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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor
- Thread starter chubigans
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My environment shader is quite possibly... off the hook!!
Gives a nice sheen to everything though
It looks nice! Would you share the code or, at the very least, how it works?
A lot of shader talk going on here. I would like to sum up what we use in Castaway Paradise:
- Unlit shader for almost everything.
the 16x16 color pallet. and a night version of the same pallet.
- Cubemap shader for characters to get a sense of lighting.
- a tinted unlit texture shader for textured objects so we can change the color for night scenes.
- Mobile alpha blended for particles.
- Unlit transparent for gui.
Thats it. Nothing fancy. Beautiful games are made with artistic graphics, not technical graphics. All technically beautiful graphics games from the past are super ugly right now. Just look at Doom 3, max payne. Now look at games like Metroid Prime or Zelda wind waker. Art style >>> any technology.
- Unlit shader for almost everything.
the 16x16 color pallet. and a night version of the same pallet.
- Cubemap shader for characters to get a sense of lighting.
- a tinted unlit texture shader for textured objects so we can change the color for night scenes.
- Mobile alpha blended for particles.
- Unlit transparent for gui.
Thats it. Nothing fancy. Beautiful games are made with artistic graphics, not technical graphics. All technically beautiful graphics games from the past are super ugly right now. Just look at Doom 3, max payne. Now look at games like Metroid Prime or Zelda wind waker. Art style >>> any technology.
prodystopian
Member
People who make pixel art: What tools do you use (software and hardware)? I'm playing around with some sprites and I'm just interested in hearing what people use who do a lot of sprites. Anyone use an iPad or Nexus 7?
I'm not an artist myself but these are the common programs I know about.
Windows
GraphicsGale
Pro Motion
OS X
Pixen
Multiplatform
GrafX2
ASESPRITE
iOS
Sprite Something
You might also want to take a look at PixelJoint's list.
Once the game's done I'm going to write some articles on how it works, with code. But for now, that shader works by blending between diffuse lighting, a sky colour, and a shine colour, using separate positive and negative y fresnel terms... Simple!
The separate +ve/-ve terms are what make it different on the top and bottom. The blending uses a couple of 'max' calls, and that's what creates the swirly, view-to-pixel change of lighting over the whole surface. The end result is a super shiny material that shines in all different directions. And because it's pixel shaded, it looks cool close up and far away Is this directed at me...? Can't see why, I don't even use textures!!
Nope, not at youOnce the game's done I'm going to write some articles on how it works, with code. But for now, that shader works by blending between diffuse lighting, a sky colour, and a shine colour, using separate positive and negative y fresnel terms... Simple!
Is this directed at me...? Can't see why, I don't even use textures!!
. Just generally.Nope, not at you
It is true though.
Worse is when it affects gameplay. Such as 30, or fewer, frames per second in games that really would benefit from 60. This effect is made even worse again when looking back, as the pimped graphics don't even look any good anymore...!! Double lose!!
Once the game's done I'm going to write some articles on how it works, with code. But for now, that shader works by blending between diffuse lighting, a sky colour, and a shine colour, using separate positive and negative y fresnel terms... Simple!
Is this directed at me...? Can't see why, I don't even use textures!!
The good thing is I've learned enough to understand most of your explanation other than that "y fresnel" thing.
I'm using way simpler shaders than that for now. The border shader is simply alpha blended and only drawn when the object's behind something else (ie: ZTest GEqual), the default particle shader for all my particles and I have another custom one that draws the texture without perspective using the model as a mask (which works in orthographic perspective only, but that's what I'm using for the game, so it's fine).
Since I'm way worse at drawing than at coding, shaders have been a huge boon, since I can make something that looks interesting enough with just ten lines of code .
Indeed! I can't wait.
Nah, it should be free for all.
It feels like that, weirdly enough. Thankfully it looks like they liked it! https://twitter.com/taswell/status/258856475882057728
Man, it already feels like that now. I can't wait.
Congrats on Dust also!
That was a really fun quick look! Loved the comments on the people ordering a beer first thing in the morning and on the scruffier looking patrons. I'm wanting a corn dog right about now ...
Yeah, I'm using shaders for interest. I can't make enough content to compete otherwise.
Fresnel is the effect where reflections become more vivid at a glancing angle, or, as the dot of the reflected view vector with the view direction tends to 1. What I then do is use the y component of the reflected view vector to blend on sky or shine colour, based on whether it's -ve or +ve. The reflected view vector is reflected about the surface normal.
It's the max operations that make it twice as cool though, as I couldn't believe the richness they added.
Short story, mess about with a rough aim and you'll make something rad!
I use GraphicGale. Sometimes I need a bit of photoshop but Gale really is great (but not free).
Cheap occasion to post a screen!
Thanks! I am also a little hungry for corn dogs...the comment in the GB quick look about not having corn dogs in the UK makes me sad.
Man, it already feels like that now. I can't wait.
Congrats on Dust also!
Thanks
Just saw your Quick Look, they loved it and it showed well! Looks like it's giving your Greenlight a nice boost as well.It also doesn't hurt that the game looks AWESOME! I'm so buying that!
gimp with plug ins is a beastly tool that's free.
Seconded! I wasn't really sure how much fun a restaurant simulator could be, but watching those guys play it and say the food ingredients out loud made me laugh. It really looks fun in motion.
I have an odd feeling to buy this game for my GF.. But I might need to buy her a new keyboard as well
Hi GAFfer,
I've just released on Kongregate my videogame No, Birdie, No!
It's just a very simple action-fingered videogame.
Of course, any comment/feedback/rating/else will be appreciated
Screenshot:
It seems the game has made it to a short IndieGames.com article, congratulations!
I have a question
let's say you're doing an intro of sorts and you want it fully animated. But you want it to show how it gets made with all the strokes from beginning to end (kinda weird explanation I know), is the best way of doing this recording your own screen while you are making it or can you play around using photoshop/video editing software in a more efficient way?
let's say you're doing an intro of sorts and you want it fully animated. But you want it to show how it gets made with all the strokes from beginning to end (kinda weird explanation I know), is the best way of doing this recording your own screen while you are making it or can you play around using photoshop/video editing software in a more efficient way?
Yeah, when I saw the game I was like "I swear I've seen this somewhere..." and it was here!
Congrats!
Heart of Black
Member
Is anyone else here working on the Playstation Mobile platform? Just curious if anyone else was swayed by Sony's focus on cross platform apps/game creation.
Ihateyouchris
Member
I just updated Another Castle to version 0.03. It adds in a sword, pellet gun, falling spikes, slimes, and some nicer backgrounds. You can play the prototype here
Here's a quick vid showing it off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pRO7IAH-ncc
Here's a quick vid showing it off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pRO7IAH-ncc
BomberMouse
Member
It looks good. A simple, focused devkit which you can test for free on PS Hardware. I'd have killed to have something like that while I was still studying. Nowdays I don't have the time or the patience to wrestle with a language I dislike.
I'm working on a game. Though I'm not really interested in the cross platform aspect, I just think it's cool to develop something for the Vita, a proper gaming system.
Most recent kinda-waste of time: I was refactoring to add event support for buttons, and I shot myself in the foot for a while trying to use C++ default parameters, and/or use a NULL pointer as a method pointer argument.
As far as I can tell, you're not allowed to use a NULL pointer in place of a templated method pointer argument, presumably because of something about how the template code works. Templates, so many ways to confuse yourself and waste time. I ended up making an overloaded method that took the templated method pointer argument, and a method that did not, instead of trying to handle both cases in the same method.
As far as I can tell, you're not allowed to use a NULL pointer in place of a templated method pointer argument, presumably because of something about how the template code works. Templates, so many ways to confuse yourself and waste time.
I ended up making an overloaded method that took the templated method pointer argument, and a method that did not, instead of trying to handle both cases in the same method.Hi GAFfer,
I've just released on Kongregate my videogame No, Birdie, No!
It's just a very simple action-fingered videogame.
Of course, any comment/feedback/rating/else will be appreciated
Fun little game which is very hard for me
Did you do the voices?I have a sky!! Two blended gradients in photoshop
IPhone 4S shots...
In my opinion... it looks beautiful on iPhone 4S. The screen and the colours are totally lush!!
It's coming along very nicely and it's cool to track your progress since you started on your project. The shading + gradient you recently added really help the look of the game.
Just tried this out now. You've got the controls down for sure, the jump/double jump and mid-air control has a solid feel to it and I like your use of a perspective camera for a '2d' game. Only thing that stood out was if I was moving from left - > right without stopping, the bats would be frozen for a quick second before moving towards the character. Nice job!
So, I've put a greenlight concept for my game Proxy Gear. Not a submission, as I live up to the thread title of being poor:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
......
Can't help, but it really looks good. Can you tell me more about the game?
So, I've put a greenlight concept for my game Proxy Gear. Not a submission, as I live up to the thread title of being super poor and can't afford the 90:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
Looks totally rad! Nice one!
Thanks! I'm going to do some more work on it over the weekend. Hopefully put out a new video, and update the playable version at VAMflax.com.
Aiming for 60 on iPad3, and it dawned on me that as my hyper expensive environment shader is somewhat split into 'things that point up' and 'things that point down' I can split objects in two, (as in, detach the top plane of the environment blocks), and only run half the shader on each part
Also going to move as much from the fragment to the vertex shader as possible. Hoping for good things. Otherwise... low res So, I've put a greenlight concept for my game Proxy Gear. Not a submission, as I live up to the thread title of being poor:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
Greenlighted
Indie-GAF needs to stick together
Just finished a half of a game jam at my college(Theme was inversion, Objects were Clockwork/orange and Clones). The game ended up being a survival version of super smash
bros but with the ability to do dial a combo and clone your self. The characters were stick figures. My role on the team ended up doing level design and various task in After effects.
I had to leave to my commitment to IHSA Equestrian team here as we are hosting a show this weekend. As I am showing today as well being in charge of horse holding. I also did the show cover.
bros but with the ability to do dial a combo and clone your self. The characters were stick figures. My role on the team ended up doing level design and various task in After effects.
I had to leave to my commitment to IHSA Equestrian team here as we are hosting a show this weekend. As I am showing today as well being in charge of horse holding. I also did the show cover.
So, I've put a greenlight concept for my game Proxy Gear. Not a submission, as I live up to the thread title of being poor:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
The video on the greenlight concept page is pretty cool, how deep the combat system is?
Times have changed, obviously. xD... Aiming for 60 on iPad3, and it dawned on me that as my hyper expensive environment shader is somewhat split into 'things that point up' and 'things that point down' I can split objects in two, (as in, detach the top plane of the environment blocks), and only run half the shader on each part
I'm just wondering, is the game finished yet (if ever)? What about the racing
game you were talking about?
To give you a general idea, I'm a big fan of devil may cry (3/4) and kingdom hearts (2), and this game takes some cues from both.
But this is far from a literal copy of either, the combo system is different, the energy/life management is different, and so on. It's a bit hard to explain it in-depth on the spot for me, I'll make a video for that once I get the time.
Well, it's running at 60 frames per second at 1024x768 with 8x Anti-aliasing, with every 3D pixel lit per pixel!! For a sort-of mobile device, that's outrageous!! Showed it to my GF and asked if it looked any different, she said it looked better
Full resolution on phones. Perhaps I'll clamp res on Android tablets, will have to profile.Chopper Mike is 80% complete I'd say. Looking like next month for release.
The racing game is two projects away. I did the prototype, but that's on hold until Chopper Mike, and then Captain Jatobe are complete. Check VAMflax.com for web-playable demos. I'll be updating the Chopper Mike demo this weekend, as it's now horrifically out of date!
So hyped about the gfx and performance mods I've done this week! And, it just clicked in my head that I can do a full 3D level preview for the level select. That's going to be ULTRA RAD!!
So, I've put a greenlight concept for my game Proxy Gear. Not a submission, as I live up to the thread title of being poor:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103645353
Please vote and comment, I suck at marketing, save me, help.
Apart from that, I made a lot of progress on the mapping and enemy design front, tho, nothing really worthy of screenshot, as I haven't put any textures yet.
This looks pretty cool. Love the character design so far. Favorited and commented on the Steam page.
Making the shader for the gems now.
Using the environment shader I got the delicious one on the right, which for another game would be rad. However, the gems have got to *pop* out of the screen, so I ramped up the juice for the one on the left...
Remember, this shit's running on... a telephone!!! At sixty big ones!
Using the environment shader I got the delicious one on the right, which for another game would be rad. However, the gems have got to *pop* out of the screen, so I ramped up the juice for the one on the left...
Remember, this shit's running on... a telephone!!! At sixty big ones!
How come you can't spare money to submit it if I may ask?
The engine looks good and it's not like everyone can program an engine. This skillset is definitely worth something.
Technobabel
Member
Working on menu design for Screenshot Saturday:
There is no narrative explicitly told to the player during gameplay, but each time you defeat a new enemy an entry is unlocked in the Bestiary that has clues to the backstory.
There is no narrative explicitly told to the player during gameplay, but each time you defeat a new enemy an entry is unlocked in the Bestiary that has clues to the backstory.
I have to say it again, I love your artstyle (not sure about the tree leaves but whatever).
I think your project is really really cool and appealing in some awesome retro ways.
hmmm, it's a quite ambitious project actually. Especially since it's my first game so I am not yet talking much about it. I don't want to be guy who's talking too much and then something happen and the game isn't released or something. But still, not responding to interest would be dumb right?
It's 60fps platformer that is having 2 modes of play. There's an "Adventure mode" that is a Metroidvania and there's the "Challenge Mode" that are "precision platformers" quick levels like League Of Evil or again, Super Meat Boy.
The project is pretty big and I hope to finish it before the end of 2013. Not sure how realistic it is yet since I am only touching it in my free time. The Metroidvania part should last some 2-3 hours (Keep in mind even Super Metroid lasts around 3 hours) and the Challange Mode is having 80 levels planned. Should be a pretty meaty game.
I hope to release it for Windows first, then some HTML5 version and everything goes round and my finances goes well enough, Android, IOS and even Steam. Anyways, sky is the limit as they say.
Please use this in menu design:Working on menu design for Screenshot Saturday:
There is no narrative explicitly told to the player during gameplay, but each time you defeat a new enemy an entry is unlocked in the Bestiary that has clues to the backstory.
Thanks everyone for the support.
I'll be updating the OP this weekend with some new stuff!
What does that mean exactly? Looks neat!
I'll be updating the OP this weekend with some new stuff!
Please use this in menu design:
What does that mean exactly? Looks neat!
Please use this in menu design:
I feel like I've seen this in one of my GD classes, but didn't pay enough attention to remember exactly how it's used.
It looks like a golden rectangle -- how does one use it in menu design? I'm interested since I need to do menu design.Please use this in menu design:
Also, I always thought it was kind of funny that the golden rectangle/golden ratio is much closer to the 16:10 screen resolution ratio than the 16:9 one...yet it seems like lots/most people revile 16:10 and want to switch to 16:9 to be closer to cinema.
Ok, I updated the OP with my impressions of GameBizWire: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=42129632#post42129632
Long story short: using their service led to me getting QL'd on GiantBomb, so yeah, I'm more than satisfied.
Long story short: using their service led to me getting QL'd on GiantBomb, so yeah, I'm more than satisfied.
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