A few questions from a new gamesalad user

jak3n3al

Hey guys one of the main reasons me and a few buddies decided on GS was because of how much all the developers seem to help one another out. That being said I have a few questions for some of you helpful dev's.

1. Where do I start? Should I start by making characters or what is your opinion?

2. What application do you guys use to create the in game art and characters?

3. How much time should I expect that my team and I will need to committ to the developing of an app?

Any opinions would really be helpful so please give me some feedback when you guys get the chance.

Chaser

Sometimes I start with a character design and work around that other times it's a function that I build around. Some people knock out games in a day but make sure they are good otherwise we will look at you with stink eye. Most of all, Good Luck & enjoy!
PS. Was using Corel 12 until old pc decided to start shutting down constantly. Now using inkscape and gimp

Sparkyidr

I can only tell you how I started out.

First off, I didn't sit there and try to make a game.

I first thought...
how to I get it to display something on the screen.
then I thought
how can I get that pink square I just made move around
then
How about I make some green squares for it to avoid

I then ended up with a prototype avoid the squares game, and in the mean time had learned about objects/actors, controls (accelerometer) and behaviours for collisions etc.

...

These days, I usually think of a gameplay mechanic, and then work the graphics etc around it.

On saying that though, the game I am working on at the moment, the look and style of it came first.

Yodapollo

Hi, jak3n3al

Welcome to GameSalad!

Thanks for checking out GS and hopefully some of these answers will help guide you to the right place. Also, I'm sure you'll get responses from other members of the community.

1. Depends on who you ask. Personally, I like to prototype the game I'm making within GameSalad first, before starting on the art. I just use color blocks until I get it working the way I want. That helps me have a better understand of my art requirements.

2. Again, there are multiple options that can depend on time, budget, and personal preference. Many use paid software like Photoshop, while others choose freeware like Pixen (MS Paint style) and Gimp (more like Photoshop).

3. That will of course change from game to game. Some people spend months on their games. Others publish games in a matter of days. My advice would be to work on your prototype and use that to gauge the requirements of building the game you want. That will give you a much better estimate on the time it will take you to create your game.

I hope that helps. Again, welcome to GameSalad and it's incredible community!

--Yodapollo

jak3n3al

Thanks guys, your posts have been very helpful and I will be sure to keep you updated on how everything is going!