15 replies to this topic

[bhbtti]

Ok basically where do i start to develop a racing game.
I already have a good programming team and very good 3d modeling team thats using 3d max. So what do i start out doing and i want to do everything by scratch but easiest way possible.And we all know c++ and .net programming.
If your expert on making racing games from scratch plz contact me on msn: brionct@hotmail.com or my yahoo messenger : ureboybreezy@yahoo.com

thanks.

[Reedbeta]

Does your team having any game experience?

If not, I'd suggest that you first make one or two simple 2D games so that they get an idea of how games work, before trying to make the leap to 3D, which has its own challenges.

Since you're saying you're developing from scratch I guess you don't want to use an engine. In that case, decide your target platform and language if you haven't already, have your programmers download any appropriate SDKs and get working.

[bhbtti]

we kinda have gaming experience but its in 2d with blitz basic do you know whats the easiest way to develop a (massive multiplayer Online Racing Game -using c++ and i could use an engine but i rather get a step by step guide of creating a simple 3d game using 3d max graphics and any free game engine but nothing like gamestudio because that sucks.

[Reedbeta]

Don't develop a massively multiplayer online racing game. You're not ready for that yet. Develop a single-player racing game, or one with only a small amount of multiplayer (say a max of 5 players racing against each other).

As for picking an engine, read some of the many, many threads in this forum about engine selection. Some of the most-often-recommended indie engines out there are: Torque, C4, Panda3D, Irrlicht, and Visual3D.NET.

[rouncer]

racing games pretty much come standard with a full physics engine, so you need to be able to handle that, even fps's dont need it, but car games sure do.

[starstutter]

bhbtti said:

I already have a good programming team and very good 3d modeling team thats using 3d max.

I can't say anything about the modeling team, but if you had a good programming team you would not be needing to ask this question. Chances are they would already know what to do. At the very least they would get started on the standard application framework. And if they were a knoledgable programming team they would have smacked you at the first mention of an MMO game.

Anyway, as for your question, make a 2D top-down racing game. That doesn't mean it has to be simple however, there are lots of really awesome things you can do in 2D. (I know a bunch of these techniques, so just ask if you want to make a really suped-up 2D version.)

Move to 3D when you completley master 2D, and trust me, that will take a while.

[rouncer]

starstutter, dont think your such a big wig.

[starstutter]

rouncer said:

starstutter, dont think your such a big wig.

I don't think Im such a big wig. I'm just saying its wierd that he's asking a question like "where do I start". If he already has a programming team, even if they don't have graphics experience, they should know that there's nothing particularly different about developing a racing game compared to any other type of game, and the framework (basic rendering ect) should be almost identical.

So then, I guess my best guess to the question is that you should get some basic graphics up on the screen. It would be hard to develop blind ;)

[rouncer]

everyone gets there in the end, if they work for it.
i dont see the problem if he wants to jump in the deep end, its another good way to learn.
(but what if hes actually good?)

[fireside]

I think the closest thing to what you're looking for in the open source world is Ogre/Ode. It's a combination of the ogre rendering engine with ode(open dynamics engine) for physics. They have a short racing game in one of the demo's I believe, which you could use as a start of your code base. The networking you would have to find an add on library, but there are some around.

[bhbtti]

OK so you guys say ORGE,3d Visual.net,irrlchit,torque,oh and 3d panda.
So basically its best to use a code off a demo game to make our own.

could someone send links to these good engines that are free to use and maybe some tutorials.

[Reedbeta]

bhbtti said:

could someone send links to these good engines that are free to use and maybe some tutorials.

Google is your friend.

[bhbtti]

yea i know but i think it would be better if you guys help me and my team thanks and we have a website but not even clsoe to being done you could check it out..

www.freewebs.com/brak3


its bout to become
www.brak3.com

[alphadog]

rouncer said:

everyone gets there in the end, if they work for it.
i dont see the problem if he wants to jump in the deep end, its another good way to learn.

Yeah, but game development isn't a well-maintained pool with plenty of life-guards, and hotties at the tiki bar.

It's a dark, murky pond, with an unknown number of sharp-edged boulders, and the hotties are actually large, hungry barracudas telling you to jump...

rouncer said:

(but what if hes actually good?)

Honestly, I have never finished a game project. I'd like to consider myself good, but I now know enough (after 15 years!) that no matter how good I am, the field itself is a hard one. It's not like coding up a simple business or web app. Not at all.

People here are genuinely trying to be helpful from experience. Think of the recommendation of doing a 2D game, then a 3d game, then an MMO as "internship" steps.

You don't give someone a law book and toss him into court to prosecute a murderer, telling him he's "starting in the deep end", do you?

[rouncer]

you have to learn how to do it eventually.

[alphadog]

rouncer said:

you have to learn how to do it eventually.

Sure, but how many toddlers do you know who learned to swim by getting tossed into the Olympic pool's deep end versus going to the local wading pool?

Note the "eventually" part you reflexively add to your sentence. What usually happens before the "eventually"? A little theory, built up experiences, etc...