This looks like Star Control 2, which is a good thing in my book. There's another guy making a game like that who was in here -- Star Driver -- Haven't heard from him in a while though.
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GAF Indie Game Development Thread 2: High Res Work for Low Res Pay
- Thread starter Jacksinthe
- Start date
- Status
This looks like Star Control 2, which is a good thing in my book. There's another guy making a game like that who was in here -- Star Driver -- Haven't heard from him in a while though.
Jacksinthe
Banned
Might be streaming later tonight with a special side project announcement. So if anyone wants to gang I'll post up the stream. My brain needs a break.
Check out Senko no Ronde and its sequel Senko no Ronde Duo. They are exactly fighting games with shoot'em up mechanics and 2D movement, with throws available up close, parries, dodges etc., and Boss / Final Boss mechanics that allow one player's craft to transform into a unique giant boss for a while.So here is the first showable gif of the project I've been working on past year, Pulsar Raiders. The concept behind it is basically Street Fighter with spaceships, meaning that the game is a 2D 1v1 "arena shmup". The player will be able to shoot, dodge, use upgrades (homing missiles, shields, etc.) and we're also thinking of the possibility of adding special attacks like SF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULJXiGspy0c
Excellent suggestion. Senko no Ronde immediately came to mind. I wouldnt mind seing more games in that vein.
Thanks very much! Actually the idea came from both me trying to see Pong as a shooter while playing too much Resogun ahah I'll check out Star Control 2, Jobbs, thanks for the recommendation!
I know Senko no Ronde, actually. I can't play it though, as my 360 got RROD'd, but anything fast with mechs and over the top action is more than approved. Initially we thought about having mechs but later on we decided to focus on the shooting and have spaceships instead. We're still designing some melee/CQ combat though.
Been doing less work on the levels for my platformer and more work on the presentation and menus. Finished off the title screen beginning of the week but came up with two versions.
Nice, relaxing, slow and mellow. Gives that "Going on an adventure" sort of vibe.
This on the other hand, same concept but gives off a totally different feeling. A bit faster pace, a bit more of a hectic adventure (Both versions have the main character jumping off once the player hits enter) Might just go with the former since it helps give that sense of adventure better.
With the main menu, I'm wondering if I should ditch the scrolling fins. Played a bunch of classic SEGA games and most had a static or relatively limited menu, then I've got to figure how to make it transition from the main menu to save select/time attack.
Nice, relaxing, slow and mellow. Gives that "Going on an adventure" sort of vibe.
This on the other hand, same concept but gives off a totally different feeling. A bit faster pace, a bit more of a hectic adventure (Both versions have the main character jumping off once the player hits enter) Might just go with the former since it helps give that sense of adventure better.
With the main menu, I'm wondering if I should ditch the scrolling fins. Played a bunch of classic SEGA games and most had a static or relatively limited menu, then I've got to figure how to make it transition from the main menu to save select/time attack.
I am inventing a term for your game and donating it to you: "brockodile"Been doing less work on the levels for my platformer and more work on the presentation and menus. Finished off the title screen beginning of the week but came up with two versions.
Nice, relaxing, slow and mellow. Gives that "Going on an adventure" sort of vibe.
This on the other hand, same concept but gives off a totally different feeling. A bit faster pace, a bit more of a hectic adventure (Both versions have the main character jumping off once the player hits enter) Might just go with the former since it helps give that sense of adventure better.
With the main menu, I'm wondering if I should ditch the scrolling fins. Played a bunch of classic SEGA games and most had a static or relatively limited menu, then I've got to figure how to make it transition from the main menu to save select/time attack.
Did some tweaking on a sunset color theme
I like the first one more. As for the scrolling fins in the menu, perhaps tone down the scrolling speed? Current one feels too quick for me.
I like the first one more. As for the scrolling fins in the menu, perhaps tone down the scrolling speed? Current one feels too quick for me.
Jacksinthe
Banned
Jacksinthe
Banned
Infinite Cosmos REDUX is in the works. A side-thing we will be building slowly a day here and there to give our brains a break from MAINFRAME ONE.
This will be a procedurally generated roguelike SHMUP for PC this time! Streaming all bits of development from start to finish of this game. I will be streaming all programming and Planck will be streaming all pixelation.
The entire project will be community-based from feedback, ideas, concepts, etc. Game will be free from now until the end of time for everyone. Any time I work on the game I will put up a new build so people can play any stage of development
Archive of stream to watch and public build #1 will be up tomorrow for all to play with more game info on the site.
This will be a procedurally generated roguelike SHMUP for PC this time! Streaming all bits of development from start to finish of this game. I will be streaming all programming and Planck will be streaming all pixelation.
The entire project will be community-based from feedback, ideas, concepts, etc. Game will be free from now until the end of time for everyone. Any time I work on the game I will put up a new build so people can play any stage of development
Archive of stream to watch and public build #1 will be up tomorrow for all to play with more game info on the site.
How do you go about finding a "hook" for your game? Something (be it a tagline or image) that makes someone go from "never heard of this" to "looks interesting, have to check that out" in merely a few seconds? For games with abstruse/innovative settings this is obviously easier to do (I Am Bread, Goat Simulator etc.). Are there brainstorming processes to find your hook or something? I'm having trouble finding resources that apply to indie games here.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
The sparkling pixels at the start of this GIF are my GPU probably starting to die
I WILL SOLDIER ON
Infinite Cosmos REDUX is in the works. A side-thing we will be building slowly a day here and there to give our brains a break from MAINFRAME ONE.
This will be a procedurally generated roguelike SHMUP for PC this time! Streaming all bits of development from start to finish of this game. I will be streaming all programming and Planck will be streaming all pixelation.
The entire project will be community-based from feedback, ideas, concepts, etc. Game will be free from now until the end of time for everyone. Any time I work on the game I will put up a new build so people can play any stage of development
Archive of stream to watch and public build #1 will be up tomorrow for all to play with more game info on the site.
Cool watched the 1st one and hope to keep watching!!!
Personally I'd try and get a gif that's no more than 6 seconds (unless more is really needed) which shows, something whether it be a feature or scripted event etc, that literally just screams what your game is, or it could even be funny. Problem is though I think with that is, only you or people who have played your game could tell you what that moment is, and it'd probably take a long time to "get it right" when recording it etc. Short gifs of such nature usually get my attention as they can show a feature off or just the essence of the game really quickly, no need to click play like a video and it constantly loops.
Not entirely sure I've been helpful or answered your question haha... No doubt someone has a better answer than me!
Think I finally found the look I wanted for my game, still have details I want to add for the environment and stuff as it's not entirely finished yet, but I'm happy. (Yeah, you're a cube... there is a reason for that aside from me being a programmer
)(Clicky for bigger)
Jacksinthe
Banned
Thanks! I'm going back and forth between Google groups and a self hosted forum so people can contribute. Unsure if I want to self host and take on all the bot policing.
electroflame
Member
Honestly, if you go with a paid forum solution like Xenforo you probably won't have to deal with much spam, if any. Xenforo's got some pretty nice spam management tools as well, so if you're self-hosting I'd highly recommend it. It's also pretty cheap ($140 up front, $40-per-year after that for another year of new update support).
Just don't use a free forum solution (i.e. Vanilla, etc.) as they just end up being a pain in the butt later on (found that out the hard way). It's way easier to just drop the cash, get a battle-tested forum solution and have access to support that'll actually get back to you if you need help. If you've got questions about that kind of stuff feel free to PM me -- I tried pretty much all of the mainstream forum software before settling on Xenforo, so I should be able to answer any questions you may have.
Its hard to get any progress by only working in the weekends but I think I'm almost ready with the new flak turrets and the new Combat Mothership, here's a video of my current progress:
https://youtu.be/kdoY0SsZI4o
I also added a new evasive behaviour for the fighters that should make them last a bit longer on the battlefield. They are still pretty weak so I'll probably make them cheaper to build too.
https://youtu.be/kdoY0SsZI4o
I also added a new evasive behaviour for the fighters that should make them last a bit longer on the battlefield. They are still pretty weak so I'll probably make them cheaper to build too.
TheHollowNight
Member
Screenshot Saturday things!
exmachina64
Banned
Anyone have recommendations for website designers? A while back I saw a great portfolio posted in a thread which I thought I bookmarked, but I can't find it now.
Thanks for the reply and I fully agree. A short looping clip really can help sell a game if done right. It's just hard to find the perfect content for it. For example, puns play an important part in the game, but it's difficult to get one in such a short clip. Also, music/rhythm-driven gameplay. And lots of deaths. Guess I have to continue brainstorming.Personally I'd try and get a gif that's no more than 6 seconds (unless more is really needed) which shows, something whether it be a feature or scripted event etc, that literally just screams what your game is, or it could even be funny. Problem is though I think with that is, only you or people who have played your game could tell you what that moment is, and it'd probably take a long time to "get it right" when recording it etc. Short gifs of such nature usually get my attention as they can show a feature off or just the essence of the game really quickly, no need to click play like a video and it constantly loops.
Not entirely sure I've been helpful or answered your question haha... No doubt someone has a better answer than me!
Think I finally found the look I wanted for my game, still have details I want to add for the environment and stuff as it's not entirely finished yet, but I'm happy. (Yeah, you're a cube... there is a reason for that aside from me being a programmer
(Clicky for bigger)
Love your "dev" art style by the way! Change your cubes to balls and I see a game similar to the one I wanted to do before starting with Roll Playing Game.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Anyone have people check out your game and try and tell you how much it should be sold for based off of screens/early footage? I've had this happen a few times, people saying "you should probably go like $5 bucks or at the most $10" and I'm not sure how to take it. It's kinda fuckin with my head at moment.
timetokill
Banned
lol yeah what useful feedback
Michael Armbrust
Member
Backseat devs are the best! /s
However as Feep explained a while ago, this type of feedback is still important to listen to. Their advice sucks but something caused them to feel the advice was needed. In your case it's probably the early footage not being release quality yet. Just finish the game and those comments should become less common (but no, they never stop
On the subject of pricing cheaply, it's a double edged sword. Some people will see a low price and automatically assume it's a cheap game and not worth their time.
timetokill
Banned
Do any of you Unity developers have an opinion on this stuff? XML Database stuff, and pushing data outside of Unity.
http://www.willrmiller.com/?p=108#more-108
http://www.willrmiller.com/?p=116#more-116
Good form? Bad idea? I'd love to get some feedback before I get too invested.
http://www.willrmiller.com/?p=108#more-108
http://www.willrmiller.com/?p=116#more-116
Good form? Bad idea? I'd love to get some feedback before I get too invested.
Ha, the amount of time I get this suggested to me I need to try and fit it into the game somehow!
Thanks! I've tried slowing down the speed but it seems a bit unnatural moving so slowly. Maybe it's just my eyes though.
Good form or bad idea for what? It's going to depend on the type and scale of project, but also team composition and experience. When a project of any type grows large enough, I'd suspect the benefits of separating the data from the code will eventually dominate, but the cost is frontloaded, and I doubt most hobbyist projects would see a net benefit. If the project is substantial enough that it will be stacked with custom editor scripting anyway, then maybe.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Did Feep explain that in this thread, and are there easy ways to search for posts by users? i'd be interested in reading his breakdown.Backseat devs are the best! /s
However as Feep explained a while ago, this type of feedback is still important to listen to. Their advice sucks but something caused them to feel the advice was needed. In your case it's probably the early footage not being release quality yet. Just finish the game and those comments should become less common (but no, they never stop)
On the subject of pricing cheaply, it's a double edged sword. Some people will see a low price and automatically assume it's a cheap game and not worth their time.
timetokill
Banned
Good points, I just wanted to see as a general idea if this was a bad path to go down "in general." It seems pretty useful to me especially since I'm doing a tile-based game where it seems like updating "tile" prefabs during and after initial development would be much simpler this way. Fortunately this guy has provided most of the code needed to do this so the frontloaded costs come way down for me. I think I'm going to try integrating it in my next project.
PirateHearts
Neo Member
I wrote some new music this week that I'm super excited about. It's the first piece I've written since making some big improvements to my synth tools a couple months back, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
https://soundcloud.com/j-kyle-pittman/death-wish
https://soundcloud.com/j-kyle-pittman/death-wish
You might want to use a nice external tilemap editor like Tiled as a starting point for your XML data format, if you're going for XML storage anywa. I think for many people the access to dedicated editors would be the main motivation for separating the data, and anything else is a bonus.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Sounds good man
electroflame
Member
That sounds pretty great! My only critique is that it feels like (to me at least) that it's missing probably one more layer. Something to help break it up a bit, especially after the half way point when it repeats.
I know that you're options are probably pretty limited in regards to unique-sounding, yet recognizable synth sounds, but some kind of mid-to-high synth-equivalent horns might help you out.
Otherwise, it sounds pretty ace -- I can totally dig it.
PirateHearts
Neo Member
Thanks! Yeah, I'm trying to work within the limitations of the 2A03 chip, so I'm limited to four channels at once (not dealing with simulating the fifth 1-bit DPCM channel yet), but there's definitely still more I can do with switching between different voices on each channel.
Michael Armbrust
Member
Fake Edit:
Found it! http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=150063461&postcount=1251
I'm on 100ppp so let me know if that link's off for you.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Less to do with price, but yeah, I fully get what he's saying there.
Thanks for digging that up for me.
timetokill
Banned
That's a good point, but I'm doing more of a 3D tilemap. I actually made my own really basic editor and have XML saving for it, I just hadn't taken all the other data out of the editor.
The main downside it's not really seeing the map in the editor. you can kind of run it in the editor but it's way messier.
You could write full loading/saving code for the Unity editor so it's not messy, and that's why taking control of the data will inevitably pay off when a project gets big enough (the downsides can be mitigated and the benefits get more important than they were in a small project). But the cost of patching things up is big and thus the break-even point is typically far into a project.
Since your editor is really basic, it might still be worth looking for an existing 3D tile editor (separate or a Unity plugin) to serve as a stronger starting point, especially if your game doesn't require particularly weird level editing features, or consider doing editing functionality as editor scripts in Unity. Not saying it's bad to roll your own from scratch for learning or other reasons - just reminding that it usually isn't the most efficient path for one particular project.
HellBlazer
Member
Unity will actually support 3D tilemaps soon-ish. See this video for an example of what it can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muRhea-JaIM Most of the video is about upcoming 2D features, but it does show off mixing 3D with their new tilemap system starting at around 47 minutes.
If you have a Unity Pro license, you can try it out in their alpha version here: https://bitbucket.org/Unity-Technologies/2ddemos/wiki/Home (at least, I think this stuff is in the latest alpha release). If you don't have a Pro license, this is scheduled for release for everyone in Unity 5.4 in March... so... well, I guess that doesn't help you much for now in that case. :\
timetokill
Banned
Yeah, to be clear what I've written acts as an editor script in Unity. I write the number of the level I want to load and it pulls the relevant XML files and creates them -- I generate the world at runtime. It's actually basically a take on a Minecraft-style voxel generation world, though I'm not using it for that kind of game.
Here's an example (ignore the random sprites and things I have in there, this is pretty much a sandbox where I just throw in shit to mess with it).
Basically in Editor Mode, I run the generation script and then I can go around and add/remove tiles in there, edit their attributes, change block type, etc. Then I can save, which saves out to XML, at which point I'm no longer in "edit" mode and I can run the game.
Most of the tile editors I've seen are for 2D or aren't really used for this type of building, but I'm sure there are ones I've missed. If there's one you have in mind in particular definitely let me know!
Ultimately though I think I just need to really invest in learning to write better tools.
Oh, that looks cool! Damn, I really need to get Pro already. :\ Hopefully soon.
That said, I wonder how that would work with height differences. As you can see from the image above I'm not really doing flat lands like the guy shows there. I'm curious how it would work performance wise by adding in various heights and having to draw the side panels and such.
Nearly finished with our first batch of enemies for the beta/kickstarter. I just have to finish up animations and other small items for now. Here is a look at the "elemental wizards". They are electric, fire, ice, earth and wind.
I'm still not so sure about the look of the earth wizard just yet though. Tried a few other test designs with more of a "rock" look to the robe.
I'm still not so sure about the look of the earth wizard just yet though. Tried a few other test designs with more of a "rock" look to the robe.
Chaotic Kitten
Member
Nearly finished with our first batch of enemies for the beta/kickstarter. I just have to finish up animations and other small items for now. Here is a look at the "elemental wizards". They are electric, fire, ice, earth and wind.
I'm still not so sure about the look of the earth wizard just yet though. Tried a few other test designs with more of a "rock" look to the robe.
These are all really neat! Love your art style
To me the third (original?) earth wizard looks the most like its element to me, though if the root like bottom part splayed out and separated a little I think they would have a stronger impression and silhouette?
I finally upgraded SONAR X3 to SONAR Steam Edition since it's on sale for $50, and they added two nice features I liked: An onscreen virtual controller you can use with a normal PC keyboard (even though I have a MIDI keyboard), and OGG format export so I can potentially save an extra step.
*edit* One of the developer(s) is quite active on the Steam forum and replied to my questions. I really like when that happens. I didn't know about the SONAR encoder configuration utility in the Utilities menu, and it let me easily add a high-quality OGG export option.
*edit* One of the developer(s) is quite active on the Steam forum and replied to my questions. I really like when that happens. I didn't know about the SONAR encoder configuration utility in the Utilities menu, and it let me easily add a high-quality OGG export option.
Nearly finished with our first batch of enemies for the beta/kickstarter. I just have to finish up animations and other small items for now. Here is a look at the "elemental wizards". They are electric, fire, ice, earth and wind.
I'm still not so sure about the look of the earth wizard just yet though. Tried a few other test designs with more of a "rock" look to the robe.
I like the middle one down the bottom.
SeanNoonan
Member
Not sure about all of the pillow shading. I can see what you're trying to do (I'm assuming Aghanim from Zelda?), but the lighting looks off. I'm no expert, but each individual piece and garment seems to be lit independently of everything else.
These are all really neat! Love your art style
To me the third (original?) earth wizard looks the most like its element to me, though if the root like bottom part splayed out and separated a little I think they would have a stronger impression and silhouette?
Thank you! I will have to give that a try. I never really thought about incorporating actual roots into the design so that might look cool too. I was originally going for just a leafy look.
We are sort of stuck between the second and third design. I actually kind of like the second that best as well but we can't decide.
That is a good point and something I never really thought about. I have just been shading just to sort of make things pop a bit. I think most of the actual lighting might be on the programming side. I actually kind of like the pillow shading look even though it doesnt really make sense lighting wise.
Hey guys! I decided on my difficulty settings for my Turn-based Tactics RPG.
Seem fair?
1. Normal - Enemies will begin weak with limited capabilities and gain more as the game progresses.
2. Hard - Enemies are more likely to use skills and begin with the ability to sprint and have a perk. Later game enemies will
have more perks than in Normal mode. They will also more likely have items.
3. Realistic - Same as Hard but you cannot let a companion die. If a companion is reduced to 0 health and then you let them
bleed out, then you will get a game over.
Normal/Realistic
Exp - 1% Rate
Money - 1% Rate
Hard
Exp - 1.5% Rate
Money - 1.25% Rate
The amount of enemies and their health is not changed. Nor is their movement patterns. However the perks do give them more options.
There will also be a mode after game completion called: "Post-Game" which unlocks in the menu. You begin it by selecting a completed game save file and it allows you to access the post-game content. It is seperate from NG+ and has it's own difficulty.
There will be 2 Post-Games. 1. Normal Post-Game which is a decent jump from Normal -> Post-Game but not as big of a jump from Hard -> Post-Game.
2. Realistic Post-Game, same as above but it keeps the Realistic mode additions.
Post-Game will include:
1. New areas.
2. New enemies.
3. New bosses.
4. New missions.
5. New Equipment
It removes some constraints such as:
1. Not being able to Replay missions.
2. Day system.
In some ways it would be almost recommended for a Normal player to NG+ into Hard mode and then do Post-Game but it's not impossible to go from Normal to Post-Game. Only that you will know that you will need to prepare for a jump in challenge.
NG+ keeps items, equipment, and money. Skills and such are removed.
Seem fair?
1. Normal - Enemies will begin weak with limited capabilities and gain more as the game progresses.
2. Hard - Enemies are more likely to use skills and begin with the ability to sprint and have a perk. Later game enemies will
have more perks than in Normal mode. They will also more likely have items.
3. Realistic - Same as Hard but you cannot let a companion die. If a companion is reduced to 0 health and then you let them
bleed out, then you will get a game over.
Normal/Realistic
Exp - 1% Rate
Money - 1% Rate
Hard
Exp - 1.5% Rate
Money - 1.25% Rate
The amount of enemies and their health is not changed. Nor is their movement patterns. However the perks do give them more options.
There will also be a mode after game completion called: "Post-Game" which unlocks in the menu. You begin it by selecting a completed game save file and it allows you to access the post-game content. It is seperate from NG+ and has it's own difficulty.
There will be 2 Post-Games. 1. Normal Post-Game which is a decent jump from Normal -> Post-Game but not as big of a jump from Hard -> Post-Game.
2. Realistic Post-Game, same as above but it keeps the Realistic mode additions.
Post-Game will include:
1. New areas.
2. New enemies.
3. New bosses.
4. New missions.
5. New Equipment
It removes some constraints such as:
1. Not being able to Replay missions.
2. Day system.
In some ways it would be almost recommended for a Normal player to NG+ into Hard mode and then do Post-Game but it's not impossible to go from Normal to Post-Game. Only that you will know that you will need to prepare for a jump in challenge.
NG+ keeps items, equipment, and money. Skills and such are removed.
Candescence
Member
Once again I remind myself that I'm kinda awful at visualizing maps. Or visualizing things in general, really. I've spent hours trying to figure out how to structure maps for my game so I can actually plan out layouts and whatnot on a macro level, and I've got bugger all to show for it. Maybe I should just try and sketch something out on paper with no regard for scale.
So after what seems like an eternity, my mobile game Crazy Seahorses is finally out on iOS/Android. It's a Jetpack Joyride-style endless runner where you're trying to rescue your seahorse friend from a bunch of nefarious sea monkeys!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NXgDI5pR_s
(I say 'my', but at least half the credit is due to Stu who did all the art and shared the design work)
I fully intend to write a proper post-mortem at some point as I've learnt so much since starting it a whopping 3 years (!) ago. It originally started as an iPhone only game written in Objective C/Cocos2D, and got completely rewritten twice - once when I switched to Unity and once when I actually figured out how to use Unity properly... I've managed to generate four different Unity Asset Store products out of the tech for it too, which was great as it basically funded the costs for all the Unity iOS/Android Pro licences, as well as paying our sound designer for his services.
But yeah - its been a long time in development, but I'm happy with the finished product. It may not be the deepest game ever, but we polished it as best we could and hopefully some people will have a bit of fun with it
Just for fun - here are a couple of screens from the very first Cocos2D version, and before a fairly major rethink of the main characters:
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NXgDI5pR_s
(I say 'my', but at least half the credit is due to Stu who did all the art and shared the design work)
I fully intend to write a proper post-mortem at some point as I've learnt so much since starting it a whopping 3 years (!) ago. It originally started as an iPhone only game written in Objective C/Cocos2D, and got completely rewritten twice - once when I switched to Unity and once when I actually figured out how to use Unity properly... I've managed to generate four different Unity Asset Store products out of the tech for it too, which was great as it basically funded the costs for all the Unity iOS/Android Pro licences, as well as paying our sound designer for his services.
But yeah - its been a long time in development, but I'm happy with the finished product. It may not be the deepest game ever, but we polished it as best we could and hopefully some people will have a bit of fun with it
Just for fun - here are a couple of screens from the very first Cocos2D version, and before a fairly major rethink of the main characters:
Bloodember
Member
So you are charging for it and have in app purchases? What do you have for in app purchases?
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Nearly finished with our first batch of enemies for the beta/kickstarter. I just have to finish up animations and other small items for now. Here is a look at the "elemental wizards". They are electric, fire, ice, earth and wind.
I'm still not so sure about the look of the earth wizard just yet though. Tried a few other test designs with more of a "rock" look to the robe.
The Earth Wizard on the left is the best.
Good luck on your KS.
- Status