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Is it really hard to make a game?

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meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
Just out of curiosity is it really that difficult to make a game? My brother and his friends make games on the weekends and post them on gamer sites for people to review and play. I told about my disappointment of the sims 4 he replied that I should just make my own sim game. I don't know if he was being facetious or not. I'm thinking of trying perhaps knowing the level of difficulty of game making will give me a bit more appreciation for 4?

Comments

  • sparkfairy1sparkfairy1 Posts: 11,453 Member
    I think you need to be properly trained to attempt to make a more complex game, and you'll run into copyright issues to recreate your own sims game.
    I totally understand your disappointment, I just wish they cared enough to fix that for players like us :-(
  • Wildley CuriousWildley Curious Posts: 5,349 Member
    If you're really interested you may want to start by creating your own mods. That would give you an idea of what's involved.
    “I was so sure that I knew what they needed and what I wanted to sell them that I never stopped long enough to find out what it was they wanted to buy.”
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  • sparkfairy1sparkfairy1 Posts: 11,453 Member
    If you're really interested you may want to start by creating your own mods. That would give you an idea of what's involved.

    That's a good idea :-)
  • meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
    Yeah. I wish I could help. I'd work for free to help anyway I can to make that game better! Sims 4 has so much potential just lacking a bit from the baseline. I have all these great ideas in my head to improve it just no way of doing so. I've been playing Sims 3 again recently- I can't believe how slow it's gotten! I feel like some how it got worst or something. I don't have gameplay lag just really long loading times. Anyway I think I'm gonna to ask my brother's friend to help me with this. It'll give me something to do for now.
  • LovelyMelodyLovelyMelody Posts: 896 Member
    I'd be surprised if one person could make a game as good as TS4. @A@

    TS4 on its own is great. It's when you compare it to what it could've been based on the amount of resources and people behind it that makes it seem 'meh'.
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  • Wildley CuriousWildley Curious Posts: 5,349 Member
    If you're really interested you may want to start by creating your own mods. That would give you an idea of what's involved.

    That's a good idea :-)

    Thanks! I've been thinking about learning to mod myself for a while now. Maybe starting with TS3 since it's no longer supported (and EA can't come along and break it with an update.) :)
    “I was so sure that I knew what they needed and what I wanted to sell them that I never stopped long enough to find out what it was they wanted to buy.”
    ― Chris Murray, The Extremely Successful Salesman's Club
  • meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
    Well two people intially made Minecraft. Graphics aren't great but it's still a bit more fun than Sims 4 these days..

    [quote="LovelyMelody;12986649"]I'd be surprised if one person could make a game as good as TS4. @A@

    TS4 on its own is great. It's when you compare it to what it could've been based on the amount of resources and people behind it that makes it seem 'meh'. [/quote]
  • MasonGamerMasonGamer Posts: 8,851 Member
    yes. I took a 3D animation class, had to make the solar system counting pluto and astroid belt, the size the texture the orbit rotation. it took about almost 2 months so I give Sims 4 developers tons of slack with the "missing features."
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  • meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
    Oh man!. My brother uses 2D animation when he makes his games lol. I don't care about about graphics though just depth in the gameplay. That is what is important to me.
  • LovelyMelodyLovelyMelody Posts: 896 Member
    meeoun wrote: »
    Well two people intially made Minecraft. Graphics aren't great but it's still a bit more fun than Sims 4 these days..<br />
    <br />
    I'd be surprised if one person could make a game as good as TS4. @A@&lt;br />
    <br />
    TS4 on its own is great. It's when you compare it to what it could've been based on the amount of resources and people behind it that makes it seem 'meh'.
    Minecraft isn't the same as The Sims, though. I thought you were supposed to be making your own sims game? Different things to consider.
    Strawberry_Shortcake_Commision_by_sugarlette.gif <~ my weakness.
  • sparkfairy1sparkfairy1 Posts: 11,453 Member
    If you're really interested you may want to start by creating your own mods. That would give you an idea of what's involved.

    That's a good idea :-)

    Thanks! I've been thinking about learning to mod myself for a while now. Maybe starting with TS3 since it's no longer supported (and EA can't come along and break it with an update.) :)

    I'd love to see what you could come up with-if you do please let me know and il check it out :-) I'd love to get involved but I do a lot of arts and crafts and I struggle with finding the time to do those! ;-)
  • meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
    I am. And I know Minecraft isn't exactly like sims. But it's a pretty decent game made by two dudes in their mom's attic. Just stating a point it's possible. Probably not feasible with solely my skills. I may need a bit if help from my brother and his friend. When I start college after high school in a couple years I want to go into computer software design anyway. My motivation and passion will come from experiencing fails that have fostered my disappointment of my favorite game titles going sour. ☆☆
  • Wildley CuriousWildley Curious Posts: 5,349 Member
    If you're really interested you may want to start by creating your own mods. That would give you an idea of what's involved.

    That's a good idea :-)

    Thanks! I've been thinking about learning to mod myself for a while now. Maybe starting with TS3 since it's no longer supported (and EA can't come along and break it with an update.) :)

    I'd love to see what you could come up with-if you do please let me know and il check it out :-) I'd love to get involved but I do a lot of arts and crafts and I struggle with finding the time to do those! ;-)

    Oh I will! Since I'm currently unemployed I'm thinking it'll be my winter project.
    “I was so sure that I knew what they needed and what I wanted to sell them that I never stopped long enough to find out what it was they wanted to buy.”
    ― Chris Murray, The Extremely Successful Salesman's Club
  • RitchieRitchie Posts: 107 Member
    meeoun wrote: »
    I am. And I know Minecraft isn't exactly like sims. But it's a pretty decent game made by two dudes in their mom's attic. Just stating a point it's possible. Probably not feasible with solely my skills. I may need a bit if help from my brother and his friend. When I start college after high school in a couple years I want to go into computer software design anyway. My motivation and passion will come from experiencing fails that have fostered my disappointment of my favorite game titles going sour. ☆☆
    I don't know what your level of skill is, but in the last few years I got the idea that games are getting pretty simple. or casual, if you like. It's Minecraft like you said, it's Angry Birds, Goat Simulator, those German/Swiss simulators (especially Euro Truck and Farming Simulator), Flappy Birds, Garry's Mod (not really a game though), etc.

    These are all games that are relatively simple compared to games like EA's but became very popular still. And most of them started as a home project by a person like you, who one day decided to try something new like game development. Indie gaming becomes more and more popular I think, and having companies as Steam (and YouTube for publicity) at reach, the distribution of these games are at an all-time high. Of course your first few games are going to suck, but like Bill Gates said a week ago: you live in the best time with the best education available through free resources on the internet.

    So, yeah, go for it! I'd recommend you to try Unity 3D, one of the most common game developing engines around. Some developers see it as a downside that a month ago they hired John Riccitiello as their CEO, since Riccitiello is the bloke who pretty much "ruined" EA in their perspective. But the software is still pretty nice, and I enjoy working with it :) You can also try other engines by looking at the games that were made with it, which I think is pretty interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines#With_related_games :)
  • GoldmoldarGoldmoldar Posts: 11,966 Member
    edited November 2014
    It can be done but you have to have patience and be original in what you do. You are making a game that many may possibly enjoy and not just you. You conduct surveys to feel out what others may want in the game but keep in mind that you may have to use what is in the boundaries of what engine you may want to use and you cannot add everything. Also you must have zest and as someone posted already avoid copying EA/Maxis work to avoid their wrath. One other thing if you do succeed you might want to copyright your work so EA/Maxis cannot copyright your material because if it is not, it is open game.
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  • TerrylinTerrylin Posts: 4,846 Member
    Great idea! You should do it!

    Here is a article I found that has some interesting links: http://kotaku.com/5979539/a-beginners-guide-to-making-your-first-video-game

    I also know that CAD is used to make the item (tree, furniture etc..) in the games we play now. I looked into it for TS3 items and found an article by a creator on TSR, they used CAD to make allot of the stuff for the game.
    Info on CAD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphics_software

    It is very interesting and time consuming but can be very rewarding!
    Let us know how/what you are doing. Sounds cool! Good Luck! :D
  • cauliflowerscauliflowers Posts: 5,782 Member
    Make a game? Probably not

    Make a game people would like? (Fill in the blank)
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  • cale2003cale2003 Posts: 2,802 Member
    its very complex with the coding the game engine and stuff like 3D animations and objects
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  • EllsElls Posts: 62 Member
    You need money. Time. Resources. A vast knowledge of coding, art, music composition and that's just the basics.

    People make games now, but they use programs such like RPG Maker VX Ace, and they are vastly restricted. Custom content for the Sims is very often done with a program, pre-made to take away a little of the stress and hiccups people face. But that's pre-set, already there. You're added surface detail/an overpaint on pre-existing things. To make from scratch, you need 3D knowledge. D: Uh. I looked into it during my prime in Sims 3. I'm an avid digital artist and was interested to make custom content, (pretty hair, clothes and stuff.) I couldn't at all get the hang of it. I haven't even tickled Zbrush or anything like it and when I tried I gave up after a month.

    It's complicated.

    So yeah, making games requires quite a bit to say the least.

  • nanashi-simsnanashi-sims Posts: 4,140 Member
    It isn't really possible for someone without experience to make a game as complex as the Sims, and unfortunately it is impossible to make a Sims alternative. Even if you did have a never emptying pocket full of cash, programming expertise, narrative talent, and resources which you would need to pull off a game as successful as (let's be generous and say) TS1, EA would slap you in the face with a lawsuit so fast your head would spin, and then they would flush your game down the toilet after the judge gave them the right to take a dump on it.

    There will never be an alternate Sims franchise. Which is why fans have to be vocal and involved with the developers and EA if they want to improve the current iteration. EA isn't going to give this cash cow up to anyone so we're stuck with them :neutral_face:

    Now dream dashing aside, here's some good news: You don't have to have a background in compsci if you want develop simple games right away. If you want to make a game to amuse yourself and earn some cash, you should consider learning mobile apps. Also, if you're interested in programming in general, Coursera had a fun Python course taught by Rice University professors which is totally free and teaches you how to make the classic arcade game Astroids. They offer the class in cycles, so you can ask to be notified when they run it again: https://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython

    I believe Python is the language they are using for modding TS4 too, so if you finish that course successfully you know enough to be dangerous in the TS4 modding community.
  • Glic2003Glic2003 Posts: 2,933 Member
    I've been making games off and on, mostly as a hobby (plus a couple of paid jobs) since 2004.

    I would highly recommend trying it. There are tons of tutorials and tools out there (much of it free) and it can be very rewarding. You just need lots of time and patience and the willingness to keep learning and researching whatever you want to do.
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    "We've been attributing the state of The Sims 4 to greed but I think it's time to give sheer incompetence another look."
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  • nanashi-simsnanashi-sims Posts: 4,140 Member
    SelenaGrey wrote: »
    Right on OP! DO IT!

    More kids need to get passionate about game creating. We have too many big wig companys sticking their hands in the industry because they realized how profitable gaming could be. It's no longer about the quality of the game or whats best for the playerbase, gameplay, lore or story anymore it's all about how to maximize profits.

    Sorry for my little rant, but I get really excited about small indie gaming companies who are just starting out because the passion to make a really good game is there.

    Yeah, but no matter how much we whinge... the Sims is gaming gold. I seriously doubt we'd have more than TS1 if it weren't for EA. I'm not a gamer though. I just play the Sims!
  • ImNoComedianImNoComedian Posts: 886 Member
    It isn't really possible for someone without experience to make a game as complex as the Sims

    496ae7760f59c7428a2b22f9cffd2d900cf1b40f0b459133e0e5b837baa62ca5.jpg
  • LovelyMelodyLovelyMelody Posts: 896 Member
    Yeah, just keep in mind I'm not saying you can't make a game that will be very enjoyable. Heck, indie games are my fave ;)
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  • plopppoplopppo Posts: 5,031 Member
    Mmm, I posted in here, but it seems to have got deleted?

    Too much to type again - can't remember it.
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