Programming program...
 

I'm about to get started on a game, and I was wondering if there were any programs you guys would recommend for making a game. Also, if there are any websites you guys would recommend for tutorials and stuff. I'll post some stuff about the game later.

EDIT: Here is the basic plot of the game. A company comes out with a video game called Dream. As you sleep, the game connects to your mind, and you essentially play the game in your dreams. However, people start becoming unable to log out of the game, and if anyone is sent into the game to investigate, they die. You are sent in as damage control.

Upon entering the game, you learn that the game itself had created a villain which it essentially made all powerful, giving it the code name Savior. However, the game also needed a way to be beaten, so it created an entity capable of corrupting data, which would allow that entity to kill Savior. This entity was code named Lucifer. Upon confronting Savior, she makes it impossible for you to log out, but lets you live. The goal of the game is to find Lucifer, and get him to help kill Savior. The fights in this I plan on having take place on a massive scale, like you and a few others against several thousand at once or something. Another feature I plan on putting into it would be four-player co-op, and not just because of Halo 3. This game I plan on having a lot of God of War style combat, as well as first person shooter and RPG elements. The reasoning for the four person co-op is the basic four person party system in rpgs.

Wow. Just wow. I'm making a game on a much smaller scale and all I've come up with is Visual Basic. As in, I had to find a programming language to handle the data I'm investing in it.

... i know a few things try google-ing blender
...thats all i can think of now

I don't know how feasible my thousand people fights are, but I really want to try. I really like the idea of one against many, and I want to bring that to life in a game.

The thing about Blender is it takes a five hour tutorial just to make an effin' block. And I was only aware of it being a 3D modeling program. As such, for that aspect, I'll put in Anim8or. It's point and click, capable, and allows you to UV and bump map straight in it. If Blender has more capabilities than I know of, you should still be able to import your models from Anim8or as an .OBJ or .3DS file.

...ok.

If you really want to make the game, C++ is what you should use for most of the mechanics. I can't help you on the rendering or modelling fronts.

HOWEVER!

There is no way in hell that you can do this alone. No way. I'm not even sure if it can be done, period. 4 people against thousands of opponents? Modern games start to struggle when they have to render hundreds. 4 person co-op? You have to allow for four separate, yet concurrent, inputs. 3 different gaming styles? And you don't even have enough experience to know what you use?

I am not trying to be mean, but these are the facts: You cannot succeed with your current plans. I'm all for you trying to create something, but to actually make a game you have to have skills, training, and most of all experience.

Rather than make this from scratch, try getting the basics (Solo, fewer enemies, only 1 gameplay style) into a mod. UT2004 and UT99 are both games with extensive modding engines, and better yet, modding communities which will be able to offer much better help.

It's good that you have a dream; it's bad that it can't be achieved right now. Doesn't mean you should toss it, though; shelve it, and come back when you're ready.

This wasn't something I've been planning on putting into effect immediately. And I didn't so much mean doing three different styles as taking elements from them and putting them into the game. I do have other people working on some of the stuff with me, and I was planning on working on a much smaller, simpler game for the time being. I am aware of most of the things you pointed out, I just like to have very long term goals, so I know which short term one to focus on. Anyways, if I do go through with this, and I certainly hope to, it's not something that you'd probably see for ten years or so.

In unrelated, but still making a game related news, anyone know what I should use to build a sprite based rpg?

I think RPG Maker could help you out with that one.
http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/tkool/RPG_XP/eng/index.html

(Always wanted to try to make one..dun have the time though. :sweatdrop )

Sweetness, thanks you much, I'll let you guys see stuff on that one as it progresses, and probably stuff as the improbable one hopefully moves slowly along.

game maker

thats a pretty good easy to learn but high potential program. I found it easy to use anyway :p and it does have the potential to go for 3D games if you get knowledgable enough with game maker.