Hello Pandora Community.

[worzyl]

So I sent the cheque this week and got an email stating that my order has now been confirmed.

I'm really looking into designing some games for this little machine, but I don't have a clue about programming - but my main job is animation. Are there any gamemaking software that can run on Linux based machines that would work on the Pandora? I've taken a peep at Game Editor and Mokoi Gaming - but I've no idea whether you need to be able to program to use these applications or not - it's going to be 2D stuff shooters, platform and maybe some voice control games.

So if anybody knows anything - or if it has been asked countless of times before and there is already a link hidden somewhere, please don't hesitate to forward it to me while locking this thread

A warm welcome to you all.

Worzyl

 

[dflemstr]

There are some "game makers" in the making, in this community actually. Look in the Dev forum (aka Search). They are based on XML, though, so you'll need to know that. (I'll give the exact links if I find them)

Otherwise, you could either join some other project that is going on at the moment and produce graphics for it, or make your own game with Python and pygame (It's easier than you think!)

 

[Mithrildor]

You can make you our own game using the Mr. Gonzo way. Ive covered all his methods in a book .pfd which will cost ya $5.99 (or you just look at the dev's section.)

And Welcome to the community, glad to have ya here.

 

[worzyl]

Thanks for the info.

One incredibly important thing slipped my mind when I made the purchase, is that the games will most likely be 2 player.
Please tell me that this is possible on the Pandora (usb multitaps etc?).

(my fault for not enquiring about this first :S

 

[gibberish]

yes it will be possible with a usb hub to have 2 players at once

 

[worzyl]

Excellent!

 

[dflemstr]

You can have mutiple controllers connected, or have 2 pandoras and communicate over Bluetooth or WiFi, or have a usb "linkcable" if you REALLY want to, or use "hot seat" configurations for turnbased games, or use the POND and TINXL services to connect to pandora users worldwide, or something entirely different that I haven't thought of

 

[conso]

I always wonder why everyone jumps out and says "I'm making a game, though I only know about that part. Will someone do the rest or is there some software that will do it for me?"
There are so many vital open-source game projects out there, that could really profit from a good animator.
Or just take a closer look at freegamer.blogspot.net or happypenguin.org, I'm sure you will find some game worth helping. You will help both open source game projects and get results very fast, since the framework already stands.
May I hint you to SuperTuxKart? We are currently introducing animation support and someone actually into animation would be very welcome.

 

[TrevorBradley]

Wifi would probably be far superior to a USB connection... however I don't expect that peer to peer connectivity would be available on day 1.

*Someone* will likely get around to developing this. If they did the devs might get around to developing such peer to peer games.

I've been assuming that Pandora aren't going to see many of their kind and have been moving to a client-server model.... yes lag is bad, but not for the game I'm making at the moment..

 

[worzyl]

"I always wonder why everyone jumps out and says "I'm making a game, though I only know about that part. Will someone do the rest or is there some software that will do it for me?"

@conso

I wasn't asking for someone to do the rest for me. I already stated that I cannot program, so some information on software would be useful to me. I am also aware that their other projects/games being made or wanted to be made - but I'd like to work on a game idea that I have. (It's just that I'm always animating characters for other peoples games and yet haven't done any for myself).

 

[conso]

"I always wonder why everyone jumps out and says "I'm making a game, though I only know about that part. Will someone do the rest or is there some software that will do it for me?"

@conso

I wasn't asking for someone to do the rest for me. I already stated that I cannot program, so some information on software would be useful to me. I am also aware that their other projects/games being made or wanted to be made - but I'd like to work on a game idea that I have. (It's just that I'm always animating characters for other peoples games and yet haven't done any for myself).



sorry, I know you didn't ask for someone to program it for you, but you are not the first artist without programming knowledge coming here with a game-concept and others asked that question. There were even people without any skills at all that wanted to be the team-leader and asked for others doing the work.

anyway, what is that particular game concept you are talking about? I know quite a lot of open-source games, so I might know some that go into that direction. A good artist can always influence development in some direction

 

[dflemstr]

Well, here comes a rant, and I don't rant very often so it might not be what you're used to:

I think that people that want to make games should leran to program, no exception. It's not like it's difficult; if you know geometry and a bit of physics it's just like drawing on a piece of paper, just 200x faster and with much better graphics
To program in a programming language seems to frighten people off, when in reality a programming language isn't very difficult at all; even easier than learning a foreign language, for example, and almost as easy as learning how to use, say, Photoshop.
As soon as you show someone something that is entirely made up of text, their eyes avert and they flee in horror, when in reality it's as easy to read what a program does by looking at its code as it is to read what a story is about by looking at its text, after you learn how to.

A programming language is like a very very simple (spoken) language, but it only has 15 or so rules of grammar, and it has a vocabulary of maybe 15 words. How difficult can it be to learn such a language?

When I started programming, I started with the Java programming lanuage. I found it one day on the Internet, and saw that you could get a certification in it. So, I started reading a book on Java, and one week later I took the SCJP (Sun certified Java Programmer) certification, with a score of 95%. Since then, I've jumped from one language to the next, going through C, C++, Python, VB.NET, C#, Erlang, Scheme, Scala etc. It wasn't a big deal; it was just like learning how to cook a new meal or how to write an essay; once you got the hang of it it was easy peasy.

Other complaints that I hear from people are that "it takes so much time to program a game" and "I want that and that feature, but it needs 100 lines of code!"... Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, so sorry people, you cannot magically create a game just by thinking about it. It needs planning, some serious engineering, debugging etc to become good. It isn't difficult, it just takes a bloody long time. Get used to it if you want to make games. Or go learn something like Python with pygame, for example, where you can make games faster than in other programming languages; you will still need planning, though.

Then, consider that, at first, not everyone is a brilliant painter, not everyone is a brilliant sculpter, not everyone is a brilliant programmer. I also have difficulties sometimes when it comes to programming (specifically trigonometry combined with matrices, brr), but you must learn to overcome such obstacles. Practice makes perfect. Something that seems difficult at first might become easier if approached from the right angle. Start with something easier, less ambitious, and work your way up.

Then, if you say "but I just don't get programming" then well, maybe making games just isn't for you, if you don't want to make one strongly enough that you can't even put your mind to learning a language.

[/rant]
Just had to say it.

 

[worzyl]

@conso Cheers and I fully understand and appreciate your meaning and concerns

It's a 2D shooter project that involves some use of the touch screen.
The mechanics, bosses, powerups etc were done a good while
ago. It was originally done for DS but the whole TV OUT on
Pandora is very appealing

@dflemstr

I animate computer games (as well as other things as that's what I do for my job). I have no interest in programming. If a programmer/game company need's animation work for their game, then I do it. If I were to be in need of a programmer for a game - then I would get one.

 

[dflemstr]

Yeah, sorry, it's just that very many have asked for "game makers" and "people that can use their splenidi game ideas" recently. That was more like a collective answer to all of them. I'm sure you have very good animation skills; just dont become like the others and start saying things like "ah, and can't 'we' make the game more like HalfLife2, too? I'd have just the art for it, would fit perfectly."

If you or someone else finds this reaction to be non-understandable, then please excuse me as I'm not in the best of moods right now.

 

[worzyl]

@delfos

I totally understand where your coming from.
(And I too have heard many a crazy idea!!)

 

[PoisonedV]

You can make you our own game using the Mr. Gonzo way. Ive covered all his methods in a book .pfd which will cost ya $5.99 (or you just look at the dev's section.)

And Welcome to the community, glad to have ya here.

you mean draw artwork and have a dev with free time come and contact you?

(not that thats bad... its just not exactly what it seems he was looking for, although judging by his profession it might work anyway)

my problem with game makers is that most of the time, people use them dont have enough time/dedication/intelligence/understanding of extremely fundamental "no you arent making a huge online rpg with real time and fps-combat and 99 stats and a bunch of items from zelda and halo so stop makingthreads on gamedev about it" concepts to learn a programming language, and therefore their games 1. suck 2. never get finished 3. they never even start 4. the games arent possible and are entirely overambitious.
however, that isnt ALWAYS the case. but i think thats a good deal of why people have prejudice towards click and drag based game makin software