Not sure about VR, but I use gifbrewery (mac only) to convert video to gif.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
GAF Indie Game Development Thread 2: High Res Work for Low Res Pay
- Thread starter Jacksinthe
- Start date
- Status
Not sure about VR, but I use gifbrewery (mac only) to convert video to gif.
bumpkin
Member
I usually just search for video to gif conversion and use whatever result looks good and is free.
Not perfect, but here's a quick fix.
After - Before
Again, This is how I would draw it, not like you should!
Hm... I may pull back my head back closer to where yours is... Although this is what I got now:
This is the same animation but I moved the shoulder pads on frames 3 and 4.
I think I will pull the head back. Since I feel like he looks like's he's bending over, like he's going to fall over when facing left.
Also in both gif's there's a weird frame when turning due to it being one of the older sprites I haven't edited yet.
Hm... I may pull back my head back closer to where yours is... Although this is what I got now:
This is the same animation but I moved the shoulder pads on frames 3 and 4.
I think I will pull the head back. Since I feel like he looks like's he's bending over, like he's going to fall over when facing left.
Also in both gif's there's a weird frame when turning due to it being one of the older sprites I haven't edited yet.
It might help to do a bit of figure study. Notice where the base of the neck is relative to the feet in a proper stance. It should be a fairly straight line to the center of balance. You can lean forward during the walk cycle, since a walk is basically a constant and controlled fall.
Oi, thanks for reminding me to buy it myself.
Hm... I may pull back my head back closer to where yours is... Although this is what I got now:
This is the same animation but I moved the shoulder pads on frames 3 and 4.
I think I will pull the head back. Since I feel like he looks like's he's bending over, like he's going to fall over when facing left.
Also in both gif's there's a weird frame when turning due to it being one of the older sprites I haven't edited yet.
I think the main problem is the legs, specifically the back one on the left. It sort of juts out behind the character before bending the knee at a weird angle to get it on the ground. Try having the right leg be the one that is bending to brace the character rather than the left.
Here's an attempt at adjusting the legs I literally did in Paint.
The front leg is probably a bit too straight and needs to be moved a touch further, but it looks more balanced at least to me. The others made some good suggestions, look at some figures and anatomy, that might help with balancing the character more.
I'm liking color correction curves (for atmosphere) and random generation (only to speed up level construction not to replace it in this case): https://gfycat.com/WebbedTornCricket
Also enhancing contrast and bloom: https://gfycat.com/ImpureOrangeBarnowl
Also enhancing contrast and bloom: https://gfycat.com/ImpureOrangeBarnowl
Oi, thanks for reminding me to buy it myself.
I think the main problem is the legs, specifically the back one on the left. It sort of juts out behind the character before bending the knee at a weird angle to get it on the ground. Try having the right leg be the one that is bending to brace the character rather than the left.
Here's an attempt at adjusting the legs I literally did in Paint.
The front leg is probably a bit too straight and needs to be moved a touch further, but it looks more balanced at least to me. The others made some good suggestions, look at some figures and anatomy, that might help with balancing the character more.
How about that? I made the legs similar to how you did and also moved the head back. I think it looks more balanced now. Like a person. Those things. xD
ThePhotoshop
Member
^ Sweet!
How does it work?
Will do.... You´ll have to play the game to find out!It´s just that I still haven´t programmed the end level flag
One can never know enough about graphics. Too many cool things to try out.
Saw the game somewhere. Aren't you the one making a new kind of FPS?
Longer/better quality
New deployable shield -- was the last big hole in the meta of Arms of Telos that I needed to fill before it's ready for soft launch
How does it work?
NinjaBoyLao
Member
After weeks of procratination, RL stuff and a month-long vacation, we finally had some progress
Bad Gifs of Movement with double Jump and the Bomb Particles
the Lock on
Bad Gifs of Movement with double Jump and the Bomb Particles
the Lock on
D
Deleted member 10571
Unconfirmed Member
Trying to figure out spriter, didn't really find any great tutorials yet. If someone can tell me how to edit already set keyframes instead of creating a new one at the same time, that might help. I'm still not really sure how this'll help a lot with more complicated stuff, given that I'm not really great at all this lol
Spriter is really simple, this official video already show most of what you need to know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQy7eX_CWPM
there's also a video for a walking character
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrgGhK48Joo
you can eventually look at the other videos from the same author.
superNESjoe
Member
I'm sure this is relevant for other indies, but do any of you have to find contract work to supplement your development? Where are good places to look for that?
That's the only way I've survived -- I think most of the indies you've heard of probably rely on contract work if they don't have a dayjob. Mostly find work through Unity forums.
superNESjoe
Member
Trying to come up with a new kind of competitive FPS game, yeah -- so, still a competitive FPS, but not arena shooter, not CoD-like, etc
The biggest thing that sets it apart is the movement -- you pilot a very agile spidermech in zero gravity with pockets of gravity in indoor areas and special magnetic surfaces, but you can also get going really fast to where it's almost a racing hybrid (even have time trial racing mode with online leaderboards).
Building around this fast movement system, I've made a custom variant of CTF. As you capture enemy flags, it progresses farther into their base so different areas of the map are utilized as the match continues and tensions escalate. There's also some additional mechanics since it's not based on how many times you cap the flag, but instead how much the flags are worth (there's team healthbars at top). If you stick around the enemy flag stand with their flag, it'll soak up more points and be worth more if you cap it. Final flag is a bit different, you have to defend the point as you deposit the points so the enemy has one last chance to make a comeback. Lots more small details -- need to make a video that explains it all.
On top of all that, I want it to have interesting weapons/equipment that'd make it stand up to other games alone. Want it to be more than pointing and shooting.
Stupid of me to take this on as a solo dev but I'd basically decided I was done with indie dev and wanted to give it one last go with my dream game before getting a real job
have a new website up at http://armsoftelos.com
Theanine3D
Member
I did contract work for a few years before starting my current game. One big reason why I started making my own game was because doing just contract work wasn't enough to make a living from. I was constantly on the verge of homelessness. I must have been working for the wrong companies or something. *shrug*
Now I actually avoid contract work because it would just take away time from something else that has an actual chance to keep a roof over my head.
superNESjoe
Member
That's actually what I did too. GunWorld 1 sold really well for me and it funded the entire 14 month development of GunWorld 2 and then some. Unfortunately GunWorld 2 has been a serious bomb, so I made a serious mistake investing so heavily into it.
I tried setting up a Kickstarter for my next project to give me some help, but am struggling to get anyone to notice or share it. It's really tough to crowdfund when you don't already have a dedicated fanbase.
I haven't had to do contract work in so long I'm having a hard time finding work. I develop in Game Maker Studio and not Unity, so that makes a difference, and my art skills are all in pixel art.
How about that? I made the legs similar to how you did and also moved the head back. I think it looks more balanced now. Like a person. Those things. xD
Better. The legs still look a little bow-legged. Try to get the overall body curve more consistent. I took one of the old attempts and drew over with some lines showing the body curves
(keeping in mind that I am no artist)
The green line is the overall body curve you most likely want, and the red ones are the legs. Notice how the legs are going against the main body curve and curve more harshly than the main body curve. They don't have to curve exactly like the body but they should compliment it. For example, the right leg curves left then right before hitting the head when it should be a nice, gradual curve if not a straight line. That might be fixed with the leg or the head being positioned better, people tend to line their heads and feet together when standing still.
D
Deleted member 10571
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, I tried those
Now working on getting an actually usable new version of my character to work with, had to redraw the whole thing to have single body parts and while I'm at it, tried to do a better side position for the torso.
Still technically not completely in profile, but it should be much better than the previous one.
When you say barely making enough money to survive, are we talking $2k a month after taxes or much less? I will only require $1k a month after taxes, that's pretty much my very minimum I need to survive, and hopefully that's attainable. I'm honestly in this not for the money, but because I enjoy it so much and it would be heartbreaking to not be able to make a living from it. I wish you guys the best of luck.
floatstarpx
Member
Dave has been working more on the bomber detail, while I've been putting together more gameplay/interface improvements:
Theanine3D
Member
I can't give specifics, but I will say that I couldn't even afford a tiny studio apartment in the worst parts of town with the amount I was making. If I hadn't had financial aid from my university to live off (I've since graduated) I wouldn't have continued contract work for as long as I did. I do live in one of the most expensive areas of the U.S. (SoCal), not by choice though, I've been wanting to move for ages but can't yet. I live very modestly and don't have kids to maintain, yet it's still been a struggle. When I realized that my friends working retail or at grocery stores were much more financially secure than I was, I knew I had to make a change, contract work wasn't cutting it. And I'm not in it for the money either, just want to survive at a bare minimum level, while doing something I enjoy. As a sidenote, this is why I have no patience for indies that ask artists to work for free.
I think you'll have much better luck than me though, don't let my situation bring your hopes down!
I know quite a few indie artists that manage to make it work, even if they have to take on like 10 contracts at a time. Personally I find it really nightmarish to live that way, since as a contract worker, you have absolutely zero job security and no work benefits like healthcare. I suffer from a debilitating chronic illness so the latter in particular is a big factor for me. But other artists seem to do okay making a living that way. I wish you the best of luck as well!superNESjoe
Member
Much, much less. I'm not allowed to talk actual numbers, but I'm not making that much. I'm most certainly not in this for the money either, if I was concerned about making big bucks I wouldn't be doing this at all.
But that doesn't mean I don't try to at least make enough to help support my family. Without contract work I'm not able to do that right now. I used to rely on contract work before GunWorld 1 came out, but this is the first time since then where I've needed it again.
I can't give specifics, but I will say that I couldn't even afford a tiny studio apartment in the worst parts of town with the amount I was making. If I hadn't had financial aid from my university to live off (I've since graduated) I wouldn't have continued contract work for as long as I did. I do live in one of the most expensive areas of the U.S. (SoCal), not by choice though, I've been wanting to move for ages but can't yet. I live very modestly and don't have kids to maintain, yet it's still been a struggle. When I realized that my friends working retail or at grocery stores were much more financially secure than I was, I knew I had to make a change, contract work wasn't cutting it. And I'm not in it for the money either, just want to survive at a bare minimum level, while doing something I enjoy. As a sidenote, this is why I have no patience for indies that ask artists to work for free.
I think you'll have much better luck than me though, don't let my situation bring your hopes down!
Thank you for the elaborate answer. Working as a freelancer is not something I'm very interested in but if that's my only choice I'll take it over not working on a game at all. Didn't finish school, still 1.5 years to graduate as a civil engineer, and I don't intend to go back, so getting a job at a company might be unattainable. I also want to give myself the chance to create something completely mine so not looking for a job atm anyway. The future is both frightening and exciting at the same time. Thank you for the luck wishing
.I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you can find enough time to work on your own game as well while doing contract work.
Btw, I wasn't looking for specific amounts, just a hint of how much. Thanks for answering.
Getting some substantive stuff going on, so might as well divulge the project
The game is a 2D sidescrolling, endless runner-esque game where you take control of two characters simultaneously via splitscreen. The story/scenario is the two characters are from separate nations that are constantly at war and they have to run to their nearest bomb shelter as rockets start firing into the other.
The above is a gif of what I've got in the Unity project so far. I have the splitscreen working as well as the input system and a basic obstacle system working, showing when the player has successfully "passed" an obstacle when pressing the right button. This'll be my capstone project, basically a "final" for my University, so I have time until Fall semester rolls by. For now I'm doing some setup/preproduction.
Here are some style attempts that I've been doing. I'm no artist, so I've been taking it super slow and borrowing some help from a friend. One with a grayed out color scheme and one with some color slapped in to see how it all fit together.
The game is a 2D sidescrolling, endless runner-esque game where you take control of two characters simultaneously via splitscreen. The story/scenario is the two characters are from separate nations that are constantly at war and they have to run to their nearest bomb shelter as rockets start firing into the other.
The above is a gif of what I've got in the Unity project so far. I have the splitscreen working as well as the input system and a basic obstacle system working, showing when the player has successfully "passed" an obstacle when pressing the right button. This'll be my capstone project, basically a "final" for my University, so I have time until Fall semester rolls by. For now I'm doing some setup/preproduction.
Here are some style attempts that I've been doing. I'm no artist, so I've been taking it super slow and borrowing some help from a friend. One with a grayed out color scheme and one with some color slapped in to see how it all fit together.
TheHollowNight
Member
thanks!!!
Thank you! I'm not sure the full extent of references we sent to our animator, but those critters from Wind Waker was one of them!
(these poopers)
Edit: Here's some of them in-game! Stlll very early days tho.
Looks ugly, but in a good way!
That's definitely a good thing!
Also, for those who tried (and mostly failed) to play the game due to performance issues, we've done some clean up work, and the game runs at least 10 fps better for me on my modest Alienware Alpha. So we might do some more playtesting soon!
Thx for the write-up.Trying to come up with a new kind of competitive FPS game, yeah -- so, still a competitive FPS, but not arena shooter, not CoD-like, etc
The biggest thing that sets it apart is the movement -- you pilot a very agile spidermech in zero gravity with pockets of gravity in indoor areas and special magnetic surfaces, but you can also get going really fast to where it's almost a racing hybrid (even have time trial racing mode with online leaderboards).
Building around this fast movement system, I've made a custom variant of CTF. As you capture enemy flags, it progresses farther into their base so different areas of the map are utilized as the match continues and tensions escalate. There's also some additional mechanics since it's not based on how many times you cap the flag, but instead how much the flags are worth (there's team healthbars at top). If you stick around the enemy flag stand with their flag, it'll soak up more points and be worth more if you cap it. Final flag is a bit different, you have to defend the point as you deposit the points so the enemy has one last chance to make a comeback. Lots more small details -- need to make a video that explains it all.
On top of all that, I want it to have interesting weapons/equipment that'd make it stand up to other games alone. Want it to be more than pointing and shooting. ...
Pretty amazing given that you do all these things on your own! A 6-DOF FPS
sounds like a refresher. Looking forward on how this fast movement plays out
gameplay-wise.
Good luck, man!... Stupid of me to take this on as a solo dev but I'd basically decided I was done with indie dev and wanted to give it one last go with my dream game before getting a real job
Yeah, I tried those
Still technically not completely in profile, but it should be much better than the previous one.
i'm not sure i understand your question, you want to modify an already made keyframe right? Just go to the keyframe time and modify what you want, under the timeline there's also a grid with boxes representing the parts that change at each keyframe, there you can also select if the change is linear or instant.
D
Deleted member 10571
Unconfirmed Member
Ha, I never noticed there are more lines under the timeline bar. Duh.
Toyed around more with this and I'm not sure it'll work for what I want (and also, I'm not really good with it). I think I'll stick for hand drawn animation for now, which might be less fluid but - again, for my purposes and for what I actually can archive - looks better, I think.
It's probably gonna be a really handy tool to have for all other, more mechanical animations though. And maybe I'll learn to use it better eventually. Right now, all walking cycles I try to make with it look like weird broken marionettes though
I might use the "breathing" animation though, we'll see.Still working on my TV sim. Ha!
3d Phosphor Glow
normal
overbright
Interesting to see how the RGB triple starts to whiten if the intensity of all
three dots become larger and larger.
Yet it's far from being done. Next to improving the lighting simulation itself,
I need to separate the phosphor dots from each other with a black mask such
that no light will scatter straight into the dots right next to any other dot
on the phosphor screen. I think Sony invented that (Black Trinitron) to gain
more contrast and reduce color bleed. Another thing to add is a glass layer
which will introduce some scattering and reflection on its own as well as some
color tint.
3d Phosphor Glow
normal
overbright
Interesting to see how the RGB triple starts to whiten if the intensity of all
three dots become larger and larger.
Yet it's far from being done. Next to improving the lighting simulation itself,
I need to separate the phosphor dots from each other with a black mask such
that no light will scatter straight into the dots right next to any other dot
on the phosphor screen. I think Sony invented that (Black Trinitron) to gain
more contrast and reduce color bleed. Another thing to add is a glass layer
which will introduce some scattering and reflection on its own as well as some
color tint.
Hi IndieGAF
today I released a game I've been doing for FairytaleGameJam. It's been hard doing a event-driven game since I'm moderately good at programming. But I managed to finish something semi-decent that could be described as a demo of a 2d fairytale game.
https://arcanesoft.itch.io/the-enchanters-daughter
Would be nice to get some opinions on it. I did the programming part and music is by Brandon Harrold and sprites by Hannah Geene.
Theanine3D
Member
Finally implemented the Costume Room in Lolly Joe. Every non-boss level in the game contains several accessories, hats, or costumes you can unlock. To equip a different item, you just pause the game while inside the hub world, and choose the Costume Room option in the menu.
Lolly Joe isn't a collectathon, so these collectibles are purely for fun and totally optional. They don't affect gameplay in any way.
Last Friday I tried out Pro Motion 6.5 just for fun and ended up really liking the software. I recommend everybody to check it out, especially if you're pixel artists
Here's something I did while learning the ropes of the new software, turned out pretty well! I have a simple game concept in mind which might work with this, so maybe this test will turn into a little game in the future.
Here's something I did while learning the ropes of the new software, turned out pretty well! I have a simple game concept in mind which might work with this, so maybe this test will turn into a little game in the future.
timetokill
Banned
Still working on my TV sim. Ha!
3d Phosphor Glow
normal
overbright
Interesting to see how the RGB triple starts to whiten if the intensity of all
three dots become larger and larger.
Yet it's far from being done. Next to improving the lighting simulation itself,
I need to separate the phosphor dots from each other with a black mask such
that no light will scatter straight into the dots right next to any other dot
on the phosphor screen. I think Sony invented that (Black Trinitron) to gain
more contrast and reduce color bleed. Another thing to add is a glass layer
which will introduce some scattering and reflection on its own as well as some
color tint.
Damn dude your work is an inspiration
You´re crazy....seriously, you´re doing an awesome job.Still working on my TV sim. Ha!
3d Phosphor Glow
normal
overbright
Interesting to see how the RGB triple starts to whiten if the intensity of all
three dots become larger and larger.
Yet it's far from being done. Next to improving the lighting simulation itself,
I need to separate the phosphor dots from each other with a black mask such
that no light will scatter straight into the dots right next to any other dot
on the phosphor screen. I think Sony invented that (Black Trinitron) to gain
more contrast and reduce color bleed. Another thing to add is a glass layer
which will introduce some scattering and reflection on its own as well as some
color tint.
I discovered it some months ago and haven´t used any other software for pixel art since then, it´s a great program and many pixel art gurus recommend it. The current version is 7.0.something.Last Friday I tried out Pro Motion 6.5 just for fun and ended up really liking the software. I recommend everybody to check it out, especially if you're pixel artists
Here's something I did while learning the ropes of the new software, turned out pretty well! I have a simple game concept in mind which might work with this, so maybe this test will turn into a little game in the future.
Still voting for the old one. Sure, the old one needs some work, but this new
one looks like a kid being trimmed to look like a youngster. Don't know, but
something looks odd for me. But that's perhaps just me.
Thx guys! Being inspirative is the best compliment you can make!
I really like getting inspired by other peoples work, too. One spark is enough to
ignite an explosion!
Some more improvements;
Implemented another tone-mapper which won't produce white on overbright
intensities so I can better see the mixing of colors. Yet I still like my old
implementation pretty much. I've further improved the shading. The ground
plane now receives the same distance attenuation as the (volumetric) lights
do. But there is more; the shading of the plane also receives the attenuation
of the participating medium and the scattering between itself and the light
sources (but no hemi-sphere integration, only the straight direction to the
lights are considered). The intensity on the ground also depends on the
directional scattering characteristic of the medium between the surface point
and the light source in question, which is encoded in the Mie scattering term.
However, I only evaluate the Mie scattering term for the one direction
straight to the light source(s) (anything else would require hemi-sphere
integration to collect the scattering away from any light). But this way I
will have at least some minor Mie scattering effect for surface shading. All
these characteristics together do help to ground-the-plane-in-the-world™ since
its color gets additionally modulated. The plane is perhaps not the best
geometry to demonstrate this effect but other geometries are in the works.
However, if the density isn't constant, then there should be a clear
difference already, because in this case the attenuation of any light sources
through the medium will vary and as such the points to shade will receive
different attenuation factors.
Anyhow, I also want to talk about a few things which are currently left out.
Well, the volume attenuated light being received by a surface point doesn't
contain any in-scattered light of the light sources other than the one in
question. Usually the light coming from one light source contains some
in-scattered light from all other lights. Doing so would further improve the
coloring of the surface. So, currently, the in-scattered light from each
light source is computed separately and added up without considering the
in-scattering component of all the other lights in the direction from any one
light source to the surface point. However, I do so for the 3d volume with
respect to the camera since otherwise you won't get this nice color bleeding
of the volume glow. Problem with this stuff is that it is computationally
quite expensive to render, esp. when you start to include multiple scattering
effects -- which will rise the computationally complexity in orders of
magnitude. Another thing completely left out is (hemi-)sphere integration plus
BDRFs to model the in-scattering and out-scattering of light for a surface
point. That's too expensive to compute and is usually the realm of the ones
like path (Monte Carlo etc.) tracers. For realtime I think one needs to
compute some 3d light fields and interpolated from there to the surface
similar like is done with Spherical Harmonic Lighting to approximate global
illumination. Anyhow, as you can see, it's far from being perfect. And to be
honest, I'm not after making it as realistic as possible, even if it looks
like I'm trying. The reason is another one; it's the basis for my VHF/UHF wave
propagator. May sounds unrelated, but isn't.
Nice, nice! Is there already some gameplay to show?Dave has been working more on the bomber detail, while I've been putting together more gameplay/interface improvements:
superNESjoe
Member
Loving the new one.
Thanks!
Didn't understand that quiet well, do you think she looks too young?
Also, will this be considered Mature (+17) content?
(Just a concept art, not final needs some tweeks)
digitalflame
Member
Hi guys, I'm a recent high school graduate and was consdering doing what I believe is the equivalent of a degree in Game Design and Development (I'm based in Spain and I belive this is the equivalent of a minor for US college), and I was wondering what GAF's opinion on the course is.
Is it a viable life decision? Will I be able to find work or establish my own "studio"?
Is it a viable life decision? Will I be able to find work or establish my own "studio"?
Theanine3D
Member
It's better to pick a specific area of game development that you like (ie. programming, art, music) and study that specifically. That way, if the game industry chews you up and spits you out and you're left without a job, you still have a valuable degree that can be used in a different industry. For example, someone who wants to program games can study Computer Science and have a ton of jobs available outside of games if they can't succeed in getting hired by a game company (or maybe they do get hired, and realize making games isn't for them, then they at least have a way out).
I don't know how it is in Spain but in the U.S. most game design programs are money-grabbing scams, and/or aren't even accredited.
digitalflame
Member
Well this is a state-established and accredited course (and it's mostly free thanks to our education system) so in that sense it should be fine.
The biggest issue is that our programming and computer science courses are super out dated, which is why I'm considering of taking this relatively new course (established around 2013).
I'll look into the art aspect though, thanks!
I´m spanish too, can you provide any link about that course?
Yes.
I preffer the one on the left. Also, that drawing with the girl sitting is awesome!
Programming is in my experience just about the only viable education/profession. I absolutely love game design and making levels, but you gotta be something really special to get a job. Programming is the pretty much the only education that can get you different jobs outside of games. Sometimes modelling or drawing can do this too but you need a very different set of skills to get good at that.
A recruiter recently told me that if you don't get a job within the industry within 1-3 years from your graduation, your degree is just about useless, because what you've learned is outdated. This is true at least in design. Studying something that could still give you a "way out", like programming, is probably the best, and only smart, choice.
I don't know anything about the particular course you're talking about, but as for a viable life decision, that all depends on your luck, skills, and life perspectives. You're unlikely to get rich. Not many people become super famous and can buy several sports cars making games :lol You might be able to start a company, that mostly depends on money and personality in my experience. There are a lot of student companies around where I'm located, but they're mostly living off of student loans, parents, savings, and/or noodles, for years, and they get a lot of financial support from outside companies. I have no idea what the Spanish situation is like.
I can't offer personal advice but a very, very similar question was posed to The Crate and Crowbar podcast this week. If you have a spare fifteen minutes, head to the 1hr37min mark and give John Roberts' thoughts a listen. He essentially goes through a few issues associated with his first-hand experience of getting a 'general' game design degree.
- Status