I was under the impression that monogame would simply "convert" my code to something else, thus being inefficient and buggy.
Or am I completely wrong?
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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor
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I was under the impression that monogame would simply "convert" my code to something else, thus being inefficient and buggy.
Or am I completely wrong?
Try Unity. I ported my 3D XNA code in less than a day. Even if you ignore the GUI, the framework does a lot of things for you that XNA did not.Personally I think you set
reggaeMode = true;
In all seriousness, Computer Science student here. Best way to get into some simple game development that will not limit me too much?? (I have experience in XNA but its now dead)
I know Java, C++, C# etc etc... I also know a little openGL, but im currently tearing my hair out on some 3D catmull-rom spline stuff.
Or to just XNA (probably less hassle than MonoGame on Windows) if he doesn't need cross-platform stuff.
You are wrong
MonoGame is nothing but a open-source implementation of XNA. In theory they should be just as fast, but since they are different implementations, the performance may vary. But I doubt that performance differences are significant.How is Unity for 2D stuff?
I would rather walk before I run in terms of dimensions... even as a CS student the maths of 3D melts my brain at times
They recently made significant changes to bolster 2D development. Even 3D's easy with Unity, though.
You are wrong
Ahh I see, I thought it was one of those "convert your code" things rather than a library.
But its a library that outputs to a large variety of platforms, which could still make it inefficient I guess? Probably doesn't matter much on 2D stuff anyway
I assume that there are a lot of methods built in for the mathematics of things.
Right. More important, things that must be considered in XNA are taken care of behind-the scenes in Unity.
I shall investigate... as soon as I get this coursework done.
Calculating frenet frames and generalised cylinders anyone? haha
Nätso;94320934 said:
Blunt: learn to program and make simple games yourself. Or ask to join an existing team as a level designer. This "I design games but I need a team to do all the work for me" approach is like kryptonite to most serious devs. And at least from my perspective, a degree in game design doesn't say anything (unless it's from something like Digipen or Guild Hall, but those people don't have problems getting a job) -- it's all about portfolio. Same with most other degrees, really.
I was you when I was in college. Then I taught myself to program in Unity. Now I'm self employed and make games full time (mix of freelance and my own stuff).
Hang on... they dont teach programming in game design degrees?
That seems ridiculous, especially considering we get taught some simple game design methods in CS.
Depends on the program, but he mentioned looking for programmers so I assume no.
edit: But personally I don't really care what someone's degree is in. I know CS majors that would struggle to make a game. Show me portfolio -- otherwise it's all talk. Digipen and Guild Hall are the only educational programs I've been impressed with and students usually come out of those programs with a solid portfolio of games they've worked on as a team (that portfolio, coupled with these schools' excellent connections in the industry, usually means they can find a job pretty easily).
Maybe he's a programmer too and was just asking if there were any other people who programmed that wanted to be involved?
Here's a quick still-shot of a very early build of an RPG my team worked on. The idea was that players would gain abilities from specific weapons and you were supposed to experiment with different combinations. For instance, you could have a katana that enabled the player to "blink", coupled with a throwing javelin that pierced enemies and objects alike.
Already learning! http://walkerboystudio.com/html/unity_course_start_here__free_.html <--- Best tutorial I've ever found
I know where you're coming from, and I completely agree. I'm doing as much as I can to become the biggest asset possible.
The "I want people to do all the work for me" complex had left a couple years ago. Regardless, it's kind of sad that this is what a "Designer's" image has devolved to. There's always flowcharts, spreadsheets, design documents, storyboards (among many other documents) that need to be made. Designers don't just sit on their ass all day LOL
The don't, and it is ridiculous. The curriculum contained "programming courses", but nothing even close to the level that I had expected.
I learned basic terminology...Not much beyond that.
Nätso;94325686 said:
Well, anything you need help with, or if you even want someone to collaborate with, I am happy to help. I cant assure you that I will have a lot of time to contribute towards anything big, due to my studies.
If you want to start learning properly, I cant see anything bad about starting some simple C# form programs that do some basic data stuff to get you used to object orientation and the like (could even make a data driven game!), from there, XNA is a great tool, it uses C# and Microsoft has lots of great tutorials, its where I started and that was a few years back.
Thanks a bunch; I really appreciate that.
Nätso;94325686 said:
I haven't looked at their tutorials but I've met them -- good people. Best of luck! My only advice is to really stick to it. It's hard work, but once you've surpassed the barrier between "I can hack together example code to do sorta what I want.. most of the time" to "I can write code" you will feel like a wizard who can create magic out of thin air and programming becomes way more fun than you thought it could be.
Thank you.
I'm about halfway through the tutorial at the moment; About to start the 2D Mario clone.
Actually seeing something happen on-screen is so much more rewarding than studying the terminology.
Nätso;94325686 said:
I do a lot of game design myself -- really, I learned to code in order to facilitate my desire to design games
But I think it's very hard to start off as a valuable "game designer" without prior experience. Level design is a great way to learn macro game design (general flow of the game systems, balance, etc) and coding forces you to think about and appreciate the micro game design (what makes running and jumping as Mario feel so much better than a character from some mediocre game).
I do a lot of game design myself -- really, I learned to code in order to facilitate my desire to design games
But I think it's very hard to start off as a valuable "game designer" without prior experience. Level design is a great way to learn macro game design (general flow of the game systems, balance, etc) and coding forces you to think about and appreciate the micro game design (what makes running and jumping as Mario feel so much better than a character from some mediocre game).
That wasn't directed at you or anything. I was just stating it in general. I've seen the mindset from a lot of other people from varying professions.
Not 100% sure what you are asking (what do you mean by 'charging' and 'integration'?), but this might be what you're after: http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/Time-deltaTime.html
edit: also definitely check this out http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Manual/ExecutionOrder.html
timetokill
Banned
But how?
HellBlazer
Member
Um no. Well, I suppose it could be used for early prototyping, but you can't make real video games with Vassal. It's used to create electronic representation of board games that can be played online, but it doesn't specify or enforce the rules of game. The players need to know the rules of whatever they're playing and manage the game themselves. For a very simple example, a Tic-Tac-Toe module would provide X's and O's that players can drag unto a 3 X 3 grid, but beyond that Vassal wouldn't force players to wait for their turn to play and it wouldn't check for victory conditions, or anything like that. The players are responsible for running the game correctly.
HappyBivouac
Member
Nätso;94325686 said:
Thanks for the link! I'm starting this tutorial too!
I've got what I think is a pretty Big Idea so maybe we can share what we create in the coming weeks/months and something good will happen!
Yeah, this is what I gathered. Fun to make things to play around with friends, not useful for actual product development, aside from prototyping and balance testing.
I'd actually really like that.
As of yet added "click here to pay INK to unlock" button!
timetokill
Banned
You're going to show the stats and stuff before you unlock, right?
Probably. Know what you're getting into, really.
Not sure if the OP is still active. The only problem I see is starting a new thread. Maybe folks want to keep this one going, so that would leave us with nowhere to put the list. Unless someone else has an idea.
MasterKelli
Neo Member
Hi,
We are a new indie development team from Finland and we have been working on a simple one-touch platformer game, Hopping Penguin. We are planning on releasing it for iOS, Android and WP8 next year.
We have just released a PC test version to gather statistics and feedback from users.
The idea is not to promote our game just yet, only to get valuable user data to make our game better. The more data we get the better, so if you have the time and interest to test our game, you will have our gratitude.
The test version can be downloaded from our website:
http://hoppingpenguin.com/?page=download
Screenshot to possibly spark you interest:
We welcome all kinds of feedback and suggestions, do not hesitate to give negative feedback as its a great way for us to see what's wrong with our game.
Thank you!
We are a new indie development team from Finland and we have been working on a simple one-touch platformer game, Hopping Penguin. We are planning on releasing it for iOS, Android and WP8 next year.
We have just released a PC test version to gather statistics and feedback from users.
The idea is not to promote our game just yet, only to get valuable user data to make our game better. The more data we get the better, so if you have the time and interest to test our game, you will have our gratitude.
The test version can be downloaded from our website:
http://hoppingpenguin.com/?page=download
Screenshot to possibly spark you interest:
We welcome all kinds of feedback and suggestions, do not hesitate to give negative feedback as its a great way for us to see what's wrong with our game.
Thank you!
Hey!
As part of our university education (Medialogy) in Aalborg, Denmark, we've created a Unity game called See You On The Other Side.
It's an 3D puzzle game inspired by Closure and Antichamber. In the game, you don't collide with objects that are in shadow.
Check out our trailer here: http://youtu.be/09mqJMEFSlc (download link to the game is in the video description)
As part of our university education (Medialogy) in Aalborg, Denmark, we've created a Unity game called See You On The Other Side.
It's an 3D puzzle game inspired by Closure and Antichamber. In the game, you don't collide with objects that are in shadow.
Check out our trailer here: http://youtu.be/09mqJMEFSlc (download link to the game is in the video description)
I'm doing Chopper Mike HD Ultra Mix as a side project.
Click for full res..
Looks really cool in motion at 1080p!
Going to add lots of extra effects and details over the coming months. Should be fun!
Click for full res..
Looks really cool in motion at 1080p!
Going to add lots of extra effects and details over the coming months. Should be fun!
I've only played through the ice world. I'm going to be honest and say I didn't enjoy the game. Whether that's because I'm not a fan of one-button games or because of other reasons, I'm not sure, though I'd like to believe for your sake that it's just not a game I'm interested in.
The graphics are fine, but they don't feel very special. It's a generic, safe aesthetic that's particularly popular with me-too web and mobile games. Similarly, there's nothing very inspiring about the music or the sound effects, but they get the job done.
Structurally, there are a few flaws that I've noted. The credits start automatically, but it doesn't automatically go back to the main menu when it's finished. At the main menu, having a settings button for what is ultimately just one setting feels redundant; it's probably better just to have the volume and info buttons out from the get-go. In the world selection stage, the left and right arrows are close enough to the color scheme of the clouds that it's easy to not see them at first. In the game, the circle cut-away effect highly suggests that you've discovered a secret, and are on a secret path; so I was confused when it turned out I was on the main path.
Finally, I think the difficulty curve is a little steep. One level I'm learning about wall-jumping (1-3?), and the next I'm being thrown in the gauntlet. Now, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of trial and error. There's nothing wrong with making the player have to become intimately familiar with the game's physics in order to succeed. The problem, at least for me, was that this doesn't look like a game that expects such efforts from the player. To get 100%, maybe, but to simply pass a level?
And so I come away from the game wondering who it's designed for. If it's for young kids, then the level design will wear on their patience. If it's for older people, then the bubbly graphics and repetitive music will drive them away.
To say one other thing, I'm personally not a fan of rate-this-level schemes. They're too transparent. With rare exception, it feels like the game is saying "at this point, we're more interested in collecting data from you than in you having a good time." It makes sense for user-generated content since most users are terrible designers, but the game's development team are supposed to be professionals; every level and mission that comes in the game should be 5-star quality.
I'm sorry that this is a harsh review. I'm being overly dramatic and only pointing out the negatives. I hope you can find something helpful out of all this and that it doesn't get you down too much!
Hey!
As part of our university education (Medialogy) in Aalborg, Denmark, we've created a Unity game called See You On The Other Side.
It's an 3D puzzle game inspired by Closure and Antichamber. In the game, you don't collide with objects that are in shadow.
Check out our trailer here: http://youtu.be/09mqJMEFSlc (download link to the game is in the video description)
Cool look. Can I ask how you guys made that cross-hatching shader?
MasterKelli
Neo Member
Thanks for your constructive feedback! Some good points in there.
The "Rate level" is not going to be a part of the final game, it's just there for us to collect more data. It's hard to analyze from cold statistics if the player is having fun with the level. I agree that every level should be 5-star quality, that's why we want to improve the game. We are only students after all, not yet professional developers with years of experience.
The difficulty is one of the main thing we are trying to improve with this testing so thanks for the feedback. The game is designed to be accessible for everyone, but specifically for 12-17 year olds.
Also the music and sound effects are placeholders so well get better ones once we find a professional (and cheap
) composer to create them for us.Heart of Black
Member
Being formerly of AAA... and running into snags with a trailer.. I decided to get with the times and create a delay announcement .gif.
Mixed in some of the menu based combat.
Mixed in some of the menu based combat.
HellBlazer
Member
Very cool concept. Do you plan on developing it further? I think there's a lot of puzzle potential with that mechanic.
Thanks for your constructive feedback! Some good points in there.
The "Rate level" is not going to be a part of the final game, it's just there for us to collect more data. It's hard to analyze from cold statistics if the player is having fun with the level. I agree that every level should be 5-star quality, that's why we want to improve the game. We are only students after all, not yet professional developers with years of experience.
The difficulty is one of the main thing we are trying to improve with this testing so thanks for the feedback. The game is designed to be accessible for everyone, but specifically for 12-17 year olds.
Also the music and sound effects are placeholders so well get better ones once we find a professional (and cheap
I'm glad to hear that! Good luck with your game.
Technobabel
Member
Working on modeling a few new enemies for the roguelike sequel to Dungeon Hearts. They still need to be unwrapped and textured.
Being formerly of AAA... and running into snags with a trailer.. I decided to get with the times and create a delay announcement .gif.
Mixed in some of the menu based combat.
I was wondering what happened to this game. Good to see it's still coming.
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
Being formerly of AAA... and running into snags with a trailer.. I decided to get with the times and create a delay announcement .gif.
Mixed in some of the menu based combat.
Nice
I didn't personally work on the hatching shader, but it seemed to be relatively simple to make. It's actually a post-processing effect on the camera itself. We store light intensity in the red component of each pixel; this is then used to blend between the hatching textures, depending on how bright the pixels are. The blue and green component are used to store the texture coordinates.
The pictures below illustrate this idea:
We got a lot of inspiration from a book called Real-Time Rendering (Tomas Akenine-Moller et al.). However, we also got some help from our shader programming teacher, since he is a master of shaders and Unity in general. We were all new to shader programming (we just learned it this semester), so it isn't very optimized at all. Actually, we are on the limit of if statements allowed in a shader program
Thanks! We don't know yet. Actually, we "just" developed the game for the purpose of our problem statement (see below). We really just wanted to make a cool 3D game, but since we are at university and stuff, we needed to be more "academic".
Right now, we have to concentrate on our exams. Then, maybe, we will figure out if we want to continue development on the game. Of course we had tons of ideas we didn't get time to implement
Code:
[B]PROBLEM STATEMENT:[/B]
We assume a 3D game universe with one core rule: In this world, you (the player) don't collide with unlit parts of surfaces.
Do players of the game who are not told the rule understand it just as well or better than players who are told the rule in the beginning of the game?
Do they enjoy the game more or less if they are not told the rule in the beginning?Short answer: by testing 30 individuals, there doesn't seem to be a significant difference in players' enjoyment/understanding of the game.
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