17 minutes ago, Cromulent said:
What 3D graphics software is recommended for making models etc.? I was thinking of using Blender but the user interface is not the most friendly, and I honestly found it a little bit tricky to use.
It depends on your budget as tools like Maya and 3DS Max cost a lot, however if you're a student they have those versions. Blender is something I prefer and I do commercial work in it just fine. Yes, the interface isn't "pretty", however look into Blender 2.8 which is coming out soon as in BETA now; it has a complete overhaul on the UI. You can also find add-ons to improve the UI. Beyond that your learning curve is not going to be the UI but how to actually model properly, topology, rigging, weighting, animation, ect... You can find cheat sheets for all the hot-keys online - https://download.blender.org/documentation/BlenderHotkeyReference.pdf
There are other options geared to indies but you'll have to look it up and see if the price range and features is something you're interested in.
You'll also need something for texturing, so look either either Photoshop, or a texture painter like Substance Painter, or Mari.
40 minutes ago, Cromulent said:
I prefer to program in C++ and was intrigued when I read about using the Universal Windows Platform with DirectX 12 and C++. Is this a reasonable route to take to make my first game? Or should I stick to an already existing game engine like Unity or Unreal 4? I have no problem with my games being Windows 10 only.
I don't know why anyone would pick C++ and DirectX 12 as an option for their "first game"... If you have zero programming experience, and zero game development experience, then jumping into the deep end is a good way to lose any form of motivation and just end up quitting.
I would suggest going with C# and Unity if you're looking at starting in 3D games from the start, which I still don't recommend until you actual learn how to program first using the console. Each to their own, some people jump right in... I would strongly advise against starting out with C++ and Unreal though. Unreal is not a good way to learn how to program in C++.
Pick up C# and a good book like C# 7.0 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference, and use MSDN https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/programming-guide/
If you decide to go with C++, then learn how to program using the console and a book like C++ Primer 5th Edition.
43 minutes ago, Cromulent said:
What Digital Audio Workstation software do people use to make the music for their game? I've been interested in creating computer music for a long time, and this might be the motivation I need to get started.
In all my Audio work I used FL Studio. You'll have to look into what VSTs you want and other tools though, but it's a great package at a good price. I also had a home studio when I did a lot of Audio work as a hobby, so look into a Midi Keyboard, and Midi Pads.
44 minutes ago, Cromulent said:
Does anyone know when Visual Studio 2019 is due out? I'm holding off on doing any serious work until it comes out as I want to use the latest features and hopefully the C++ compiler will have support for more up to date features as well.
Why wait? You're not experienced in C++ so why does it matter? You're not going to be doing any 'serious' work for a long time anyhow so just pick something and go. The Community Edition for Visual Studio is good enough in its current state, unless you can write a detailed explanation on what feature you need from Visual Studio 2019 that will impact your development, beyond that you're over thinking this and creating limitations that don't exist. The preview is here: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/preview/
I would strongly suggest you re-think your approach and treat this as a journey not a race to the end.
Best of luck.
