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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor

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I wanted to make a bigger gif but IMGUR.

urwPjbn.gif


Rubble from the blocks is not working atm but this is what happens when you combine the super speed move with an evasion move together when you get both powers.
 

TrickRoom

Member
Anyone know any good software for making sound/music? chiptuney/electronic with beeps and bops. nothing too complex. I know how to program, i know how to do graphics. sound is my weakness which I think i should try learn to do.

My friend used Linux Multimedia Studio a while before moving on to FL studio. If you feel like paying you could I'd recommend the latter. Specifically for chip tune he also mentions PXtracker and famitracker.

Darkdoom3000! I didn't know you were working on something that wasn't Super Pokemon Eevee Edition! My friends and I loved the demo and can't wait for the full! :3
 
I don't know if this is the right place for my question... In case it's not, feel free to ignore it. :)

Aside from proper indie developers/studios, is this thread also for anyone - with a videogame concept/project - who's looking for specific help?
As in my case - graphic designer with a passion for art and illustration - I've got some ideas for a 2D sidescroller which I'm currently doing concept art and level design for, but I'm basically on my own and in need of programmers/animators/musicians' help in order to make it real.

So I was wondering if I can post a bit of my work here and see if there's any fellow Gaffer interested in (or if I should look somewhere else).

Sorry in advance if I said anything stupid or OT, I'm totally new to this scene (so far, I only managed to work with Pointfiveprojects by doing the artwork for Battle High 2).
Have you considered working as an artist on another indie game first to gain some insight and experience? Not to downplay the work they do, but many projects just don't look very good. Adding a cool, distinctive art style like yours could increase total sales immensely.

Edit: oops, missed that last part of your post.
 

Bamihap

Good at being the bigger man
I wanted to make a bigger gif but IMGUR.

urwPjbn.gif


Rubble from the blocks is not working atm but this is what happens when you combine the super speed move with an evasion move together when you get both powers.
Maybe add a tiny bit of camera movement delay. That would smooth out the rough movement to standing still transition. Looks amazing btw.
 

Noogy

Member
I wanted to make a bigger gif but IMGUR.

urwPjbn.gif


Rubble from the blocks is not working atm but this is what happens when you combine the super speed move with an evasion move together when you get both powers.

Looking fantastic :) But it's not making the wait any easier!
 

Raonak

Banned
Goddammm diablohead- that looks really damn slick. the faded trail is a nice touch

My friend used Linux Multimedia Studio a while before moving on to FL studio. If you feel like paying you could I'd recommend the latter. Specifically for chip tune he also mentions PXtracker and famitracker.

Darkdoom3000! I didn't know you were working on something that wasn't Super Pokemon Eevee Edition! My friends and I loved the demo and can't wait for the full! :3

Wow, cool :D first time someone recognised me outisde of pokecommunity!

I'm finding working to 2 projects a nicer alternative, when I feel burned out on SPEE, i work on the action game, and vice versa.
Im wanting to transition from doing game development as a hobby to a career. Plan is to finish up SPEE sometime this year, then do a kickstarter for my DMC-RPG game. I'm hoping SPEE gives me some leverage of sorts.

thanks for the suggestions, i'll have a look at FL studio
 

Makai

Member
Alright, I think it's about time I wrote about it. Introducing



, the world's first first-person time-moves-only-when-you-move shooter*. To explain it simply, it's The Matrix meets Hotline Miami meets a little bit of Braid. You can just stop moving in the middle of the room, look around, see where the enemies are and then decide on the best course of action (which usually involves deciding on which guy you'll shoot first). Take your time, you have as much as you want.

Play SUPERHOT on our website

The game was initially created in Unity during the 7DFPS game jam, and then extra-polished for the WGK 2013 conference, where we snatched the first prize in the Developer Showcase competition. The original version of the game has also been featured on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, IndieStatik and GiantBomb.

If you'd like to know more about where we're headed with the game, submit some feedback (we do love getting feedback from the players) or just ask some questions about the game/Unity, tweet/follow us at @superhotthegame or just drop me an e-mail at spierek@superhotgame.com. Thanks in advance.



*actually, the time moves very, very slowly when you're not moving, but "time-moves-only-slightly-when-you're-not-moving shooter" is not as marketable

Excellent! This is one of the most successful prototypes I've seen. Definitely workable into a longer game. Looks like it would be perfect for speedrunning.

I think I shot a bullet. Is that possible?
 

F-Pina

Member
Gaffers, I need your help.
We have already some fan that want to pre-order our game, but they are asking since we are on Greenlight, if we also deliver a Steam Key with the purchase on our site. I wouldn't mind doing that because they have already bought the game, but CAN I do this if the game ever gets approved?

I don't want to promise something we can't deliver. Have other games done this in the past? How can I be sure I can deliver thousands of keys to all buyers in 3 or 4 months down the road if the game gets greenlit?

Thanks.
 

Spierek

Member
Excellent! This is one of the most successful prototypes I've seen. Definitely workable into a longer game. Looks like it would be perfect for speedrunning.

I think I shot a bullet. Is that possible?

You mean, shot down a bullet with another bullet? Yep, it's very possible :)
 

Crispy75

Member
So I was wondering if I can post a bit of my work here and see if there's any fellow Gaffer interested in (or if I should look somewhere else).

Well, the project I'm doing with a friend of mine could certainly use some artwork. It's a spare time hobby for us though, so we can't pay, or even necessarily guarantee that the game would ever be finished or released.

I'm designing the gameplay and levels, he's coding, but my art skills are rather functional. I find it hard to get creative that way. The project is a sort of top-down, non-combat open world Zelda-like puzzle exploration game.
 

Galdelico

Member
I wanted to make a bigger gif but IMGUR.

urwPjbn.gif


Rubble from the blocks is not working atm but this is what happens when you combine the super speed move with an evasion move together when you get both powers.
Damn... Awesome pixel artists. I love you.

Have you considered working as an artist on another indie game first to gain some insight and experience? Not to downplay the work they do, but many projects just don't look very good. Adding a cool, distinctive art style like yours could increase total sales immensely.

Edit: oops, missed that last part of your post.
Thank you sir.

Actually, what you said is totally right and I'm considering that option as well. In the end, my experience with Battle High 2 - although I've been lucky to work with the nicest team ever - was fairly limited... I jumped in when the game's development was already quite advanced and all the artwork I provided was based on existing assets and concepts.
What I'm doing with Paper Ninja is what I love the most, which is to create from scratch. That said, sure, I'm totally open to other devs' ideas and to join their teams, in case they may like my artstyle and want to collab.

Well, the project I'm doing with a friend of mine could certainly use some artwork. It's a spare time hobby for us though, so we can't pay, or even necessarily guarantee that the game would ever be finished or released.

I'm designing the gameplay and levels, he's coding, but my art skills are rather functional. I find it hard to get creative that way. The project is a sort of top-down, non-combat open world Zelda-like puzzle exploration game.
Thank you buddy!

Spare time-based development and money aren't necessarily an issue (I can't hire people for Paper Ninja either) but one thing I generally look for - should I pick up a collab over another one - is the dev's strong will to complete what he started and see it published. Just to make the best use of each other's time and resources. :)

One last thing, I finally managed to upload my (very early) scrolling test video. It looks quite choppy but I guess it's because of the YT encoding... The original footage - as well as the whole game (hopefully! :D) - runs at 60fps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErrhqXzJpyY
 
I created a thread for this but it died an early death. I'd like us to help each other with what is hardest: Marketing. We can follow, like, retweet, etc., each other's products. I've compiled all of the contacts I've obtained so far in this thread. Let me know if you'd like to be added. I'll probably be reposting this on each page (assuming a 50-post-per-page).

Also, what are some of the more common hashtags we can use to promote our tweets?

Ashodin
https://twitter.com/AshodinVenteal

AusRoachman
@Ausroachman

BlastProcessing
https://twitter.com/SuperChopGames

BudokaiMR2
https://twitter.com/BudokaiMR2
https://twitter.com/playismEN
https://twitter.com/thetrin

ConvenientBox
https://twitter.com/jamhammergames

DarkSiegmeyer
@FraynkWash
@SuppressFGames
https://www.facebook.com/BloodAlloy
@F-Pina
@Metal-Geo
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...68/blood-alloy

Dascu
https://twitter.com/DascuMaru

DSix
https://twitter.com/Drag0nSix
http://www.dragonsix.net/

Duderino
https://twitter.com/AirDashOnline
https://www.facebook.com/AirDashOnline
https://twitter.com/JV5Chris

Dynamite Shikoku
@emmetmorris

Feep
@IridiumStudios

fin
https://twitter.com/Finjitzu

Foshy
https://twitter.com/the_fosh
http://maurozocco.wordpress.com/

Heart of Black
http://beatdowncity.com/
http://beatdowncity.com/
@anuchallenger
@beatdown_city

jrDev
@ETurgott
@jrdevarts

JulianImp
https://twitter.com/Julian_Imp

lashman
http://twitter.com/RobotBrush

MaritalWheat
https://twitter.com/MaritalWheat

missile
@DarkSiegmeyer

Mystic River
https://twitter.com/MysticRiverGame

Noogy
@NoogyTweet

NotLiquid
https://twitter.com/geistbox

Paz
@SanatanaMishra
@AndroidCactus

pixelpai
https://twitter.com/pixelplant_ios

razu
@jamielowesdev

RelentlessRolento
https://twitter.com/WolfOfVictoria

RhysD85
http://www.twitter.com/rhysdee
http://labtanner.com/gamedev/index.p...led_&_Secure

rottame
https://twitter.com/ferruccio4
https://twitter.com/BmblbeeStudios

Servbot24
https://Twitter.com/ianbarkerart

show me your skeleton (composer)
https://twitter.com/minustheshark
https://twitter.com/showmeskeletons

SlipperySlope
https://twitter.com/ColonySoftware
https://twitter.com/RolansQuest
http://facebook.com/rolansquest
https://twitter.com/BrianKarcher1

snarge
https://twitter.com/snarge

SpacePirate Ridley
@RLH_Studios
@BorjaRuizSPR

Spierek
https://twitter.com/superhotthegame

TheBera
https://twitter.com/Berareu

TrickRoom
https://twitter.com/audinowho

Vancha
https://twitter.com/IndieSpotted
https://twitter.com/EaglEyeLoco

Vark
https://twitter.com/feward

Wok
https://twitter.com/newakamo
 

jillytot

Member
Sweet list. I can check out other indie devs. It's been a while since i posted here, i've been working with a partner on a new game, we haven't been at it too long as things are still preliminary.

It's a tactical turn based RPG with robots.

Here are some screen shots:

And i've got a couple of gameplay videos:
Raw gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owN5Y0i1Uc8
And then a did a little walkthrough of basic mechanics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OkxufXjUZ4

If you want more info, i've got twitter and blog akshun going on.
@AyloGames
My Tumblr

Looks like i have a lot of catching up to do in this thread.
 

bumpkin

Member
So, I have a question for the folks in this thread who have been making your own art (sprites, etc.) for your games. I've been considering different options for how I could go about producing art, and right now it's been narrowed down to two routes; getting a lit drawing table of some sort and drawing/scanning art on paper and coloring it digitally, or getting something like a Wacom tablet and drawing it directly on the computer. From your experience(s), care to share any pros or cons of your chosen approach?

I think my biggest reservation about going the Wacom route is I've tried a tablet before, and the disconnect between the stylus on the pad and looking at the screen was just really awkward.
 
So, I have a question for the folks in this thread who have been making your own art (sprites, etc.) for your games. I've been considering different options for how I could go about producing art, and right now it's been narrowed down to two routes; getting a lit drawing table of some sort and drawing/scanning art on paper and coloring it digitally, or getting something like a Wacom tablet and drawing it directly on the computer. From your experience(s), care to share any pros or cons of your chosen approach?

I think my biggest reservation about going the Wacom route is I've tried a tablet before, and the disconnect between the stylus on the pad and looking at the screen was just really awkward.

We use a wacom tablet. It tracks the pointer as it's floating above the tablet, so it doesn't feel unnatural.

Edit - Although I would prefer if the screen showed the image, but I know the cost would jump...
 
So, I have a question for the folks in this thread who have been making your own art (sprites, etc.) for your games. I've been considering different options for how I could go about producing art, and right now it's been narrowed down to two routes; getting a lit drawing table of some sort and drawing/scanning art on paper and coloring it digitally, or getting something like a Wacom tablet and drawing it directly on the computer. From your experience(s), care to share any pros or cons of your chosen approach?

I think my biggest reservation about going the Wacom route is I've tried a tablet before, and the disconnect between the stylus on the pad and looking at the screen was just really awkward.

I'm going to say this comes down to what you feel best with yourself, I love drawing on a lightbox but I find it a lot easier to use a large drawing tablet as I can correct mistakes much easier without bits of eraser getting everywhere, also zooming in and out of work to check if scale is ok and such, I just find it easier overall.

I have never tried using a good drawing tablet with a screen on it, only the cheaper non screen type.

Maybe add a tiny bit of camera movement delay. That would smooth out the rough movement to standing still transition. Looks amazing btw.

The reason she stops so suddenly is the ledge, I made it so you will never skid off an ledge especially when coming out of that ground slide you have no directional control.

I plan to add in a standing on ledge animation this weekend, just need to sprite the pose.
 

Feep

Banned
This is our (untextured) gun. It's totally awesome because it transforms into four other weapon types, using geometry hidden inside the gun. I'll show off all that stuff when we animate it. = D

2013-09-12_201258.jpg


2013-09-12_201333.jpg
 

bumpkin

Member
Man, working on programming when you're tired (and cranky) is such an awful idea. Last night I decided to start working on developing collision detection for my new component-based engine, and when I ran into an annoying problem seemingly rooted in a piece I had finished earlier in the week (my animation and state components), I got so frustrated that I closed the project window and considered just shelving it entirely. I did start to think about looking into an OOTB physics library like Box2D or Chipmunk2D, but didn't read too much about how to integrate either. Was just sort of doing cursory evaluation of whether or not I could use either just for collision-only (not a full-blown physics sim).

I also considered just forgetting about writing my own engine and looking into Unity development instead. Of course that led me to another dead-end when every single tutorial I found for making a 2D game with Unity made my eyes cross. Either that engine has a bit of a learning curve or I'm just retarded. I didn't see much in the OP in regards to tutorials for it, specifically using it for 2D applications. Is anyone aware of some good ones that are friendly for a Unity noob?
 
Man, working on programming when you're tired (and cranky) is such an awful idea. Last night I decided to start working on developing collision detection for my new component-based engine, and when I ran into an annoying problem seemingly rooted in a piece I had finished earlier in the week (my animation and state components), I got so frustrated that I closed the project window and considered just shelving it entirely. I did start to think about looking into an OOTB physics library like Box2D or Chipmunk2D, but didn't read too much about how to integrate either. Was just sort of doing cursory evaluation of whether or not I could use either just for collision-only (not a full-blown physics sim).

I also considered just forgetting about writing my own engine and looking into Unity development instead. Of course that led me to another dead-end when every single tutorial I found for making a 2D game with Unity made my eyes cross. Either that engine has a bit of a learning curve or I'm just retarded. I didn't see much in the OP in regards to tutorials for it, specifically using it for 2D applications. Is anyone aware of some good ones that are friendly for a Unity noob?

yeah, last night I was doing the same, programming stuff until very very late, I was not able to understand myself, so I ended up closing my project and took it over again today's afternoon. I do not know much about Unity but I know it is not 2D friendly, thats why I keep working on XNA for now and maybe port this to Mono later
 

Dynamite Shikoku

Congratulations, you really deserve it!
If you want to do 2D with Unity, just get 2D Toolkit. It's really easy to use. It makes colliders for your sprites, and then you can deal with your collisions through physx.
 

Spierek

Member
... or wait for the 4.3 update (coming soon-ish) which introduces sprite atlas separation, sprite animation, mesh-based 2D animation, Box2D physics and more!
 
... or wait for the 4.3 update (coming soon-ish) which introduces sprite atlas separation, sprite animation, mesh-based 2D animation, Box2D physics and more!

They did mention that this beta period will be longer than most, and Texture atlasing will be a pro only feature, so 2DToolkit is still a good idea for a lot of folks considering it.
 

charsace

Member
It took me an hour and a half to get a plane from blender into unity facing toward the camera. Once I texture it the sprite shows upside down. I looked on line for a solution, couldn't find one so I flipped the art and it displays properly. Now to get sprite sheets working.

They did mention that this beta period will be longer than most, and Texture atlasing will be a pro only feature, so 2DToolkit is still a good idea for a lot of folks considering it.
If they are giving you 2d features though then implementing texture atlasing shouldn't be too difficult.
 

GulAtiCa

Member
Man, I spent like 4 hours last night on reworking my game from scratch. Mainly got enemies spawning + moving as well as a simple sentry that can fire again. Can't actually place them anywhere yet other then directly coded. Will work on that today. By end of today or tomorrow the game will be fully operational.

But man, I also spent like 2 of those hours fixing 2 major bugs with my previous "Tower Defense" game I built. The first was the "Fast" option, when used caused some odd issues, like movements not moving as fast thus leaving less space between the enemies hitting the base. So you would become overwhelmed when they were suppose to be more spread out.

The second issue was that the speed they came towards the base was different and not correct based on where they spawned. For example, an enemy spawned directly above in center had the least amount of space to travel while one spawned at the corners had to travel the most. Now I did code it so that they travel different speeds so that they catch up at the correct times. But I still noticed my algorithm was wrong. Of course wasn't as big of difference since the prototype was square. But since the new game is widescreen, there is a much bigger difference in distance, so I spent some time fixing that.
 
If they are giving you 2d features though then implementing texture atlasing shouldn't be too difficult.

Yea, it just depends on the person. I just wanted to clarify that it still isn't a bad idea to buy 2DToolkit for some people because the new 2D won't be out for a while and may not give them everything they want (especially if they don't have pro).
 

Mikado

Member
ng_9f1903e7.jpg


Busy with a bunch of contract work this week so not a lot of progress on our own projects.

However, I did manage to get a good start on implementing proper MSAA antialiasing for our deferred rendering pipeline.
 

Setreal

Member
I'm getting stuck on the ideal resolution I want to use for a 2-D pixel art PC game and how to handle players who are using other resolutions. I was originally going to go with a locked 1024x768 screen/view because it seemed like a good mid-point, but it makes the art work look very small. Now I'm considering a locked 800x600 (with black bars at full screen to keep the aspect ratio). Any thoughts? And any others out there making a 2-D pixel art PC game, what resolution are you using and how are you handling fullscreen/players changing resolution?
 

Popstar

Member
I'm getting stuck on the ideal resolution I want to use for a 2-D pixel art PC game and how to handle players who are using other resolutions. I was originally going to go with a locked 1024x768 screen/view because it seemed like a good mid-point, but it makes the art work look very small. Now I'm considering a locked 800x600 (with black bars at full screen to keep the aspect ratio). Any thoughts? And any others out there making a 2-D pixel art PC game, what resolution are you using and how are you handling fullscreen/players changing resolution?

I'm going 640x360 as my base for a pixel art game I'm making. Pixel doubles to 1280x720 or triples to 1920x1080. For other resolutions you'll see a bit more or less of the play field. I'll support 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios and letter box anything else.

Looking at the Steam hardware survey 1920x1080 is the most popular resolution – followed by 1366x768 – so using a widescreen base aspect makes sense I think.
 

Mikado

Member
I'm going 640x360 as my base for a pixel art game I'm making. Pixel doubles to 1280x720 or triples to 1920x1080.

(And quadruples to 2560x1440 which is the standard for the big 27" and 30" monitors).

1280x720 is the new 1024x768. Aiming for a multiple or factor of 1280x720 is a safe bet for pretty much every game-capable device these days.
 
640 x 360 is a very nice res to work with sprites in, it's what I am to have for the pc version of my game, the iPhone version uses half of the current wide screen retina res being 568 x 320
 
Hmm. What tile/sprite sizes are you guys using? I was thinking of going 64x64 and 64x128 for characters (it's a Zelda-like game).

But with these small screens, it might be too large. 32x32/32x64 seems really small to me...
 

Popstar

Member
Hmm. What tile/sprite sizes are you guys using? I was thinking of going 64x64 and 64x128 for characters (it's a Zelda-like game).

But with these small screens, it might be too large. 32x32/32x64 seems really small to me...
It's probably best to figure out how many tiles tall you need the screen to be based on your gameplay and figure out the size from there.

For my game I wanted around 13~16 tiles high so I'm using 24x24 tiles since 24*15 = 360.
 

Turfster

Member
Wish I could do screenshot saturday, but the project that's getting the most time and attention at moment would make for really boring screenshots, since it's mostly just numbers and a basic ugly Unity GUI layout.

Anyone else working on a more... 'simulation'-y game, where the player only crunches numbers and not skulls?
 
Oh hey I just totally remembered its screenshot saturday! Here's my first screen gif!

This is something I've been working on for a few weeks now.
megamageplay.gif


Starting off with a Mega Man-like base, but planning on cranking up the intensity with an emphasis on mainly boss fights.

I wish I could get a smoother gif out of GifCAM. It looks much nicer at full 60.

Anyway, I haven't formally introduced myself or anything but I've been lurking a bit here and there

Former professional game designer, recently made the transition to professional indie ;)
logo.png


You can follow my personal twitter at @RighteousNando

and my pro twitter at @PinkDonutGames

I typically stick to the coding and design, but out of needing to move forward without having to rely on people I've decided to start dabbling in some simple pixel art:
magerun3.gif


I'm deliberately confining myself to 8 bit style and NES palette so that I dont have to think hard about color. With enough iterations I'll get something decent (hopefully).

Pretty happy with the results so far.
 

Dynamite Shikoku

Congratulations, you really deserve it!
I'll do a programming screenshot saturday, because I haven't made any art yet. I've just been testing out making a laser that will lock on to enemies

FyP0bMy.gif
 

Slixshot

Banned
Hey everyone, I'm a senior at Boston University's School of Management studying business entrepreneurship. I'd like to get into the indie scene, but on the business side rather than coding and programming. Is there any insight on GAF on how to do so?

The business side of a small company can take up time which could (and should) be spent developing and refining the game. I'd like to alleviate that burden.
 

TrickRoom

Member
I'll do a programming screenshot saturday, because I haven't made any art yet. I've just been testing out making a laser that will lock on to enemies

FyP0bMy.gif

LOL. I remember it being incredibly satisfying to use that kind of weapon in the last shmup I played. I don't remember which, but I had so much fun with it.

I decided not to show much in the way of a screenshot this time and instead post some art from my friend, who's decided to stick with me in this game. I basically gave him a description of everything regarding the mechanics side of the game and just let him run wild with whatever he wanted, as long as it fit the requirements.
:3
 

bkw

Member
Anyone developing with Unity on a laptop? Is discrete graphics a must or will the usual integrated chip be good enough to start? So far I've only worked on 2d games.

What about screen resolution? 1440x900 comfortable enough?

I have an old 13" MacBook. Maybe I'll give it a go on that first.
 

Five

Banned
Anyone developing with Unity on a laptop? Is discrete graphics a must or will the usual integrated chip be good enough to start? So far I've only worked on 2d games.

What about screen resolution? 1440x900 comfortable enough?

I have an old 13" MacBook. Maybe I'll give it a go on that first.

Discrete cards have come a ways, but they still have nothing on discrete.

For development, I recommend having at least two screens. The laptop can be whatever, and then get a decent monitor at at least 1080.
 
Anyone developing with Unity on a laptop? Is discrete graphics a must or will the usual integrated chip be good enough to start? So far I've only worked on 2d games.

What about screen resolution? 1440x900 comfortable enough?

I have an old 13" MacBook. Maybe I'll give it a go on that first.
I use Unity on my 13'' Macbook Air. I've only done 2D stuff on the laptop but it runs fine...it's just definitely not as productive as my other environments because of the single screen (+ small size to boot) - can't have all the windows you'd want to have up at a time (console, scene, hierarchy, game, etc.) in view at once. But hey, it's nice to be able to work anywhere and on the go.
 
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