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Indie Game Development Discussion Thread | Of Being Professionally Poor
- Thread starter chubigans
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Oh my!
I'm starting to wonder how my retina survived the early 90s.
eot
Banned
It's a moiré pattern, it comes from the electrons not being perfectly aligned with the phosphor dots on the screen. I'm sure missile can geek out on it hehe.
Wonderful work, I can almost feel my fingertips tickle from the electrically charged screen - gotta wonder how I survived childhood having an electron cannon pointed right at my face for a good amount of the time
BlastProcessing
Member
There are many reasons, a few that immediately come to mind.
1. The Code is still totally a thing. Unity supports many platforms, but there are still a lot of kinks. Our game is Unity and it still took a good 30 hours just to get it up and running at a decent framerate. Even then the shaders where all jacked up. Like so.
NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THAT. Even if it does look pretty cool. Fixing it is doable; just takes time.
2. There is a difference between porting something and porting something well. Taking into account a platform is more than just a raw coding issue, it is also a design issue. If I was porting to the Wii U, I would feel the need to spend some time redesigning things to properly utilize the Gamepad for instance. Ephemerid was originally designed for iPad and when we got it running on a Vita we realized we would need to entirely rethink the way the camera functions to get it to work on Vita. It would need to be much more dynamic.
3. License fees, license fees for consoles can be hilariously high. Like, "if you have to ask then you can't afford it" high. This is changing pretty rapidly, but it can still be a factor. In this particular case I think Nintendo has a deal with Unity that covers the cost of the license, but I don't remember the details.
4. Certification. This is probably the biggest one. Console certification is a huge undertaking. Not only from a QA/bug tracking standpoint, but also from a rules compliance standpoint. Every platform (and sometimes every region for the same platform) has a long list of requirements you have to meet and test against. I have heard horror stories in particular about Nintendo's certification process. These are mostly from the DS era and before. I hear things are improving on that front, but still, it is a huge timesink.
Different Question for anyone who has published on iOS
What do you know about D-U-N-S numbers? I just learned about them and it seems batshit cray cray.
https://developer.apple.com/support/ios/D-U-N-S.html
Haven't published on iOS, but thanks for the heads-up.
This is bizarre, but requesting one over here doesn't seem too difficult, and is free, thankfully.
Seriously, Apple, what's wrong with a VAT number?
Ooo! Liking this a lot. The tug-of-war aspect of VS looks really cool. Kind reminds me of TF2's control points. Graphics and effects are pretty slick too. Nice job!
bumpkin
Member
No clue. I have never had to furnish such a thing for iOS Apps I've published on the store. Now mind you, all of mine were done as an individual ($99/year). Never as enterprise or anything of that level. Didn't need to pay for the more expensive license.
TheHollowNight
Member
Hah! It's funny seeing Shaun's stuff in here, I worked with him for like 6 months at Reflections. His tutorials are pretty darn good.
BlastProcessing
Member
Were you able to publish under a company name? It reads like after 2012 you need a D-U-N-S to to that, which seems weird.
When we signed up for the developer program as a company we had to provide a DUNS number. Pretty effortless process.
I think this is a new requirement. You initially could only register for the Company program as a Corporation. They seem to have relaxed that somewhat and now require a DUNS number. We are not a corporation but a friend who registered about a year before I did had to do some sweet talking to let him in as a non-corporation.
http://www.dnb.ca/contact-us/duns-number-registration-process.html
I've been experimenting a whole lot with how to generate the stage borders procedurally for my game, Quark Storm. I've got nearly everything in place thanks to my cousin's help, but we've kind of hit a brick wall with getting one final issue out of the way. Since I've seen time and time again that several IndieGAFfers are really great at math and geometry, I thought I'd ask you guys for help as well.
Here's a picture of a stage with procedurally-generated borders (click to enlarge):
As you can see, several borders are protuding out of the geometry when they should actually stay on the other side of the collider (with one such example circled in red), and they all happen to be what my cousin and I call "peaks", as opposed to "valleys", which all work fine.
We've deduced that we could probably solve the problem by identifying the peaks them and flipping the angles they're extruded in by 180 degrees, but so far we haven't found a reliable way to actually detect which vertexes form peaks and which form valleys.
Here's a link to my code (commented logs galore!): http://pastebin.com/gSdMqzu3
Here's a picture of a stage with procedurally-generated borders (click to enlarge):
As you can see, several borders are protuding out of the geometry when they should actually stay on the other side of the collider (with one such example circled in red), and they all happen to be what my cousin and I call "peaks", as opposed to "valleys", which all work fine.
We've deduced that we could probably solve the problem by identifying the peaks them and flipping the angles they're extruded in by 180 degrees, but so far we haven't found a reliable way to actually detect which vertexes form peaks and which form valleys.
Here's a link to my code (commented logs galore!): http://pastebin.com/gSdMqzu3
I made it almost exactly a month with some pixel art every day, and then I missed yesterday. Now it's technically after midnight so I can't count it. =(
And now I'll say to myself "It's ok", and will use the same justification to not do any more art for the next month or two...
And now I'll say to myself "It's ok", and will use the same justification to not do any more art for the next month or two...
The following code should fix the issue:
Code:
Vector3 average = ((edgeCollider.points[indiceVerticeSiguiente] - edgeCollider.points[i]).normalized + (edgeCollider.points[i] - edgeCollider.points[indiceVerticeAnterior]).normalized).normalized;
Vector2 delta = new Vector2(-average.y, average.x);
float length = 1.0f; // defines how thick border is
vertices[i*2+1] = (Vector3)(edgeCollider.points[i] + delta * length);There's a problem there: While the diagonals all have the same length, that means the border polygons don't run perfectly parallel to the collider's edges, which results in the border not having uniform thickness thorough the whole collider. Here's an image for reference where I swapped the signs for the "-average.y, average.x" part, since that achieved a border on the wrong side of the collider:
Hmm do you need perfectly constant thickness? Cause sadly that's not trivial - the link has a few (general) solutions. If it's OK when the solution breaks at extreme cases, there should be a relatively easy strategy:
- create two lines, one going through the previous vertex in direction of the current, the second through the current vertex in direction of the next
- offset the origin of each of the lines by the vector perpendicular to the corresponding line's direction (scaled by collider thickness)
- intersect those lines -> this point is correct
Edit: OK this should do it, brute force style ;-)
Code:
// get line equations for p1 = o1 + t1 * d1, p2 = o2 + t2 * d2
Vector2 o1 = edgeCollider.points[indiceVerticeAnterior]; // perhaps you have to cast from Vector3 to Vector2..
Vector2 d1 = (edgeCollider.points[i] - edgeCollider.points[indiceVerticeAnterior]).normalized;
Vector2 o2 = edgeCollider.points[i];
Vector2 d2 = (edgeCollider.points[indiceVerticeSiguiente] - edgeCollider.points[i]).normalized;
// offset origins
float length = 1.0f;
o1 += new Vector2(d1.y, -d1.x) * length;
o2 += new Vector2(d2.y, -d2.x) * length;
// calculate intersection (o1 + t1 * d1 = o2 + t2 * d2)
float t2 = (o1.x*d1.y - o1.y*d1.x - o2.x*d1.y + o2.y*d1.x) / (d2.x*d1.y - d2.y*d1.x);
Vector2 newPoint = o2 + d2 * t2;Hmm do you need perfectly constant thickness? Cause sadly that's not trivial - the link has a few (general) solutions. If it's OK when the solution breaks at extreme cases, there should be a relatively easy strategy:
- create two lines, one going through the previous vertex in direction of the current, the second through the current vertex in direction of the next
- offset the origin of each of the lines by the vector perpendicular to the corresponding line's direction (scaled by collider thickness)
- intersect those lines -> this point is correct
Sorry too late to do the math for you, have fun figuring the formula out
Thinking a bit more about it, I saw that your method gets the angle perfectly, which is one of the things we couldn't get working properly. Combining your method to get the normal with mine to get the desired length of each individual segment, I've finally done it!
What's even better, this spares me using sine and cosine, since you chose to deal with vertexes rather than angles and lengths like we did! I guess I could adapt the algorithm some more to drop angles altogether in order to avoid using atan twice per vertex, but I probably won't do so anytime soon since it's a process that will only be run in-editor every now and then, and only after making changes to the level geometry, anyway.
EDIT: I'll look into the code you edited in while I was typing this once I've gotten some sleep, since my brain's currently in stand-by mode after staying up until now to try and get the algorithm to work. Thanks a lot for the help!
Yeah dealing with angles can be nasty, and you have to be very careful when calculating stuff with them (cause 360deg = 0deg etc.), so I prefer to avoid using angles whenever possible. Btw you might wanna check my post above, the new code should (!) return the correct new point for a constant thickness..
Yeah, it does. Later the engine behind will give one an option to adjust theNow I'm curious 8)
We have a base 640x360 resolution with integer multipliers (2x for 720p and 3x for 1080p). Glad an odd size can be helpful
I see. The softer look seems a bit more natural imho.
degree of old-school so to speak. An artist/developer should be able to fine-
tune the look & feel according to his/her needs. Would be cool to offer this
option in realtime, but this will come at a price since in this case some of
the filters behind need to adjust their coefficients in realtime as well.
Building such a dynamic filtering system isn't so easy either. One way out
would be to build a set of coefficients a-priori, which is what the DSP
engineers do. And with gigs of memory it is perhaps a good exercise to waste
some of it with thousands of filtering coefficients. xD
You had a vacation?You spend a couple of days away and it all kicks off!!
With a real game behind, possibly 3d, it should look pretty cool in motion.Love, love, love!
Really nice. Looks ace!
Heh... yeah, s'nice ;D
Like eot said, it's a moiré pattern. I didn't drew these circles, they are the
result of the process underneath.
I have some ideas using positional tracking. :+Wonderful work, I can almost feel my fingertips tickle from the electrically charged screen - gotta wonder how I survived childhood having an electron cannon pointed right at my face for a good amount of the time
Of course!
Guess you play a game where you have to degauss the (in-gamefullscreen) monitor at times, sick or not? xD The degauss feature will
definitely be in, since many people know about it and it breaks the illusion
if it isn't there, right? I mean, I've pressed degauss multiple times just for
the fun of it back in the days where CRTs have ruled the planet.
SlipperySlope
Banned
Wow, I just noticed CGHub is no more. I liked going there to post job offers. Well... oDesk/DeviantArt it is...
I liked going there to post job offers. Well... oDesk/DeviantArt it is...maniac-kun
Member
Depends on what you want to do.
There is GTKRadiant for example:
http://icculus.org/gtkradiant/
Here is a list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_level_editors
Create something like a 3D Mario platformer or adventure game like Zelda..
maniac-kun
Member
With your own custom engine?
I think so? Like Unity, I guess?
Prophet Steve
Member
Uhm, you are going to have to be a bit more specific.
Do you need only a level editor or an entire engine? Most of the time you use the level editor of the engine you are using. I don't know about standalone 3D level editors although I am sure they exist.
Unity is a game engine, you can also use it as a level editor and I'd recommend doing so if you are using Unity. But if you are using a different engine or custom engine, you cannot use Unity as a level editor.
Yeah, sorry I'm trying to figure this out myself.
I was originally just planning on using Unity 3D, but there was a thread a while back and someone in there said that it didn't have a level editor. So now I'm confused. Does it or does it not have a level editor?
You can use the Probuilder toolset to do level editing stuff, but you'd have to pony up to buy it.
Garcia
Member
Hello guys. I'm currently learning Java and am also planning on learning C++ as I reach a very competent level in the former. Would you recommend to finish Java before I start meddling with Unity or other engines? What are the direct benefits of having competent (and above) levels of coding when it comes to using some of these engines?
Thanks in advance. Excellent thread.
Thanks in advance. Excellent thread.
Prophet Steve
Member
Oh, I think I remember now.
It is no modlling tool. You create the assets in you want in a modelling program, such as Blender. So you model a wall for example.
In the level editor you can duplicate that wall, rearrange them as such so that you get a level, place spawn points, level triggers, things like that.
In UDK (which is free, but a bit tedious to use) and Unreal Engine 4 you have brushes. Things like boxes, cylinders, spheres, things like that, and with the help of intersecting and merging those you can create some basic geometry and could possibly also use that to create your level with.
Unity does have some default geometry as boxes and such, but you can't make more complex shapes with them. For example in UDK you can put a cylinder in a box and then exclude the cylinder so that you end up with a box that has a hole in it. Unity does not support things like that.
If you only need boxes, cylinders and other basic shapes like that, you can use Unity and don't need a modeling program for your level editing, or find assets of somebody else.
oxrock
Gravity is a myth, the Earth SUCKS!
I'm ignorant of most things due to my being new to the scene but what's wrong with creating a level in blender, making all the revisions there and importing?
Ah, okay that helps explain things. Thanks.
Nothing, actually! I might just go with that.
Thanks for the repliesI had no idea it was a girl and I would have never guessed it to be. Now I can see it though and it'll be fine once the audio is in place. I thought it looks like The Crow. She looks like a character from Dive Kick which can be good or bad depending on what you are going for.
Everything else depends on what your plans are. I feel like the animation will be boned and rotate (like an action figure) instead of each frame being hand drawn. If that's the case, it looks fine. Everything is proportioned fine, imo.
And she's obviously on Cobra's side
About her, she is a gloomy character, she uses 2 Rambo-like knives(the game is a sort of fighting game with weapons).
About her being a girl, i want her to be muscular, not at Chun-Li level though, and i don't want to her to expose her feminine traits.
Anyway i want to give a you a visual context:
Her, the same exact character just without jacket and some of the make up, old bad unfinished base for male characters(in underwear lol)
I use vectorial graphics to make the base for my characters and help with animations, but i'm a good 2d fanboy, i really don't want the game to look like a cheap flash game(that's why i asked if she looked cheap), after all if SNKP and ASW that have lots of talented and experienced artists help themselves with 3d models why i, that i'm alone and unexperienced, should not help myself with vectors?
bumpkin
Member
I can't speak to how it's changed since I published my first App, but at the time, it asked me to specify what name I'd like my Apps to be published under. It explicitly told me once I picked something, it couldn't be changed. At the time I didn't feel like making up some ridiculous "company" when in all reality it's just me. So the App I put up lists my name as the publisher.
You can use C# with unity, which is practically the same as Java, so a good understanding of Java will definitely help.
Of course!
fullscreen) monitor at times, sick or not? xD The degauss feature will
definitely be in, since many people know about it and it breaks the illusion
if it isn't there, right? I mean, I've pressed degauss multiple times just for
the fun of it back in the days where CRTs have ruled the planet.
You need that meaty WHOMFKRK sound too then
BlastProcessing
Member
Thanks for this info.
In less bureaucratic news, Ephemerid has been nominated for Best Sound at the BIG Festival. (Brazil Independent Games Festival) http://www.bigfestival.com.br/jogos/listar/0/finalistas/2014
Which is pretty awesome... Never thought we would ever be nominated alongside David Wise's work. Crazy.
Quick pitch: the video signal degrades further and further over time, and by killing enemies/going through checkpoints/doing whatever you're supposed to do, you degauss the monitor and clean up the signal. The faster you are, the more you can see. The slower you are, well... good luckOf course!
fullscreen) monitor at times, sick or not?
There is a Ludum Dare this weekend. I'm tempted to try it again. Voting still up for round 4 if anyone is interested (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/).
The last time I think I tried using Flash with a free IDE since that's easy for people to play online.
The last time I think I tried using Flash with a free IDE since that's easy for people to play online.
It's kinda annoying you need to log in to even be able to see the options.
(Probably wouldn't be a 'legit' attempt, and I don't really want to create yet another account just to see if I might want to even try)
Check! :+You need that meaty WHOMFKRK sound too then
Sounds great! :+ I had a similar idea in mind for the game I am making. I.e.Quick pitch: the video signal degrades further and further over time, and by killing enemies/going through checkpoints/doing whatever you're supposed to do, you degauss the monitor and clean up the signal. The faster you are, the more you can see. The slower you are, well... good luck
you are under tight pressure doing difficult stuff, where matching the right
sequence of inputs is important, and where you have virtually no time doing
other things, i.e. to degauss the monitor, unless you are willing to break the
sequence losing valuable points, or go the the risk crashing into the ground
while flying blindfolded. Another cool things is color drift and stuff. Lots
of cool things to try out.
Btw, Jocchan, what's the state of Dudebro II?Any release date?
Well the theme will presumably be announced right before it starts. You can also see the three other rounds of voting without logging in. They seem to be mostly or completely different so I guess they're combining all the results once all the rounds finish?
Round 4 voting options are as follows:
Thanks.
Hrm. Lots of interesting ideas in this round.
Guessing only a few of them will actually go through to the final round tho.
Ok, for the fun of it...
Some first experiments in simulating an TV's deflecting yoke and its distortion:
I think this is a great look, I think a slightly toned down version of this effect should be IN the game for real. Pixel art without some kind of old school TV nastiness or scanlines or whatever just never seems quite right to me!
Thanks for the reminder. I might do it if I like the theme.
Hey guys. I'm wrapping up some things on a quick little mobile game I've been working on and I was wondering if I could get a few people to help me test it out? I'm mostly OK on the iOS side of things but if anyone with an Android device is willing to give it a look it would be awesome.
The game itself is super simple, you just jump around and see how long you can last but I'm using it to test a lot of extra features I haven't used before (Leaderboards, ads, social media sharing, etc) before i roll them back into the larger game I'm making.
I'm still working on getting achievements and IAP stuff in but if you're willing to donate a few minutes of your time and give me some feedback later this week and a little next week and to test some functionality I would greatly appreciate it!
If you're willing and able to help just shoot me a PM with your e-mail address and I will e-mail you the details. I'm distributing builds via Google Play so it'll have to be the e-mail address you use there.
Thanks in advance!
The game itself is super simple, you just jump around and see how long you can last but I'm using it to test a lot of extra features I haven't used before (Leaderboards, ads, social media sharing, etc) before i roll them back into the larger game I'm making.
I'm still working on getting achievements and IAP stuff in but if you're willing to donate a few minutes of your time and give me some feedback later this week and a little next week and to test some functionality I would greatly appreciate it!
If you're willing and able to help just shoot me a PM with your e-mail address and I will e-mail you the details. I'm distributing builds via Google Play so it'll have to be the e-mail address you use there.
Thanks in advance!
MikeHaggar
Member
has there ever been talk of making a neogaf game? i understand permission would have to be granted, but it could be a fun thing to do. couple different ideas:
a warioware-style collection of mini-games related to different neogaf memes over the years(ie: pushing over the magazine rack in a game store).
a strategy game where you post, respond, and even troll in order to push your agenda in the neogaf universe (becoming well-known, cheerleading your favorite console, etc..)
a 2d action platformer where the relation to neogaf is a bit more metaphorical. explore environments that are designed to visually represent different aspects of the forum and it's user, gain power-ups, battle bosses (parodies of posters?).
any thoughts and/or interest?
a warioware-style collection of mini-games related to different neogaf memes over the years(ie: pushing over the magazine rack in a game store).
a strategy game where you post, respond, and even troll in order to push your agenda in the neogaf universe (becoming well-known, cheerleading your favorite console, etc..)
a 2d action platformer where the relation to neogaf is a bit more metaphorical. explore environments that are designed to visually represent different aspects of the forum and it's user, gain power-ups, battle bosses (parodies of posters?).
any thoughts and/or interest?
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