An end to an era…

Well game development was fun while it lasted but I do not see a profitable career in it. If you get lucky you can make it as a game programmer but it is a small chance. So the question is: Why do you want to become a game developer? 

For me it was because I wanted to own my own business and to be the best game programmer ever. I was not interested in graphics or 3D modelling at all. i like the idea of seeing the results that you going for early.

One main reason that drove me to this was that my old job was not very fun. It made me not want to code at all. So I quit. I found a new job that is very challenging and very rewarding in the private sector. (PS. Never work for government again – Future Jon).

So now I work on Ruby on Rails. It is really really awesome. There are some amazing developers out there that just kill the keyboard. They whip up applications in no time and are really inspiring. 

The web development world pays well and can be fun to program in. Give it a try. If you are like me, you will find that it is as rewarding as video games and much easier to make into a career.

This is my last blog post on here for a while. Hopefully it has helped someone but it has mainly helped me to come to a conclusion to quit my boring job and find a better one.

Thanks for reading.

What programming a game really means part II

So I wanted to share my experiences as a new game developer. I am an electrical engineer who works full time and I have found it tough to work on games.

Lesson 1: ITS SO HARD

This task is not for the faint of heart. You need to really work at this in order to get any return. So how do you stay motivated? Small goals. It sounds dumb but this is the most important part.

Lesson 2: You are alone

So you met up with some people online? Got some good friends that will take you to the top? These people will most likely quit. Be ready to do it all on your own. This includes the programming, art and music.

Lesson 3: Work a manageable amount of time each day.

If you start going to the gym and work out hardcore, you burn out. You get so sore that you don’t want to go back. I have worked 40 hour work weeks and then gone home and put in an extra 60 hours in the same week. Do not do this. No matter how fast you think you can make your game, it will take longer.

Lesson 4: Don’t try to make money

Money will come at the right time when you make good games. If you have the idea that all your games will make you something, you will be disappointed. Some games sell like crazy but it is rare. You can make a career out of this but it will be tough.

Lesson 5: Don’t re-invent the wheel

Use the tools that are available. Spend time researching ways to make games. There are several options out there. My favorite is Unity but there are many other studios that make great products. Don’t make a sprite renderer class on your first game.

Sickness

Well today is the first day in a week that I have not been in bed all day. I have had no time for game development but I will be building a 2D platforming shooter for this months OGAM. That is the plan at least.

Hopefully some of you stick around to see things develop. If you have any questions or ideas for games, contact me @OdonnellCarl

Week off Status Report

Well this has been a great week off so far. I really needed it from my job. I had planned to go crazy working on games but I found that I just needed a break. I have been doing some work and have been trying to get 2d going with Unity. The main thing that is holding me up is pixel perfect collisions with custom sprites. This new game looks great and will be  a lot of fun. I may develop a smaller game in the meantime for my ogam submission for march.

A Game Idea is Born.

Had a great idea for a game that I am going to make this month. I have the next week off so I hope to show off some cool features soon. It will be made in Unity and in c# and be in 2D. This is going to be fun and I intend to post lots of info along the way. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. Message me @OdonnellCarl on Twitter.

This game looks like it will be really fun to make and play. I am excited to get to work.

Forming a PLAN!

So I am now starting to form some brief documentation for a game I will be making over the spring break. I plan on investing about 80 hours in a week off of work. Hopefully I can get some good art and have a more finished game for March OGAM entry. I like the idea of a game over a month but I would like to do some more events of programming a game over a weekend. I really enjoy this because I learn more each time and am not afraid to scrap a project.

I am still learning Unity and will be doing so along with building a game starting tomorrow night. I hope it all goes well. I am working with a partner.

If you are reading this, send me some feedback. I hope to make it better all the time. I know we can create something great together

Two small games released for download

http://www.onegameamonth.com/OdonnellCarl

You can download and play these games here. Hope you enjoy them. They are part of a challenge to make 12 games this year. The goal is to have each month better than the last. I feel that this has happened but I have a long way to go.

We have a new site coming out soon. More details to be released shortly.

What programming a game really means

So i am starting to realize that it takes a certain type of person to take a video game form start to finish. I am that type of person but it is not for everyone. Most likely, if you are reading this blog it is because you are an aspiring indie developer or you are interested in me and my products (yet to be sold :D).

Here is my advice so far. Start with Unity and c#.

It is the best in my opinion and will be relevant for many many years to come. Get online and start going through tutorials until you can get a project going. This takes at least 100 hours of learning. Treat it like a degree at school. I took electrical engineering for five years at UNB. I did not start ambitious engineering projects when I knew nothing. I did small projects to help me learn and accelerate my growth.

Next Tip: You are not going to make money.

This mindset is great because it sets you up for success. If you intend on quitting your job and selling a million copies of your game, you will be upset. Set small goals. My goal is to post 12 games online this year on my own website and sell one of them for one dollar.

Game Jam Coming Up + Learning

Learning my face off with Unity. Game Jame for 60 hours of work coming up on March1-9.

More Learning Cont.

So I have my big game dev meeting tomorrow and am planning on showing my 3d racing game. I have a lot to learn so far and am trying to work my way through lots of tutorials. I have almost abandoned game maker for now so that I can learn all of Unity that I can.

Unity is great and I would recommend that you follow pushypixels on youtube for great and current tutorials. I am working my way through them now in every spare moment that I have.

Happy Coding @OdonnellCarl