That was then but...
Nowadays with a few exceptions games are written in C and C++ and even C# can be used. In fact with the release of Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express for C# only, it's clear they intend to move away from C++.
现在可以使用很多种开发语言来编写游戏,包括C#,尤其是XNA,目前只支持C#。
The days of back room programmers aren't entirely gone- there is the 'retro remake' and 'indie' scene but unless you have an exceptionally brilliant idea, you are not likely to get into the mainstream game business as a one man outfit writing Blockbuster PC games.
除非有很好的创意,否则不会凭借一个人去开发一个有影响力的游戏。
It's not all bad news though- if you can program to a good standard and have learnt some of the techniques- eg 3d Maths, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and produce demos then you may be able to get your break as a fulltime developer.
基本的游戏开发知识:编程+3D数学+AI+Demo
Getting Started
Places to Break into the Games Industry
- XBox 360 Live Arcade - View Xbox Downloadable games.
- Microsoft Casual Games - Lots of information.
- Sony E-Distribution Initiative Sign-up Not very helpful!
- Nokia's Game development areas for their Mobiles Very comprehensive.
There are however other ways to get into the games business and I don't mean console development- unless you are already in the games business that's a hard one to crack though Microsoft now seem keen to open up XBox 360 to 'amateur' developers with XNA.
微软希望通过XNA来鼓励游戏爱好者进入开发领域。
Alternative Game Genres
- MUD - Multi-user dungeons: These have been around for 30 years and were the forerunner to the MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role-playing Games) that now exist. These are still popular and you can find the source code to several in C or C++. I don't know if any make money as players are used to playing them for free.
RPG游戏
- Internet/Web based games: There are hundreds of these around. A good starting point is the vast directory at MPOGD. These range from free to monthly subscriptions. Anyone can set up their own website and games using any web technology- e.g. Perl, PHP, Java and C#.
基于网页的游戏。
- Play By Mail: This has now largely but not entirely moved into the Internet/Web Games area. There are still a number of games played postally or by Email. Flagship Magazine is a good source of information. You might spot my name here - a PBM game I wrote won Best New Play-by-Mail Game of 1993 at Origins. Quest is still played today!
基于邮件的游戏,还真是没见过。
- Flash Games: Flash development is a skill in itself, though programming in ActionScript (which is JavaScript under a different name) is not that hard. There is a definite career path available through programming Flash games and there are plenty of books to teach you to write games in Flash. Flashkit website Flashkit is a good starting point online. Learning to program in C is a good tip as ActionScript is very C like in its syntax.
flash游戏。
- Mobile Phone and PDA games: This has become a big growth area recently and is likely to continue its growth as phones get more powerful. Its also one of the easiest to get into though not all phones are the same. Some mobile phones are programmable in C++ though the majority use J2ME, a dialect of Java. PDAs can be programmed in C#. Also see the Nokia link posted in the "Places to Break into the Games Industry" earlier. 注意:C#可以开发PDA游戏。
Updated Nov 2008 An amazing success story in mobile games development is Apple's iPhone 3G. With a touch screen, 480 x 320 multi color touch screen, internet access via 3G or Wifi and excellent audio. Between July and November 2008 there have been over 1,500 games released for it. Developing on it costs the price of the phone plus a few hundred dollars for a Mac Mini or MacBook laptop. Definitely the easiest way to get into mobile games development.
基于手机和PDA的游戏。
First though to program games you have to learn to program. Try our tutorials or have a look at the Game Conversion Project. This took an old Basic game of Star Trek and converted it to C, then C++. A 3rd part conversion to C# has also been done.
来一个具体的实践。