I am ash...who are you?
by Rudyard Paine · in General Discussion · 06/12/2003 (10:59 am) · 11 replies
hello,
my name is ash. I am an independent game designer.I have about 20 years of scenario and game design expierience.I have multiple worlds that I have been working on for 3+ years.I have an extensive rules system that is adaptable to CRPs,P&P RPGs, as well as card games.
I want to do at least a few games on my own, possibly all of them or with a small local team.I know why work is valid and I want to show and develop my skills before I undertake some giant project ( read commercial endevor).I have been looking into some of the RPG and game development "kits" out there. I am able to work with RPGMaker2000 when it comes to level layout and I am starting to get the hang of it,
but I know that it will not be suitable for any lasting work.
quik question : RPGM2K is a pirated is it not ?
So I am wanting to work with other engines/libraries to develop my own level and game IDEs.
My problem is I get kinda lost ,or maybe bored is a better word, when I sit down to program. It is very frustrating and discouraging.
I will achieve my dreams but I know I running in circles.I understand hardware quite well , and I have a fair understanding of math though no real education. I took my GED the start of my freshman year due to boredom and my family environment. I travelled across country for about eight years. I have lost more equipment and books than most people would know what to do with several times.I know I missed out on a lot of time and oppoutunities over the years ,though I don't regret it ,I learned alot about myself and the world in those years.
What I need now is some pointers on how to get started on filling in the gaps in my skills and getting focused on my goals.
Any advice would be helpfull.
oh and a couple of pages on copyright law:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ61.pdf
---ash
my name is ash. I am an independent game designer.I have about 20 years of scenario and game design expierience.I have multiple worlds that I have been working on for 3+ years.I have an extensive rules system that is adaptable to CRPs,P&P RPGs, as well as card games.
I want to do at least a few games on my own, possibly all of them or with a small local team.I know why work is valid and I want to show and develop my skills before I undertake some giant project ( read commercial endevor).I have been looking into some of the RPG and game development "kits" out there. I am able to work with RPGMaker2000 when it comes to level layout and I am starting to get the hang of it,
but I know that it will not be suitable for any lasting work.
quik question : RPGM2K is a pirated is it not ?
So I am wanting to work with other engines/libraries to develop my own level and game IDEs.
My problem is I get kinda lost ,or maybe bored is a better word, when I sit down to program. It is very frustrating and discouraging.
I will achieve my dreams but I know I running in circles.I understand hardware quite well , and I have a fair understanding of math though no real education. I took my GED the start of my freshman year due to boredom and my family environment. I travelled across country for about eight years. I have lost more equipment and books than most people would know what to do with several times.I know I missed out on a lot of time and oppoutunities over the years ,though I don't regret it ,I learned alot about myself and the world in those years.
What I need now is some pointers on how to get started on filling in the gaps in my skills and getting focused on my goals.
Any advice would be helpfull.
oh and a couple of pages on copyright law:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ61.pdf
---ash
#2
06/12/2003 (11:49 am)
first figure out what your name really is . . . and then maybe read some Brian Tracy books ;)
#3
06/12/2003 (11:56 am)
My suggestion is don't try to do everything. If you are good at game design then focus on that and find other people to do the rest of the work. I'm sure there are some talented programmers out there that can't design games.
#4
06/12/2003 (2:15 pm)
ash is a nickname that just kinda stuck. 
#6
06/12/2003 (4:12 pm)
I think you should add 'can wield chainsaw arm' to your list of experience.
#7
Mark hit the nail on the head. Do what you do best and find others to do the rest. Programming is definately not for everyone. There are plenty of "programmers" who never quite get it cause of lack of drive, motivation, or boredom. It's best not to fall into that trap.
However, if you are curious and want to learn, don't let any elitists get in your way.
Welcome to GG! We're a great community, despite some of the harsh posts.
06/12/2003 (5:32 pm)
Hey Ash,Mark hit the nail on the head. Do what you do best and find others to do the rest. Programming is definately not for everyone. There are plenty of "programmers" who never quite get it cause of lack of drive, motivation, or boredom. It's best not to fall into that trap.
However, if you are curious and want to learn, don't let any elitists get in your way.
Welcome to GG! We're a great community, despite some of the harsh posts.
#8
ash as in ashes-on-the-wind.
I travel alot.
truth be known there are several reasons for the name,some personal, some funny, and some tragic.
mostly because I like the way it sounds.
I suppose its better than say "master_hacker99_sk8r_dude"
anyway is it that important ?
thank you Madcap and Mark, I really need the encouragement not the BS.
I want to code so I can at least understand how to communicate with my programmer in real world terms.
I want that Lead Developer job and I am going to have to do a little of EVERYTHING.
---ash
06/12/2003 (7:16 pm)
no...ash as in ashes-on-the-wind.
I travel alot.
truth be known there are several reasons for the name,some personal, some funny, and some tragic.
mostly because I like the way it sounds.
I suppose its better than say "master_hacker99_sk8r_dude"
anyway is it that important ?
thank you Madcap and Mark, I really need the encouragement not the BS.
I want to code so I can at least understand how to communicate with my programmer in real world terms.
I want that Lead Developer job and I am going to have to do a little of EVERYTHING.
---ash
#9
06/12/2003 (9:27 pm)
No no, ash as in Ashton Kutcher... or the Pokemon kid... or the stuff that turns into clay when it gets rained on. =)
#11
However, while you're learning more about programming, you might want to look into to working as a designer on some project that's already in progress on garagegames.
Unless you're lucky, the project will probably fall through for one reason or another (most indie projects fail), but you'll gain valuable experience.
06/13/2003 (5:58 pm)
Well, learning how to program is a good idea, even if your final goal is to be a designer instead of a programmer. Knowing about other fields related to video game making will only help you.However, while you're learning more about programming, you might want to look into to working as a designer on some project that's already in progress on garagegames.
Unless you're lucky, the project will probably fall through for one reason or another (most indie projects fail), but you'll gain valuable experience.
Torque Owner Ben Heath
First off: I find that, with the right music (which is different for every person I think), programming is quite fun. You just have to know what you're doing and what you must do. "When you must, you can."
(BTW: Music that helps me is The Scorpions' BLACKOUT and rockin stuff like that, but other stuff, like classical, works too. I've never tried techno, and I really don't want to. )
Next, you should realize something from Economics -- which they teach in high school (hint, hint). It's the Law of Diminishing Returns, which states that a factory/producer/whatever can only produce so much at a time. If they cross a certain line, things fall apart (and then "returns" "diminish"). You should naturally know that, right? You can only do so much.
Finally, learn the business and the way things are done, and have a sense of humor about it. We have special hardware because we want special effects. We have API's for all that hardware, because we want to use all/most of them most generally. We have engines that cover these API's and produce the kind of software we want, because we don't like re-inventing the wheel. (Writing a Win32 program IS about the most boring thing on earth, afterall, and initializing DirectX is about as fun as getting whacked on the back of the left nut.)