New to game design and programming - where to start?

I'm new to game design and programming in general. I've always had a passion for gaming and have always loved the idea of creating a game (so many ideas that I would love to pursue), but the programming aspect always intimidated me and scared me away from bothering with it.

That said, I've decided to give it a shot and see what happens. Ultimately, I would love to design games of various genres and themes, one being a survival horror title of some sort (something in the vein of the original Silent Hill games). I know that a game of such size and complexity is probably too ambitious for someone with as little experience as me, so I'd like to have a starting point somewhere.

What are the basics that I should start with to learn the skills needed to develop a properly good game?

And probably a question that will really only be relevant down the line - what limitations will I likely face with the free version that would justify moving to the Pro version? Do you guys have any examples of games made with Unity Free that showcases what it's capable of? If this goes well, I would possibly be interested in picking up the Pro version down the road, but $1500 is a lot of money at this point in time (poor college student).

I know it's a lot of questions, and I'd appreciate any help!

 

Hi

First of all. Welcome to Unity and the forums.
My advise would be first to go through some tutorial here:
http://unity3d.com/learn

Always begin small. You will probable fail...alot. But all of us did fail, so don't get discouraged and just keep trying.
At some point you will finish your first project and you will feel good

Good luck!
- Muhsin Kaymak

 

Hello and Welcome to Unity!,
First of all Pick a programming language to learn either C#, JS, or Boo

As for the Pro vs Free
http://unity3d.com/unity/licenses
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/157741-How-far-can-I-get-in-Unity-Free

Here are some Useful links i found to Help with Programming:
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/34015-Newbie-guide-to-Unity-Javascript-(long)
https://www.youtube.com/user/TornadoTwins
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/113937-Getting-Started-with-Coding-for-Unity

there is a very Long list here:
http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/12321/how-can-i-start-learning-unity-fast-list-of-tutori.html

Also The scripting refrence is very Helpful
http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/

And lastly remember to not start out on a game to big, start with something small.

Good Luck!

 

I always felt that the Burgzer Arcade hack slash tutorials were a great way to learn. Well over 200 videos that guide you to making a complete game.

http://www.burgzergarcade.com/hack-slash-rpg-unity3d-game-engine-tutorial

 

And by pick a language to learn either C#, JS or Boo, what he really means is pick between C# and JS.

Now when I say pick between C# and JS, what I really mean is pick C#.

But seriously, if you're just getting into programming now, you may as well go with C#. There's nothing really "Wrong" with JS, however I am fairly confident in saying that C# is slowly becoming the most widely used language. Unity supports pretty much every feature of C# (Not quite 100%) but does not support much of Javascript's feature (It's not even really Javascript, it just sort of looks like it). The only real advantage of Javascript is if you come from a Web programming background chances are you're already familiar with its syntax.

You can pretty much forget about Boo, I've almost never seen any Unity Boo code anywhere either around the internet or in the asset stores. Documentation for it is not good at all and if you google for a Boo Unity specific problem, chances are you won't find the question already asked and answered like you would with C# or JS

 

Almost all solutions I've seen posted are in C#. Most people prefer it, and if you do mobile development, it forces some better habits than javascript.

 

Grab these books:

[h=1]The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses[/h]http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Game-Design-lenses/dp/0123694965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399198321&sr=8-1&keywords=game+design

[h=1]Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design[/h]http://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-Guide-Great-Design-ebook/dp/B0046REX10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399198301&sr=8-2&keywords=level+up