bored xD

[@ganonlink]

I feel like I'm the protagonist in a story. I just managed to enter a game design university and decided to try and make a game before classes started, and immediately afterwards EC comes up with a "Make Your First Game" series.

[@SoralTheSol]

Video Tip: Don't Spend more then an hour on a project. Real life Experience: Started drawing at 5pm on Monday, stopped Tuesday at 4am because body demanded food. My own tip for this segment, get a kitchen timer or an alarm clock, it is really easy to get lost in your work.

[@thenacho6354]

I havent see the light of day in 48 hours

[@응가바보-j7k]

@@thenacho6354 You've seen light? Tell me. What does light look like?

[@TwistedNsanity]

You should definitely start small, miniscule even. I've spent the last 6 months working on my first project. And although I've learned a tremendous amount since I've started, progress has slowed down to a crawl recently because of the rat's nest of code I've made. Every addition requires large rewrites of old code. I might be better off scrapping it and starting fresh.

[@Niosus]

That is pretty much bound to happen to beginners. I suggest looking up the principles of object oriented programming if you haven't already. With that (and you current code) in mind, try to come up with a new structure for your code. Start with rebuilding the core (without any extra features) and add all the extras back in one by one. If your new structure is good, it should be a fairly smooth process although you're bound to find many bugs.

[@Narrlocke]

You should definitely re-write it from scratch and, like Niosus said, try to make sure your base is clean in preparation for all of the features you have in the current version, and from there start adding them back in.

[@Evilmonkey3X]

The first game i made, the only mechanics I had was dialogue... I really hate doing dialogue now... But, I learned quite a bit from that. The prototypes I make always focus on one singular mechanic, and so now I know how to do all sorts of things in games.

[@MilesMetal]

You know, I started watching this series with the thought that it would just be interesting to watch. After watching this episode, I'm starting to think about trying to actually build something. The tips that this video gave destroyed my pre-conceptions about making a game. Every so often I would begin planning a game, just as a thought exercise, but I would even give up on something like that after a few minutes. I think I've actually found motivation now. I'm really looking forward to more videos in this series. Thanks Extra Credits :)

[@beezyo3042]

Miles_Metal... 8-Bit Metal, Video Game and Film Covers These videos do inspire me as well, but my plans are so unintentionally huge and my self esteem always low, I never get to doing anything.

[@jovictor3007]

Have you finished your game ?

[@philbertius]

Practical tip for coders: make systems you can reuse! In fact, design all functionality as modular and reusable as possible!

[@GrannyGamer1]

Again, this advice is applicable to almost any project in one's life, game or not. gg

[@SeanFrancisNBallais]

"Don't plan something that'll take longer than a month. It's gonna take longer than a month." Ah, software engineering as usual.

[@GameKraken]

This really helped me make my first game which was nothing more than an asteroid arcade spinoff. Since then I have learned a lot and I am now planning to make something bigger. Thanks Extra Credits!

[@shanedooley5948]

what program do you use

[@GameKraken]

Shane Dooley Well now I use Unity but to make my first game I used game maker because it is very easy to use and its free unless you want the proffesional edition

[@shanedooley5948]

Awesome thanks buddy I will check it out. Scratch is also free iv not really used it yet but people have made awesome stuff on there the coeding is already done for you on scratch etc

[@GameKraken]

Shane Dooley Scratch isn't really capable of doing large 2d or 3d games mainly it is used for teacher examples of programing and it's potential in schools. Game maker does use programing but it teaches you how to do it. And a really good and easy tool to use is unity. They have full game making tutorials etc. I would recommend unity for making a game. But beware if you want to make a 3d game you can't do it in game maker. Unity is my recomendation but to start I think GameMaker is better.

[@GameKraken]

***** It's not a steam game and really is kinda basic but here it is none the less www.mediafire.com/?now9lpfiosb2cp9

[@cryism7798]

when learning also don’t be afraid to re-use assets from practice games in larger scale works later to make your life easier

[@cuckoophendula8211]

What's great about these videos is that even for those like me who aren't even interested in developing games, a lot of these tips really apply to many other aspects of life.

[@protanopia]

If you have any 3d modeling skills, animating skills, or coding skills and really want to get better (as well as test yourself) look into doing game jams. UE4 Forums have them monthly, and they're a lot of fun. Try to find someone around your level of skills (though its always better to find better who are better than you at stuff).

[@fission1h994]

Tip 1: Don't plan something that you think you will take you longer than a month to complete it. *later* Tip 2: It's gonna take longer than a month,but don't sweat it. *lol*

[@KokiriKidLink]

I worked on a MUGEN based off me and my friends. My first time touching the engine. The first character took me three days, so I estimated I would be done in 3-4 Months with all the balancing and such. Finished the game in a month, still balancing a year later. MUGEN Is good because it allows you to do one character at a time as you learn. So if you try an engine and estimate from there, throw out your estimate. you will learn along the way.

[@dorby0578]

I made a game under 10 min!

[@miru021]

The cartoons are amazing! XD haha Also, the voice is surprisingly robotic and ... Human? = / Excellent video!

[@CrabQueen]

A lot of this applies to making a board game as well, which is great considering my projects. Thanks for the tips!

[@ErrorNamenotfound-so2gt]

One of the most helpful videos that I have ever watched for the earlier stages of game development, I made about 12 games using this video as a reference point, they were simple, short, but fun. With each game I learned to program, to make levels, to make good (by my standards) at, and pretty much everything else I needed to know to actually make a game. I have been (trying to) make games for about 5 years now and it wasn't until I watched this video did I crawl myself out of that hole and start being productive with my time. I now plan on working on a slightly larger product and releasing the first level for free as a demo, if it is received well I will continue and hopefully release it a full game in the future. TL;DR This video made me a better game developer, I hope it can for you too.

[@Karonis124]

Replace the word "game" here with any other kind of art. These tips still hold true.

[@oneshotshort4626]

here's an example of a first game you could make. A simple 1 screen platformer A stick figure, a door, and 8 platforms leading up to the door.

[@gmseven4150]

i have a question. i'm using game maker plus and i'm good at the (pseudo)coding but i am not an artist. I know the last video suggested that i just go for a minimalist art style, but i wanted to know if there is anywhere on the net where an amature coder might hook up with an amature artist to work together for an amature game? anybody know of such a place? Thanks!

[@datscrazy4095]

craglist and devianart and what kind of game are u makig

[@datscrazy4095]

+Coolgoku80 *making

[@hyperslow1233]

GameMakee marketplace, tons of artists there just waiting to be hired.

[@gmseven4150]

some simple games. I started a top down dungeon crawl dog. I can't hire anybody beause I have no money, and I don't plan on making any money at it. at least not yet. I'm just do it for fun/experience.

[@hiQer]

Busy working on my first game, gonna watch this video every week. It motivates me and reminds me what to do. Thanks!

[@TravisMohan]

nice talk but how do I actually try to make a game ?

[@TheiLame]

+Travis Mohan just start with tutorials

[@polybomb9640]

+Travis Mohan Grab Unity, a popular and versatile engine, assuming your computer can run it (shouldn't be TOO high on the requirements). The front page of the Unity website has three or four tutorials on how to make a small variety of games, and they're both free and comprehensive. If you finish one or two of those, you'll surely have put together a few ways you can make your own works!

[@Saurygiel]

+Travis Mohan Use Construct 2 if your not ready for the hard task of learning code. It works very well and is free if you want to make something small but fun.

[@sakoir1061]

+Travis Mohan I would recommend you if you don't have any skill in art/graphic design - and don't want to make your own physics engine - Roblox. While it is marketed towards a younger audience, there's plenty of chances to learn the basics of game development, and potentailly earn money from it.

[@kylezaruba9497]

+Invisible Teemo Roblox is not a game making engine...