I really want to make games but have zero experience other than knowing photoshop and some BASIC BASIC javascript...what's the best way to learn from start fo finish? Books? Can you recommend any? Do you even think I SHOULD or is my head just in the clouds after hearing all the success stories? thanks!
I recommend doing some of the many Unity tutorials, from the company and from the community. A JavaScript book might be good just to cover programming basics like loops, variables and conditions. In the end, though, you'll learn a lot trying (and maybe failing) at your own ideas. So start small. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you expect instant results, your head may be in the clouds If you simply expect that you'll get there in the end, you're probably right!
Thanks alot! but you said javascript....don't you mean Objective-C or Cocoa? Is there a difference from javascript? Also I've seen alot of people recommend these books, but If I'm going to be using Unity, would books like this help me at all or are they not connected? 1) Beginning iPhone Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK 2) Cocoa(R) Programming for Mac(R) OS X (3rd Edition) Thanks alot and I'd love to hear everyones opinion! THANKS!!!!
You can skip those books unless you're making a game engine from scratch. If you're using Unity, then you'll do your coding in JavaScript. (Or C# or Python/Boo if you prefer. Most of the tutorials are for JavaScript though and most people seem to stick with that.) The best learning materials will be Unity materials. Some JavaScript basics are important, but the details of making a game will all be Unity-specific. And there are lots of tutorials and searchable documentation to help you if you decide to wade in
Thanks a million! So basically just get unity and use their tutorials and help/message boards? ps I've heard people mention that they've made a game simply with photoshop and x-code (such as scoops)....firstly is that possible? Secondly and sorry for this...but what is x-code?
Xcode is Apple's official (free and excellent) toolset for making iPhone AND Mac apps. You can make anything with it, and some simple games may not be out of reach of beginning Xcode programmers. Definitely possible. But for other games, especially with 3D, Unity saves time and complexity.
Sorry if this is a stupid question but is x-code the same as objective-c? What would be the best way to learn it so I can make a simple 2d game for the iphone such as scoops, up there, wurdle etc... Thanks!
I haven't learned it yet myself But when/if I do, I'll start with the video tutorials that Apple has, and the documentation that comes with Xcode, and then I'll decide if I need a book too or not. I've learned a lot of other programming environments and I usually don't bother with books, but I'm sure people here could recommend some good ones. Objective C is the language you'd be programming in, and Xcode is the tool you'd be using to do it: http://www.apple.com/macosx/developertools/xcode.html It's free, and it came on your OS X DVD, but a newer version, plus the iPhone components (including an iPhone simulator app) that you need to go with it, can be downloaded. You have to sign up for the iPhone developer program, but it's free to do so. (You can pay later if you want to sell through the iTunes store.) http://developer.apple.com/iPhone/program/
I have been looking into Unity over the last week and it looks extremely interesting, the biggest thing I like about it is that it let's you jump straight in to a half built engine of sorts where you start adding or adjusting things to how you prefer, code and value editing to achieve the game you want to make. I plan to learn Unity and some coding once I finish my 3D course at university this year, so my plan is to make all the assets now and then learn how to roll it all together into a game over the summer. It should be a fun experience.
If you use Unity to make iPhone games, do you still need to code on a Mac? This is the only thing keeping me from starting iPhone game design is the lack of an Apple computer.
Yes you do. The Unity engine is coming to Windows at some point (it can already make games FOR Windows, but right now you have to make them on a Mac). But even when that happens, Windows users will only be able to make Windows and Mac games (and browser games). To make an iPhone game, you need Unity AND you need Apple's Mac-based iPhone tools. I'd suggest waiting until you were going to buy a new PC anyway. Choose a Mac at that time, and install Windows on it. Now you have that new PC... and a gateway to iPhone development too!
If using Unity just for iPhone and touch application creation the Mac would only need to have average spec right? I personally can not afford more then a few hundred at the most on one.
I'd say LESS than average spec. Check the system requirements for both Unity and the iPhone dev kit, but I suspect they're low enough that any recently-made Mac would exceed them. I know I've used Unity on a Mac that was many years old, and it was fine, and it came with Xcode just like every Mac. I didn't actually try the iPhone tools on it though. Tons of computing power is nice of course, but in this case not required.
I am pretty sure you need to at least have OS X 10.5.6 to do iPhone Development. A good way would be to get a mac mini, unity indie, an unity iphone basic. And you need the $99 to apple to be a developer.
I think so. And 10.5 (Leopard) has pretty low requirements: 867MHz or faster processor (any kind) DVD drive 512 RAM I'm not sure if an Intel-based Mac is required for the iPhone tools (I don't think so) but I'd strongly recommend it anyway: that's the future (and can run Windows if needed). Note that a new Mac Mini MAY be on the way soon (there are rumors), which may be a good deal worth waiting for--or it may make remaining stock of the current Mini go on sale (look for deals near the bottom left of Apple's store site).
