Brand New, Excited to Learn

[MeasureOnceCutTwice]

Hi, everyone:

I'm not only new to this forum, but also to game development. It's great to meet all of you! I've taken a couple of programming classes over the years, but I still consider myself to be an absolute novice. I have some ideas for a game, but nothing is set in stone—and I imagine my vision will change quite a bit as I get a handle on the engine's limitations/capabilities and learn more about ... well, just about everything. On that note, I'm sure this site/community has a ton of resources for beginners, but I'm wondering: Where's the best place to start?

Thanks in advance,
MeasureOnce

 

[Rob]

Personally I started out with one of the built-in tutorials that 1.4 had. I wasn't that impressed but it did get me acquainted with rooms and objects. After that I started watching YouTube videos - specifically "Your First Game" ones and went from there.

There's a manual inside GMS 1.4 & GMS 2 which will explain every function. You won't understand most of it right away because you'll need to become familiar with GML first but it's worth your time middle-mouse-clicking on any function (like draw_self(); floor etc) just to read up on how they work and anything you don't understand right away will probably come in useful later on.

Try and start with small projects to learn different things. Think about how you would want to make the games you want to make... what systems are involved and whether you have the knowledge to make them. If not then now you know what to learn next!

It's also worthwhile checking out the programming forum to see the kinds of problems people have and the solutions other people give. You might not need that info now but weeks/months down the line when you do, you'll have a better idea of how to manage it.

 

[MeasureOnceCutTwice]

This is hugely helpful, Rob. I have started watching the first-time platformer Youtube series, and much of it seems intuitive (so far, anyway). The game I'd like to make is isometric—something akin to Monument Valley but without the mind-bending geometry and a much more robust story. If you have specific suggestions based upon those parameters, I'm all ears; otherwise, I'll keep chipping away at the intro videos until I feel comfortable with the basics.

Best,
MeasureOnce