It's been roughly over a year since Halo Reach was released and we all reveled in the greatness that was forge. Forge blew our minds and gave us so many new design possibilities. It was awesome... But it got old. Some how I'm no longer satisfied with what Forge has to offer, and I think many of you are as well. Halo 4 will most likely have an even better version, but will it really be enough to satisfy us at this point? I'm not sure... Instead, I'm looking in a new direction that I know will satisfy me. The Unreal Engine, or UDK (Unreal Development Kit). In a couple weeks I'm getting a new computer which will be able to run higher end games and programs, and I'm also picking up a couple of books to learn how to use UDK. Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3 [Paperback] And of course volume two of the same book. (Holy hell did copy and paste make that massive) Forge has kind of acted as a gateway drug of sorts for me. It got me interested in game design again. It opened my eyes to so much, but it left me wanting so much more... I need a stronger fix man. Its time to mod. Any one else interested in getting into this? It'd be cool if a group of us ForgeHubbers got together on a project with UDK.
If you have a solid design idea I'd be glad to lend a hand with programming. UDK's built in language is a little tricky though.
I'm not gonna even contemplate designing something original until I feel confident using the program. I just got the book and cracked it open, ain't gonna load the program till I get a new PC in a couple weeks. Haha.
I was tempted to pick up something similar after I downloaded UDK about a year ago. School kinda restricted that from happening, but since I started forging a lot again, and got re-pissed off with all the restrictions, I might just start working more with it.
I like UDK but am more interested in the programming aspect more than other things like game design which is why I have strayed away from it and am learning some actual programming languages. I know Python/VB but they're just introductory scripting languages. I hope to learn C# and eventually C++ by next year so that I can breeze through my programming classes which I will have to take. I'm kind of getting off-topic now... Anyways, UDK is powerful and complex but if you really want to maximize it's potential, you'll want to learn how to code (if you don't know how). Even if you do, UnrealScript (or whatever it's called) is pretty awesome. I plan on returning to UDK once I am more knowledgeable in programming just to screw around but I look very much forward to developing my own programs and games from scratch. Do you plan on buying a 3d modeling program also? Blender is a nice, free alternative.
Python an introductory scripting language . Dude the google api is programmed in python. Python is a full featured language. Its syntax is a little easier then c/c++ but its far from "an introductory scripting language". Javascript, actionscript, pearl, ruby, etc those are more introductory scripting languages.
Python is really simple man. It's widely used because it's so easy and understandable. It's truly a beautiful language and I wasn't saying that it was bad. I was saying because if it's ease of use, it's used to introduce programming in College (or VB). I love Python, and frameworks like Django too. Because of its simple syntax, it's quite easy to pick up on. Also, Python runs one line at a time which can be slow in some cases. Although you can do anything in Python, it's really not suggested. Also, by saying I hope to learn C#/C++, that means I know a little a bit about it but not enough to say I can code without referencing books frequently. Haha. I would learn Java primarily for Minecraft mods but it is so slow in comparison. Well, you can fit more into C#/C++ easier. Unless you're a super duper pro of course -- which if anybody is, I apologize for "bashing" Java like that. This is turning into a programming thread now, my B.
I plan on picking up C#/C++ as well. As for 3D modeling... I'll tackle that when it comes. Honestly, I can't even figure out Photoshop at the moment. Currently I've got German as my minor at Uni, but the last two course I need for the minor might not be available next year so I might just drop it and pick up a minor in Digital Media. Much more interested in these sorts of things than my major anyhow. Haha.
I've got UDK but I haven't even opened it yet, since I've been too busy with 3D modelling and animation stuff. I'm really interested in derping around with it, but I'm not sure how practical it would be for me to do that, since I'm more interested in modelling, animation, and VFX for film, as opposed to game design. If you guys have any questions about 3D programs like Maya, I'd be happy to discuss, offer tips, help you through the basics, etc, I have been doin it for 4 years now so I'm finally starting to hit that flatter part of the learning curve and get pretty confident with it.
I decided to download seeing as I like programming and have a bit of free time. Is there any good IDE for it? I've found are helpful for learning a new language.
I'm actually debating now which would be better to use; this or Half-life Source? I want to eventually be able to create a short campaign, and so far I've yet to see many campaigns made on the freeware version of UDK...
Over about the past month I've been doing little spurts of working on a game I'm doing for School. It's coded in C# using the XNA Framework. My teacher said that for any game that a student completes, he'll pay the $100 membership fee to get it put up on XBLIG and all proceeds will go to charity. If you want some really great examples and tutorials, just look on App Hub. I only knew how to make some basic applications using Visual Basic before this... And now I'm doing a few pretty nifty things. Also, the engine I'm using is BEPU Physics. It's a community-made open source engine for the XNA Framework.
Yeah... Unrealscript can be a bit tricky, though state programming is what makes it so much easier than using C++ or Java. In other notes, I've been using the UDK for idon'tevenknowhowlonganymore. If you need any help at all, I'm there. Except for any of the Audodesk products. After some of their lawsuits, I stick with Blender. Yaaaay Blender!
If I have the time, I'd love to work with you. I am pretty good with c++/java as they virtually the same, and I'm decent with c#. Anyone here good with animation or GLSL? [br][/br]Edited by merge: Java is a great language, but it can't compare with c++ or c#
This sounds cool, I've been looking at UDK videos for months now. What kind of game you thinking of making? My dream is to create a game that is the ultimate forge. Bringing UDK and converting it for console use. The only probelm wouldb be FR, FR, FR Or am I wrong?
Sounds like a neat idea, but I am not a programmer by any means. Forge opened me up to game design more in the realm of conceptual design (since that's generally only the phase all of my projects get through) and conceptual art. I'm going to try my hand at 3D modeling with Maya over the summer, and I'm learning how to do effective conceptual art. I'd lend a hand once I've got the time (and skill in the programs) if you'd care. On another note, it seems like FH has a lot of coders.
I've been working with UDK on and off for 3 or 4 months, with the most progress I've made being a medium-small map I posted in this section called vCTF-Dubrovnik. I'm hoping to learn a lot more with the program this summer as I am also getting a new computer. A good website to go to for this is World of Level Design. They have stuff for Half-Life as well as UDK so you should check it out Schnitzel. I'm glad FH is finally branching out to more programs, as forge really is an intro program (although Forge has one leg up with how easy it is to get a lot of testing from a lot of different players.)