Against the better advice of people in this thread, I've decided I am going to use the Unity physics engine. I was able to roll with my own code for simple things, but I need to detect when my custom mesh particles hit the ground and I am not really equipped to handle 3D collisions on my own. I have mesh colliders encasing the map anyway (I raycast into them for tile selection). It may even be more efficient to reuse those than to engineer a system to run in parallel.
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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor
- Thread starter chubigans
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I'm going, first time ever (and first time in the US!) so I don't know what people normally do but there are booths and such you can hire in the expo hall if your aim is to show off your work. I'll have videos of my stuff on my phone in case anyone's keen to see it though and my laptop back at the hotel as well.
hi there!
I'm interested in it a long time now, but finally decided to give it a go (game "developing", i mean).
Since I'm a real beginner, I decided to use Construct 2, which was mentioned here, for my first (baby) steps!
It's a great tool and currently my first very little game is almost playable
I just have to figure out how to save stuff locally (webstorage plugin).
The game is just a simple infinity runner with enemies, increasing difficulty, score & highscore and 2 button controls (jump & "shoot")
tbh, it was quite challenging, especially the infinity part of the project, but the more I work, the more fun it is
now I just need some nice assets to replace all the cubes, but they are in the work.
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since I'm a total beginner with Construct 2, maybe Gaf has some tips for me?
I'm interested in it a long time now, but finally decided to give it a go (game "developing", i mean).
Since I'm a real beginner, I decided to use Construct 2, which was mentioned here, for my first (baby) steps!
It's a great tool and currently my first very little game is almost playable
I just have to figure out how to save stuff locally (webstorage plugin).The game is just a simple infinity runner with enemies, increasing difficulty, score & highscore and 2 button controls (jump & "shoot")
tbh, it was quite challenging, especially the infinity part of the project, but the more I work, the more fun it is
now I just need some nice assets to replace all the cubes, but they are in the work.
===
since I'm a total beginner with Construct 2, maybe Gaf has some tips for me?
I'll be there, first time though.
Definitely, while I don't have a booth to show of my stuff, I'll have it ready on my tablet/phone. I'm not there to promote my game but to network, and that definitely helps to break the ice, even if it's just a prototype and as I've read, everyone does the same.
For the sake completeness;
The discussion about rolling ones own physics engine, talked about a couple of
posts back in here, was manly based on rolling a two-dimensional one and not
a three-dimensional one. A 3d one is way more difficult, indeed. Anyhow,
collision detection isn't a physical problem (it's a geometrical one), whereas
collision response is, of course. Well, I guess 98% of the people in here are
better served using an existing 3d physics engine instead of baking their own.
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
There's really nothing wrong with using Unity's physics. I haven't had any problems getting it to work the way it should.
Sorry for the late reply. I agree. We like taking baby steps especially during our POC phase as it allows us time to test add, remove and change functionality a little bit at a time without getting ahead of ourselves or too deep into one system that we need to change due to unknown unknowns.Am kinda similar within this regard. I mostly focus myself on a given game
specific sub-system (like graphics, physics, audio, input etc.) until I have
really improve on it. Then I switch over to the next sub-system doing the same
thing. Once the core functionality of each sub-system is up and running, a
first vertical slice can be made, a PoC. At this stage all the sub-systems
will be in quite a rudimentary state, yet they are coupled and work together.
If the PoC holds, each part of the whole system will be refined a little, one
after another. Then the whole thing is done over again (iterated) up until the
game is done.
This is sort of solving a global non-linear system by iterative refinement.
Given an initial guess (the PoC) all sub-system of it will be modified
slightly to reduce the distance to the given goal. Then this corrected guess
(which may server as a prototype version) serves as the new input, i.e. the
whole system is iterated out up until convergence. This is sort of a full-
system approach where each component is treated equally important.
The advantage is that one won't get lost into just one component optimizing it
without reference to all other. So one restrict oneself not to go too far
ahead. Another advantage is that one always have sort of a working system. The
disadvantage is that one has to understand many of the components from a
theoretical perspective, a-priori, and know how they relate to each other.
This requires some skills in different disciplines at the same time or ones
brain being able to grasp such things in time. With a team on ones back, one
can distribute this task and manage the interaction / communication /
couplings. This is usually the position of the Team Lead (also managing budget
and ensuring the game is on schedule). But without a team, this is seems to be
a task too large to deal with for many. Yet if one is willing to accept small
steps, i.e. have patience, one will get there.
I'm looking forward to this!
Makes sense.
What's the alternative?
The alternative is failure. I dont think we need to make a big splash, just a little one so we are aiming for a niche but strong demographic that I consider myself a part of having grown up with these types of games. Its a situation where if we dont do it justice our heads will roll by the community that is engaged in these types of games. Its a double edged sword. There will be interest from that niche demographic that fuels our passion but holy shit if we can't knock it out of the park. If we can pull it off we put our names on it that we can make great gameplay, even if its just for a small group. We've been flowcharting the basics all week and going through the gameplay motions with pen, paper and my most amazing C++ console window representation since that takes no time to create. That's still good tho since the classes and methods (functions but w/e) are an easy port to C# and unity with CTRL-C and CTRL-V (forward thinking and syntax). So far so good tho.
But yeah, failure. I know there is more than one "shot" to make an impact but I'm the type that goes on a warpath whenever I put my head to something I am passionate about. Its one of the reasons I do so many PoCs - the more I do, the more I learn from them and my mistakes. Then unknown unknowns become known unknowns and eventually known. Its fun and frustrating at the same time but stomping a bug and leaping hurdles is such a great sense of accomplishment that it drives me more. I collect their souls!
Should be there as part of a group of developers
. We're planning to cart a laptop around with an alpha build as well though, as the booth is more of a hub for all of us.jerrymaguire
Member
hi, thought i'd share with you the game which i've been working on with a bunch of friends that finally came out on the appstore yesterday.
the game's called blue eden and it's an adventure/ puzzley type game that's presented in the style of a wildlife documentary. one of the reasons why it took us so long to do is because there are 4 game types within the game; when combined they're supposed to represent the life cycle of the fish that's featured.
would love to get your feedback on it as i don't play many games myself these days due to family commitments. any questions please ask.
youtube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlxSacYITPQ
the game's called blue eden and it's an adventure/ puzzley type game that's presented in the style of a wildlife documentary. one of the reasons why it took us so long to do is because there are 4 game types within the game; when combined they're supposed to represent the life cycle of the fish that's featured.
would love to get your feedback on it as i don't play many games myself these days due to family commitments. any questions please ask.
youtube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlxSacYITPQ
Diablohead
Member
Always fun when keyboard controls for your game suddenly stop working and you can't figure out why.
Your game looks quite original, and I like the soundtrack. If this is your first app store game, good luck!
And if your app doesn't do well, try not to get too discouraged. It has become increasingly difficult to make money on iOS, unless you're willing to do 'free' apps and nickel and dime your customers with DLC.
I am there for Game Connection and GDC
If you haven't bought a booth for GDC play it's going to be tough to show your game.
We were featured two years ago and last year at the official Unity booth (this year is a bit uncertain but we will be at the Nordic Booth for sure together with other Scandinavian Indies).
IGN also has an indie party but I normally just crash it with friends
Where you can showcase your games on your own laptop.Cu guys there for sure. Also, make sure to sign up for parties!
Heart of Black
Member
I added the suggested vegetation (and some buildings), as well as a wrapping particle snow effect. Looks a bit more fleshed out now, I think.
I did a double take, definitely some hardcore Ninja Gaiden 2 intro going on there, but obviously with it's own spin.
Right now I'm fairly hands off my game these days, just because of my kickstarter for Treachery in Beatdown City. Haven't had much time to "create" these days, though I did make some art for Darkest Dungeon and Dave Lang.
It's here if you'd like to check it out - Will be posting a gameplay video soon.
AxiomVerge
Neo Member
I don't think I'm going, but I've seen videos of devs getting interviewed just loitering in the halls at PAX or E3, showing off the game to whoever wandered by. It could be the same at GDC.
jerrymaguire
Member
thank you for your response.
being a dinosaur, i prefer to do things the old fashion way of 99c up front and you get everything for life, no adverts, no dlc.
in some ways, i feel like i have won already because we managed to finish the game after such a long time. but of course i do hope the game does well and especially if i can get the environmental awareness underlining message of the game across. ultimately, that's what i hoped to do with the game.
If you missed out on the GameMaker: Studio Standard giveaway last year, it looks like YoYo games is doing it again.
This link on their site has the full details. If you own GM:SS already, you can also upgrade to Professional for cheap as well. The promo expires March 2.
Good deal, but I'm still in Unity 3D land.
This link on their site has the full details. If you own GM:SS already, you can also upgrade to Professional for cheap as well. The promo expires March 2.
Good deal, but I'm still in Unity 3D land.
Oh, I feel the same way.
But I've become disillusioned with iOS development. Honestly, if I had a few thousand to spare, I'd switch to Wii-U development, because even with it's small install base, I think it's easier to make money there. At least console gamers are willing to pay $10 for an indie game, while it's hard to convince iOS users to spend 99 cents on a game that took me 6 months to make.
Congrats on getting so far!
I also prefer 99c up front but I would recommend trying a lite-version that's free with limited content (which can then be upgraded for 99c to the full version). The amount of users that tried my companies' app (not a game) during a free promotion was crazy. Also, use Google Analytics or something similar.
I'd say it's an interesting investment if you can actually do it, since the market isn't oversaturated yet, as opposed to the mobile market.
This reminds me that a few days ago I received a new e-mail from Nintendo... where they said I'm still out of luck due to being in Argentina. Right now, my only option for self-publishing appears to be PC/Mac/Linux, sadly. Quark Storm could be released for Android and iOS, but I fear that offering it for free there would devalue the PC version, and that actually charging money (most likely $1.99) wouldn't bring that much extra cash in since people on the mobile market seemingly don't care about paid apps anymore.
So far, I've received confirmations that I won't be able to apply as a PS4/Vita and/or WiiU developer, and I'd guess the same's true with XB1 publishing. Still, I've promised myself I'd do everything I can to finish Quark Storm and try to publish it somewhere by the end of the year, or at least get a nearly finalized beta build out. This'd probably require quitting my day job to get the game done by then (rather than by 2016), but I guess it's a risk I'll have to take.
Wyndstryker
Member
Now that things are finally moving I've been working on the game more and more.
I wish I could share more stuff with everyone. We're going to be unveiling our first trailer in April, so I kind of don't want to spoil any of the cool stuff coming up...
In other news, apparently it's okay to say we're in the ID@Xbox program! So, uh, we're in that. We got a couple free dev kits, which was awesome, though we're still waiting on the Unity beta to really mess with 'em. Anyone else in?
In other news, apparently it's okay to say we're in the ID@Xbox program! So, uh, we're in that. We got a couple free dev kits, which was awesome, though we're still waiting on the Unity beta to really mess with 'em. Anyone else in?
dying for the unity tools to come out.
I'll be going again this year. People demo stuff in the hallways all the time. Best approach is to just join a group of people hanging out/working, and showing one another your games follows pretty naturally. Mobile developers have the advantage of being able to do it pretty much anywhere. Even during the gdc awards show I was showing people my stuff and having them try it.
Thanks for this. I've shared this with my friends. Seems a great deal.
I've been tiptoeing on this issue for a while and I need to catch up on which of these programs will accomplish what I want. I haven't had the chance to look at Unity 3D. Where would I find information on people's opinions between various dev software?
I *could* I just want to blow all your minds at onceFeep living the dream of developers "we can't show you anything...
bumpkin
Member
Lookin' good! What are you building it with/in?
Now that things are finally moving I've been working on the game more and more.
I would like to share with You, guys recent info about our upcoming indie game: CATDAMMIT! ("Director's Cat"). We are Fir&Flams (an indie duo from Poland), we are working in Unity3D and it's our first game. It tells a story of Roman - a milkoholic hobo cat, who's roaming city streets with a chainsaw in his paws... It's like a byte-sized arcade beat'em up, mixed with Mario, infinite runner and a lot of retro love. You get to destroy everything! It will be released on Steam for PC, Mac & Linux and will include original soundtrack.
Here's the Greenlight Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UAPGiNMhM
We have been greenlit recently, and I've had an opportunity to write an article containing our stats, thoughts and tips on the whole Greenlight process. It's available here: http://firflams.com/blog/view/we-have...
Features:
- Arcade gameplay with a retro vibe.
- Beautiful, cartoon visuals with a lot of on-screen action.
- Crazy characters including milkoholic hobo cat, fox mobsters, cop dogs, pussycat hookers & more!
- Unusual design - typical levels were replaced by "open world" with hidden locations, passages, content to unlock and more than one path to reach the end.
- Destructible environments - leave a trail of mayhem behind you!
- Use power-ups to boost, increase damage or to cool overheating chainsaw down.
- Random events makes each walkthrough unique.
- Original soundtrack.
Our Greenlight page: Check it out
Our Official Blog: Fir&Flams Blog
Our Facebook page: Facebook
Twitter: Here!
Here's the Greenlight Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UAPGiNMhM
We have been greenlit recently, and I've had an opportunity to write an article containing our stats, thoughts and tips on the whole Greenlight process. It's available here: http://firflams.com/blog/view/we-have...
Features:
- Arcade gameplay with a retro vibe.
- Beautiful, cartoon visuals with a lot of on-screen action.
- Crazy characters including milkoholic hobo cat, fox mobsters, cop dogs, pussycat hookers & more!
- Unusual design - typical levels were replaced by "open world" with hidden locations, passages, content to unlock and more than one path to reach the end.
- Destructible environments - leave a trail of mayhem behind you!
- Use power-ups to boost, increase damage or to cool overheating chainsaw down.
- Random events makes each walkthrough unique.
- Original soundtrack.
Our Greenlight page: Check it out
Our Official Blog: Fir&Flams Blog
Our Facebook page: Facebook
Twitter: Here!
LSauchelli
Member
That's great! How's Kinect with your game? It's one of the few games I think could actually be improved by it.
Apart from here, I'd check out the TigSource forums.
Pixel Prospector also has a good roundup of articles and links to various engines, though the article hasn't been updated in about a year.
Lastly, the gamedev subreddit should have some info floating about as well.
Whatever you do, I usually recommend downloading the trial/demo versions of any game engine you're interested in and giving them a go for a few days before spending any cash at all. You might not even need all of the features of the "professional" version, in some cases. When I was doing my own research well over a year ago, I stayed away from engines which had some appeal to me, but had a yearly licensing or subscription fee. Not my cup of tea.
Good luck!
Kinect 1.0 works fine. Haven't tested 2.0, because Unity.
That looks fantastic! You've certainly got my vote. edit: I see you've already been Greenlit. I'll be looking forward to it releasing, then.
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
I would like to share with You, guys recent info about our upcoming indie game: CATDAMMIT! ("Director's Cat"). We are Fir&Flams (an indie duo from Poland), we are working in Unity3D and it's our first game. It tells a story of Roman - a milkoholic hobo cat, who's roaming city streets with a chainsaw in his paws... It's like a byte-sized arcade beat'em up, mixed with Mario, infinite runner and a lot of retro love. You get to destroy everything! It will be released on Steam for PC, Mac & Linux and will include original soundtrack.
Here's the Greenlight Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UAPGiNMhM
We have been greenlit recently, and I've had an opportunity to write an article containing our stats, thoughts and tips on the whole Greenlight process. It's available here: http://firflams.com/blog/view/we-have...
Features:
- Arcade gameplay with a retro vibe.
- Beautiful, cartoon visuals with a lot of on-screen action.
- Crazy characters including milkoholic hobo cat, fox mobsters, cop dogs, pussycat hookers & more!
- Unusual design - typical levels were replaced by "open world" with hidden locations, passages, content to unlock and more than one path to reach the end.
- Destructible environments - leave a trail of mayhem behind you!
- Use power-ups to boost, increase damage or to cool overheating chainsaw down.
- Random events makes each walkthrough unique.
- Original soundtrack.
Our Greenlight page: Check it out
Our Official Blog: Fir&Flams Blog
Our Facebook page: Facebook
Twitter: Here!
Well done, guys. And thanks for that article on Greenlight.
LSauchelli
Member
Awesome, sorry to be a bother. The whole gestures you were doing for Intel could also be implemented for Kinect? I honestly thought that was a very interesting input method for the kind of game you're making.
Yeah, if we decide to publish on XB1. The "best" gesture is putting your hand on your ear to give commands, which is pretty awesome. Everything else needs to be supplementary...
Awesone. Thanks for sharing those
Wyndstryker
Member
Gamemaker studio
Holy cat! Loving the style on this one. Good job!
Sylverstone14
Member
Started tinkering again with Stencyl, and I decided to get back to work on my gaming project.
Simple game with not much to its name, but that's pretty much it.
Simple game with not much to its name, but that's pretty much it.
Whitebison
Member
Arrrgh one week later and I still can't decide between GameMaker and Construct 2 for my 2d metroidvania
Thanks for the Greenlight article!
Thank you, guys for comments! And considering the article - You're welcome! I hope it's helpful.
Mystic River
Member
congratulations on getting greenlit! and thanks for the article, very useful
Here is what I've been able to do in the past few days...
Unity. You will eventually go there so just start there and let 'er rip!Arrrgh one week later and I still can't decide between GameMaker and Construct 2 for my 2d metroidvania
Topic/Off topic:
Anyone use Reason 7? I have an old version but the past decade I've been using Ableton, Logic and NI's Komplete (dat Reaktor) for audio production. Going over the additions to Reason made me feel all warm and fuzzy at how robust it has become. Pulled the trigger on the upgrade. Anyone have thoughts about the improvements? It'll be nice to bring Reason back into my toolchain again. New toys!
jerrymaguire
Member
oh i forgot to say, did you check out the other videos on the same channel? you can hear some of the other pieces of music to my game. if you liked the trailer music i'm sure you'll like the ingame stuff too. enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkN_6aVnxywxbMdkyLsZXPw
Ihateyouchris
Member
Here's some screenshots for a Saturday for Another Castle. I've been working on the first boss in the game, a giant mutated butterfleye. I've also been working on a random encounter system styled like old school adventure games. The idea is that you'll randomly come across these in the overworld, and depending on your decisions you can either get items, stat increases, or it can drop you into mini game type levels.
Polioliolio
Member
I have a game in my head..
Do I Stencyl or Gamemaker?
Do I Stencyl or Gamemaker?
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