help please.
Hey, im in grade 11, want to be a game designer, level maker, world designer etc.
I was told by a friend that is in the business, that the unreal 3 engine is great, and that i can also start to make maps.
I don't no anything about making maps.
and i am a mac user.
Would a computer Science course be good for me in college/ university?
How can i start to make maps?
I would like to get some hands on experience,(and watch youtube videos)
on how to make maps,(so to say learn before be taught).
is there any courses i should take before graduation highschool?
some one please point me in the right direction.
and sorry if this is the wrong forum.
I was told by a friend that is in the business, that the unreal 3 engine is great, and that i can also start to make maps.
I don't no anything about making maps.
and i am a mac user.
Would a computer Science course be good for me in college/ university?
How can i start to make maps?
I would like to get some hands on experience,(and watch youtube videos)
on how to make maps,(so to say learn before be taught).
is there any courses i should take before graduation highschool?
some one please point me in the right direction.
and sorry if this is the wrong forum.
Replies
such as C++ / C#, and maybe scripting in a language such as python or lua. To elaborate:
Yes learning the Unreal 3 engine would be a good start on a path to becoming a game or level designer. The pc collectors edition of Unreal Tournament 3 comes with a good collection of video tutorials to get you up and running, though I'm not sure of any mac specific version.
You'll also want to learn at least the fundamentals of a industy used 3d package like 3ds Max or Maya. I'd recommend maya because of its 'personal learning edition' which is free and goes up to the version 8.5. You'll want to undestand basic modeling, unwrapping, texturing, and rigging. their are more things you could learn like rendering/lighting setups, physics, partle effects, etc. but that'd probably just serve to get you off track on your true goal.
Programing in any major language is important for the same reason that the formentioned subjects are, it allows you to better communicate with the people you'll be working with. You dont need to be on the level with with pro artists or programmers, but you need to be able to communicate your ideas properly and theroughly to them, as well as be able to undestand the technical jargon that they will be assaulting you with regularly. Beyond that it'll help you understand what is and isnt feasable in game production.
Too many aspiring game designers believe that they can just put every concept they've ever thought of into a game and make it work. Everything takes time and money (LOTS of money) to make, and if you want to be able to understand the kinds of limitations you'll need to place on your creative freedoms in order to create a solid product, learning as much as you can about the major aspects of game pipelines is a must.
Also, and this should be a given, if you want to design games you'll want to make design documents for your ideas, as many as you can and with as much important details as you can. The more you come to know about the way games are made the better your designs will become as you're realizing more and more what works and what doesn't.
Hope that helps
http://store.steampowered.com/app/13210/
It does not come with the video tutorials PolyHertz mentioned but there's always UDN:
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/UT3ModHome.html
a comp sci degree is only going to help you I think. Level design in the engine is something you can practice or mess with on your own time, don't discount the usefullness of a degree, take it from someone who decided not to get a degree (even a fine arts) in the journey to become an animator...I have a fancy diploma in animation... wooo big deal, who takes that one seriously? going comp sci would definitely help.
I loved it of course. I was like "that's what I want to do with my life!" I want to make games and that is it.
My high school offered no such courses that would benefit me. We had a general art class but nothing computer related. I went to a open house kinda deal up in San Francisco, at the Art Institute. I fell in love immediately and started there 3 months out of high school. I eventually relocated to the A.I. in San Diego, for living purposes, and I am getting close to graduating.
I would highly recommend the Art Institute school where as they will give you all the basics of game making as well as the more advanced techniques later on in your studies. I love it and would hope you will check it out. There are A.I.'s located all around the U.S. so you can go to which ever one you prefer.
Hope this helps in someway. Good luck with your future. Glad your aiming for games.
Sorry but I have to disagree, I went to an Art Institute as well and consider it the greatest waste of time and money I made in my life. They skipped out on teaching alot of the basics, and never taught anything I'd consider even remotly advanced. The teachers are paid bottom end wages and it shows. You can search for topics here or on any other number of 3d forums and you'll find the majority saying to stay away from them.
Its not just the quality of the education thats the problem, its the cost as well. You're looking at paying nearly 100k to get a bachelors degree from them these days, and any number of schools will offer the same for a fraction of the price. Just keep in mind that their is no 'perfect' school and all will require you to do alot of work outside the classroom to become any good at what you do, at least when it comes to this industry.AI schools arn't the worst education you could pick but from a quality vs price standpoint I'd say they are.
From what i've heard/read most people feel it is a vast waste of money, and you can learn everything you would at AI on the internet, reading tutorials and/or polycount and experimenting on your own. But hey, some people need the class environment to push themselves to work.
My personal opinion is that you do not need any sort of degree to work in the games industry as an artist/level designer. All you need is a good portfolio and some relevant experience(mod work generally holding more ground for me than schooling).
BUT, if you do feel the need to get a degree, get a degree that is actually useful in the real world. A "game design" or somesuch degree is totally worthless and a crock of shit outside of the games industry, and pretty much worthless in the games industry as well. I would go for either a computer science, or a fine art degree. Try and decide what you enjoy doing more, the artistic side or the technical side.
My time at school, while not useless, also wasn't the fastest or best way I could have learned what I did. I also spent a significant amount of time learning on my own, and used classes as largely a place to bounce questions around. In many ways however, this forum can be more useful for that sort of thing.
School is overrated, but it can help legitimize what you're trying to do to family/significant others etc.