The Indies' Guide to Game Making | Features This article originally appeared in issue 246 of PC Gamer UK. You might have heard that “It's never been easier to make a game.” And it's true. But how do you actually make one? I don't know, but I do know a lot of indie games. I'll also cover how much these tools cost, what your rights are when it comes to selling your work, and what platforms they can make games for. Contents The built-in sprite editor isn't bad. What is it? Price and licence: The limited version is free, basic version is £30, a version for teams is £60. Makes games for: PC and Mac. iOS and Android versions are £120 extra each, HTML5 is £60. Link: Tutorial:TIG forums tutorials Consistent rules are simpler to code. Case Study: Spelunky Developer: Derek Yu Get it:for free How long does Game Maker take to learn? It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get the hang of Game Maker. What prior knowledge or skills are helpful? What can't you do with it? How long did Spelunky take to make?
Amit’s Game Programming Information What’s on this page? I’m interested in producing complexity out of simple parts. This page contains bookmarks that I collected while working on games; I did not write most of the content linked from here. As a result the set of links here reflects the types of things I needed to know: only a few specific topics (not everything related to game programming), general ideas instead of platform-specific information (graphics, sound, compilers), and ideas and designs instead of source code (I find it easier to go from an idea to code than from code to an idea). Other sites, like Gamedev Tuts+, Gamedev, and Gamasutra, cover lots more topics than mine does. Determining how to move around on a map is an interesting problem. These pages are about specific techniques for pathfinding and object movement: My current favorite algorithm is A*, because it can handle varying terrain costs well, and it seems to be faster than most graph searching algorithms. Code and Demos Data structures Displaying Tiles
The Big Question: Which tools are needed for the best soundtracks? Recruitment expert Amiqus consults devs and media about the most efficient audio middleware on the market In 2016, the soundtrack of a video game is becoming as important as gameplay. What are some of the best tools for the job? As technology creates more immersive game experiences, audio has an increasingly vital role in driving player engagement. Sound creates emotional narrative and supports physical player-activity through acoustics to inform spatial awareness as well as providing important aural feedback on gameplay. In short, in-game audio touches everything. “Sound is the underestimated but vital element of computer game design,” claims Lucy Prebble of The Guardian. Many would agree. Col Walder, senior audio programmer at CD Projekt Red told us: “I think the modern middleware for audio is a great first stop for someone wanting to step up their soundtrack. Ian Macbeth of independent studio Resonant Sound Design concurs: “The No.1 audio implementation tool for me has to be Wwise.
Game Programming Patterns A Layman’s Guide to Projection in Videogames « Significant Bits Oftentimes when a videogame has a skewed, overhead point of view, we call it isometric. That’s rarely the accurate term, though, and it’s not just pointless semantics. Although Echochrome uses a single projection type, its gameplay is based on constantly rotating and morphing its 3D structures. With each new view, the physical architecture of the level changes to reflect what the player sees on the screen. Projection basically means taking a three dimensional object and displaying it on a 2D plane (i.e., a screen). So what exactly are these projection types? 1). Orthographic projection relies on a lack of perspective and a consistent relationship between its axes. The side, top-down, and bird’s eye Orthographic views, with some faking. Top-down views tend to look a little awkward rendering pyramid-shaped structures. A side-view Orthographic projection is often simulated in platforming games, showing a scene as viewed through the player’s eyes. 2). 3).
Fluid Simulation for Video Games (part 1) By Dr. Michael J. Gourlay Download Article Download Fluid Simulation for Video Games (Part 1) [PDF 1.2MB] Introduction to Fluid Dynamics Video games appeal to our desire to explore and interact with our environment, and adding real-world phenomena-such as fluid motion-allows game developers to create immersive and fun virtual worlds. To get started in fluid simulations, you need to understand the fundamentals of fluid dynamics. What Is a Fluid? A fluid is any substance that flows (in other words, a substance that can take the shape of its container) and does not resist deformation (meaning that it slides when dragged). But what about smoke? Varieties of Physical Simulation Whereas fluid dynamics might not be as familiar to most video game programmers, some forms of physical simulation have become commonplace. Particles are points that have position, mass, and velocity but (in principle) no size or shape, as Figure 1(a) shows. Figure 1. 1D. Figure 2. Fluids have lots of freedom of motion. .
Microtalks Upload Loading... Working... ► Play all Microtalks GDC16 videos2,918 viewsLast updated on May 9, 2016 Play all Sign in to YouTube Sign in History Sign in to add this to Watch Later Add to Loading playlists... The Big List Of Indie Game Development Forums | PixelProspector - the indie goldmine The Big List Of Indie Game Development Forums A collection of game development forums: generalengine specificgenre specificinternationalgame art In case you want to create your own forum consider to check out this list of forum software. Game Development Forums – General Game Development Forums – Engine Specific Game Development Forums – Genre Specific Game Development Forums – International (Game) Art Forums Big List of Video Game Forums Big List of Video Game Forums
Humus Tutorials | Learn Unity 2D If you checked out the previous tutorial, the first in a series from Design a Game which focused on a pixel-based land called Teutoburg Forest. In part 2, the tutorial takes things a step further, adding Javelins and audio into the mix. Check out the Youtube below - This awesome one-sheet from Deviant art user ‘Cellusious’ came from a link on the Learn Unity 2D Facebook group – thanks to Pietro Polsinelli for posting it! Cellusious makes some really important points in this informative sheet – that many pixel art tutorials aim to teach muscle memory and uniformity, whereas pixel art, like any other form should emphasise skill in design and drawing. Find the sheet on his Deviant art page here. Follow Cellusious on Twitter. As a big fan of the Rayman series of games, I took an interest in the UbiArt tool pipeline that Ubisoft have developed to make that series easy to iterate upon. Puppet2D official site – Here’s the core of the tutorial on Youtube -