Tools of the Trade... cheaply as possible

For every venture, there are tools for the trade as well as research for he cheapest possible products to help those just starting out. I spent 4 months researching every possible product, software, hardware, computers, books, and anything else I could think of after visiting gaming sites, researching games, and the list below is what I compiled for the fresh to the gaming developing world. If you can think of anything I may have missed that should be in this list, please let me know. 

Some of the tools of my new trade are listed below: 

1. Books: I am using C++ Programming in Easy Steps by Mike McGrath. So far I am incredibly pleased by the ease of learning this challenging language. I am on Chapter 3: Making Statements and I love the way this book is laid out. For more advanced C++ programmers, I would not recommend this book because it really is setup for the beginner, for people who have never coded before. I am also using Android Apps for Absolute Beginners by Wallace Jackson and Beginning Android Games by Mario Zechner. Both are wonderful books. They are a bit more advanced than I was anticipating, especially for a beginners book, but overall, when you read one, the other will feed into it. I have found that makes for better retention of the information. 
   
2. Software: There is a lot of free software out there. What I am using to develop both my Android Apps and Android games is; Java SE (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html), Eclipse (http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/release/galileo/sr2), Android SDK (http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html). The setup can be a bit challenging but there is an ease of use after the initial setup. I have never coded in my life, as I mentioned in the first post and I successfully created the “Hello World!” message that all beginners do. The software is designed for easy use and easy understanding for all developer skill levels. For developing strictly for iPad or iPhones, and if you are using a Mac, I would recommend Xcode, its free, and it does most of the work for you. Get it at your Appstore.
3. Inspiration 9: (http://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration) This software is GREAT for outlining and creating flowcharts. It is $39.00 and you do have to pay for upgrades but the way the software is setup, anyone can use it with no difficulty. There is a free trial for anyone who is considering using this software for flowcharts and keeping ideas straight.
4. Legal Pads: I use Inspiration for flowcharts but for ALL of my story notes I use legal pads. Why? Well, I have discovered when I am forced to write long hand I slow down and focus on the details. I can think better when I slow down and I can better articulate my ideas. Legal pads are not expensive and usually come in packs. 
   
5. Google Drive: Once I get the notes in the way I want them, I put them on my Google Drive, because let’s face it, Google is our future overlords and it’s bets to appease them by using their products. But all kidding aside, I found that Google Drive is amazing and I use no hard drive space for my projects. My notes and ideas are secure in the Cloud and I can access them no matter where I am as long as I have an internet connection, or not have an internet connection as I discovered on a recent trip. I have a Chromebook, which I adore, and I didn’t have an internet connection when I was on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I could still write my notes and once I had internet again my information synced. It’s a total win/win. Also my Chromebook is faster than any PC I have ever used. It boots in 5 to 10 seconds... SECONDS! Because there are few drivers and no hardware, it boots so fast and within seconds you are up and working. 
6. GIMP vs Photoshop: Geez, I don’t know. Photoshop is a foreign land to me but a lot of developers suggest using that along side Poser in order to create characters and back drops for game scenes. I have both, Photoshop (trial version) and Poser 8 (to see if it is something that I will benefit from). Both bits of software are amazing and I recommend Poser to anyone going into gaming design. I got Poser 8 for about 30 bucks, the newest version, Poser 10 (http://poser.smithmicro.com/poser10-poserpro2014/) is only $129.99. That may sound like a lot but considering most Adobe software that could do the same thing is roughly $500 to $1,000. So, Poser would be the best option financially. And Photoshop can be had for $19.00 a month with Creative Cloud (http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog.html?promoid=KAWQI).
7. Registering your company: I would highly recommend registering your company with the IRS (www.irs.gov) and obtain an EIN for taxes purposes. All purchases you make with your company can be deducted, well, some of it, and that includes if you use a home office. You can deduct the room you use as your office, you can deduct a certain percentage. You can deduct a certain percentage of the electric bill. Also, you can deduct a certain percentage of gas used if you drive a lot for your business. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS and make sure that whatever you deduct for your company has been used for your company! You can deduct the depreciation of office equipment. There is a lot you can deduct but make sure you do this with the help of a tax professional, like Turbotax or CPA. And then register your company with the SBA (Small Business Administration, www.sba.gov). For $20.00 you can register your company as a general partnership (general partnerships are used when it involves just you or you and a couple of friends and each person is legally responsible for their own legal stuff). I registered Dusa Dog Games as a General Partnership with me, my wife, and my friend Amanda. The registration is good for 4 years and then I will have to either re-register as a general partnership or if the business is successful, and I have employees, then I can register as a company. 

As you can see, I did months of research to find the absolute cheapest way to start a gaming company because, well, I don’t have money and my wife doesn’t make a lot of money so we needed this to be a cheap-ish venture. So far so good. 

In the beginning, there was a breakdown... And then it got interesting

Hello! I am glad you are here, reading this and wondering why the hell you should give a shit about what I have to say. There is a consolidation of information here that will either impress you or make you laugh at me, either way, I have thick enough skin to tolerate both.

In 2010  I had a massive breakdown, both emotionally and physically. I just fell apart to point where I couldn't get back up for a few months. I lay, withering in doubt and despair and all I could think was... this is it? After everything I had been through, this was the fucking moment I would finally stop getting back up? And three months after that initial breakdown, I got back up, on wobbling legs and tired spine. But I did get back up. Healing takes a lot out of person, man, it's exhausting, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Humans, though, are built to survive. We endure and can endure a great deal and yes, it will change us mentally, but it can also reward us.

Fast forward to 2011 and I still was not getting better, at least not at the pace I wanted. A friend of mine suggested I play a video game, just to distract me from things until I could focus. I played Dragon Age: Origins and I was instantly hooked. I then played Portal 2 and then Dragon Age 2, then Mass Effect Trilogy, and then Skyrim and Assassin's Creed, and then Borderlands, and I got better. I discovered by playing for two hours a day, some days I would play for 4 - 6 hours, I could think clearer, I could focus and I got better.

Before my breakdown I worked on a help desk and I hated that fucking job so much. I was suppose to help stupid people fix their stupid mistake because they rushed through a step or two and messed things up. It was one of the worst jobs of my life and I hated every bit of it but I had to feed my family, so I endured it. The stress of working on a help desk is indescribable. As I got better I knew I could never return to a help desk job and after I took one to try to return to work, I discovered I was very right.

So, where did that leave me? I had to work, but I couldn't. I suffer from major depression and agoraphobia. Don't know what agoraphobia is? It's the fear of being outside, in general terms. I go into panic attacks if I think about leaving the house or actually do leave the house. I had to figure out a way to A. work, and B. work from home. If anyone has every tried to find work from home jobs, they know that most are shams or pyramid schemes. But luckily, we live in a technological revolution and anything is possible.

Something I noticed as I was looking through blogs and YouTube channels and gaming sites and etc. There were no blogs etc by people who were my age and just starting with gaming and coding. There were people who started young and then kept learning coding and remained gamers into their later adulthood, but nothing for people who were 44 and just staring.

That is where Dusa Dog Games comes in! My baby, my idea, my new job, MY BUSINESS! I am starting an indie gaming company and I welcome you on this journey. I began with a small handicap, I have no coding experience, no art experience, no real gaming experience. But what I do have is intense ambition, dedication to a goal, and an insatiable appetite for learning. Those combined I will... let me repeat that... I WILL make this company successful and I will create my first game.

I am starting small, I am learning to create Android Apps and Android Games, C++, Javascript, and HTML. I am also learning Poser (a 3-D Character Art and Animation software) and Photoshop. Here I will share my journey and experience and along the way perhaps meet some kinder spirits also on the same journey.

Welcome to Dusa Dog Games!