How long did it take to make your first game ?

[Oliwerko]

I think I agree with you, the problem probably is, that people want to make a great game as the first, and they never finish it, because it takes them too long... Simply no motivation 

[Da_Elf]

i think i started asterix last summer

[LimpingFish]

I first decided I wanted to make a computer game in 1992, when I first got a program called STAC (ST Adventure Creator) on my Atari ST.

15 years later, I finished my first game.

Stuff...happened inbetween.

[Baron]

I had considered making adventure games back in the 1990s, but hadn't the skill set to know how to even start.  I happily stumbled upon AGS in August 2003, ran through the entire tutorial in about a month and then proceeded to stitch the random rooms I had made for that purpose into Al-Quest 1, which was completed in late December 2003.  If you crave game making glory immediately then MAGS is definitely the way to go -you get the feeling of having at least explored a creative idea and that all important rush of having finished something.

[Blackthorne]

Just about two years.  A lot of trial and error work - as well as concurrent work on several other projects which have yet to be completed as well.

But we did get it done.

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=734

Bt

[Jon]

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

In all of my games, I have used someone elses art (from the resource page, THANK YOU!) but I have put some of my art in as well. It seems terrible compared to the other BGs but I know personally that I have done it, and it makes me feel good inside 

You should try and start like this and then gradually insert more and more of your own art.

[Vince Twelve]

When I first joined, I worked on a game slowly for about five months before I canned it. 

Then I made my first finished game, Anna, in seven days.  I have no idea how I worked that fast.  I only remember my wife being angry that I stayed up all night...

My second finished game, What Linus Bruckman Sees When His Eyes Are Closed, took about eight months.  It's only a one room game, like Anna, but is considerably more complex.

In between the two, I programmed Spooks in six weeks.  But that was fast because The Ivy had been doing all the designing and art for months before I got going.

[Radiant]

Depends on what you consider the first.

My "true" first game was something in basic that never really went anywhere and I probably spent a few weeks on. Of course I was eleven at the time so that hardly counts
My first game that got completed and polished (Block-O-Mania) took about five months.
My first game that actually got published and has a fanbase (SubTerra) took about a year and a half, total.

Same story for AGS. My "true" first game (Glorious Quest) was just messing around with the studio for a few weeks before I dropped the concept.
The first game that I started serious work on (A Tale of Two Kingdoms) now clocks in at two-and-a-half years and counting.
The first game that got completed and polished (META) took about a week.

[mätzyboy]

My first finished game was never released here. It was made by me for my friends at Uni to take the piss out of a lecturer of ours. I cannot remember the amount of time I spent on it, but it was quite short, maybe a a week and a half of work in between studying for an upcoming exam. Crypt took me about a week of spare time work. Party took less. Maybe five days of spare time work. Both games are short though, and I deliberately tried out methods of creating graphics that would be quick.

I am amazed by the people here spending so much time on each background and to make lots and lots of animation. For me it is more about having a short period of inspiration, and trying to quickly transform that into a game. Taking shortcuts in graphics is a way of doing so, but I'm often quite happy with the semi concept look i manage to produce.

I also started at least three games that I never finished, which I guess have an infinite production time  .

[Da_Elf]

if we are not talking about 1st AGS game then my 1st 1st 1st game was a text parsed game for the C64 called Evil Mansion. Then with the birth of C128 i started making graphics games since they included a sprite editor.

[Chicky]

umm, i had been on ags starting and starting game projects for two years then i finally decided to make a short game. The puzzles made no sense, the dialog was non-existent but i finished it. Now i do believe that no one has a copy of the game to shame me with

Fatal Expectation will be finished soon.

[charliechuck]

My first ever game was a driving game written in basic on a vic-20, which was not very good. I had various attempts at text adventures and a first stab at a Dungeons and dragons RPG style game using a home made machine code assembler, which never got finished. I tried again on the C64, to do the RPG style game, along with a Platform game, but again didn't finish either, although I spent a year on and off trying.

First attempt at an ags game was 4 years ago, again a RPG style Adventure game, got as far as demo, but gave up when the source code and graphics got lost. I tried again last year, getting as far as demo stage, took about 3 months, but I'm rapidly loosing interest in it and haven't touched it in months.

As other people have said, making a MAGS game with the short time limit is a real help to actually getting it finished. It doesn't matter too much about the graphics and story, and you will feel a real achievement when it's finished.

[Haddas]

I'm still working on it, sorta ¬¬


This is my fourth year.

[FSi++]

I am still making my first game. "Canned it year ago" would be more appropriate, tho.

[Peder 🚀]

I started with AGS in 2001 if I remember right.. did not finish a game before in 2004.
I havent worked on my 2 first game projects since 2004 when I finished my first game.

Though I made 3 games during 2006!
So I guess I am making progress!

[Pet Terry]

My first AGS game took about 2 weeks to make, I had to get it done by Christmas and I remember the panic few days before Christmas. The remake of that game took about a month. The two MAGS games I've made were made in two - three weeks.

And the several longer projects have gone Run Hot ages ago. If only I could keep on working on my longer projects on the same pace as when creating those short games!

[woodz]

2002/2003 all my AGS games where for MAGS and they sucked lol, the game "T.I.T" was probably the closest to anywhere near a reasonable attempt.
i rushed and should of payed more attention to the fine details, buggy games with thin plots don't win prizes but its one hell of a learning curve.. and at least you get something to show and get useful feed back
its so easy to start a huge game only to realise by the end of the first room you don't actually have a story that you can pull off

2007? i still rush but now i do go back and fix problems and T.I.T is on the cards to be redone as  it was intended to be

[Jhumjhum]

I downloaded AGS in the beginning of 2004 and I was like..

I got to make a game! I must make a game!
But I worked hard for 2 weeks (or less) and made a game & thought I've got to share it with the world! Oh boy, people I don't even know and all over the world would be playing my game.I was so excited.

So I put 'Framed!' in the net in a hurry.

Some people were exceptionally encouraging to the over-enthusiastic newbie & some were plain blunt. (But I didn't feel they were untruthful ever)

However, I realized soon enough that I had goofed up with the story & plot somewhere (not to mention graphics) in myÃ, child-like overenthusiasm.

So I decided to really think try plan , work hard on the story, puzzles & graphics forÃ,  a long time before I put forth my second attempt. But, the trouble is its becoming way too long (the time that is) and I can hear my old "I must release my game soon!" voice deep within my head and I'm fighting it to keep it under control.Ã, 

[MOLEMAN]

From the time I downloaded AGS to the time when I finished My first game was 3 1/2 hours, but the game is only 10 Rooms and I used the instagame space pack and the default game profile.

My Original Game Idea Is having the backgrounds Drawn while I look For A scripter as in AGS I cant Create Dialouge because my computer has an Error

MOLEMAN

[Da_Elf]

still going (energiser drum beat)