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Hi Everybody,

Forgive in advance if this is the wrong forum, but it seemed appropriate.

There are so many Genre types of games to think about when trying to learn to code. What do most people think about when they attempt to create a game for others to enjoy...and how do you come to that conclusion?

My kids like -no brainer- FPS games...but that is getting so tired in the Industry. My friends like RPG's with long story lines.

But what I'm after is the wisdom of the good folks in this forum, because in addition to coders, your also gamers. So does any body have any input on what Genre to code for? What good/bad?

thanx all!

Well I would like to field this one as I think it relates more to the algorythms (spelling?) in general rather than a specific language. I have been learning C++ (one that operates through a DOS window) and have become more and more apparent at what is involved in making games.

In my opinion the best games for coding and gaming purposes are ones that have a simple ploy but are instantly addictive. This can be very hard to do. But such games will require little programing but can entertain for hours. These games will most often be puzzle games. By setting up variables that will represent the different values needed to interpret difficulty (i.e. lowering the time limit, increasing speed of enemies, ect.) you can make a game that can have a range of difficulty and will entertain for a long time. These games will need little graphics and the coding will usually be limited.

Games that I wouldn't recommend are adventure type games like The Legend of Zelda or SuperMario. Why? Because often to make these games good they rely on the philosophy that more is better. In order to make a good game you need to have lots of items, dungeons and all which require different coding. These games would require immense amounts of code to make a commercial or fun one.

Multiplayer puzzle like games would be best. If not multiplayer over the internet(that would not be a noob task) just have several players use different parts of the keyboard, joystick and/or mouse. That way not only is it good fun but the competitiveness can entertain for much longer than single player.

This is more of an opinion and I think you will find that the game that is best to program is the one you want to!

Just for show look through some games you have played and look at the amount of programming that would be involved. An example is comparing the game Alien Invaders to the Legend of Zelda.

Alien Invaders,
graphics for aliens, background and defender need to be loaded.
need to fire bullets
when bullet hits alien kill it.
move aliens
move defender
(there is more but that is the jist of it)

Legend of Zelda
variable for items
character name
whether he has gotten the sword yet.
whether he has gotten the shield yet.
whether he has lost all his life
killing enemies
setting animation for attacks
moving character
loading matrices
what enemies drop
picking up items
using items
setting items to C buttons
talking to people
setting Z targeting
whether or not he has the spiritual stones
which ones he has
ect.
Think about it. And I have barely scratched the surface.

Obviously most will say Zelda is better than Space Invaders but think of the amount of time and fun you would have gained from both games and compare that to the coding involved.

My opinion is not to worry about the Genre right now. Code something that is appropriate to what you want to learn.

For example, it's been mentioned a hundred times that Pong is a good game to start with. So you don't want to do an arcade game ultimately, but at least you will be learning keyboard input, scoring systems and most importantly collision detection.

@Black Hydra> thanx for the involved answer, it brought a few things to light. I do remember the 'ol games, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Pong, Donkey Kong etc. And yes, they were addictive and not as involved from a prgramming aspect as Unreal, ir final Fantasy. I recall spending an awful amount of time at the Arcades...opps, just dated myself!

@BatVink> I belive your saying start with a game type that will teach me the basics from a programming aspect? ie. A Tron like game perhaps? That would go along with Black Hydra's theory as well.

So, my take away from this is that I should focus on minimal code for a game that has minimal behaviours so I can see what it takes to really build something fun. Besides, it's not like I have a team of coders and artists knocking on my door

thanx guys, that helps alot.

I'd say to just remake games from the 80's until you got an understanding of those.

Assuming you aren't making this game for commercial purposes, it is imparative that your genre interests you. Without the motivation of a boss, you need to enjoy making it. It has to be fun, otherwise you'll never get anything done. Plus, what's the point of making a non-commercial game if you don't enjoy it?

I agree with Wesus. Make a game that you would want to play. If you despise puzzle games don't make one because you think it might be easiest.

What I think you should do is not only look for simpleness in coding a game, but help it gives you. You dont want to code an extremely easy game because it will not teach you things you need to know. Therefore you should look at other posts in forums to find a type of game that you dont know how to do already, but you dont want it too hard that you give up coding. If you can pick up some information from your coding experience, it will do you a lot of good for later games.

I agree with most of whats been said here:

I would suggest as a newcomer start with something really easy that you can finish off without too much hassle. A lot of people start off making an RPG then get discouraged and disheartened when they realise how much work is involved. I think we lose a lot of potentially good programmers that way. Only when you know what you are committing yourself to should you start on an RPG.