Advice On Starting A Game?

[shockstarz]

Apologies if this is in the wrong area; I'm almost never on the forum}

Okay. So in the while I've played FH, I've been inspired to create a video game. I want a 3rd person online game (similar to FH but with different creatures and stuff.)
(I'll think of more things)

I need help finding the right game engine- one that is easy for newer developers to use. Mind you, I have a LITTLE experience in this.
I also need tips on running servers and adding friend servers and whatnot.

Thanks to anyone who can help Hopefully I can get a good start from this.

[G4RG0YLE]

If anything I would recommend gaining experience through making Impressive Title servers. Not only will this help you, but KITO will also provide you all the guidance you'll need to be able to make an IT server.
Making your own game altogether, on the other hand, can be incredibly difficult- especially when it takes a lot of work, time, and patience, and the three elements need to be constant for the game to be successful.
If you'd like to find out more and try out doing an IT server, go here: http://www.kitopen.com/

[Preach]

Firstly, the best thing to do first, is gather a team and plan what you want inside the game, the theme, and what the audience will be playing. Personally, if you want a game like FeralHeart, you should make a game based of lions and wolves - those are popular, or dragons. Anyway, you need to save as much money, find a server host, and many things. Making a game will become stressful and exhausting. However, making IT servers will make your life easier. But for any games in general, it takes time.

[PartyyRockinn]

Wonderful idea! I'd love to see what you come up with.

I recommend getting familiar with all the games you currently play- know how they work. It'll help you with your own. Also, don't try to do it by yourself. Get some other people to be on your team and help you out. You'll get stressed out and tired of it if you try to go it alone.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing it!

[wolfsquad]

If you're going to start a game, you should most likely have some bits of coding knowledge. You don't have to go it alone, but you can if you choose to.
Being determined to create this game, and to get others excited for the game, is a factor as well. You want your game to be successful right? Then build up a community, give sneak peaks on what it's about, let people know you're creating a cool game and get them excited for it. You can use other websites as references to help you. What made the members excited? Was it extra features, was it the model screenshots, did it have a cool "Elements" plot to it? Stuff like this.

[CometTrail]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but creating a game is going to take a LOT.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. I'm a part of a few development teams, and let me tell you that seeing peoples' reactions to what we create is one of the most satisfying things in the world. Having large communities to support you and back you up can be one of the best motivators. (but it can also be a little overwhelming!)

Is it hard? Incredibly. I can honestly say that making a game, especially alone, ESPECIALLY as a hobbyist (AKA not getting paid off the game) is so, so so challenging. At times you're going to want to trash the whole project as a whole (I've done multiple times. rip)

What saltlord said is true, if you plan on doing this solo, you will NEED programming experience. No doubt about it. But once you have the determination and grit, and you see what your game could become, you'll have SO much motivation to see the project through to the end. Trust me.

But as for what you were asking, I can highly recommend Unreal Engine 4. It's super nice. And there's a ton of youtube tutorials that will help get you started! It also gives you a lot of leeway on what kind of artistic style you want in your game. As for servers, they're a bit challenging if you don't have the funds for them. I'm not too good with servers so some google searches might be your best bet? :x

All in all, I highly recommend trying out game design/development. See what your comfortable with, what you're not comfortable with. My biggest piece of advice is to keep any game you start making on the down-low until you know it has a good chance of being finished. Nothing will turn people away from you than promised products with no ends met. I wish you luck!!

</long *ss rant>

[Skullfrost]

My advice? Have a solid idea of what you want to make. Plot, background, species available, classes, how groups would work, character customization, etc. Make plenty of concepts, write down ideas and whatnot.

And I'm not trying to be mean here, but- if you have no game design knowledge yourself(be it programming, 3d design, etc), then learn it first before ever attempting to start your own game community. Don't ever try something large-scale all on your own without knowledge, and even with a team- the leader needs to be able to work on the game as well.

Trust me, I made the mistake of starting a game when I was only 13, with no knowledge of game design at all or even how to properly run a website. It caused a lot of issues- thankfully, that same game is doing well now, 3 years later, but it was a very hard start and full of conflict and setbacks.

You need to be prepared to dedicate yourself to this. All too many games have been started, only to be abandoned- and that's really disappointing. Before you even advertise at all, decide: Are you really going to do this? Is this what you want to do? Are you going to stick to it, even if it gets difficult?

Another bit of advice: Don't advertise publically for a memberbase until you have at least a small team of designers working with you, and SOMETHING to show. A model, a map, GUI, a start screen- anything. Just show something.

Second: Don't be afraid of criticism. To be the head of a design team, you need to be able to handle stress, criticism, etc., because you're going to get it and it can't be avoided. Listen to what the users have to say- don't just block them out. It only makes things worse.

Adding onto that- one sort of criticism you might get is how something for the game looks. Not everyone is going to be all, "Oh, yeah, that's awesome! I love it!" if your character model looks like a blob or is heavily anatomically incorrect. You need to be prepared for this and I'm sorry to say, and sorry if this comes off rude, but no one will really want to play a game in which the models don't even look like the animals they're supposed to represent. Highly low-poly player character models should be avoided- though ultra high-poly models aren't great either as they cause lag. Medium to low-poly is best- keeping the shape, detail, and etc. of the animal without ruining its quality or making it lag everything. Textures help with the more detailed stuff such as muscle, scales, or whatnot.

In general, it's just best to only try and start up a game if you really know what you're doing.