Starting 3D programming

I've recently taken it upon myself to learn the Irrlicht 3D engine.

This will be my first major journey into 3D game programming, after a few small attempts to learn DirectX and OpenGL.  Seeing as how Irrlicht is fairly easy to learn in comparison to DirectX and OpenGL, I have decided it is best for me to gain some experience in Irrlicht before making a serious attempt toward DirectX/OpenGL.

No games are planned yet, of course, but I do hope to eventually do a completely three-dimensional remake of a game I created back in 2002 at the age of 13: Stealth Prankster.  Although I've released several titles of much higher quality than it since 2002, and it's definitely not anywhere near the quality standards that I have today, it still holds a special place in my mind, and is still perhaps my favorite IP/series (with my only other major IP being the Seeds of Time series).

Stealth Prankster is basically the result of the fascination of pranks that my friends and I used to have in junior high.  Granted, none of our "pranks" were anywhere near as daring as the pranks that take place in the Stealth Prankster world.  Honestly, none of our "pranks" seemed to make it beyond simple ideas like flickering the lights in the hallway and attacking random students with Chinese yo-yos.. hahah.  Perhaps we were watching too much Trigger Happy TV.

The game itself plays a bit like a hybrid of what a couple of my favorite games were back then: Grand Theft Auto III and Metal Gear Solid 2.  You, as a high school freshman, take missions from senior pranksters, and then try to avoid the line-of-sight of teachers as you accomplish these tasks.  Missions range from placing laxitives in school food to removing graffiti sprayed from rival prank gangs.  Back then, I even threw in a bonus easter egg for players who completed the game: a level editor is unlocked after the credits scroll by.

Anyway, a 3D remake of Stealth Prankster would be great.  Time will tell whether that actually comes to light.