New to GameSalad

mav3rek

Just thought I'd post a quick hello! I'm new to GameSalad and have a couple ideas for games, and had a couple quick questions. I'm just curious as to what the best way to develop games is? I'm a one man band, and wondered if anyone else had any success doing stuff all alone? Also, what do you think is the most difficult aspect of developing games for the iPhone? Just curious as to what others have experienced while developing their apps.

Chaser

I'd say most of us are a one man show. And the hardest part is time!

TouchTiltGames

Chaser said:
I'd say most of us are a one man show. And the hardest part is time!

Time yes...couldn't agree more.

Jake_Russel

I'm probably the only one on this post that will be negative toward gamesalad. I am completely new to the concept of game making and have avoided programming due to its very hard to understand concepts. I thought gamesalad would be the thing to use for making games without having to deal with programming. Well, it looks like a lot of programming concepts are used in the logic of gamesalad's "drag and drop" system. I am struggling on how to make things move and work (and yes, I have read and looked at many tutorials). I just can't get it. I have skills in photoshop, a little computer animation, music making, video and audio editing, and have taught myself all these programs. But gamesalad is the hardest program I have ever tried to learn to use. I am close to giving up, but not yet. But remember, I am speaking from a super beginner level to game making and programming. I've seen some really impressive stuff made with gamesalad. I'm just not there yet. But gamesalad "seems" to be the easiest and must straight foreword program to make games. Hope you find it useful.

gyroscope

Hi Jake, have you checked out Support (top of this page)? There's stuff on getting started, tutorials, basic first steps, etc. Maybe try a few of those as tests before jumping in the deep end to make a game. Slowly but surely it'll all click into place. For a lot of GS users, it's a never-stop-learning curve anyway. The more you do, the more sinks in! Hope that helps you.

Edit: Whoops, sorry, hi and welcome, Mav3rek!

SingleSparq

I'll have to be opposite of Jake here. I too am not a programmer but I would never have been able to get a game done if not for gamesalad.

I did give up at first when I couldn't get it to do what I wanted at first but as GS matured I learned more. Sure it takes me longer than the pros, sure I need to ask questions and look at the templates available in order to achive some results but I was able to produce something that I could never do unless I could program. But if your stuck - search the forums or ask, there is usually a solution already available. There are still things going on in my games that can not understand or could come up with only own so if there is samples available use them, but make them your own (sharing is good in this community but we don't want direct copying).

As for beginners advice get your game engine running first the way you want (with or without graphics) with one level, it will save you time as you can then copy that level an make changes to the new level while not having to redo elements like the HUD for scores, lives and such. Also look at ways of optimizing your work. Example, you don't need to create a different actor for every level background. Use one actor then drag your different images onto the background actor in every level to make it different.

Again if there is something specific that you want to do, search first, there's lots of answers out there. Good luck!

quantumsheep

@singleSparq

Your first game was hardly an easy one to do either, was it? Had loads going on - scrolling scene, radar, touch to shoot in a direction etc.

Twice as impressed as I was before after reading how new you are to all this!

QS

SingleSparq

Yes I was being a little ambitious. You know what it's like - you come up with these ideas and want to get it all in there. My next game (which I took this week off to work on) is following the doodle jump style game(without the doodle that is). Then on to more origional works with the new gamsalad hopefully.

Jake_Russel

Hey SingleSparq,

I just looked at your game "Space Tech Defender". I too use Bryce 5 for my projects and always wondered how it would look using gamesalad. I see it works great and makes your projects look professional. Is this your first game, or first published game?

StormyStudio

Hello and welcome Mav3rek...

I'm another one of the many one person developers. Made one app and one game (lite and full version) , and will have earned about $1000 by the end of the year.

GameSalad is brilliant and will only get better with more updates.

Just started on my second game idea, after about 3 half finished games that I get bored of half way through development. This next one I'm making purely casue I want to make a good looking game, so should see to through to the end...

Its amazing how a simple idea that I intended on doing in 47 hours, has now grown to much bigger project with some big ideas...

Good luck...

SingleSparq

@Jake -it would be both. Took 8 months to produce (mainly cause of learning gs and a day job) I have several other games in the works but you get to a stage where you have to focus on one to get it done.

Yes been a Bryce user for years and usually find a way to incorporate it in. 3d apps are another of those areas that tend to allude an confuse me but Bryce is a little easier to understand and create things quickly like land and stuff as you know.

dotsonj23

Finding the time is the hardest part for me.