How do you make fighting games from scratch?

[Lil' Hurricane]

I was just wondering if its possible. I'm not talking about mugen or something like that. But I want to know how they're made like in SF, KOF, even Tekken. I would want to make a dream fighting game.

So, how can I do it? Also in 3D?

[Kamekaze]

Go to college and get a degree. That's the short answer.

[Lil' Hurricane]

Uh, what does that have to do with anything?

[GOH]

Here's an example of what they ask for in Namco to work as a graphic designer, producer, etc.

http://www.namcobandaigames.com/company/careers

["Bad News" Hoffmann]

How does someone start a fighting game...

well i talked with Alex Ahad a while ago..the creative producer of Skullgirls

That guy is an artist and beside a bit fan art he created those Skulllgirls characters years ago already ..draw first sketches..multiple concepts..thought out a bit story and background for each character..and i guess he showed these character designs to a lot people to get feedback..and again to a lot people in the indie games developer and publisher circles. The result after years is the Skullgirls game released this april

you can read the interview here

Degrees are nice and all but a degree wont make you develope a great game..a game is art...to create commercial art you need talent, knowledge..and creativity. Those are the three pillars to be successful with art in my book.

@GOH sure you understood the question by Hurricane2s? He didnt ask how to get employed by a company who creates fighting games...

[Cybaster]

For games like SF or KOF, you will not create something like this on your own. There's a full team of people, and it all depends on your competences : there are the game designers, the coders, the modellers, the music composers, etc.

And to enter a company such as Capcom or SNK, you must prove you have a degree in this field, but also talent. You're not gonna get hired to model SF4 characters if you don't have a degree in 3D modelling and not able to show some kind of amazing port-folio showcasing what you can create. You're not gonna get hired to code the next Soul Calibur if you don't have 5 to 10 years of experience in coding games, or at least multimedia related stuff.

[papsicool]

Dude, ive been wondering all my life how these guys do it... I kinda have to agree with whatshisname for you to go to college, asking wouldnt hurt man, ask the uni if they can support your goal and teach you the necessary components and programs needed to make a game, theyll be honest i assure you.

Second option is you get someone who knows batch programming via c++ or sumtin like that.

Third is, start generating your own mugen roster - and i mean original characters, create your own screenpack, get publish rights from elecbyte, copyright your characters then release it.

These are just opinions tho.

[Rajaa Retired]

You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?

[Lil' Hurricane]

Well I tried making a 2D Stick Figure fighting game (2 years ago). I was a bit confused on how the movements work (i.e. walking, jumping, attacks).  Also, I suck hard at drawing ever since, & I can only draw stick figures.

I wanted to continue working on it, but I ended up leaving it unfinished. I should get people to help me or ask the companies how they did these stuff or something.

[GOH]

The companies who make fighting games, aren't composed of 1 guy. It's a team of developers and graphic artists, along with other staff working on the project. If you want to make a fighting game with the calibre of the most recent fighting games out there, you won't be able to do it alone. And you need a degree with experience in software development or graphic design and such if you want to get hired by one of those companies instead of doing it all by yourself.

Either way, you won't be able to do it alone.

[Bastard Mami]

alternatively you can just get fighter maker.

[Basara Bogard]

I was to say the same. Good part of independent fighting games were made in Fighter Maker, so you can start there

[Cybaster]

But with only being able to draw stick figures while having no idea what jumps/attacks are, it's not going to be easy.

[papsicool]

You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?

No i dont, thats why its an opinion,
and thats why im going to college (If i dont find a guru soon.)

[Rajaa Retired]

Opinion is not necessarily concurrent with ignorance. In fact, opinion based on ignorance is simply guessing. You were guessing. Don't guess.

[Sheng Long]

If you don't want to use mugen for fighting games, and try to make them up from scratch, you can use software development tools to do it. There should be plenty of these to choose from. The most common ones for beginners are Game Maker, & MMF2. Though for professionals recommend using things like C++, C#, or perhaps Visual Basic. But I guess it depends on who/what your audience is, how you're going to port your very own fighting game engine to.

Just putting it out there.

[Lil' Hurricane]

I used Game Maker 8 (Lite) to create my game.

[FeckFace]

Suppose somebody wants to make their own engine. Would it still be better if that person teamed up with another to develop it?

[Lil' Hurricane]

Still, yes

[Cybaster]

Several competent people \ggg 1 competent person \ggg Several incompetent people \approx 1 incompetent person