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[razu]

Well actually that preview put it pretty well: "Tower Defense... where you're the Tower"

I'd actually, humbly argue that it's more akin to a bullet-hell shooter... frantically tapping the iPad thousands of times a minute and trying to get in "the zone" - that sort of thing.

Glad you're digging it SanaeAkatsuki - if you (or anyone else here) would be interested in checking out, just drop me a line.

In the meantime... another piece of art!

That looks awesome!! Nice one!!

 

[razu]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...! 60 frames per second, fully pixel lit arcade action, on a Samsung Galaxy S2! Also works on iPhone 4/4S/5, iPad and Android tablets too!

I decided to do a real life recording instead of a screen capture as it actually shows you playing the game, with your fingers!

Here it is...



I know I made it, but I can't get over how cool it is to bank the chopper round a corner to pick up a gem, it's so satisfying, and looks like a little toy chopper!

The menus are in flux... all going to be changed. And I know it says 'shop' but that's coming out. 99p and the whole game is yours!

Again, if anyone wants to test on iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, just PM me your apple id email address.

VAMflax...!!

 

[Tankshell]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...! 60 frames per second, fully pixel lit arcade action, on a Samsung Galaxy S2! Also works on iPhone 4/4S/5, iPad and Android tablets too!

I decided to do a real life recording instead of a screen capture as it actually shows you playing the game, with your fingers!

Here it is...



I know I made it, but I can't get over how cool it is to bank the chopper round a corner to pick up a gem, it's so satisfying, and looks like a little toy chopper!

The menus are in flux... all going to be changed. And I know it says 'shop' but that's coming out. 99p and the whole game is yours!

Again, if anyone wants to test on iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, just PM me your apple id email address.

VAMflax...!!

Looks really cool. It takes so much work to polish a game, you've done great by the looks if it. Defo play it when you release.

 

[Croc]

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

Cocos2d is a mobile 2d engine that uses python

 

[Dreamwriter]

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

Kind of a big topic for a beginning programmer - it kinda depends on what you want to do. If you want to use Unity, for example, that uses C#, Javascript, and something called "Boo". C# is what you'd want to learn to program games for Windows 8. Objective C is what you'd want for Mac OS X or native iOS. A number of independent games are written using a scripting languaged called LUA, and LUA is even used to script quests and events and levels in big AAA games too, that might be the way to go.

 

[fin]

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

If you're interested here's some other indie forum threads, I'll probably be fixing somethings.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/156027-Hoverbikes-Are-Rad
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=29237.0

 

[Croc]

Kind of a big topic for a beginning programmer - it kinda depends on what you want to do. If you want to use Unity, for example, that uses C#, Javascript, and something called "Boo". C# is what you'd want to learn to program games for Windows 8. Objective C is what you'd want for Mac OS X or native iOS. A number of independent games are written using a scripting languaged called LUA, and LUA is even used to script quests and events and levels in big AAA games too, that might be the way to go.

Yeah I figured it was, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting my time doing something that wouldn't really be useful to me in the future. Thanks for the tips though!

 

[BomberMouse]

Yeah I figured it was, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting my time doing something that wouldn't really be useful to me in the future. Thanks for the tips though!

It seems c# is the language you'll get more mileage if you want to make games. Which is great, not so long ago it was C++ wich is much less beginner friendly.

 

[OccamsBlender]

Well actually that preview put it pretty well: "Tower Defense... where you're the Tower"

I'd actually, humbly argue that it's more akin to a bullet-hell shooter... frantically tapping the iPad thousands of times a minute and trying to get in "the zone" - that sort of thing.

Glad you're digging it SanaeAkatsuki - if you (or anyone else here) would be interested in checking out, just drop me a line.

In the meantime... another piece of art!

Tapping like crazy for a bullet hell huh? Hmm. I hope my hands and fingers won't get in the way. When will I be able to try it?

 

[RastaGundam]

Yes: tapping like crazy
No: your hands and fingers won't get in the way

If you've got an iPad (2 or higher) and would be willing to share your thoughts on the game, we'd love to have you check it out. PM me and I'll get you set up

Tapping like crazy for a bullet hell huh? Hmm. I hope my hands and fingers won't get in the way. When will I be able to try it?

 

[OccamsBlender]

Yes: tapping like crazy
No: your hands and fingers won't get in the way

If you've got an iPad (2 or higher) and would be willing to share your thoughts on the game, we'd love to have you check it out. PM me and I'll get you set up

I'd be interested in seeing how that works, but sadly I just have an iPhone 4.
I'm too broke to upgrade right now. Is it going to be iPad only?

 

[missile]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...

Add a fuel gauge to add more thrill to the game and to horner those who made
it through the level with less fuel. It proves navigation skills and of
finding shorter paths - leading to a better replayability.

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

The only thing I can advise to you is; learn programming from the get go.
That's the most important thing. Forget about SDKs and 'wrapper' languages
for the time being. You can use those things later which may come in handy
once you are skilled enough with the basics. For entry, I mean a real one,
an uncolored one, learn C/C++ (mainly C, since C++ is just a wrapper as well).
Build dynamic data types (lists, trees, etc) and program algorithms using
them. This will teach you a lesson. The rest is just semantic $ugar and
flashy color$.

 

[BomberMouse]

The only thing I can advise to you is; learn programming from the get go.
That's the most important thing. Forget about SDKs and 'wrapper' languages
for the time being. You can use those things later which may come in handy
once you are skilled enough with the basics. For entry, I mean a real one,
an uncolored one, learn C/C++ (mainly C, since C++ is just a wrapper as well).
Build dynamic data types (lists, trees, etc) and program algorithms using
them. This will teach you a lesson. The rest is just semantic $ugar and
flashy color$.

Don't listen to this man. In fact do exactly the opposite.

You want to make games? Then spend your time making games, not glaring at the beauty of your own homemade c++ engine.

Obsidian next project is getting done on Unity. Chubbigans has released a ton of games entirely made in GameMaker, his latest one even got featured on Giant Bomb. Notch made Minecraft in Java, I bet if he asked what language he should've used NO ONE would've said Java.

The thing is, the end user doesn't give a shit how the game is done so use the tool with wich you feel comfortable. For what it's worth you could make you game in Excel if that's what you want. Game development is difficult enough to waste your time fighting with an awful language like C/C++. You should spend your time designing a game not chasing memory leaks, making an efficient Makefile or fighting segfaults.

 

[FormallyMegadrive]

Don't listen to this man. In fact do exactly the opposite.

You want to make games? Then spend your time making games, not glaring at the beauty of your own homemade c++ engine.

Obsidian next project is getting done on Unity. Chubbigans has released a ton of games entirely made in GameMaker, his latest one even got featured on Giant Bomb. Notch made Minecraft in Java, I bet if he asked what language he should've used NO ONE would've said Java.

The thing is, the end user doesn't give a shit how the game is done so use the tool with wich you feel comfortable. For what it's worth you could make you game in Excel if that's what you want. Game development is difficult enough to waste your time fighting with an awful language like C/C++. You should spend your time designing a game not chasing memory leaks, making an efficient Makefile or fighting segfaults.

Yep. It's good to learn the features of the language you will be using if you're using, say, Unity (because it uses C#, JavaScript and Boo as optional scripting languages. BUT it is not required. There are options out there where you don't have to write a line of code, GameMaker has this option, Construct, Multimedia Fusion (I dabbled in this a lot like 8 years ago).

I did this the wrong way, by trying to learn to code a lot after getting used to MMF. Though I am now a moderately competent programmer, I wish these now available tools were available when I wanted to make games years ago.

Just use a tool, get the hang of game dev. If you find yourself wanting more control or customisation, then look into programming languages.

edit: I disagree about C++ being awful though. I like it a lot.

 

[Blizzard]

I'm an embedded systems programmer, I've messed with assembly, C, C++, Linux, and so forth for I think over a decade, and I've written some (questionable quality) Windows drivers...and yes starting with C/C++ and understanding basics about how computers work can give you a good background for becoming a software engineer.

BUT, I tend to agree with BomberMouse. If you aren't trying to start a career as a software engineer, and/or if you aren't going through school, then I would say the chances of you becoming burnt out, or completely confused, or writing kinda-working C++ code that's horribly structured, are much higher if you dive right into abstract C/C++ programs, especially trying to make a game. In general, I would say your chances of actually completing a game (even completing a minesweeper clone is probably more than most people have done!) are much higher if you start with a tool specifically designed to make games.

GameMaker is my favorite for beginners, Construct (2?) might be another. Unity could be another. With GameMaker or Unity, you can still "program" using their scripting languages, following tutorials and examples to learn more about the language, and then potentially move onto more complex languages.

I imagine it's certainly possible to discipline yourself into making abstract data structure programs with C, then learning C++ and object-oriented design, then making text games, then making a game engine, and finally using someone else's engine...but I'd say the chances are that a new programmer trying to go that route will burn out and never finish anything. It's probably going to be painful and unrewarding compared to starting with a tool designed to create games and learning from there.

And hey, maybe after seeing GML or C# in GameMaker or Unity, tools which have the option/ability to use scripting/programming, someone will decide they do want to learn more about computers and dive into C++ with pointers and memory management.

 

[BomberMouse]

That's a great post Blizzard. I don't mean by anyway that a low level language is not an acceptable solution in some contexts BUT you need to have a very good reason to be so close to the metal being an indie game developer in the year 2012.

Even if you want to learn more about data structures and such, I'd highly recommend you to start with a scripting language like python, ruby or javascript. Only then, if you are still curious, dig deeper into a compiled language.

 

[Dreamwriter]

I say if you're just learning to program, it really enforces things and makes it fun when what you do actually has a visible effect, something you like to show off. I took Pascal and then C in high school, and I didn't really understand every aspect until I was actually applying the concepts to games. So I'm siding with BomberMouse in that aspect, learning by making games however you can, so you can stay interested and be able to make visual progress.

However, if you really want to learn to be a game programmer and not just how to hack a game together, my recommendation is that you should learn to program in C. C is what C#, C++, and Objective C are all based on, and so learning C will give you the fundamentals. C is also a language where you are actually programming the hardware natively, where every variable you define is a true memory address and you use pointers to control those memory addresses, so in time it gives you a feeling of what your commands are actually doing.

BTW, C++ is basically a more complicated C designed for object-oriented programming; C# is C++, but simplified, and interpreted (so more like a scripting language than a native one controlling actual hardware); and Objective C is kind-of in-between C++ and C#.

...and if you want to program the Gameboy Color, better get started learning Z80 assembly!

 

[razu]

Looks really cool. It takes so much work to polish a game, you've done great by the looks if it. Defo play it when you release.

Thanks man! Yeah, they say when a game is 90% done you're only half way through... Still, it feels like the game part is nearly releasable now. Just got to fix up the menus and structure.

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

Looks amazing! Super hardcore

Add a fuel gauge to add more thrill to the game and to horner those who made
it through the level with less fuel. It proves navigation skills and of
finding shorter paths - leading to a better replayability.

It's all against the clock, and each level has a target time to earn a star, (which will unlock bonus helicopters). When you're trying to beat the target times you play over and over, shaving tiny bits of time off each time. It's super restartable, hence the restart button on screen at all times. Kinda like Trials HD has an instant restart button. I think fuel would just complicate things, but thanks for the idea!

 

[missile]

Kinda interesting how people freak out on the languages discussion each time.
xD Croc ask for an opinion. And so I've given my one. That't it. He can do
whatever he wants to do with it. But anyways, don't trust me, go convince
youself. Always.

@razu: Got you.

 

[Slavik81]

However, if you really want to learn to be a game programmer and not just how to hack a game together, my recommendation is that you should learn to program in C. C is what C#, C++, and Objective C are all based on, and so learning C will give you the fundamentals. C is also a language where you are actually programming the hardware natively, where every variable you define is a true memory address and you use pointers to control those memory addresses, so in time it gives you a feeling of what your commands are actually doing.

You can think about it that way since they strive to avoid breaking that illusion, but in reality the code that is generated from a compiler may not store your variables in addressable locations. Some variables might stay in registers or even be optimized away. Just by taking the address of a variable, you may force it to be moved to RAM to avoid breaking that illusion.

In the end, even C is an abstraction. Such is computing: abstractions layered on abstractions.

 

[Bomber Bob]

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

If you're interested here's some other indie forum threads, I'll probably be fixing somethings.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/156027-Hoverbikes-Are-Rad
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=29237.0

NEAT

 

[DSix]

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

If you're interested here's some other indie forum threads, I'll probably be fixing somethings.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/156027-Hoverbikes-Are-Rad
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=29237.0

Wow it looks awesome! Keep it up.

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

If you want to learn about how to make games, then you have Game Maker, RPG Maker or Construct 2. Which are all excellent tools, and not only for beginners, professional quality games are made with those. That way it wont take you several years to get anything done and it'll be as good.

Learning c++ or such can be nice for personal enrichment, but the actual benefit for making solo indie games is close to zero.

 

[arit]

Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

It is not directly breaking but having physics applied to the left/right screen wall feels kinda off to me since it influences jumping near them (and I think I got stuck there once).

Besides that it is a nice little homage to my beloved Battletoads.

 

[Smashing Drive]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...! 60 frames per second, fully pixel lit arcade action, on a Samsung Galaxy S2! Also works on iPhone 4/4S/5, iPad and Android tablets too!

I decided to do a real life recording instead of a screen capture as it actually shows you playing the game, with your fingers!

Here it is...



I know I made it, but I can't get over how cool it is to bank the chopper round a corner to pick up a gem, it's so satisfying, and looks like a little toy chopper!

The menus are in flux... all going to be changed. And I know it says 'shop' but that's coming out. 99p and the whole game is yours!

Again, if anyone wants to test on iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, just PM me your apple id email address.

VAMflax...!!

Looks good. Which SDK are you using?

 

[razu]

Looks good. Which SDK are you using?

Unity. Can't say enough good things about it. Love it

And thank you!! XD

 

[Ydahs]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...! 60 frames per second, fully pixel lit arcade action, on a Samsung Galaxy S2! Also works on iPhone 4/4S/5, iPad and Android tablets too!

I decided to do a real life recording instead of a screen capture as it actually shows you playing the game, with your fingers!

Here it is...



I know I made it, but I can't get over how cool it is to bank the chopper round a corner to pick up a gem, it's so satisfying, and looks like a little toy chopper!

The menus are in flux... all going to be changed. And I know it says 'shop' but that's coming out. 99p and the whole game is yours!

Again, if anyone wants to test on iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, just PM me your apple id email address.

VAMflax...!!

Really looking forward to playing this on my Nexus 7. By the looks of it, you've done a stellar job.

 

[razu]

Really looking forward to playing this on my Nexus 7. By the looks of it, you've done a stellar job.

Thanks! It runs at 60 on my Asus TF300T, so I guess the Nexus 7 will be fine.

Update: And you're a bad man, you've tipped me over the edge into buying one! 7 inch tablet has to be had, and the iPad mini is just a 2, so I'm cool with not getting one of those.

Will report back later...

Update: Uh... this is lovely! Will deploy Chopper Mike to the Nexus in but a moment!!

Update: Your wish is my command... Runs nice...

 

[clashfan]

I would like to try out Unity. Can someone recommend a good Unity tutorial?

 

[razu]

I would like to try out Unity. Can someone recommend a good Unity tutorial?

Not one in particular, I tend to just google for bits as I need them. But there's the one on the Unity site itself: http://unity3d.com/support/resources/tutorials/3d-platform-game. I guess that's pretty good. Edit: actually, that requires you to be familiar with Unity already. So I'd recommend watching a few Youtube videos to see how people work, and what the Unity words for things are.

I'll be deconstructing Chopper Mike once it's out, showing how I've organised things and how stuff works. Hopefully people will find that helpful.

 

[clashfan]

...I'll be deconstructing Chopper Mike once it's out, showing how I've organised things and how stuff works. Hopefully people will find that helpful.

I think that will be very useful.

 

[JulianImp]

I'll watch the gameplay video when I get the chance. It looks like a fun game!

Is there a chance of having a playable a web or PC-downloadable version, even if it's a demo? I'd love to try it out eventually, but my Nokia 2630 is just too many generations behind to be able to run it.

 

[razu]

I'll watch the gameplay video when I get the chance. It looks like a fun game!

Is there a chance of having a playable a web or PC-downloadable version, even if it's a demo? I'd love to try it out eventually, but my Nokia 2630 is just too many generations behind to be able to run it.

It's going to be on PC and Mac, as it's a Unity game. No reason not to.

The *ancient* web-playable demo is here: http://vamflax.com/ChopperMike/ChopperMikePlay.html

It's so old... the chopper doesn't tilt... nothing...!! But it gets the idea across. Collect gems, land on the pad as quickly as possible.

I'll be updating it very soon! Just worried about performance in a browser... :/

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Cocos2d is a mobile 2d engine that uses python

Err... what?

First off, calling cocos2d an "engine" is somewhat of a misnomer: It's a pretty basic framework/API structure, and by default, doesn't have a lot of pipeline/workflow stuff. Think of it as a higher level abstraction.

Also, cocos2d on Android is Java, and on iOS, it's Objective C. The base, cocos2d, is Python based, but not really targeted for mobile.

 

[BomberMouse]

In case some of you want to participate

GitHub Game Off
https://github.com/blog/1303-github-game-off

The Challenge

You have the entire month of November to create a web-based game loosely built around one or more of the following themes:

forking (or forks)
branching (or branches)
cloning (or clones)
pushing
pulling
What do we mean by loosely based on these concepts? We literally mean, loosely based. Some examples might be a FPS where you throw forks at water balloons, an educational game about DNA cloning, or perhaps a platformer where you push and pull objects.

Your game. Your rules. You can participate as an individual or as a team. You're encouraged to use open source libraries, frameworks, graphics, and sounds.

Prizes

We have 5 shiny new iPads with Retina displays (64GB wifi models) to give to our winners (or Apple Store Credit equivalent). Runners up will receive GitHub swag of their choice ($100 credit for the GitHub Shop). If you have a team submission, we'll give you Apple Store credit equal to the value of the iPad. You can split it with your teammates as appropriate.

All of the winners and runners up will be showcased on our blog.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Err... what?

First off, calling cocos2d an "engine" is somewhat of a misnomer: It's a pretty basic framework/API structure, and by default, doesn't have a lot of pipeline/workflow stuff. Think of it as a higher level abstraction.

Also, cocos2d on Android is Java, and on iOS, it's Objective C. The base, cocos2d, is Python based, but not really targeted for mobile.

whoops, i thought cocos2d games were written with python, my blunder.

 

[Phoenix]

Nice to have stumbled onto this thread. I've been developing with Unity for years now and had no idea that there was a contingent of GAFers that were doing the same. I've published a book on Unity iOS development and am currently working on another one.

Great to see a community on GAF.

 

[JulianImp]

Post here from someone who is aspiring to get into independent game development sometime in the future. I already asked around in the programming thread but didn't get a response so I thought I'd ask here as well.

I'm currently learning Python from a couple of different sources just as an introduction to programming. I'm also starting to teach myself some c++ on the side but I haven't gotten very far with that yet so I'm open to other things.

My question is what are the best languages to learn getting into independent development? What are the most versatile ones and the ones best suited for certain things? At this point I still don't know much about programming, etc. so anything will help.

If you're interested about programming, you should focus on the logic behind it first and foremost. Programming stuff is mostly about designing an algorithm that does what you want, and then being knowledgable enough in a language in order to properly implement it. Stuff like C++ can be great in the right hands, but it's really close to low-level programming at times (memory management and pointers are pretty hard to use effectively).

If you like Python, then Unity has Boo, which I think is a sub-language related to it or something along those lines. Otherwise, you could try out C#, which works like C++ with object-oriented programming and no memory management (unless you explicitly state so in your code).

Otherwise, if all you're interested in is being able to take an idea and turn it into a prototype without delving too much into coding, then you should look for simpler things like GameMaker. Unity's a nice engine as well, but being 3D-based means it's a lot more complicated and harder to use than GM and most other 2D game engines, even more so if you're just getting started.

razu:
I guess you shouldn't worry too much about performance, since I think a browser version of the game would most likely run even better than the mobile versions.

EDIT: I've played the game, and it looks like it could be fun on a phone. My crappy keyboard kept jamming since I was pressing Up, Left and Space at the same time, however, but it was fun. Due to my keyboard, I often overshot the helicopter, and that's when the camera's proximity and angle sometimes made me bump into stuff I couldn't see until it was too late.

 

[Ydahs]

Thanks! It runs at 60 on my Asus TF300T, so I guess the Nexus 7 will be fine.

Update: And you're a bad man, you've tipped me over the edge into buying one! 7 inch tablet has to be had, and the iPad mini is just a 2, so I'm cool with not getting one of those.

Will report back later...

Update: Uh... this is lovely! Will deploy Chopper Mike to the Nexus in but a moment!!

Update: Your wish is my command... Runs nice...

Haha, brilliant! It's an awesome device. Hopefully the game's release isn't too far off so I can have a go at it myself

Nice to have stumbled onto this thread. I've been developing with Unity for years now and had no idea that there was a contingent of GAFers that were doing the same. I've published a book on Unity iOS development and am currently working on another one.

Great to see a community on GAF.

Impressive! e-book? I'm going to get started on Unity myself once I get sick of messing around with SharpDX. Might have a look at you're book when I make a switch.

 

[full point]

This looks like pixel work in 2D. Are you using anything along with Unity to handle to 2D stuff?

Sorry for the delayed response. I didn't see your reply until today.

I used the wonderful 2D Toolkit. It really makes setting up sprites and animations quite simple. I used cInput to handle the controls and the ability to rebind controls in-game. Oh, and I also used NGUI to build the controls menu and the health bars.

Some of the oldest parts of the UI are still using Unity's OnGUI built-in functionality (like these toolbars):

I made all of the sprites using Paint.NET. I am not an artist, so I just did the best I could.

In case anyone else would like to check the game out, here's the link again:

Play Super Zojak!

 

[fin]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I've got another video to demonstrate how object pools work. I saved an old version of the QUHB level to show the differences. I never new what they were till about 3 months ago and they are super important. When I was running this on my tablet they increased my framerate by 50%.

It is not directly breaking but having physics applied to the left/right screen wall feels kinda off to me since it influences jumping near them (and I think I got stuck there once).

Besides that it is a nice little homage to my beloved Battletoads.

I love Battletoads too, I guess MS and Rare have the rights. I was thinking about trying to do a beat'em level but it would take too much time.

I'm not sure how I would tell the thruster force to ignore the walls and only react to the floor and roof. I was trying to come up with another way to stop the player from going outside the screen using the position but failed. Now that I'm thinking of it I could keep track how far away the player is from the walls and slow it down the closer the player gets to it...that would probably work.

Unity's collision system kinda breaks at high speeds and with small colliders (not good for bullets I think you basically have to fire a ray, then animate the bullet from the gun to the ray hit. There are probably some other tricks as well...). I've tried decreasing the time-step for more accurate physics. Increasing the collision volumes, but I can't make them too big because they add mass and affect the hovering physics. I also through in the dont-go-through-things script that I found on the UnityWiki that helps. But still, the problem occurs.

In case some of you want to participate

GitHub Game Off
https://github.com/blog/1303-github-game-off

Totally going to try something for this. It'll be a nice break before starting my next big project.

Anyone have any ideas yet?

 

[Margalis]

Unity's collision system kinda breaks at high speeds and with small colliders (not good for bullets I think you basically have to fire a ray, then animate the bullet from the gun to the ray hit. There are probably some other tricks as well...)

Everyone's collision system breaks down at high speeds and small colliders.

PhysX has the ability to do continuous collision - does unity have the same? In PhysX if you are using continuous collision you define a very simple mesh to use for it (often just a point) and each frame the mesh is swept in the direction of movement to create a line segment or something like a swept cylinder, then that does overlap testing, etc.

If you are trying to do bullets and can model them with a point you can probably do the same thing in code. Each frame draw a line segment from the old position to the desired new one, check for collisions, and handle it somehow.

Continuous collision often also has issues with how collisions are resolved, often behaving somewhat differently...in general it's just a hard problem that doesn't have a great solution.

 

[Legato.Reborn-]

Nice to have stumbled onto this thread. I've been developing with Unity for years now and had no idea that there was a contingent of GAFers that were doing the same. I've published a book on Unity iOS development and am currently working on another one.

Great to see a community on GAF.

I'm looking into getting some those books. I suppose you have a recommendation huh?

 

[Platy]

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

It is ..... at the same time beautiful and EXTREMALY frightening

 

[BlueMagic]

Surely C# is a better language for starting (especially if you don't have any programming experience at all), but I still have serious doubts about how much faster you can write C# code than C++ (once you get fairly familiar with both, at least). Did anyone work with both? I'd like to know what you think about that.

I have always done everything in C++ (small engine stuff, never really got to make a full featured game). I'm probably quite bad at it, but I still prefer the openness (everything I do is portable) and the potentially better performance. Though neither of those points never really stopped me from doing nice things with engines like Game Maker (which I loved some years ago). Also, I hear there are some pretty cool tools to port C#/XNA stuff to other platforms.

Since I'm about to restart the little project I was working on, I'm gonna try C# with something like XNA. I want to see how fast I can get things running and how fast I can code compared to C++. If anyone has any tips, let me know.

 

[jrDev]

Chopper Mike gameplay video time...! 60 frames per second, fully pixel lit arcade action, on a Samsung Galaxy S2! Also works on iPhone 4/4S/5, iPad and Android tablets too!

I decided to do a real life recording instead of a screen capture as it actually shows you playing the game, with your fingers!

Here it is...



I know I made it, but I can't get over how cool it is to bank the chopper round a corner to pick up a gem, it's so satisfying, and looks like a little toy chopper!

The menus are in flux... all going to be changed. And I know it says 'shop' but that's coming out. 99p and the whole game is yours!

Again, if anyone wants to test on iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, just PM me your apple id email address.

VAMflax...!!

Love it!

Well it's finally time...



Here's the trailer, see the webplayer and stand-alone downloads in the description. Recommend the stand-alone download, the webplayer looks like ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbc2DelA9Y

Definitely recommend a controller. But KB&M is supported. Let me know if anything breaks...been working on this thing for 6 months. Be gentle...hopefully it all goes ok. Can't wait to start something new.

If you're interested here's some other indie forum threads, I'll probably be fixing somethings.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/156027-Hoverbikes-Are-Rad
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=29237.0

Bullet sections are amazing!!

Nice to have stumbled onto this thread. I've been developing with Unity for years now and had no idea that there was a contingent of GAFers that were doing the same. I've published a book on Unity iOS development and am currently working on another one.

Great to see a community on GAF.

What book?

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I've got another video to demonstrate how object pools work. I saved an old version of the QUHB level to show the differences. I never new what they were till about 3 months ago and they are super important. When I was running this on my tablet they increased my framerate by 50%.



I love Battletoads too, I guess MS and Rare have the rights. I was thinking about trying to do a beat'em level but it would take too much time.

I'm not sure how I would tell the thruster force to ignore the walls and only react to the floor and roof. I was trying to come up with another way to stop the player from going outside the screen using the position but failed. Now that I'm thinking of it I could keep track how far away the player is from the walls and slow it down the closer the player gets to it...that would probably work.

Unity's collision system kinda breaks at high speeds and with small colliders (not good for bullets I think you basically have to fire a ray, then animate the bullet from the gun to the ray hit. There are probably some other tricks as well...). I've tried decreasing the time-step for more accurate physics. Increasing the collision volumes, but I can't make them too big because they add mass and affect the hovering physics. I also through in the dont-go-through-things script that I found on the UnityWiki that helps. But still, the problem occurs.



Totally going to try something for this. It'll be a nice break before starting my next big project.

Anyone have any ideas yet?

IIRC Unity has a continuous collision option.

On another note, I should get back into reintroducing my Reap! App for this new thread and posting some updates...I'll see what I can record and put up in a few more days...

 

[Phoenix]

Haha, brilliant! It's an awesome device. Hopefully the game's release isn't too far off so I can have a go at it myself


Impressive! e-book? I'm going to get started on Unity myself once I get sick of messing around with SharpDX. Might have a look at you're book when I make a switch.

The next book is a raw ebook without dealing with the publisher angle - they are truly annoying and distorted/broke my last book with their crazy formatting rules and desired flow. But its still a good book "Unity iOS Game Development" from Packt publishing. There is an eBook of it available from Packt.

 

[Blizzard]

Well, I finally finished adding event support in for GUI buttons instead of only supporting button callbacks. This paves the way for me to create a GUI editor/layout/design tool (the next major task) which should create some sort of config data representing GUI widgets/regions/whatever. The plan is for that config data to be loaded by the engine, including widget IDs, and the engine will generate a button pressed event if the player clicks a button. The widgets would all be created automatically, and the programmer (me) using the engine would only have to write code to handle a button pressed event, doing different things for different widget IDs.

This is better than what I had before, where I would have had to create each widget explicitly in the code and/or assign a different callback function to each button. The smoother the pipeline the better for my current and future game projects, I hope!

 

[razu]

Love it!

Thanks man!!

 

[Tankshell]

I am currently writing my iOS/Android (although subsequently will release on Mac and Windows) game purely in Cocos2d, and am finding it meets all my needs. Extremely flexible, yet covers a lot of the basics. It is purely a framework though, no nice GUI ala Unity development tools.

Anyway, my game is entitled: "Ultra Super Firework Planets: In Space!" and should be out in a few weeks. Imagine Geometry Wars, Mario Galaxy and Missile Command had intimate relations (yes all 3 of them) and somehow gave birth to a hideous freak: that is my game.

Will post some screenshots/videos soon.