The Video Game Forum Wii, PS3, Xbox 360

enoch99

Hey all,

I want to get myself into serious game development, but I'm only a beginner and I wanted to know what knowledge I need to build on? Is computer graphics is enough, or does it also require knowledge of computer vision and AI?

One of the things I wanted to know is whether 3d software (Maya(including MEL scripting),ZBrush,other) or DirectX/openGL is better for making real looking Games with complex features? Is Maya good for games as it's for animation movies? What's the difference between DirectX and openGL in their power excluding the platforms they support?

I'm a programmer. But this time I want to do game programming. Do you think Games need some level of programming for doing animation and texture? What's the role of a programmer in games? If model,animation, lighting and texture... can be done with just engines using the mouse and keyborad, what's the use of DirectX/OpenGL? Why do pple need to do a lot of coding to texture and light?

I heard Maya and AXN are two of the most important tools for developing very complex real-looking games, is that right? Does AXN support multiplayer functionality?
I have a Mac computer right now, what graphics card will I need for better support of shaders?

Thank you