New to AGS :)

[robgershabit]

As I am new, I thought I'd post & say hello I am 25 years old & live in Yorkshire, England. I have played many, many games on many different consoles, starting from a commodore & spectrum(which I still have under the stairs ). I have no game making experience whatsoever, although that hasn't stopped me wanting to make one. I found this site through a forum on Revolution software(Broken Sword) & have read the tutorial, & I believe I could start making a game using AGS. I am by no means trying to sound 'cocky', I just feel the tutorial is so well written I couldn't go wrong. Obviously I will not be making a full length game on my first go, nor will it rival the quality of the games made on here, but I want to make something of quality, something I'm really happy with (& hopefully something that makes you lot happy playing it)
I suppose my 'pros' are drawing (if anyone has an idea for something, say a landscape or character, I might be able to help you with some sketches that you can build on) & also I am quite good at doing accents. My game will include hand drawn scenes & full voice overs done by myself & anyone I feel is suitable.
I do have 2 questions that may not related to this thread so please don't shoot me for posting it here:
1. I read in another post of a 'manual' with all the examples of game coding, if anyone knows the link to this I'd appreciate it thanks
2. How short is a 'short game'? ie what is passable as a short game, x amount of scenes, characters etc?

[Technocrat]

Welcome to AGS! It's always groovy to see new folk joining in. Drawing skills will certainly be very helpful with AGS, since so much else of it is extremely simple to grasp.

The manual for the editor (F1) has examples of script for each concept it explains, but personally I found it most useful hanging around on the beginner's coding forum around here, it got things explained to me until I can now make some fairly complicated things - built a turn-based strategy using AGS, after all.

Short games can be extraordinarily short - sometimes they don't even involve a character that moves, or just one room. By all means build a one-room game, people still appreciate them around here! And good luck, I look forward to seeing what you come out with.

[Ali]

Hi!

I agree that the 'Help' file that comes with AGS is very comprehensive, and usually quite easy to search for what you need. As for a short game, I'd say anything that takes less than an hour to play through is short. (By the way, there is a thread for introductions here.)

Good luck with your first game!

- Ali

[Dualnames]

Welcome the wonderful AGS forums, where people never cease to amaze me. And of course there's nemo. OMG WHAT A DOUCHE!! LOLOLOLOLO

[Matti]

Welcome to the forums 

Next to the tech forums and the manual you can also check out Densming's helpful video tutorials.

[NickyNyce]

welcome aboard, those densming videos are so good at getting you started. If you can draw or use a paint program that's half the battle without a doubt, the scripting part is a ton of fun IMO. There is a learning curve like anything else, put in a few weeks of trying things and before you know it, your making games.

On this website you will see a search button near the top of the forums, this is extremely helpful for looking for questions you need answered that have already been asked, and when all else fails, you have the manual and of course the forums.

I came here myself saying how can someone with no experience do this, after watching the densming videos and him talking me through the early stages, it all came pretty easy, much easier than i ever imagined. But beware, if you get through the first few weeks you will start to lose any tan you have, your friends will start to wonder where you are, and your girlfriend might get jealous.

[pmartin]

Don't even talk about the girlfriend getting jealous.

Sometimes I fear that she'll turn on my computer on the middle of the night and delete all my game files. :o

[robgershabit]

Thank you all for the warm welcome & thanks for the quick replies & answers to my questions too, I look forward to making a game using AGS & these forums (which I do need to read in more detail). The links you provided will be most helpful, I'm starting on the videos now

Short games can be extraordinarily short - sometimes they don't even involve a character that moves, or just one room

Thanks for the support, in regards to your answer: I'll be hoping to create at least 4 scenes, & I want a main character & some side characters. This may increase as I go along, I may want to develop it further once I get the hang of it, I just don't know yet. I won't get ahead of myself though

But beware, if you get through the first few weeks you will start to lose any tan you have, your friends will start to wonder where you are, and your girlfriend might get jealous.

Fortunately I'm already sporting a milk bottle tan, single & can count my friends on one hand, maybe I'm cut out for this?

Regarding the moving on this thread, hopefully a moderator can move this for me please?

[KodiakBehr]

Welcome to AGS!

I'm also a 20-something without game-development skills or expertise who just joined from Ottawa, Canada, so I share your enthusiasm.  

AGS lacks a single complete manual for everything you need, but the Help interface is exhaustive, the Wiki is useful and the community usually answers any technical question within a few hours.  After so many years of operation, it is extremely unlikely you will have a question that hasn't been asked by somebody else before, so make liberal use of the search function on these forums, and be wary of posts made for much older builds.

There is no threshold-limit for a short game.  There is no shortage of one-room games.

Some free advice from somebody who is just starting to get feedback on his first game.

DO start small, and define your project priorities well in advance.  I started by saying I would make a 10-room game, and it snowballed to 40 rooms and eight months of my life.  More is not better if your quality control is lacking.

DO develop a thick skin.  Your first game will not be glorious, and there's always somebody out there who will want to remind you of that.  Listen and learn from those critics, while being mindful that everyone has a slightly different idea of what makes a "good" game.

DO think of your audience in advance.

DO NOT be afraid to ask for advice, or work with partners.  I am a convert to the value of small teams, particularly for non-commerical products.

DO NOT entertain any delusions about retailing until you are universally praised and adored by all.  Dave Gilbert should at least be sending you flowers regularly.  Observation has proven that people can get pretty cranky over a couple dollars.

Have fun!  I really effin' enjoyed producing my first.  Pro tip:  Try to code out in the sun, if you can -- you will miss daylight.

Drop me a line anytime.

[Atelier]

Pro tip:  Try to code out in the sun, if you can -- you will miss daylight.

You don't even need to do that. I find vitamin D tablets to be more than sufficient. In fact now that I think about it I haven't seen daylight in years. Damn I can't even remember what humans look like.

Lol only kidding, I coded a complex AI and I've actually been dead for over a year now. All my posts are automated responses. I could have done something a bit more epic but meh, got to leave a legacy behind somewhere I suppose.