What do I need to make 2D games?

[Yunho0320]

Hello, I’m creating this thread to get some advice from the experts in game development
and since I’m really desperate to make games, I would really appreciate all the help and advice.

Type of game I want to make
2D Games like Jetpack Joyride, Mr.Jump and Flappy Bird.

Features of game I want to have
Just like Crossy Road

• Several Characters
• Unlocking characters from a candy machine.
• Paying 1dollar or so to unlock specific characters.
• Paying few dollars to buy many coins.
• Paying 1 dollar to remove ads

My Questions
1) My study plan is as follow : (I’ll remove it if I shouldn’t mention names of books)
c# beginner level with Kudvenkat videos (I finished beginner level)
c# intermediate level with c# in a nutshell (I started this level few days ago)
c# advanced level with c# in depth.
sql server with Kudvenkat videos
Basics of .NET Framework
study Unity 2D and will do all the projects that are provided in the Unity.
thenewboston Unity tutorial
Try to make a game following directions of Unity book

My question is, if I do all this, would I be able to make games I want to make?
I know it really depends on people but technique wise, could I get all the important techniques by studying as above?
Should I study maths or more programming or database?
If so, could you recommend what I should study and possibly name of books you used?
If I need to study maths, can you tell me which topic should be studied?
(I can borrow some books from a college, so could you tell me what is useful?)

2) If I make games like Mr.Jump, how could I test if this game is actually doable?
Is there any program or should I test it with maths or should I play it myself?

3) As far as I know, games like Flappy bird and Crossy Road have background(?) that changes every time we play it.
For example in Flappy Bird, the location of pipes keep changing and in Crossy Road, the location of trees, lakes, railways change.
How is it done?
And how can you guarantee that when it is done, the game is doable?

4) If I make a game that has a pop-up ads, how can we check the number of times ads were displayed?
I heard that developers get paid like 0.01 cent every time an ad gets seen, can it be measured even though the player doesn’t have internet connected?
Also can I control a number of time the ads are seen?

I know I asked a lot of questions and I really thank you for reading them.
And if possible can you answer and give me some advice and could you share your experience please?
Thank you:)

[goat1]

Looks like you are set but your technical questions are premature until you complete your training in 1. The C# alone is a steady year of work for a true beginner.

[Yunho0320]

@goat_1

Looks like you are set but your technical questions are premature until you complete your training in 1. The C# alone is a steady year of work for a true beginner.

Actually I have finished C# Beginner level and I think I have basic knowledge of computer programming.
So what do you think of study plan? Do you think they are sufficient to make games I said above?
Thank you!

[spryx]

My, that was a lot of questions.

1. I would ask first if you are a complete beginner (i.e. no programming experience). I came from a C++ background, it was easy for me to pick up basic concepts in C#. If you are 100% new to programming, you will need to learn the basics first. Any intro tutorial to C# could teach you this. Most data structures are also common to several languages. At some point you discover that logic is often similar between languages…you just alter it to work within the confines of your development environment (unity objects, etc).

2. Never played Mr. Jump… although, I have a feeling that your aim is a bit too high at the moment. Nothing wrong with wanting to produce these games, but once you set out to develop them, you will discover just how complex they actually are. There is a reason most beginners start with something like tic-tac-toe or roll-a-ball.

3. A combination of procedural randomization. There are several ways to do this. I really wouldn’t worry about it at the moment. Once you do some basic scripting and working with randomization, you will see exactly how this is done. Estimating the “doability” of something often involves testing it yourself. If you cannot test all cases, then you opt for boundary testing.

4. Typically, you can define when ads are shown or not shown. Most income generation is based on clicks though. For example with Unity Ads, you get paid according to “meaningful clicks” thus, just showing ads to users does not really do anything. Consider this…if your ads are not doing anything for advertiser (generating income), then why would they pay you? The aim here is to generate meaningful impressions. One way to do this is to reward the player with double coins or something like that if an ad is shown. Again, you can’t guarantee the user actually clicks the ad, but his attention will be focused on the ad.

My advice: start slow and don’t give up. Try not to set your goals too lofty at the moment. Striving to achieve great things is commendable, but you will get burnt out rather quickly. I am going to refer you to another thread. Have fun and don’t give up!

[goat1]

@Yunho0320

Actually I have finished C# Beginner level and I think I have basic knowledge of computer programming.
So what do you think of study plan? Do you think they are sufficient to make games I said above?
Thank you!

Yes, I think you’ll be good at it. It’s much better of a plan than most make that want to make games. With such a plan you will be able to extend your games in original and interesting ways.

[Yunho0320]

@spryx

My, that was a lot of questions.

1. I would ask first if you are a complete beginner (i.e. no programming experience). I came from a C++ background, it was easy for me to pick up basic concepts in C#. If you are 100% new to programming, you will need to learn the basics first. Any intro tutorial to C# could teach you this. Most data structures are common to several languages.

2. Never played Mr. Jump… although, I have a feeling that your aim is a bit too high at the moment. Nothing wrong with wanting to produce these games, but once you set out to develop them, you will discover just how complex they actually are. There is a reason most beginners start with something like tic-tac-toe or roll-a-ball.

3. A combination of procedural randomization. There are several ways to do this. I really wouldn’t worry about it at the moment. Once you do some basic scripting and working with randomization, you will see exactly how this is done. Estimating the “doability” of something often involves testing it yourself. If you cannot test all cases, then you opt for boundary testing.

4. Typically, you can define when ads are shown or not shown. Most income generation is based on clicks though. For example with Unity Ads, you get paid according to “meaningful clicks” thus, just showing ads to users does not really do anything. Consider this…if your ads are not doing anything for advertiser (generating income), then why would they pay you? The aim here is to generate meaningful impressions. One way to do this is to reward the player with double coins or something like that if an ad is shown. Again, you can’t guarantee the user actually clicks the ad, but his attention will be focused on the ad.

My advice: start slow and don’t give up. Try not to set your goals too lofty at the moment. Striving to achieve great things is commendable, but you will get burnt out rather quickly. I am going to refer you to another thread. Have fun and don’t give up!

Thank you for the advice and the information you provided !
I have actually finished c# beginner level and I just began the intermediate level and I have had a lot of fun out of it.
But I’m just worried that I wouldn’t be able to make games I want to make even after I finished my study plan.
Of course just like you recommended, I’m going to start with the easy ones but I’m a bit skeptical.
In the thread you posted, you said you made an inventory and applied in-app purchase etc.
Do they require database,sql skills?
I’m just thinking I might need to study them as well.
Also is it recommended to study maths? I actually have done honours maths in Leaving Cert(Like SAT) and would they be just enough for programming?

I know simple games have complicated coding but could you go to the link below and see if Mr.Jump could be hard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZw8XhtFWE8

I really appreciate for your help:)

[Yunho0320]

@goat_1

Yes, I think you’ll be good at it. It’s much better of a plan than most make that want to make games. With such a plan you will be able to extend your games in original and interesting ways.

Thank you for the comment! It was really helpful!

[goat1]

@Yunho0320

Thank you for the comment! It was really helpful!

I think you’ll be more interested in making a game more interesting than Mr Jump with your math background but it is a good beginner style to learn how to organize your game creations. Organization is important in creating a good game.

[spryx]

@Yunho0320

Thank you for the advice and the information you provided !
I have actually finished c# beginner level and I just began the intermediate level and I have had a lot of fun out of it.
But I’m just worried that I wouldn’t be able to make games I want to make even after I finished my study plan.
Of course just like you recommended, I’m going to start with the easy ones but I’m a bit skeptical.
In the thread you posted, you said you made an inventory and applied in-app purchase etc.
Do they require database,sql skills?
I’m just thinking I might need to study them as well.
Also is it recommended to study maths? I actually have done honours maths in Leaving Cert(Like SAT) and would they be just enough for programming?

I know simple games have complicated coding but could you go to the link below and see if Mr.Jump could be hard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZw8XhtFWE8

I really appreciate for your help:)

Well, you are ahead of quite a lot of people…just by having coding experience, so that is a plus.

Sorry, I completely forgot to reply about mathematics. Yes, it is important to have a good grasp of mathematics. I have used vector math quite a bit. You will also use trig functions from time to time. If nothing else, a basic understanding of vectors and vector operations will help you. That said, for basic games, your math background is probably more than adequate. Don’t let mathematics be a stumbling block.

Mr. Jump does not look too hard. But, I promise that once you set out to make a clone, things get more complex than you anticipate. Even with simple games. For example, writing a game like Mr. Jump would require an object pooling system (if you want it to run efficiently). It is not something I would start out with though. I would probably opt for a simple puzzle game first. If you must do a platformer, then start out with just getting the camera to follow a moving sprite. (Mr. Jump looks like a good 2nd game to me). BTW, if you are interested, there is a good tutorial on pooling here.

One of the really great things about Unity and this community is that whatever problem you are having, 99.9% of the time, someone else has had the same problem. So, if you run into trouble getting the character to jump correctly or to react to gravity, etc… you can search the forums, or answers, etc. Unity is also documented extremely well…so don’t be afraid to go manual diving.

[Yunho0320]

@spryx

Well, you are ahead of quite a lot of people…just by having coding experience, so that is a plus.

Sorry, I completely forgot to reply about mathematics. Yes, it is important to have a good grasp of mathematics. I have used vector math quite a bit. You will also use trig functions from time to time. If nothing else, a basic understanding of vectors and vector operations will help you. That said, for basic games, your math background is probably more than adequate. Don’t let mathematics be a stumbling block.

Mr. Jump does not look too hard. But, I promise that once you set out to make a clone, things get more complex than you anticipate. Even with simple games. For example, writing a game like Mr. Jump would require an object pooling system (if you want it to run efficiently). It is not something I would start out with though. I would probably opt for a simple puzzle game first. If you must do a platformer, then start out with just getting the camera to follow a moving sprite. (Mr. Jump looks like a good 2nd game to me).

One of the really great things about Unity and this community is that whatever problem you are having, 99.9% of the time, someone else has had the same problem. So, if you run into trouble getting the character to jump correctly or to react to gravity, you can search the forums here. Unity is also documented extremely well…so don’t be afraid to go manual diving.

Thank you! you were of great help!

[Kiwasi]

Forget the learning plan. Jump in an start making. Do google searches and learn thing when you need them.

[Yash987654321]

@Kiwasi

Forget the learning plan. Jump in an start making. Do google searches and learn thing when you need them.

So can we follow the same trick on MMO RPG FPS RTS game? If yes I have made the plans of my future

[Ryiah]

@Yash987654321

So can we follow the same trick on MMO RPG FPS RTS game? If yes I have made the plans of my future

If you aim realistically then all of those are achievable.

[Yash987654321]

@Ryiah

If you aim realistically then all of those are achievable.

I bet I won’t be able to do MMO (even the basics)

[Kiwasi]

@Yash987654321

So can we follow the same trick on MMO RPG FPS RTS game? If yes I have made the plans of my future

You already know my thoughts on this.