So uh, need help to start a Game Dev. Team

Hi everyone,

I am starting a Game Development/Design Company, uh I MEAN TEAM so we can make games and stuff.
So, anyone have experience with starting one? And the process of making a game?

Please Post on this thread with whatever you know about starting a company and making games, besides the programming language which we're using Python. Don't argue about the Programming language With pygame and a few other libs.

And when I mean company, I mean a small group of coders coding games and posting them on the Internet which isn't really a company which means that it's just a Team. We consist of a bunch of computer science kids in high school thinking of starting our own brand and games. What I am really asking is a list of stuff to do to start the team and the steps on making a game (with a list at least). Think of it as a team making some indie games (soon).

This is what we have so far:

Name - ProTek Games (no one take the name, it's ours and we've checked if anyone else has it on Google, only Protek gaming which hosts servers, not making games)

Location - Basically at our homes, @ school such as in the Comp Sci Room (which has the good comps, not the crappy ones that the library has) and we'll probably book some rooms in the library for conferences and stuff.

The Team - Currently, we have about 10 people on board but that's only in my school/people that I know and have agreed/commited to join/work.

Game Ideas - (these are gonna be indies and most likely free)

a Action RPG which may be changed to a MMO maybe (this is a top-down game, screw 3D we are not ready for that (yet...), it's joing to be kinda like Zelda with WoW elements in it with MineCraft Pixilated Awesome-ness.

a FPS game that is rediculous reallism, more that Bad Company 2 (this is several years from now, we all know it, like 10 years from now, and we probably won't even make a FPS.)

By the way, this is all theoretical and it's work in progress. We are all learning the language and I'm asking for guidance. And for the love of god, don't tell us that it's not going to work. Failure is not an option even though it could occur. Plus, it's a hell lot of fun doing something we have no idea how to do it as a group! When will we actually release a game (on the Internet for free?) Probably a year from now after we all learn the language and everything which means we need some guidance xD

This is the plan now:
1. learn code (Python)
2. learn the structure/process of making games (need help with that)
3. Make prototypes/mini programs/games (anyone wanna join? /sarcasm )
4. Make an actual 'free' indie game
5. Make some more games....

So any questions or suggestions, etc.?

 

I would love to help since something like this would be a great hobby.
Although I don't know anything about gaming code. I know basic hmtl and some php script. But due to my college studying I will learn more.
If you could give me some tuts or area of what I should I learn I have the time to invest.

 

Get some experience before actually even thinking of suggesting something like this, it's bound to fail otherwise, kid.

 

Well, we are all learning it right now.

 

Can't form a team to make games when none of you know anything.
That's like forming a flight crew when nobody can fly a plane.

 

We are not making games yet, we are learning it together first, then work on stuff.

 

Have you learned any code on your own before? I've been told it takes several years to even be considered "intermediate level" with python.

 

well we are going to make a few games as we go along whether it's something as stupid and time-wasteing as that Don't Shoot the puppy game to a basic drop the ball and understand the games physics system. I've programmed with batch files, I guess that's as basic as programming can get

BTW, we are learning it right now so we probably have a month experience xD

 

Don't wanna dump you down but...

1º: This is not the kind of stuff you ask in a worldwide forum. I reccomend you to ask around your own university/college/school and find people you've met in real life.
2º: Small indie games company's is usually formed of around 4~5 people, in general 3~4 Designers and 1~2 programmers.
3º: Stay away from any "realism" or "MMo" game idea. Won't gonna happen, at least not this way.


And to bump you up a bit....
1º: Start it slowly, works on some simple free to play games (these ones that you play on these free brownser game sites). If people like your work, its a way to go. Like people above me said, get some experience!
2º: check out Steam, they have a awesome support for indie games. You can even use the boards to ask a pre-avaliation of the game you made from advanced users and some professionals. Plus their contract is simple if you plan to do anything to sell.
3º: Most game designers start with cell phone games. They are overal simple, not hard to program and give a good start in the market.
4º: Its rare, but there are books in the gaming area. It's a nice idea to give it a go.

 

Like Dog person has said, you can't form a team to make games when none of you can. You're just asking for broken dreams and shattered hopes.

 

That is really helpful. The team are basically friends that are going to Computer Science and we will probably never go into FPS stuff since it's pretty complicated. We are aiming for an RPG. And we are getting experience xD
Books would help because it gives the process of game making in depth.
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We are forming a team so we can learn the language together and work together. The team is bascially in it's very early stages. Unlike other companies, you need experience. For us, we are learning it together which is a lot of fun (so far)

 

What is the best program for game creating

 

So how do people create small flash games.

 

They probably use Flash.


ActionScript.

 

So flash is a program used to create flash games. Made by adobe?