Hey Guys. I want to build a few things for mobile phones - a purchasing app for a small business I run, and also a mobile phone game for an idea I have. But I've got zero experience in app or game programming for mobile phones. What do you guys recommend if I want to be able to learn to program/build games etc? It would need to be fairly fast/immersive so I can become proficient quite quickly.
Thanks,
UniQualz
lynda.com have some decent videos as well, they have a 10 day free trial so that might be worth looking at. just remember to cancel if you don't want to subscribe after that.
also, depending on what you want your app to do and if time is of the essence it might be more cost effective (time = money) to find a proven freelancer and pay them to do it. learning how to program from scratch and making an app isn't something you can really do in a few weeks.
edit: just came across this > http://codewithchris.com/how-to-make-an-iphone-app/
haven't gone through it all but it looks well organised. good luck!
Programming takes time.. A looong time.
Try FreeCodeCamp first, this teaches you the basics. You can also try the paid-for courses on StackSocial.com.
e.g $39 dollars Android App bundle
https://stacksocial.com/sales/android-developer-bundle
Game building bundle $29.
https://stacksocial.com/sales/learn-mobile-game-development-…
If you want to make a game rightaway you can try one of those Game Maker applications. They are sold on Steam (google it) and they will be on sale when the Steam mid-year sale starts.
Stanford's free iTunes U course is good for learning iOS programming, but assumes some basic programming knowledge
For your purchasing app try Cordova/phonegap.
For the game, assuming it isn't a card game or similar, then Unity is a good choice.
It's a roulette game actually (no money/gambling involved).. Does this change things at all?
Cordova/Phonegap (it's the same thing) is a framework for HTML5 and javascript to compile into a mobile app that is cross platform by default. That means it is really easy for simple business apps, pretty much anything that could be delivered as a website.
Unity is based around a 1st person shooter 3d engine, so is useful for graphics heavy games.
I think Unity would be a good use of your time if you want to be a mobile game developer, Cordova if you just want to make a few apps to get things done.
Thanks a lot @mskeggs. Re the game development, as it's not a 1st person shooter thing, but rather a spinning roulette wheel, would Unity still be advised? Or must I use an entirely different engine, do you think?
@uniqualz:
Maybe take a look at this free course on Udemy to understand a bit about Unity's capabilities. It's only an hour:
https://www.udemy.com/unity-2d-bouncing-and-sliding-with-phy…
From your post am I right to deduce you've already programmed websites or desktop applications? This could slightly change your required course of action.
Yes.. I've done a few basic websites over the years on Wordpress, and have a basic knowledge of html code. But that's about it.
Enrol in a Unity programming course on Udemy.
code academy/code school
Look up unity tutorials