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GAF Indie Game Development Thread 2: High Res Work for Low Res Pay

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J

Jacksinthe

Banned
If he's grid based he can use Vector2.MoveTowards to lerp between vectors or just lerp the vectors. Or he wants to add a small accel/decel curve he can use Mathf.SmoothStep to smooth the lerp between 2 vectors.

So if your tiles are 32x32 you'd set the pixels to units to 32. Then you can line your tiles up along Unity's grid and it would be perfect 1:1 unit:tile.
 
H

Hopeford

Member
I have a feeling I'm overdoing with the fencing metaphors in a murder mystery game. Like, by a lot. More importantly though, I could use some feedback on something if you guys have some time.

This is a game mechanic that would be the equivalent to a cross-examination in Phoenix Wright. Currently, I have the character you are 'opposing' set in the center of the screen(you hover over each button to see specific arguments to spot contradictions).

Thing is, I'm a bit afraid that having the character stand where he is ends up taking way too much space in the screen and makes it all look a tad messy. So...basically, can you guys take a look at this and tell me if you think the character in the center is too distracting or something?

ACcRpG9.gif


(here is a higher resolution image if it's too difficult to judge from just that tiny gif)
 
S

squadr0n

Member
Ive got a question about static meshes and Models in Unreal 4.

Ok im trying to figure out how to make buildings/structures in my game. Do I just model it out in 3DS Max and then place it in the engine? I guess im having trouble figuring out what to ask. I understand how to make static meshes, use the terrain editor, and modeling software, I just dont understand how they all come together.
 
W

WORLDTree

Member
Figured this was the best place to ask something like this, but is it possible to create some kind of shader to replicate hue shifting? So this

ccs-85721-0-32874800-1367212432_thumb.png


But applied to a 3D model instead. Sorry if this is a dumb question.
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
squadr0n said:
Ive got a question about static meshes and Models in Unreal 4.

Ok im trying to figure out how to make buildings/structures in my game. Do I just model it out in 3DS Max and then place it in the engine? I guess im having trouble figuring out what to ask. I understand how to make static meshes, use the terrain editor, and modeling software, I just dont understand how they all come together.
Click to expand...
That's one way. Assuming it's still true, one recommended thing is trying to use a bit of modularity in models though. If a few walls are going to be identical, make that its own mesh in 3DS Max and import it. If you're going to have furniture etc., that should be its own mesh.

Walls, corners, stairs etc. could theoretically be modular so you can build levels in the UE4 editor rather than building everything in 3DS Max. Performance might be better too since instances of the mesh can be used instead of different huge meshes.
 
H

Hopeford

Member
Ashodin said:
Move him to the lower left corner. Bisecting your art doesn't look good.
Click to expand...

Yeah, literally everyone I showed this to so far agrees with you as far as the bisecting so I'll bite the bullet and remove it. Had some fondness for it because I'm an imbecile, but at the very least I won't be stubborn haha.

Thanks for the advice!
 
S

squadr0n

Member
Blizzard said:
That's one way. Assuming it's still true, one recommended thing is trying to use a bit of modularity in models though. If a few walls are going to be identical, make that its own mesh in 3DS Max and import it. If you're going to have furniture etc., that should be its own mesh.

Walls, corners, stairs etc. could theoretically be modular so you can build levels in the UE4 editor rather than building everything in 3DS Max. Performance might be better too since instances of the mesh can be used instead of different huge meshes.
Click to expand...

Thanks, still getting the hang of it. I know i should probably start with a 2D game but I have this great Idea that would only work in 3rd person :( I might just put that on hold and make something similar to Shadow Complex just to learn the ropes.
 
J

Jacksinthe

Banned
Cisce said:
Thanks for the help guys!

I'll try some of your advice out tomorrow to see if I can get something working. :)
Click to expand...

Doing this quick but this looks like it will work:

Code: 
IEnumerator MoveObject (Vector2 incomingPosition)
	{
		float t = 0;
		Vector2 startingPosition = transform.position;
		while (t < 1.0f)
		{
			t += Time.deltaTime * (Time.timeScale/moveTime);
			
			transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(startingPos, incomingPosition, Mathf.SmoothStep(0.0f, 1.0f, t));
			yield return 0;
		}
         }

moveTime is anything you'd like the timing of your move to be. So 1 would take 1 second to move from one tile to the next. Can work with a Vector3 the same.

incomingPosition would just be the new Vector2. So if you press W to move the object up one tile:

Code: 
Vector2 newMovePosition = new Vector2 (transform.position.x, transform.position.y+1);
StartCoroutine("MoveObject", newMovePosition);

If you have worked with 3D before this is just like that minus the zed.
 
A

AzureSkies

Member
AbsintheGames said:
Doing this quick but this looks like it will work:

Code: 
IEnumerator MoveObject (Vector2 incomingPosition)
	{
		float t = 0;
		Vector2 startingPosition = transform.position;
		while (t < 1.0f)
		{
			t += Time.deltaTime * (Time.timeScale/moveTime);
			
			transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(startingPos, incomingPosition, Mathf.SmoothStep(0.0f, 1.0f, t));
			yield return 0;
		}
         }

moveTime is anything you'd like the timing of your move to be. So 1 would take 1 second to move from one tile to the next. Can work with a Vector3 the same.

incomingPosition would just be the new Vector2. So if you press W to move the object up one tile:

Code: 
Vector2 newMovePosition = new Vector2 (transform.position.x, transform.position.y+1);
StartCoroutine("MoveObject", newMovePosition);

If you have worked with 3D before this is just like that minus the zed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. It means a lot! :)

I'll try this out when I have access to Unity tomorrow and report back to the thread.
 
L

Lord_Balkan

Member
WORLDTree said:
Figured this was the best place to ask something like this, but is it possible to create some kind of shader to replicate hue shifting? So this

ccs-85721-0-32874800-1367212432_thumb.png


But applied to a 3D model instead. Sorry if this is a dumb question.
Click to expand...

Yes there is a way to approximate that, all you need to do is get the RGB values of whatever you want to hue shift (either the texture or final color or whatever), convert it to an HSV (hue-saturation-value) format, modify the Hue and convert it back. This should help out
 
G

GroundCombo

Member
Cisce said:
Thanks for the help. It means a lot! :)

I'll try this out when I have access to Unity tomorrow and report back to the thread.
Click to expand...

There's also Vector2.SmoothDamp() which can be rather useful. I also strongly recommend looking into a good tweening plugin, such as DOTween or LeanTween. Writing your own coroutines for moving or fading stuff gets old after a while and the tweeners can save a _lot_ of time and effort; for example, smoothly moving your object could simply be done with

Code: 
transform.DOMove(targetPosition).SetEase(Ease.InOutSine);

It's of course a good idea to first write your own code to understand what's happening.
 
A

anteevy

Member
squadr0n said:
Ive got a question about static meshes and Models in Unreal 4.

Ok im trying to figure out how to make buildings/structures in my game. Do I just model it out in 3DS Max and then place it in the engine? I guess im having trouble figuring out what to ask. I understand how to make static meshes, use the terrain editor, and modeling software, I just dont understand how they all come together.
Click to expand...

Depending on the game, another way of building levels would be with tilemaps, i.e. create a 2D tilemap and then load your 3D meshes based on the information stored in that tilemap. I just wrote a blog post about importing tilemaps from Tiled into the UE4: http://roll-playing-game.com/blog/2015/04/level-building-workflow-from-tiled-to-ue4/

Works great in top-down or sidescroller games, but not that great in 1st person shooters (but even there with a few adjustments).
 
D

Dynamite Shikoku

Congratulations, you really deserve it!
GroundCombo said:
There's also Vector2.SmoothDamp() which can be rather useful. I also strongly recommend looking into a good tweening plugin, such as DOTween or LeanTween. Writing your own coroutines for moving or fading stuff gets old after a while and the tweeners can save a _lot_ of time and effort; for example, smoothly moving your object could simply be done with

Code: 
transform.DOMove(targetPosition).SetEase(Ease.InOutSine);

It's of course a good idea to first write your own code to understand what's happening.
Click to expand...

Yes, DOTween is really good
 
J

Jacksinthe

Banned
I still lean towards writing your own stuff for one purpose: maintenance. If you use a bunch of plugins and need to Update Unity for a bug fix or the like, that may just break a plugin you've bought. If you roll your own code it will be a lot easier to get up and running after a change.

If you're going strict PC release there's not much to worry about and you can hang back on an older version but consoles force using specific versions for release which may or may not support a plugin you've bought.

Plus its a good exercise to dive in and try new things to stretch your legs. There's a bunch of different ways to do the same thing which can lead to better ways of doing something completely unrelated.

Just my .02
 
D

Dascu

Member
#screenshotsaturday



End is in sight!

Malebolgia is now fully playable from tutorial to final boss on Steam Early Access. Now I'm just incorporating player feedback, improving sound/visual effects, some story/lore work, tweaking AI and controls. Then I also still need to look into Mac/Linux, trading cards and achievements.

Oh, and a WiiU eShop version.
 
L

liliththepale

Banned
Dascu said:
#screenshotsaturday



End is in sight!

Malebolgia is now fully playable from tutorial to final boss on Steam Early Access. Now I'm just incorporating player feedback, improving sound/visual effects, some story/lore work, tweaking AI and controls. Then I also still need to look into Mac/Linux, trading cards and achievements.

Oh, and a WiiU eShop version.
Click to expand...

I love the scale and art style here! but I'm wondering if the dust plume from the boss landing is supposed to be glowing. Is that just unshaded particles I'm looking at?
 
T

TheUnknownForce

Member
Dascu said:
#screenshotsaturday



End is in sight!

Malebolgia is now fully playable from tutorial to final boss on Steam Early Access. Now I'm just incorporating player feedback, improving sound/visual effects, some story/lore work, tweaking AI and controls. Then I also still need to look into Mac/Linux, trading cards and achievements.

Oh, and a WiiU eShop version.
Click to expand...

Oh really? I've been looking at this progress, and it would be real neat to see on Wii U.

Good luck on the final steps of development!
 
S

SpacePirate Ridley

Member
Jobbs said:
the concept here is pretty tragedy.

TerribleRaggedGrouper.gif


I sorta had this idea that flowers growing around him kinda happened to look a bit like wings. it's one of those things that came up as I was doing it.
Click to expand...

The first time I saw it he looks like he is laughing of the character, with his eyes glowing giving the force of the laugh and both hands, one looking like his poitning him and the other placed in the stomach lol
 
D

Dascu

Member
liliththepale said:
I love the scale and art style here! but I'm wondering if the dust plume from the boss landing is supposed to be glowing. Is that just unshaded particles I'm looking at?
Click to expand...

The particle explosion is an attack, not just 'dust', but I agree that it looks a bit off.
 
J

Jacksinthe

Banned
Linux version now built. Testing in Mint 17. I should try it in Arch for giggles in case I am missing libraries. Hooooo boy been a while since I hit up dat Arch goodness.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
bugfix and patch of psyscrolr complete. Just have to get it through lotcheck now! Then the real work on the first content update beginssss
 
T

timetokill

Banned
liliththepale said:
Were you intentionally going for an androgynous look? I love the design, but I can't tell if it's supposed to be one gender or the other.
Click to expand...

I hear you... but it looks female to me though, due to the tiny waist leading to the shapely hips and ass. Really it's only the haircut that would give me any kind of pause.
 
Z

ZServ

Member
timetokill said:
I hear you... but it looks female to me though, due to the tiny waist leading to the shapely hips and ass. Really it's only the haircut that would give me any kind of pause.
Click to expand...

Might I suggest some eyelashes as a subtle way of reinforcing the "feminine"..ness? Unless you're going for the androgynous look, then it's spot on :)
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
Nätso;158852116 said:
I'd highly recommend Jesse Schell's The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses if you're looking to become a better designer.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I checked a few pages out on Amazon and it seems really in depth but not overwhelming. Ordered!
 
M

mooooose

Member
Hey does anyone have any experience in using Tiled with Box2D? I'm doing a class project (it's my first game) and we're supposed to use the two in conjunction with one another.
 
J

Jobbs

Banned
Pixels said:
Ready for adventure.
Click to expand...

liliththepale said:
Were you intentionally going for an androgynous look? I love the design, but I can't tell if it's supposed to be one gender or the other.
Click to expand...

I was just about to hit reply saying I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl and then read your reply. yeah, there might be something to that.

not that there's anything wrong with an androgynous look, but I wasn't sure if it was intended or not.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
So... I ended up having to rework several things in my dialog system to make room for branching due to not planning for it in advance. The biggest issue right now is making sure the graphical editor works well, since that's probably going to be the deal breaker that makes prospective users decide whether they'll want to use my tools in their projects or not.

Still, I just hate how little documentation and topics there is regarding Unity's internal workings. It took me quite a while to find things such as how I was supposed to get the cursor's position inside a text area, and don't even get me started on how the heck I was supposed to set my editor classes up to make undo commands work as expected.

If everything goes according to plan, I should have things ready for doing some beta testing soon. If anybody wants to try the tools and give me a hand with the testing, please send me a PM!
 
H

hobblygobbly

Member
So I got some dithering working in my low-res aesthetic thing I'm prototyping:

XT6Hjs1.png


vG9ONlc.png


Looks kind of nice (might be a little hard to see in first image though). Needs a bit of tweaking. Pretty standard pattern though.

I'm trying to learn shaders and needed dithering for the shading of light and whatnot in this lowres style I'm trying so did some research/learning into how to get one (after a previous failed attempt).

Just a learning experience because there are pretty much widely available dithering shaders any ways in the public domain I could just use and they really don't differ much, all depends on the dithering pattern you make/use in the end.

I think the next thing I'm going to try is make an outline of whatever colour along an edge of an object that is far away to make it more "clear" in this low resolution.

Re-quoting for context in the past with my earlier attempt. Your advice was useful, thanks:

missile said:
That's not what we call dithering. xD Yeah, right, you have to start
somewhere! If you are serious about dithering you better start out with b/w
dithering first, i.e. in producing halftones between two full tones (black and
white), which is very important conceptually, and gradually include more and
more full tones as needed (i.e. black, ..., gray, ..., white) and dither
between those such that you can produce arbitrary shades with respect to a
given tone table and dithering technique. While you're doing so you will learn
to apply many of the different dithering techniques, patterns etc. and will also
learn many of the fallacies but also advanced ways to make dithering really
look good. This knowledge is required to produce fine color art dithering
where you will apply gained knowledge to dither between color tones producing
this very distinctive look given your graphics a special appeal. There you go!

If you post pictures showing dithering, you may also post the original one.
Click to expand...
 
V

VisceralBowl

Member
Does anybody have any ideas on how I could achieve an effect like this with a binary version of the engine?

iDMAbMc.png


I'm not entirely sure about the term, but it looks like stretched/directional(?) bloom that essentially achieves an anamorphic lens flare effect. I know I could do the old traditional manually placed flares but I like this effect more and it somewhat reduces the workload.

This guy figured it out, but he implemented custom shader code on a source version of the engine and Epic denied the changes.
 
S

SystemBug

Member
VisceralBowl said:
Does anybody have any ideas on how I could achieve an effect like this with a binary version of the engine?

iDMAbMc.png


I'm not entirely sure about the term, but it looks like stretched/directional(?) bloom that essentially achieves an anamorphic lens flare effect. I know I could do the old traditional manually placed flares but I like this effect more and it somewhat reduces the workload.

This guy figured it out, but he implemented custom shader code on a source version of the engine and Epic denied the changes.
Click to expand...
To me they look like custom lens flare but who knows. I'd love to see where you get with this.
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
VisceralBowl said:
Does anybody have any ideas on how I could achieve an effect like this with a binary version of the engine?

http://i.imgur.com/iDMAbMc.png

I'm not entirely sure about the term, but it looks like stretched/directional(?) bloom that essentially achieves an anamorphic lens flare effect. I know I could do the old traditional manually placed flares but I like this effect more and it somewhat reduces the workload.

This guy figured it out, but he implemented custom shader code on a source version of the engine and Epic denied the changes.
Click to expand...
This is probably a stupid question, but how are you seeing that that Epic denied the changes? Because the github link doesn't work anymore?
 
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