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[HelloMeow]

Somehow I have made some kind of tempo/bpm detection algorithm for music.

• First it compares a signal with a delayed version of itself (gray plot).
• Then it picks a number of peaks (white lines).
• Then it counts the gaps in between the peaks (blue plot).
• The most counted gap becomes the base for a timer (green).
• Which is synchronized with the gray plot which is compared to the actual signal (red).
• Wow, this plot looks like a mess.

This works independently from detecting single beats or peaks. It looks at the rhythm of ~8 seconds of audio, so it's very consistent. Now let's see if I can close my eyes without seeing bouncy lines and for loops.

Trying out new models for a potential poster. Though I'm getting sort of depressed my greenlight page has stagnated. Really need more eyes on our game and all the tweeting I have been doing seems to be doing very little. Any recommended letsplay folks?

Shwip deserves more attention. The beta is great.

 

[Ito]

Thanks, Matt and Tuna!

I'm live-streaming this artwork I'm currently drawing, just in case anyone is interested to join in and watch as I draw all kind of Spirit Huntresses

http://www.twitch.tv/itoaragon

And it's 4:21 where I live so don't be too rude if I'm too sloppy...

 

[Miutsu]

I could get used to blender

Trying out new models for a potential poster. Though I'm getting sort of depressed my greenlight page has stagnated. Really need more eyes on our game and all the tweeting I have been doing seems to be doing very little. Any recommended letsplay folks?

Just voted on your greenlight and followed you on twitter, your game has always looked nice from when you started showing early screens so I hope it gets the attention it deserves

 

[cbox]

Shwip deserves more attention. The beta is great.

Just voted on your greenlight and followed you on twitter, your game has always looked nice from when you started showing early screens so I hope it gets the attention it deserves

Cheers!!

 

[Granadier]

Cheers!!

Are you guys planning any Mac support?

 

[cbox]

Are you guys planning any Mac support?

Not currently, but I've heard good things about monogame so we might look into after it's all finished.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Some friends and I had an impromptu get-together to pitch game ideas and work on them this labor day weekend. We settled on a pretty neat idea which we've been working on since - a cowboy-dueling typing game, a bit like a cross between Monkey Island's insult swordfighting and Typing of the Dead. You face off against a CPU opponent and have to type your randomized western phrases correctly to draw and fire your gun.

The fingers wiggle with each keystroke. Type the whole sentence correctly and you'll fire your gun and win; flub the typing and you'll fire and miss. You can miss up to six times before autofailing completely. If you type a 'g" where an apostrophe is to indicate a dropped g... I don't know yet, but I really want something stupid to happen.

I'm doing the assets, my friend is handling most of the programming (he's a gaffer, maybe he'll post in here too with some of the more technical stuff). We had a good time finding goofy spaghetti western style instruments for the soundtrack and effects too.

I'm also pretty proud of our dumb title: Times New Gunman

 

[Granadier]

Not currently, but I've heard good things about monogame so we might look into after it's all finished.

I'll have to run it on my Windows machine than.

---

Have any of you had success with the new UI tools within Unity 4.6b so far? I haven't had time to dive into them, but I hope to be able to this weekend to get a simple menu setup for my game.

This guys console prefab was posted on r/Unity3D today. It adds a live console window in a UI pane that you can use to monitor while running/testing. Seems pretty useful, but sadly I haven't had the time to mess with it yet.

 

[electroflame]

IThis guys console prefab was posted on r/Unity3D today. It adds a live console window in a UI pane that you can use to monitor while running/testing. Seems pretty useful, but sadly I haven't had the time to mess with it yet.

Actually, that's pretty sweet. Bookmarked that one for sure.

 

[Vire]

Put in a temporary, contextual "walkmode" enforced when approaching a story area. This signals to the user what's happening and sets the pacing of the encounter, which I like. Initially I wasn't sold, but after trying it, I think it works well.

example: http://gfycat.com/FeminineNimbleAtlasmoth



These backgrounds are pretty awesome... Careful not to sprain anything while trying to finish this game. XD

Ghost Song continues to look amazing, keep up the good work.

 

[Blizzard]

I used to be a lawyer but I hung up my gown to work in Spirit Huntress.

Totally poor now, but I regret nothing. Except maybe selling my car and dumping a very good friend and mentor. Still remember his face when after two years of partership I told him I was quitting to make a video game about a female ninja.

Hopefully people will like my game and I'll overcome all of it. That or I'll have to go back to the courts.

That's a sad story -- did they not want to stay friends once you quit the practice? I hope things do take a turn for the best.

 

[Ito]

That's a sad story -- did they not want to stay friends once you quit the practice? I hope things do take a turn for the best.

Well I know it may sound sad but it's not that bad after all. I'm still 26 and I have a pretty decent job to go back to if this "going indie" dream never comes true.

To be honest, it's me who doesn't want to keep in touch. It's kind of embarrassing because that man spent 2 years teaching me all he knew, just to see how I left and refused to follow his path. I still consider him a friend, but I prefer not to bother him anymore.

Sometimes I think that maybe all this sacrifice it's not worth it... that whatever is around the corner isn't that big and that I made a huge mistake leaving that place.

Then I start working on the game of my dreams, and the fears go away.

Pic related GAF.

They just keep coming! (still streaming http://www.twitch.tv/itoaragon)

 

[Granadier]

Well I know it may sound sad but it's not that bad after all. I'm still 26 and I have a pretty decent job to go back to if this "going indie" dream never comes true.

To be honest, it's me who doesn't want to keep in touch. It's kind of embarrassing because that man spent 2 years teaching me all he knew, just to see how I left and refused to follow his path. I still consider him a friend, but I prefer not to bother him anymore.

Sometimes I think that maybe all this sacrifice it's not worth it... that whatever is around the corner isn't that big and that I made a huge mistake leaving that place.

Then I start working on the game of my dreams, and the fears go away.

Pic related GAF.

You enjoy making games, and there is obvious talent in you, so keep at it.

Your story hits home with me, since I left a pretty decent career early on (21) in order to change directions completely and pursue something entirely different. But I know now that if I had stayed with the safe option, today I would have been a miserable person.

 

[More_Badass]

'Till you like it, GAF.

And thanks to everyone who commented on the previous screenshots. Your constructive criticism is really apreciated!

Saw this in TIGForum's Screenshot Saturday thread, great art style. Can't wait to see more

 

[Noogy]

So a question, I apologize I'd this isnt usual operating procedure, but the games that people are working on currently, are they your "dream" game or have you started with something in the hopes of gaining experience so that eventually you can make that "dream" game. I'm just curious as to whether some people gradually worked up to an idea that they had in their head?

My first game didn't start as my dream game, but by the time I was finished I accomplished most of what I'd like to see in such a title.

Near the end of development, I realized my 'dream experience' was more about the opportunity to experiment and try a bunch of different things, without stressing over a paycheck.

I used to be a lawyer but I hung up my gown to work in Spirit Huntress.

The game is looking great Interestingly, you're the second lawyer I know who has pursued Indie developed. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Ito]

You enjoy making games, and there is obvious talent in you, so keep at it.

Your story hits home with me, since I left a pretty decent career early on (21) in order to change directions completely and pursue something entirely different. But I know now that if I had stayed with the safe option, today I would have been a miserable person.

Thank you! I feel just as you say. Had I stayed were I was, I'd be a miserable man with no time to do what he loves the most.

Saw this in TIGForum's Screenshot Saturday thread, great art style. Can't wait to see more

Thank you! I had to post those in the Screenshot Saturday thread; I didn't want to interrupt the deep argument about cleavages going on in the game's devlog thread.

The game is looking great Interestingly, you're the second lawyer I know who has pursued Indie developed. I hope it works out for you.

Thanks for the kind words Noogy, they made me really happy, specially coming from the man who has crafted the most beautiful 2D game ever made.

Things may work out or go totally wrong; that I knew before leaving my job. But I also knew that I wouldn't let my dreams die buried under mountains of paperwork and lawsuits.

I think we may agree that Law is a boring career. Guys, don't study Law. Unless you want to develop games really badly.

 

[gundalf]

IndieGAF, do you know where i can find a Character/Concept Designer? And how much are the rates for a good Artist - or generally, what is the usual practice on outsourcing Artwork to Freelancer?

 

[taku]

IndieGAF, do you know where i can find Character/Concept Designer?

Try the conceptart.org forums.

 

[Jobbs]

So a question, I apologize I'd this isnt usual operating procedure, but the games that people are working on currently, are they your "dream" game or have you started with something in the hopes of gaining experience so that eventually you can make that "dream" game. I'm just curious as to whether some people gradually worked up to an idea that they had in their head?

Initially I tried doing some flash games and made a range of little prototypes, and while it's hard to define "dream game" I think ghost song is definitely a game I'm making because it's a game I'd want to play, and I'm doing a lot of things I always wanted to do.

I'll admit I was pretty green before Ghost Song and early in development, and definitely made mistakes, but by now the game is getting to the point where it seems to have a life of its own, which is weird. It becomes such a culmination of so much work and so much tweaking over time that it really starts to feel like its own entity, and I occasionally stop and sorta wonder how I ever came this far.

so much of what's in the game is the result of experimentation, trailblazing (trailblazing in terms of my own experiences and abilities, not necessarily that I'm doing anythign no one else has done), and even happy mistakes that I often think of how cool a future game might be where I start fresh knowing everything I know now. I definitely look forward to making some cool new prototypes and demos after I'm done with Ghost Song, and see where it all leads.

Ghost Song continues to look amazing, keep up the good work.

thank you.

and since we're talking about experiences developing our big game, you may wonder if it ever gets old having people say something nice -- it honestly doesn't. As artists most of us are constantly in search of validation, whether we admit it or not. I admire the maturity of an indie dev who shares nothing and needs no feedback or validation from anyone (people like noogy) but I'm not yet one of those people. XD

 

[Chaos]

It was a huge pain in the ass to get used to in the beginning due to the interface, but I've steadily stuck with it and thannks to Andrew Price ( blenderguru ) I've started to love it. I used to be pretty good with 3ds back in the day, but you can't argue with free.

BlenderCookie has good training if you havnt checked it out, they did a spaceship course a while back.

http://youtu.be/69TwsVBT7-I

 

[razu]

I'm floored by how wonderful the artwork looks in all these games. I've been back about ten pages looking at everything, and I find all of it wonderful.

For the programmers, what sort of backgrounds do you have? If you're working on an indie game on the side, what do you do for a steady paycheck? I ask because I'm a software developer at a bank who's interested in working with the development of a game again.

I'm a game coder by day, indie coder by night! Code, code, code...

It's a good way to be. If your only creative output is through your day job, things can get frustrating!

 

[Pehesse]

It's good to go back to stuff after a little rest on it, so you see everything that goes wrong with it. This simple new move integration sparked a lot of ideas about how I should generally improve the whole thing - like, for instance, moving the attacker to the foreground... simple stuff, and I can't believe I didn't consider it before. I'll add that to the list of tester feedback and other considerations!

It's also funny to go back to 3 month old code after you've spent a while learning several other tricks that didn't seem interesting/applicable at the time... now, thanks to the work on the VN segment, I'm fairly certain I can rework things to work better. Or at the very least, the script will read better :-D

 

[GulAtiCa]

Man, reducing framerate issues without reducing resolution/graphics sure is tough... Spent good part of yesterday trying to fix up my game (ZaciSa's Last Stand) and get it to run better. What worse is I just improved some of my graphics, so it made it worse! lol

Have a few ideas though. For one thing, going to use layered canvases and have a background canvas that is only rendered once per map (or at least every few frames when needed in terms of dynamic backgrounds). That will help a little.

The bots each have 2 canvases made and saved to DOM to help cache them. (Example, as you see that bot has 2, one for the big range, and 2nd for the edge part). This was done for dynamic maps where portions of them may have to be cut off due to walls. Though that is 1 map so makes sense that I change it and get rid of that 1st canvas and just render the image. For the other canvases, I was thinking of just putting it on TV screen and just position it of where it should go (since TV screen is 100% and never changes position), that will save me a lot of resources and frames.

Boy do I have my work cut out for me.

 

[Feep]

I've been working on a secret side project with Samsung and Oculus for the Gear VR! It's called Lunasee, and it is rad and a Cyclops game where you shoot disc targets with eyebeams. (My first name, "Face Skeet", did not focus test well for some reason.)

Screenies!

 

[cbox]

Very cool feep! I personally love face skeet! haha

 

[keit4]

I made this for Ludum Dare #30:
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=36181

I had zero experience with the framework when the jam started (not a good idea, i know) so i had to learn the basics in the first 24 hours.

 

[Ashodin]

Face Skeet ( ° ͜ʖ °)

 

[TheGreatDirector]

Hello everyone! Some of you may be aware of the Rpg Maker Challenge we had this summer after the humble bundle deal that sold Rpg Maker VX Ace and XP for a dollar each. I was originally planning on participating in that event, but procrastination and limited working time made me unable to submit a game in time. However, with no deadline in the way now, I plan to slowly but surely finish and release this game.

Grand Space Opera is a traditional rpg that will merge classic western and japanese role playing game tropes and gameplay to create a unique experience and story in a space opera setting. The game will follow a band of people who turn into vigilantes to uproot the seeds of corruption sowed by two political parties at the galactic scale. The events will span over worlds with a focus being on the player discovering his or her play style and story. Though there is an emphasis on non-linear game play, storytelling is a key part to the game and one an expect a solid tale to be told if one's main focus in on the story of the game. Battles will be traditionally turn based with an emphasis on combos and other gimmicks unique to characters and weapons. Mini-games will(hopefully) be abundant and rewarding to the player if sought out. Planets will be developed for the player to explore to there fullest reaches and secrets can be found in the biggest and smallest of maps. Every nook and cranny of this game has something to offer and attention to detail whether in graphics or dialogue will be a major emphasis on my part. A large cast of characters will be available for you to find across the cosmos. Your spaceship will be ready to take you to any world of your choice as well as providing you with all the needs and wants you could possibly have. In the end I hope to make this game pleasing to at least one person out there and if I can do that, I feel like I will have succeeded in at least one way. Expect more news from me later but for now please enjoy some screens!

 

[Michael Armbrust]

So a question, I apologize I'd this isnt usual operating procedure, but the games that people are working on currently, are they your "dream" game or have you started with something in the hopes of gaining experience so that eventually you can make that "dream" game. I'm just curious as to whether some people gradually worked up to an idea that they had in their head?

Back when I was first getting into indie development I had some cool concepts I really wanted to make, but I knew they'd take years to finish.

So I came up with the idea of a "one month" game project just so that my studio would have something out for people to play. I designed the game with extremely minimalistic graphics so that I could finish the entire thing in under a month.


Well as I was working on it I started to realize the game's concept had a lot of potential. Instead of releasing it at the end of the month, I went back in to pre production and completely overhauled the project. This game that I was just making out of need, became my dream game.

Now over a year later I'm still working on it and still loving it.




@Thread
I've been busy working on an in game language, but just the other day I completed the written portion of it. Here's a sample:

Designing the language was cool. Like FEZ and all the great puzzle games decoding it will be necessary to 100%ing the campaign, but players can alternatively not bother and still reach the end credits.

How are in game languages going with you guys?


Also this got me thinking about the balance of game verse lore. How do you guys manage fitting gameplay elements into your games while staying within lore? For example death/respawning? Are you just shrugging it off as a game mechanic, or are you meshing it in within your universe?

For VizionEck I made the lore/universe after I finished the mechanics and visuals. It was a pretty backwards approach, but I really like how it turned out. For example with death/respawning in mp, it ended up working best to make the players remote controlled robots.

 

[razu]

I've been working on a secret side project with Samsung and Oculus for the Gear VR! It's called Lunasee, and it is rad and a Cyclops game where you shoot disc targets with eyebeams. (My first name, "Face Skeet", did not focus test well for some reason.)

Screenies!

Cool man! Will it work on the DK2? Mine should be on the way in a few weeks!

 

[Feep]

Cool man! Will it work on the DK2? Mine should be on the way in a few weeks!

I could compile it for the DK2, I suppose. It's a pretty simple experience, but hey, so was Proton Pulse? Also the game is currently designed so that targets can come from any direction, so wires might be annoying...?

 

[Five]

So a question, I apologize I'd this isnt usual operating procedure, but the games that people are working on currently, are they your "dream" game or have you started with something in the hopes of gaining experience so that eventually you can make that "dream" game. I'm just curious as to whether some people gradually worked up to an idea that they had in their head?

I missed this question earlier, but wanted to take a stab at it. The game I'm working on right now is my dream game, but I'd be lying if that dream wasn't shaped by knowing what I'm capable of.

It's not the same dream I had eight years ago when I started making games, but that's not a bad thing in my mind. I'm making what I want to now, what I know I can be good at.

I think the best way to get better is to challenge yourself. I think the best way to finish a project is keep the scope manageable. Finding a happy medium is a struggle at times, but it's worthwhile.

Designing the language was cool. Like FEZ and all the great puzzle games decoding it will be necessary to 100%ing the campaign, but players can alternatively not bother and still reach the end credits.

How are in game languages going with you guys?

This kind of thing is always fascinating to me. I love having hidden stuff like that.

Right now, all I'm doing is using Anglo-Saxon runes, and all I'm hiding are puns and one-liners. Up until yesterday, though, I was thinking about hiding some secret content behind decoding a set of statues (see some of my other posts on this page) whose characters' name's initials would spell words. So, to spell LEFT, I might have Link Eddie Finn Tim in a row. But I decided the copyright infringement wasn't worth it, so I'll probably come up with something more clever.

 

[OldmanAndroid]

Some friends and I had an impromptu get-together to pitch game ideas and work on them this labor day weekend. We settled on a pretty neat idea which we've been working on since - a cowboy-dueling typing game, a bit like a cross between Monkey Island's insult swordfighting and Typing of the Dead. You face off against a CPU opponent and have to type your randomized western phrases correctly to draw and fire your gun.




The fingers wiggle with each keystroke. Type the whole sentence correctly and you'll fire your gun and win; flub the typing and you'll fire and miss. You can miss up to six times before autofailing completely. If you type a 'g" where an apostrophe is to indicate a dropped g... I don't know yet, but I really want something stupid to happen.

I'm doing the assets, my friend is handling most of the programming (he's a gaffer, maybe he'll post in here too with some of the more technical stuff). We had a good time finding goofy spaghetti western style instruments for the soundtrack and effects too.

I'm also pretty proud of our dumb title: Times New Gunman

I think this is an awesome idea, a really nice bite-size game for you to chew on. Really appropriate title too, good call. You should have it so if someone types in certain swear words, they shoot themself.

 

[JulianImp]

Some friends and I had an impromptu get-together to pitch game ideas and work on them this labor day weekend. We settled on a pretty neat idea which we've been working on since - a cowboy-dueling typing game, a bit like a cross between Monkey Island's insult swordfighting and Typing of the Dead. You face off against a CPU opponent and have to type your randomized western phrases correctly to draw and fire your gun.

The fingers wiggle with each keystroke. Type the whole sentence correctly and you'll fire your gun and win; flub the typing and you'll fire and miss. You can miss up to six times before autofailing completely. If you type a 'g" where an apostrophe is to indicate a dropped g... I don't know yet, but I really want something stupid to happen.

I'm doing the assets, my friend is handling most of the programming (he's a gaffer, maybe he'll post in here too with some of the more technical stuff). We had a good time finding goofy spaghetti western style instruments for the soundtrack and effects too.

I'm also pretty proud of our dumb title: Times New Gunman

It looks like a fun small project! Sometimes I think I should try going for a simpler idea every now and then instead of always building platformers and other stuff that take lots of time to properly develop and playtest.

Also, you could always fail players for trying a different spelling of the words the game asks for, and maybe award them a witty achievement for trying more locuacious spellings enough times. That, or maybe you could replace their clothing with that of a victorian townsfolk one item at a time for every "mistake" it's done, and dub them Sir/Madam <playername> if they get the whole victorian clothing set at once.

...That's probably too much work, but I guess I love that kind of extra stuff despite how it tends to clog up the development pipeline even further.

I've been stuck in bed since Monday due to catching the flu, so I didn't get to work on the game at all. I've mostly gotten over my fever, even though I still don't feel like getting up and moving around the house. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get back to using Unity...

Still, having to stay at home wasn't entirely a bad thing, since I was here to receive a second package from the TGS containing my expositor badges, set-up crew pins and game of the show party invitations! Missing the mailman today would've been a real pain with my flight being next Saturday.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

It looks like a fun small project! Sometimes I think I should try going for a simpler idea every now and then instead of always building platformers and other stuff that take lots of time to properly develop and playtest.

Also, you could always fail players for trying a different spelling of the words the game asks for, and maybe award them a witty achievement for trying more locuacious spellings enough times. That, or maybe you could replace their clothing with that of a victorian townsfolk one item at a time for every "mistake" it's done, and dub them Sir/Madam <playername> if they get the whole victorian clothing set at once.

...That's probably too much work, but I guess I love that kind of extra stuff despite how it tends to clog up the development pipeline even further.

Yeah, we actually bounced a few ideas similar to these around. Once we've got a core game finished with the two cowboys, there are some things that could be added to make it a bit more robust. One idea was a sort of endurance mode where you have to type single words to defeat large waves of enemies (complete with a sort of assembly line of opponents going off into the distance), and another was expanding the game into a sort of time travel thing with selectable characters.

We got all those ideas on a page and whittled away until we had something more reasonable - just the two cowboy characters for now, one background, and the western phrases - but once we've built that there's nothing stopping us from adding more.

I definitely want to punish players for trying to fix the dropped g's though, that's one dumb extraneous joke I really want to be present in this demo.

 

[Ashodin]

ENDLESS RUNNER SECRET AREA

Also proud to announce I got my narrator VA, and he kicks ASS. Can't wait for you all to hear it!

 

[chubigans]

My first game didn't start as my dream game, but by the time I was finished I accomplished most of what I'd like to see in such a title.

Near the end of development, I realized my 'dream experience' was more about the opportunity to experiment and try a bunch of different things, without stressing over a paycheck.



The game is looking great Interestingly, you're the second lawyer I know who has pursued Indie developed. I hope it works out for you.

Hey, almost forgot to congratulate you on the PS4 port! That's awesome!

 

[Limanima]

I'm back from vacation!
I can see that you guys have been busy, it's nice to see all this projects moving forward. Keep up people.
Meanwhile I have my engine and game working on Windows Phone besides iOS and android. There are still some limitations, not sure if I'll ever release the game on wp, we'll see.
The game is near completion, I'm working on the sound.

 

[Granadier]

I made this for Ludum Dare #30:
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=36181

I had zero experience with the framework when the jam started (not a good idea, i know) so i had to learn the basics in the first 24 hours.

Wow, this is stupidly difficult and amazing. Awesome concept and execution!

It reminds me a lot of Limbo, except with coordination puzzles.

I could compile it for the DK2, I suppose. It's a pretty simple experience, but hey, so was Proton Pulse? Also the game is currently designed so that targets can come from any direction, so wires might be annoying...?

Some company could make a good amount of money selling wireless packs/kits for the DK2/DK1 I bet.

Similar to what they did in this HoloDeck vid.
Battery pack + wireless HDMI = $$$$$

 

[TheGreatDirector]

Here are two additional screenshots from my work in progress. I'll elaborate a bit on each location.

This is an abandoned hangar you finds in the beginning of the game.

Right now the player is seeing the character, Alfonso, looking over a balcony. What you don't know from this picture however, is that this character is just one of several parties that the player has already formed and moved individually throughout the stars. Players will be able to use party switching to tackle multiple tasks across the universe with the press of a button allowing for faster completion of quests and dungeons as well as giving players a quick way out in dire circumstances(with some exceptions).

It is from this hangar that your party partakes special quests and missions over time.
Though these are typically non-story related side quests, they often give great rewards for their completion. In addition I am hoping to add a reputation system for your party for every quest completed. The higher your reputation, the more changes you'll see on the over world of different planets and you may just encounter characters and scenes you might not normally. What exactly is that in the middle of the screen? Well, it's a work in a progress. However if all goes well, you'll be able to have an engaging experience when it comes into play.

The above shot is of a sanctuary located on a small planet. With my influence being the original Zelda, I plan on creating a vast expanse filled with worlds for the player to openly explore on there own, granted they know what they may be getting into at the time. No two worlds shall be alike, and all locations in the game will feel entirely unique to themselves. I am striving to add atmosphere to every place you can find, and this sanctuary is just a taste of what you can come across in the universe. Though it looks a bit empty now, this place can fill up with NPC's at the right times. If you the player go searching for it, you may encounter more than the physical. Every place will have its own story and lore to tell. Whether it's small or big is up to the player's interpretation.

 

[Michael Armbrust]

This kind of thing is always fascinating to me. I love having hidden stuff like that.

Right now, all I'm doing is using Anglo-Saxon runes, and all I'm hiding are puns and one-liners. Up until yesterday, though, I was thinking about hiding some secret content behind decoding a set of statues (see some of my other posts on this page) whose characters' name's initials would spell words. So, to spell LEFT, I might have Link Eddie Finn Tim in a row. But I decided the copyright infringement wasn't worth it, so I'll probably come up with something more clever.

Yeah I read some of your posts about that earlier.

Good luck figuring out a new method.

 

[zero shift]

I have a quick question. How much more difficult is it doing highly detailed 2D graphics (like Skullgirls or even Blazblue) compared to 3D models? Is really THAT much more difficult? Or do they have their plus and minuses? Arc stated that doing their 3D model techniques for Xrd were more or less as difficult as sprites.

Hello everyone! Some of you may be aware of the Rpg Maker Challenge we had this summer after the humble bundle deal that sold Rpg Maker VX Ace and XP for a dollar each. I was originally planning on participating in that event, but procrastination and limited working time made me unable to submit a game in time. However, with no deadline in the way now, I plan to slowly but surely finish and release this game.

Grand Space Opera is a traditional rpg that will merge classic western and japanese role playing game tropes and gameplay to create a unique experience and story in a space opera setting....

Seems interesting. I'll love to try the winning game(s) of the contest.

 

[Five]

Yeah I read some of your posts about that earlier.

Good luck figuring out a new method.

Thanks. I'm hoping to figure out something soon so that it doesn't feel pasted onto the end of the game.

If I'm honest, I wouldn't have even guessed that the image you posted was language. To be fair, the foreign alphabet in Fez would have been less evident had there not been the hypercube with a speech bubble of that. Is the image you posted solvable on its own, or does it need external information?

I have a quick question. How much more difficult is it doing highly detailed 2D graphics (like Skullgirls or even Blazblue) compared to 3D models? Is really THAT much more difficult? Or do they have their plus and minuses? Arc stated that doing their 3D model techniques for Xrd were more or less as difficult as sprites.

I don't know if there's anyone in this thread qualified enough on both sides of the issue to reliably speak into this, although I could be wrong. I'm assuming you're trying to decide which production pipeline to use, so what I would suggest is research them separately and see which one seems more achievable to you.

 

[missile]

CELL_OK

 

[Noogy]

Hey, almost forgot to congratulate you on the PS4 port! That's awesome!

Thanks It's cool working with Sony (of course, I loved working with MS as well). Lots of great people on both sides.

Now I just have to find a way to work with Nintendo sometime. Because honestly, what indie developer doesn't want to see their game on a Nintendo platform?

 

[Michael Armbrust]

Thanks. I'm hoping to figure out something soon so that it doesn't feel pasted onto the end of the game.

If I'm honest, I wouldn't have even guessed that the image you posted was language. To be fair, the foreign alphabet in Fez would have been less evident had there not been the hypercube with a speech bubble of that. Is the image you posted solvable on its own, or does it need external information?

I'm extremely committed to staying true to my game's lore. It's one of the selling points I guess you could say. Sure I'll have fun add ons and what not for new game+ and mp, but in the core story-based campaign it's 100% authentic to the game's universe.

That meant the in game language couldn't be a simple letter to letter one like Fez. The "things" that made this language would have never heard a word of English, so basing their language off English would be cheating. Instead I created the entire language from scratch.

So no, the image I posted is not solvable on its own hahaha. It'll be very hard for players to crack the language, even with an abundance of text and speech in the game.

 

[Five]

I'm extremely committed to staying true to my game's lore. It's one of the selling points I guess you could say. Sure I'll have fun add ons and what not for new game+ and mp, but in the core story-based campaign it's 100% authentic to the game's universe.

That meant the in game language couldn't be a simple letter to letter one like Fez. The "things" that made this language would have never heard a word of English, so basing their language off English would be cheating. Instead I created the entire language from scratch.

So no, the image I posted is not solvable on its own hahaha. It'll be very hard for players to crack the language, even with an abundance of text and speech in the game.

I think that dedication is super cool, but it might be too much for anyone to ever try to figure out. If it's too obtuse, it might look like something that's not supposed to be figured out, or that doesn't mean anything.

I'm biased in the matter because I'm the kind of person who is grateful that Fez was already solved by the time I got around to playing it, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Regardless, what you have there is still fascinating.

 

[Michael Armbrust]

I think that dedication is super cool, but it might be too much for anyone to ever try to figure out. If it's too obtuse, it might look like something that's not supposed to be figured out, or that doesn't mean anything.

I'm biased in the matter because I'm the kind of person who is grateful that Fez was already solved by the time I got around to playing it, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Regardless, what you have there is still fascinating.

That's actually what I'm going for.

Nowadays with the internet being so popular, I don't see it as gamer vs game, but gaming community vs game.

Sure there are secrets designed to be solved just by one lone gamer to make the first playthrough fun, but most of the secrets are designed to be solved collectively by the combined player base; the language being one of them.


The closest example of something like this would be how we handled PT. If you followed the GAF thread, you saw that the community was solving the game together. Kojima expected it to be solved in a week minimum, and yet it was finished in just four hours because of mostly teamwork.


That same type of teamwork will be needed to uncover all the secrets in VizionEck.

it might look like something that's not supposed to be figured out, or that doesn't mean anything"

Yes that's a challenge. Especially with the game's minimalistic art-style, it's hard to get people to understand just how much thought is put into everything else. When people get their hands on the full campaign it won't be a problem, but right now it does make marketing interesting.

 

[Sanpei]

I need tutorials for 2D animations...I am a beginner

Which tool is the best for it ?

 

[Pehesse]

I need tutorials for 2D animations...I am a beginner

Which tool is the best for it ?

I'd say it really depends on the kind of 2D animation you want to make.

If you're looking for puppet animation (draw separated parts and animate them individually), then I'd say vector tools are a good choice, so Illustrator/Inkscape and the like to design/draw the parts - as for the animation itself, you can then use either the same tool, or something like Spine or others that have been suggested previously in this thread? I'll let others more versed in that give a more detailed overview.

If you're looking to do "classic" animation (for lack of a better word), where each frame is different, then any drawing tool will do. Photoshop, Gimp, anything for high-res 2D, or Photoshop (again) and pixel-art oriented software like graphics gale for anything and everything pixel-art related.

As far as animation tutorials themselves, I'd highly recommend looking at what's available from Richard Williams' masterclasses (there are video excerpts you can find, like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhdPraQn40 ) and reading his Animator's Survival Kit, and build from there!