How long did it take to make your first game ?

[Oliwerko]

Hi!

I would like to ask a simple question.
How long did it take before you made your first game ?
I mean, how much time passed (after the decision to make a game in AGS) when your first game was released ?

Hope you understand my poor english 

[Nikolas]

It's an honest answer:
more than 2 years, and I have 1 BG

Never went off the ground, never ;'(

[Nacho]

4 years, I think, and counting... 

[Akatosh]

Hm... I downloaded AGS around September 2005, had a general game idea in December 2005, decided to start working around February 2006, decided to get my lazy ass working around Mai 2006, started Juni 2006... and finished somewhen around August 2006.

[Dan_N]

Joined in august 2006.
Started working on something in december 2006.
Finished it in january 2007.
And it sucked.

[Erenan]

Let's see...

I registered on May 24, 2005. My first game was a MAGS game, released June 27, 2005. So there ya go.

[esper]

I downloaded AGS on August 28, 2005. My first finished game, Town on the Edge of Darkness, was published on August 31. 2005.

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=610&BX=7s3li552qco8o&b=3&s=0v

[Nikolas]

At last!

Esper is the first guy to actually think to use this opportunity to pump his game with a link.

[vict0r]

what?! you made the game in 3 days?  :o

[Oliwerko]

Wow, people, som of you are extremely fast !!!
How do you do it ?
Tell us the recipe 

[shbaz]

Get a bedpan and keep it close to the computer.

[Gord10]

My first completed game was made in about 3-4 weeks. (I don't want to give its name; it was such a sucking game.)
My most serious game project, Lost In The Nightmare, was completed in about 1-1,5 year.

But I made Are We There Yet? 2 shorter than 4-5 hours ( http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=768 ).

[esper]

Nice Gord! I knew I wasn't the only one to think of doing it!

Anyway, I had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off from work. I had already written the story (it comes with the ESPER package, if you care to read it) and when I got AGS, I decided that would be a good one to make into a game. I spent about an hour reworking the story to make it more adventure-game suitable (in the original there was a large cast of main characters). Then, I made it room by room: I would draw the room, import it into AGS, and make all the initial interactions. This took the remainder of the next two days.

On day three, I finished a couple rooms and then set to work programming the story into the game. Starting with the first room, I put in all the puzzles and cutscenes that move the story alng. This took about three quarters of a day, and that night I found webhosting and uploaded it.

I wouldn't suggest this method. I wanted to make a game, not a piece of art. The backgrounds are really crappy (can anyone say "lens flare!") and some animations are only two frames long (see the goosestepping sherrif... However, I worked my way around this one by explaining that he was a zombie and thus was supposed to walk funny ) If you want to make a game that you can be proud of (not that I'm not proud of ESPER, but it could have been quite a bit better), take your time and don't rush it. It took me four days to complete my OROW entry Heart of Abraxas, and two weeks to make Alpha-X: Project SMASH.

However, I really want to make a nice game now. I've spent two weeks just programming the GUI for Alpha X's sequel.

[Oliwerko]

Well, I almost thought that you are making games like a factory  .
You can be proud that you did that without any AGS knowledge !

[MrColossal]

My first complete game took me 6 days and it was 6 Day Assassin.

I started a test alien game in AGS and then gave up on it to make 6DA. It was a long long time ago, years ago when I first downloaded AGS so I'm going to say that it was a month on the test game and then 6 days for 6 Day Assassin.

My second completed game took my 7 days and it was Automation.

Automation is clearly the winner there.

[Andail]

You and your days, Eric

[Oliwerko]

Man, this is awesome!

There are real talents in this community!
I've spent a week creating my first lousy background, now I'm making my second (lousy) bg.

I want to ask:
What's better ? Make a not-so-good game first and then improve the quality, use your experience and create another one, or use the time to create one game instead (a game that you're satisfied with) ?

[Jon]

Well, when I made my first game, it was very short and brief - could be done in 15 minutes. But it took me about a month to make as soon as I got AGS, but I learned a lot from the experience, and I am now making a game with over double the amount of rooms as the first in proberly the same amount of time. So I would advise that you make a short game in AGS to get to grips with the functions, then make a bigger game.

[Oliwerko]

I think I'd do so, as soon as I learn how to draw  :

[Erenan]

It's okay to make a game with poorly drawn graphics. I've done it more than once!

I personally find it helpful to make something less than a masterpiece for your first try (and maybe second, third, etc.). The point is, by working on games, you are practising your skills. So if you make a few small practise games first, then a couple of nice things happen. You are more likely to finish them because they are small and simple. And when you do decide to make something a little more substantial, its quality will be much greater than it would have been otherwise. And you don't have to release these small practice games. So if you just want to make something with poor graphics so that you can learn the system, you don't have to worry about it looking bad.

Not everyone will find this helpful, but I found MAGS to be an extremely good way to get a game finished. The deadline forced me to work on it, and I wanted to get it done in time so badly, that I couldn't allow myself not to finish it. It was a little rushed in the end, and it certainly wasn't the greatest game ever made, but I gained a lot of knowledge about AGS and game making in general.