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I recently (Yesterday) downloaded and started work with DarkGDK.
I have tiny experience, and most was with Allegro.
I have an Idea for a game, and want to develop it, and implement stuff I learn during my Comp. Science class (Which starts tomorrow. I'm stoped.).

The game I'm making is a 2D side-scrolling game, much like Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee.
It stars a roadie for a rockband, and there is a evil villian who is trying to take over the world, and the roadie must defeat him, with help from the band.

Kinda lame Premise. Kinda like Brutal Legend's.
I don't think it will be much more like it when It's done.
Just in simple premise.


So, my questions are...
WHERE DO I BEGIN???
All the tutorials are for 3D games, Except for one.
Is there another list of tutorials I'm missing somewhere?
Will I just have to keep asking questions about every step of the process?

I want it to be grid based, as Oddworld was.
So I know I'm gonna have to have an array of somesort, for the grid.
And I have no clue how to make an Animated sprite that will have a rest and a walk motion.
The Dark Invaders one had a little bit, but it was kinda lost on me.

Gameplay isn't important ATM, I just want to be able to move my character around.

Someone, please just point me in the right direction.

Well.

first off you are going to need to learn to program in C++ and the DGDK. I am not being smart. i mean , learn all you can about programming from the very start.

Fundamentals first. ALWAYS.
while your doing your computer science classes learn all you can about the way a CPU works and how the ram works and learn how it all relates to your programming.

While learning that You can start designing your game
do up a Design document. work through your game idea from top to bottom (story , Characters, items, Environments) and how you want it all to be set out.

now you should be aware that a game needs art and unless you are an artist..of Godlike abilities, You cant do all the art and programming you need and create a game in a reasonable time frame.


so at some later date you are going to need other people working on it with you. but you don't have to think about that now.

(sorry if i have ranted here and haven't given you the answers you wanted..)

good luck with your studies and the game

Oh, and before People tell me to start with something Not complex, I am.
The first several Levels will be just getting the hang of stuff.

Like walking up ladders, flipping switches, moving crates.
Just basic stuff, before I attempt Item Managing and such.

I saw on the DBPro 2D section, where they said you could make an array ( I was planning on it ) and then make it only walk over 16 px, but it didn't have code, and if it did, it would be Basic, not GDK.

I have followed a similar tutorial using allegro, but that doesn't let me have a sprite that's very big, at all.
I know things I have to do, but not quite how to do them in GDK yet.
So far, copy pasting (I know I shouldn't, But I'm changing little things about it, seeing what it all does) from Dark Invaders, and now have a sprite that can move left and right, But that's about it.


So I'm going to try and get organized, and ask specifically.
Oh, and if you help, try and explain what happens in the code, cuz I'm trying to master this stuff.



On allegro, I would make two Arrays: Map, and ObjMap.
Map would draw, using a tileset, my background.
I then had, in the move function, collision detection and pass throughs, etc.
ObjMap would hold The Player's position, and any objects he might pick up/interact with.

So my question is:
How do I make an array that will make me a level?
And How do I move my player in his own array?
Also, Collision detection (From what I've perused on the forums) is much simpler on GDK, with dbSpriteHit() or something, so making him able to walk and run into things would help me.

@Kagekiyo
I already have done C++ and such.
Some.
I'm not gonna say I've mastered the entire language, But I've got a handle on it all.
I spent my summer going through the textbook for my class that starts today.
And I'm a capable pixel Artist, which is why I want it to be in 2D, cuz that's where I shine.
As for a "Reasonable Time Frame."
I'm not looking to finish soonish.
I'm just doing this for fun, to get my feet wet in the game design field, so perhaps by the end of college, I'll have some stuff to make a decent looking portfolio when I start applying for Jobs and internships.

And, also, The art I'm using is very basic, and some of it copyright-infringing, But it's just because it functions, and I can get the gameplay (Which is what's important) down pat.