How to Create Your First Game Without Giving Up Halfway

Contents:

• What were my mistakes

I was sure that the game was doomed to success. Think about it:

• different races;
• well-thought-out lore;
• storyline;
• turn-based battles;
• large map;
• trading;
• item upgrades;
• skills;
• stats;
• housing purchase and much more.

I created some of the sprites myself in MS Paint, which is a classic method for beginner artists. I devoted all my free time to this game, and it inspired me with new ideas. I actively participated in forum discussions, asking questions about probabilities and proportions. Even though some users considered me too young for such topics, I did not stop and continued to study the aspects that interested me.

One unpleasant day, I encountered a problem that I could not solve: the game froze during fights. Moreover, the entire computer I was running the local server on would freeze. This situation significantly impaired gameplay and caused inconvenience. I needed to find a solution to restore system stability and enjoy the game without interruptions.

After several weeks of unsuccessful attempts to fix the situation, I decided to give up.

A few months later, I reopened the game's code and was shocked by its state. Seeing how sloppily the project had been executed, I felt ashamed and decided to delete all the files. As a result, I temporarily suspended my efforts to develop this game.

Nevertheless, nothing could stop me from striving to create something new. Now I was completely confident that I would complete my project. It had a similar concept, but the setting was different: this time, I abandoned traditional fantasy elements like swords and magic and opted for a space theme. This decision opened up new horizons for creativity and provided the opportunity to explore uncharted worlds and technologies, which enriched the plot and made it more engaging for the audience.

It should be noted that in this situation, too, I expected an unsuccessful result.

Over time, I realized that my mistake was choosing PHP for development. Most serious games are created in C++, so I decided to switch to this language. C++ offers more powerful capabilities for creating high-performance applications and games, making it a preferred choice for developers.

Strong typing, the use of single and double quotes, working with libraries and objects, and constant access to the console—all of this left me perplexed. Does programming in this language really have to be so difficult? Understanding these aspects does take time and effort, but ultimately they result in more reliable and structured code. Mastering strong typing helps avoid many errors and improves the quality of development. Each of these concepts plays a vital role in creating efficient and maintainable software.

Creating GUIs turned out to be unsuccessful due to installation and performance issues with Visual Studio. At first, the program took a long time to load, and then it worked intermittently. As a result, I decided to stop learning C++.

The next programming language on my list was JavaScript. I had a similar situation with it as with the previous languages. JavaScript became an important part of my learning curve, as it's widely used to create interactive web applications and dynamic content. Mastering JavaScript opened up new development possibilities, allowing me to not only enhance the user interface but also interact with the server-side. This programming language remains relevant in modern web development, making it an indispensable tool for any developer.

A similar situation was observed in my subsequent games.

What were my mistakes?

My main mistakes were that I tried to implement projects that were too large-scale on my own. As a result, I developed much faster than my games could develop. This led to the fact that over time, I began to feel an aversion to the code I had previously created. This approach slowed my progress and caused frustration. To avoid similar problems in the future, it is important to set realistic goals and work on projects that match your current skill level. This will help maintain interest in programming and give you the opportunity to improve your skills gradually.

If these games had been shorter, I could have completed them without worrying about my old code remaining in the project and ruining it. Each time, I started from scratch, hoping: "Now I will have clean and logical code." Needless to say, this hope always turned into disappointment.

Many developers, like me, encounter mistakes during their work. Some prefer to delete their projects so the world doesn't see their shortcomings. Others decide to create small games and share them with the public. This not only allows them to improve their skills but also gain valuable experience that will help them avoid the same mistakes in the future.

Looking at Super Meat Boy, one can conclude that the developers possess a high level of skill. This game is truly impressive, but this does not guarantee that all projects created by this team will be equally successful. For example, Edmund McMillen, one of the game designers and artists on Super Meat Boy, developed 44 games before he managed to create a truly outstanding project. This experience emphasizes that the path to success in the gaming industry often requires numerous attempts and experiments.

Some of his games were truly extraordinary, but they are currently unplayable due to the end of Adobe Flash support. This creates difficulties for retro gamers, as many projects remain unavailable, preventing users from enjoying a unique gaming experience. It's important to look for alternative solutions, such as emulators or re-releases, to preserve these original games and allow new generations of players to discover their extraordinary world.