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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor

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L

Lautaro

Member
Sword Familiar said:
Any adept Blender users in here?

I'm working on building low poly game assets I can use in Unity, but I'm not satisfied with how the lighting works when rendering.

Is there a way to render, and see, a textured mesh without adding lights to the scene? I just want the flat mesh without shadows and whatnot to show up on my render screen, but I also want the mesh to be illuminated (not glowing, ofc) and not all black.
Click to expand...

How about using the Unlit/Texture shader?
 
S

Sword Familiar

178% of NeoGAF posters don't understand statistics
Lautaro said:
How about using the Unlit/Texture shader?
Click to expand...

Not sure how to do that, but I turned on environmental lighting and got an effect I was satisfied with(not exactly what I wanted, but it should do).

If you want to teach me how to do it your way you're more than welcome to.

Edit: I found a better solution: Just tick "Shadeless" under the Shader portion in the materials editor. Did the trick.
 
R

razu

Member
Lautaro said:
How about using the Unlit/Texture shader?
Click to expand...

Or write a cg shader that does the absolute minimum. I used a lot of these in iOS/Android Chopper Mike. You could also use vertex colours and an 'atlus texture' so that it could use a single material and therefore minimise the number of batched draw calls.

Worth looking into. Writing Cg shaders is a lot of fun, and can be very simple. Like this one:

Code: 
Shader "rzu/Colour"
{
	Properties
	{
		_Color ("Mainx Color", Color) = (1,1,1,1)
	}
	
	SubShader
	{
		Tags { "LightMode" = "ForwardBase" }

		Pass
		{
			CGPROGRAM
			
				#pragma vertex vert
				#pragma fragment frag
				
				fixed4 _Color;
				
				struct vertexInput
				{
					float4 vertex : POSITION;
				};
				
				struct vertexOutput
				{
					float4 pos : SV_POSITION;
				};
				
				vertexOutput vert(vertexInput input) 
				{
					vertexOutput output;
					
					output.pos = mul( UNITY_MATRIX_MVP, input.vertex );
					
					return output;
				} 
				
				fixed4 frag(vertexOutput input) : COLOR
				{
					return _Color;
				}
			
			ENDCG
		}
	}
	
    Fallback "Diffuse"
}

The vertex shader, "vert", transforms the vertices into projection space, and the fragment shader, "frag", writes its colour as the one provided by the material. I used this for the chopper blades and 'skids', as they didn't require any lighting.

It's little things like that that save a bit of time here and there that lets your game run at 60fps on a telephone!! :D
 
A

Anustart

Member
Grabbed Sequence a long time ago and got around to playing it last night. I really like it Feep! (At least I think it was feep who made that yes?)

Edit: Also, what can I do to get over periods where I tell myself that I'm never going to complete my game? It's just sometimes I look at all the work I have left and think "That's too damn much, you really think you're good enough to complete that?"
 
F

Feep

Banned
Anustart said:
Grabbed Sequence a long time ago and got around to playing it last night. I really like it Feep! (At least I think it was feep who made that yes?)

Edit: Also, what can I do to get over periods where I tell myself that I'm never going to complete my game? It's just sometimes I look at all the work I have left and think "That's too damn much, you really think you're good enough to complete that?"
Click to expand...
Thanks!

I would look at all the work you HAVE done and be like, ugh, I'm going to let all that go to waste?

Sequence took, like, over three years. And it's basically a single battle screen surrounded by an elaborate series of menus. = P
 
A

Anustart

Member
Feep said:
Thanks!

I would look at all the work you HAVE done and be like, ugh, I'm going to let all that go to waste?

Sequence took, like, over three years. And it's basically a single battle screen surrounded by an elaborate series of menus. = P
Click to expand...

How's There Came an Echo coming along? Last time I saw it was when you launched the kickstarter for it. Don't know if you've released any more media on it but would definitely be interested in checking it out if you have!

Edit: Also if I might inquire, how difficult is it to integrate Steam stuff into a game Feep? I only ask because my language of preference is c# and I'm making my game in Unity. Don't have a clue about steam stuff (like achievements, cloud saves, etc) other than I think they need to be done in c++, is that correct?
 
F

Feep

Banned
Anustart said:
How's There Came an Echo coming along? Last time I saw it was when you launched the kickstarter for it. Don't know if you've released any more media on it but would definitely be interested in checking it out if you have!

Edit: Also if I might inquire, how difficult is it to integrate Steam stuff into a game Feep? I only ask because my language of preference is c# and I'm making my game in Unity. Don't have a clue about steam stuff (like achievements, cloud saves, etc) other than I think they need to be done in c++, is that correct?
Click to expand...
Good! We put out a vertical slice video awhile back, which you can check out here. We also just hired another programmer to help.

It was a reasonable challenge, but luckily someone had always written wrapper code and was nice enough to send it to me. I only had to change a couple lines to make it work. I think someone is working (already done?) a Steam Unity package, too, so that should be nice.
 
R

razu

Member
AI turrets are go! Placeholder geometry, and they will have an idle, alert and stand down states added. But pretty pleased with the basic behaviour! :D



The video description has some design and implementation details.
 
L

Legato.Reborn-

Member
razu said:
My current design book for Super Chopper Squad..



It's more a cloud of ideas than a rigid design. Pretty cool to just add bits through the day.

Also, I'm getting into Monodevelop UI a bit more now. For instance, type a call to a method that doesn't exist, move cursor back to method name, windows menu button, down, right, "create method", move line to where you want it, return... BOOM! Instant method with placeholder parameters. That's pretty cool. I know it's not unique, but works nicely here.
Click to expand...

Is that a Molebook I spy? :)
 
A

Anustart

Member
Making some great progress on my game this week.

Still working on basic functionality and haven't even begun to touch the more complex systems that will have to be implemented, but I'm loving what I've been able to accomplish so far.

I can see how long this is going to take, but just getting little things done makes me so happy, I can't imagine how I'm going to feel after I see all the small systems come together to complete the full package. At this rate I can probably start taking part in Screen Shot Saturday's in maybe a couple weeks to a month. I'm going to set a deadline for getting a kickstarter going by the end of March. This gives me a little over 2 months to get a great looking proof of concept up and running along with the first area or two of the game done to show off to the public.

Anyone have tips for creating a successful kickstarter? I know that Jobbs stated earlier he was willing to help a guy, I wouldn't mind such help myself if you didn't mind Jobbs so I can know what I should be working on heavily to get ready for my deadline.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
Attack Art!

b2emFFh.gif
 
R

razu

Member
sti4thewin said:
Looks super clean! Do you have a Work In Progress thread in the Unity forums? Would love to follow this
Click to expand...

Thank you! :D

Good point, I should start a new thread over there, and maybe TIGSource one too. Will post back with links.


Anustart said:
I'm out of the loop, is this a sequel to Chopper Mike or a port, a expansion?
Click to expand...

Super Chopper Squad is a new game, based in the same universe, with Mike, plus other characters. I'm thinking of associating each squad member with a specific chopper, so Mike will always be in the Red Squirrel. There'll be powerups in the levels, but also XP and leveling of the choppers themselves.

It's no longer just time trial levels, the main game will be more traditional levels: defeat the enemies, collect the gems, find the exit. But I think I will add 'coffee break' bonus levels on the map, which may well be time trial levels, or monkey target-esque mini games.


Legato.Reborn- said:
Is that a Molebook I spy? :)
Click to expand...

It is a moleskin notebook. Is very nice. I also make notes in a little Rhodia, (link), dotted notebook... super nice too :D
 
F

FormallyMegadrive

Member
Learning Unity has been so god damn rewarding. I've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in Australia (3am currently) trying to figure out a nice way to get laser shooting for a SmashTV clone I want to create for CandyJam. I'm not handling it exactly how I want to, but success!

http://megadriven.net/personal/unity/01_JustGotShootingWorking/01_JustGotShootingWorking.html

I would really like to handle it with a pool of existing GameObjects rather than Instantiating them at shoot, and I have a class ready to go to debug for that, but until then: I am so goddamn happy. :D
 
J

Jobbs

Banned
Noogy said:
I'm intrigued, but amazingly can't find a single screenshot of your game. Am I crazy? The artwork is boss, though.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I like the art style very much, and enjoy what seems to be some Dark Souls-ishness implied. Show me the game!
 
P

Popstar

Member
Noogy said:
I'm intrigued, but amazingly can't find a single screenshot of your game. Am I crazy? The artwork is boss, though.
Click to expand...

HellBlazer said:
Hmm, I'm intrigued. Will battle scenes actually look like that, or is that just for the trailer? I dig the art style, in any case.
Click to expand...

Jobbs said:
Agreed, I like the art style very much, and enjoy what seems to be some Dark Souls-ishness implied. Show me the game!
Click to expand...
We'll have screenshots and such for the Kickstarter. We're still getting everything together.

But yes, that is what the in-game artwork looks like. Here's a tease from a bit older build

5XmkyLN.jpg
Click to expand...
 
R

RawNuts

Member
I'm just now finding out that Unity supports blendshapes/morph targets since 4.3, that is a fantastic addition; makes me wish I was working on a more hardware-intensive PC game than an iOS project.

LSauchelli said:
Great interview Jobbs, very enlighting. Found myself nodding in agreement on pretty much everything.
Click to expand...
DARK SOULS DARK SOULS DARK SOULS DARK SOULS DARK SOULS

Jobbs, can we even expect you to be doing work on the game come March? :p
 
D

Dascu

Member
Popstar said:
We'll have screenshots and such for the Kickstarter. We're still getting everything together.

But yes, that is what the in-game artwork looks like. Here's a tease from a bit older build
Click to expand...

I absolutely adore the look of this and it's making me feel bad about my own game.

By the way, you guys should totally do an actual Lovecraft game next.
 
J

Jobbs

Banned
LSauchelli said:
Great interview Jobbs, very enlighting. Found myself nodding in agreement on pretty much everything.
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

RawNuts said:
Jobbs, can we even expect you to be doing work on the game come March? :p
Click to expand...

I'll just stop playing league of legends. My game time will go to that instead. ;)

Seriously, though, I'm looking forward to that game like a little kid looks forward to things. I don't care, at this point, if it's somehow played out to get hyped about Dark Souls. My excitement and attitude are pure.
 
R

razu

Member
Megadrive said:
Learning Unity has been so god damn rewarding. I've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in Australia (3am currently) trying to figure out a nice way to get laser shooting for a SmashTV clone I want to create for CandyJam. I'm not handling it exactly how I want to, but success!

http://megadriven.net/personal/unity/01_JustGotShootingWorking/01_JustGotShootingWorking.html

I would really like to handle it with a pool of existing GameObjects rather than Instantiating them at shoot, and I have a class ready to go to debug for that, but until then: I am so goddamn happy. :D
Click to expand...


Nice one! :D

I'm wrote a pool for my target markers, and now for my bullet system. It's a great little technique.

Is it going to be twin stick, or WASD + mouse? Ha, just ran it again... it already is WASD + mouse! :D
 
J

Jobbs

Banned
Guy I know on Skype is on the cusp of launching a kickstarter for his game. It's *very* Super Metroid influenced, as you'll see, but it also has a few additional things, like some stealth mechanics, and apparently some kind of digging element and stuff like minerals and crafting.

Here's a link to his preview listing. The listing isn't 100% done yet, but the video is up, and it seems to hit all the right notes when it comes to a kickstarter video.
 
A

Anustart

Member
Jobbs said:
Guy I know on Skype is on the cusp of launching a kickstarter for his game. It's *very* Super Metroid influenced, as you'll see, but it also has a few additional things, like some stealth mechanics, and apparently some kind of digging element and stuff like minerals and crafting.

Here's a link to his preview listing. The listing isn't 100% done yet, but the video is up, and it seems to hit all the right notes when it comes to a kickstarter video.
Click to expand...

Not gonna sugar coat it, game looks amazing :3 If I weren't a broke developer myself I'd fund the hell out of that.
 
R

RawNuts

Member
Holy crap I've rigged something, and did a rather proper job of it at that. All of my previous rigs have been quick and messy without anything invested in setting joint orientation or making controls, so I'm glad that I spent the time on making something that should be enjoyable to animate.
rigged.png
Click to expand...
Can't wait to work with dynamic joints (just to animate with and then bake in, not dynamic in the actual game).


Jobbs said:
Guy I know on Skype is on the cusp of launching a kickstarter for his game. It's *very* Super Metroid influenced, as you'll see, but it also has a few additional things, like some stealth mechanics, and apparently some kind of digging element and stuff like minerals and crafting.

Here's a link to his preview listing. The listing isn't 100% done yet, but the video is up, and it seems to hit all the right notes when it comes to a kickstarter video.
Click to expand...
Oh wow, very Super Metroid influenced; "Varia Games" even, haha.
The Kiegorak definitely reminds me of a Corpser from Gears of War.

Looks great though; I just hope the release date isn't the title spelled backwards. :p
 
L

LSauchelli

Member
Jobbs said:
Guy I know on Skype is on the cusp of launching a kickstarter for his game. It's *very* Super Metroid influenced, as you'll see, but it also has a few additional things, like some stealth mechanics, and apparently some kind of digging element and stuff like minerals and crafting.

Here's a link to his preview listing. The listing isn't 100% done yet, but the video is up, and it seems to hit all the right notes when it comes to a kickstarter video.
Click to expand...

Really nice. Gotta love the company name.
 
J

Just_myles

Member
jobbs said:
just to clarify further, in case it wasn't already abundantly clear, Reven is not my game. It's the project of someone I chat with on Skype.
Click to expand...

I know, sorry for any confusion that caused. I figure I am making up for missing out on yours. I should have just pulled the trigger but, didn't. Gonna be good times for metroidvania games.
 
L

Letterbomb

Banned
Feep said:
Why settle for a screenshot?
Click to expand...

This is excellent. Very nice narrative you've got going on. Curious to see how gameplay is actually implemented.

Megadrive said:
Learning Unity has been so god damn rewarding. I've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in Australia (3am currently) trying to figure out a nice way to get laser shooting for a SmashTV clone I want to create for CandyJam. I'm not handling it exactly how I want to, but success!

http://megadriven.net/personal/unity/01_JustGotShootingWorking/01_JustGotShootingWorking.html

I would really like to handle it with a pool of existing GameObjects rather than Instantiating them at shoot, and I have a class ready to go to debug for that, but until then: I am so goddamn happy. :D
Click to expand...

It's encouraging to see people share their progress in learned development. Keep at it, dude. :)
 
H

HellBlazer

Member
Jobbs said:
Guy I know on Skype is on the cusp of launching a kickstarter for his game. It's *very* Super Metroid influenced, as you'll see, but it also has a few additional things, like some stealth mechanics, and apparently some kind of digging element and stuff like minerals and crafting.

Here's a link to his preview listing. The listing isn't 100% done yet, but the video is up, and it seems to hit all the right notes when it comes to a kickstarter video.
Click to expand...

Looks pretty cool, might back... though I've pledged to too many projects already. :/
 
R

razu

Member
Popstar said:
We'll have screenshots and such for the Kickstarter. We're still getting everything together.

But yes, that is what the in-game artwork looks like. Here's a tease from a bit older build
Click to expand...

That screen is awesome!! :D


Two videos of Super Chopper Squad from me tonight..

First is a demo of the BB gun I just added...

​


Second is the system running in the editor. There are a few implementation details in the video description...

​


First of all, it looks a billion times better at 60fps and full 1080p or more resolution!

Also, the bullet models and materials are kinda placeholder. Although I am liking the physical nature of them. They'll probably die quicker in the final game too.

Next should be adding sfx for firing, striking, and then actually adding a concept of damage and death to the enemies!

All in good time! :D
 
F

FormallyMegadrive

Member
razu said:
Nice one! :D

I'm wrote a pool for my target markers, and now for my bullet system. It's a great little technique.

Is it going to be twin stick, or WASD + mouse? Ha, just ran it again... it already is WASD + mouse! :D
Click to expand...

I would love for it to be both! I'm currently using the standard Input system with GetAxis() and GetButton().

Letterbomb said:
It's encouraging to see people share their progress in learned development. Keep at it, dude. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks! I finished a game dev course a few years back and then did web dev (urgh) for a year or so. I've made a few games before in Gamebyro but Unity is my first proper development environment.

ConvenientBox said:
Welp, this happened.

BplH79g.jpg


Started learning unity over the weekend - I can get used to this 3d thing :D
Click to expand...

Nice! Keep sharing your progress! How Unity makes 3D so easy and accessible is so great.


I'm having some serious problems with LookAt(). I just want my enemies to look at my player, then move towards it. :( How do I make a rigidbody move towards a player? I would've thought rotating it then moving along the z would be how to do it. But alas, no. Edit: got it! yay! and score! more yay!
 
A

Ashodin

Member
RawNuts said:
Owch, a spear right to the nuts! I wouldn't want to mess with that guy.

Looking good, though I feel like "Ashodin" isn't as sharp as the rest of the wording; looks a bit blurred but it could just be my eyes at the moment.
Click to expand...

Hey yeah at the resolution of the GIF it is, but higher resolutions will be clearer.
 
R

RelentlessRolento

Member
Development has started on my thesis project... really happy I got meters and screen shake to be working... Was originally going to be Unity, but due to the demands of what I need (arcade style, simple and quick), I'll be working in GameMaker Studio.


forgot to post but I am done with one of my older projects (post screenshots before, but not link to download and play):

Mimir.png


Title: Siegfried: Act III, Scene II "Crossings"

Download: Siegfried_Act_III_Scene_II.exe

Controls:
Spacebar = Move Forward
Esc = End Game

Sieg.png
Click to expand...

It's very linear and basic, but was a part of some of my thesis research and preparation.
Don't worry about what happens at the end (it'll make sense once you get there)


Also, super jelly at how nice everyone's work is here! keep it up, I love it!
 
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