Hi everyone! I’m new to the forums, though I’ve been lurking for a bit.
Basically I am looking to create an FPS for my first game.
Right now, my poor computer is so old and worn out (2007 Emachines running Windows Vista, if that is any indication), it’s barely starting up Unity.
So as I am waiting on my new computer to arrive, I’m working on assets in XSI/Softimage.
What I would like to know is, all the UV mapping and texturing I’m doing is taking a considerable amount of time- will it all import into Unity okay, or will I need to rebuild everything? :x I don’t want to waste my time texturing if I could simply be modeling all the assets instead.
Thank you for the link, Penguin! For a smile’s sake I read the intro post, and a couple after that. As I’m rusty on programming, I got a C# book that takes me through a couple different tiny games… Pong and oooold LoZ type stuff. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to do some asset production in between. It’s a lot to take in, since I’m cramming it around a full time job. You would think that, working at a desk, I’d be able to study the programming a bit at the desk but… the calls that come in break my focus and I just get angry!
THIS. don’t charge head first into the next FPS with MMO and RPG elements where you can go to space and other dimensions and time travel. Make (read: finish making ) a dead simple game - even making one of those when you are starting out will take weeks/months.
Seriously, I’ve tried to start so many huge projects, only to drop them two weeks later, wasting 40 hours of my life. Take advantage of the fact that you are a hobbyist. Do short projects that you have fun with. If you stop having fun with a project for more then a week, take a break from it and start a new one;. Sooner or later, you’ll get one that works and it will be awesome!
My only problem is, I’m a bit concerned about… well, the idea fountain, quite frankly.
I have my one big one I want to do (FPS, no campaign, just straight out multiplayer), another fairly big one after that (survival horror), and a couple small ones (2D platformer, a simple Sims-type thing), but beyond those, the ideas run out.
The biggest reason I want to go forward with the FPS is because it’s the most thorough concept I’m truly happy with. All the other stuff is just… fluff.
So should I go through and do the fluff, set aside the FPS, even though the fluff has been done a zillion times over… just to get the experience in of finishing a game?
Honestly, I think my biggest asset is my pure stubbornness. If I say I am going to do something, EVENTUALLY it’s getting done come hell or high water. Just… eventually. Since outside of concepts, I haven’t dove into the FPS yet, I can still take that stubborn focus and apply it elsewhere.
Lastly, even though I am working a fulltime job I MAY have a small light at the end of the tunnel; if my run with my modeling agency takes off well enough to replace my 40hr a week job, I will have MUCH more time to develop and plan smaller things to build up, and hopefully things will go faster.
You’ve arrived! The infamous ‘fork in the road’. With your walking stick in hand, ready to head out, you look at the fork and scoff! What’s the big deal anyway? And yet, looking down, you can see the faded foot prints of the 1000s of developers and artists who have come this way before you. I suppose they had similar thoughts … “I will do an FPS” or “a simple Sims thing”. Honestly, there’s no decision to make.
The path to the left is amazing! You can see flecks of gold along the trail and there is wonderful music from up ahead. You hear laughter coming from down there and … was that a trumpet blast? As you travel this path, you pass several signs along the way … faded and trampled, you can just make out words like, ‘simplest possible’ and ‘trivial’. Hahah! There’s no rush you think. I know this path won’t be easy, but I can make it! After all, it’s just for fun. And so you trudge on, sure that the glorious music is just around the next bend! And before long, you encounter some brambles, that divert you from the path. And as you trudge through them, you stumble in some quick sand. And encounter a muddy river. No worries, you think, as you turn to head back. But the trees all look the same here. Feeling confused, you run in circles, worried. You listen for the sweet music from before, but … there is nothing but you and the buzzing of insects.
The path to the right is much simpler. In fact, it’s hardly a path at all. More like an animal trail. But, the elders said, “Go down the small path. Build tiny projects. Finish something in 12 weeks. Ignore the siren’s call!” There’s no glorious music up ahead - all you hear is the sound of your feet. You travel alone, taking in the scenery and trying to plot your course. Which is when you have an idea! You can build a lean-to! And that’s what you do. Surprisingly, building a lean-to was harder than you thought, but after 10 weeks, you stand back and admire your handiwork. Well, admire is too generous for the crappy lean-to you’ve thrown together. It’s made of sticks, tied to the nearest trees with vines. There’s not even a door and it’s bound to collapse in the first storm. And yet … as you stand there, fussing about how awful it is, a little switch flips in your head. You snap your fingers as you realize you did it! You built your very first project! You’re still not convinced the elders have sent you down the correct path, but you pick up your trusty walking stick anyway. And the warm feeling of pride puts a spring in your step as make your way along this quiet, lonely path. I wonder what you’ll build next.
Imagine yourself, 10 months from now. Which path did you take?
Wow… well, Gigi… that story illustrates it pretty damn well, if you’ll pardon my French there. Honestly I think that was the best way I’ve ever seen that dilemma put.
I’m going to be starting on a little Space Invaders thing tonight, it might take a few months but, here I go.
For a smile’s sake I read the intro post, and a couple after that. As I’m rusty on programming, I got a C# book that takes me through a couple different tiny games… Pong and oooold LoZ type stuff. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to do some asset production in between. 
It’s a lot to take in, since I’m cramming it around a full time job. You would think that, working at a desk, I’d be able to study the programming a bit at the desk but… the calls that come in break my focus and I just get angry! 
