| Video Game making has evolved dramatically | | | | played in. These are the boundaries of the game |
| over the past decade. It used to be a world filled | | | | world. Inside this game world you place all of the |
| with tedious hours of programming in a language | | | | inanimate objects whether they be outside terrain |
| like C. But today there are readily available tools | | | | features or inside objects like rooms and furniture. |
| that do all this programming work for you and | | | | This stage is where all of the inanimate objects |
| allow you to focus on the creative task of building | | | | are created and placed in your computerized |
| a fantasy world game. | | | | world. It is a complete world without any animals, |
| Finding and Using the Software | | | | beasts or characters. When you do this you are |
| There are many free for public use video game | | | | simply building and placing all the objects where |
| software suites and they are all very similar. If | | | | they belong and defining their shape. |
| you learn how to use one of them you can | | | | This-step is commonly called "wire-framing" |
| readily transfer your skills to the others. And if | | | | because the end result will look like a drawing with |
| you are serious about your video game making, | | | | many wires in three dimensional locations that |
| the skills you learn with the free software are a | | | | define and show all of the various shapes and |
| good foundation for working with the high-end | | | | surfaces of your game. After the wire framing is |
| software tools that the professionals use. You can | | | | complete you will bring it to life by applying |
| easily find any number of these free software | | | | textures to all the surfaces. |
| applications by using a popular search engine. Two | | | | Step Three - Texturing |
| of them that I have used are the Genesis game | | | | This "texturing" of the game is a simple process |
| engine and the Reality Factory game | | | | of selecting a surface then choosing a texture |
| development suite. | | | | that will be applied to it. All game development |
| Five Steps to Making a Video Game | | | | software comes with a library of ready to used |
| There are five basic steps to making a video | | | | textures that you can choose from and apply to |
| game. These are the steps that professional | | | | surfaces with a single click of your mouse. |
| developers take when making a cutting edge | | | | Professional game companies spend an |
| game and they are the same steps you take | | | | extraordinary amount of time creating their own |
| when making a small game that you and your | | | | textures and applying them to the wire-frames of |
| friends can enjoy. | | | | their games. It is this texturing that gives a game |
| Step One - Design on Paper | | | | it's own unique look and feel. It is a very |
| The very first thing you have to do when | | | | important part of game design and companies |
| designing a video game is to get it down on | | | | have people dedicated to just creating textures |
| paper. This is the most over-looked step and it is | | | | for their worlds. Games can be composed of |
| also the number one mistake that many budding | | | | thousands of unique textures and on any |
| game designers make. If we compare the | | | | professional game development team this job of |
| process of making a video game to the process | | | | creating textures is a full time job. |
| of building a house this step would be like drawing | | | | Step Four - Placing entities in your world |
| up the blueprints. Before building a house you | | | | Entities are the players in your game or objects in |
| have to get everything into the blueprints so you | | | | your game that either move or interact with the |
| can know exactly what you are building, where | | | | player. These entities have two unique |
| everything goes and what everything looks like. | | | | components that have to be designed -what they |
| This holds true with game design. Before you | | | | look like and what they do. With today's free |
| start making your video game you have to | | | | software you get a whole host of pre-built |
| conceptualize it. You have to draw out on paper | | | | entities and characters that you can simply drop |
| what the game looks like, where everything goes | | | | and drag right into your game. They are complete |
| and to take this one step further than home | | | | with their behaviors and their look. A good |
| building you have to write a script so you can | | | | example of an entity is the avatar of the player. |
| understand what will happen in your game. This | | | | There are available characters that have all their |
| script doesn't have to be complex. It can be as | | | | properties already assigned to them. You simply |
| easy as "The player has to work his way through | | | | place the character in your world and it is ready |
| the dungeon and find the Sword of Happiness to | | | | to use -and complete with a host of |
| complete the game". | | | | characteristics such as running, jumping and using |
| Maps and Sketches | | | | weapons. |
| Your video game is a complete world that a | | | | Step Five - Creating your own characters and |
| player will be able to walk around in and this | | | | behaviors |
| means that the first thing you should make is a | | | | If you want to make a video game you can do it |
| map of the whole world whether it is an outdoor | | | | without this step at all. All of the tools are already |
| world or an indoor dungeon-like world. When you | | | | designed and ready for you to pop right into your |
| do this it gives you a base to start with. When | | | | game. But if you want to develop your skill |
| making your video game one of the first things | | | | further, or if you have very specific requirements |
| you will do is create a large box that contains | | | | of your game that are not readily available, you |
| your whole world. Inside this box is where you will | | | | can create your own characters with programs |
| place all of the various objects of your game. If | | | | such as Milkshape. And utilizing scripts that come |
| your map has outdoor areas you will put in it the | | | | with your software you can assign unique |
| terrain features like mountains, rivers, bridges and | | | | characteristics and properties to your characters. |
| building. If it is strictly an inside world you will map | | | | This will give your game a sense of uniqueness |
| out all of the various rooms. | | | | and an individual look and feel. Using the scripts |
| After you have your overall map completed you | | | | that come with your game does take some time |
| can work down into the details. Draw floor plans | | | | to learn. A script is a low level programming |
| of any buildings and dungeons. Place the rooms | | | | language and you have to learn the rules of how |
| and all the structures. To aid in the visualization of | | | | to use them. |
| your buildings and rooms you should draw | | | | Creating a video game is not hard |
| sketches of key areas. Are there temples? What | | | | Once you have downloaded the software you |
| will they look like? What are the unique things | | | | can have a one-room game completed in less |
| about your game? Draw sketches of these. Once | | | | than an hour. You can save this game then run it |
| all the concepts are detailed, and your vision of | | | | and play it -even share it with your friends. And |
| the world is created you can begin the actual | | | | the beauty of the software is that once you |
| software creation of your game. This translates | | | | have learned how to make one room the process |
| your game from its paper version to its | | | | is exactly the same for making ten or a hundred |
| computer version. | | | | rooms. You simply stitch them all together and |
| Professional video game design companies spend | | | | cut doorways between them and you have a big |
| an enormous amount of time in this phase of | | | | and complex world that you and your friends can |
| game development. They work out every detail | | | | adventure in. |
| and make drawings and sketches of every room, | | | | The Sky is the Limit |
| every character, and every scene. You do not | | | | Once you have a good understanding of the basic |
| have to design your game with this level of detail | | | | skills there are any number of directions you can |
| but you should make it as detailed as possible. | | | | take in your video game making. You can further |
| Every hour of work you do in this stage of the | | | | work on your conceptualizing of games, you can |
| process will save you several hours of work in | | | | further your artistic skills by creating characters |
| the next step. | | | | with modeling software, or you can create your |
| Step Two - Building the wire-frame of your game | | | | own textures for your game. The only limit to |
| In this step of creating your video game you | | | | your video game making is the scope of your |
| make an overall shell that the whole game will be | | | | imagination. |