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    Wednesday, April 21, 2021

    Home Unlabelled I looked into some ways to use the dot product in Unity shader and gameplay programming. Turns out, there's a lot! Tutorial in the comments.

    I looked into some ways to use the dot product in Unity shader and gameplay programming. Turns out, there's a lot! Tutorial in the comments.

    April 21, 2021

    I looked into some ways to use the dot product in Unity shader and gameplay programming. Turns out, there's a lot! Tutorial in the comments.

    I looked into some ways to use the dot product in Unity shader and gameplay programming. Turns out, there's a lot! Tutorial in the comments.

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:07 AM PDT

    Gamification & Psychology Mechanics of End Level Screens

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 06:14 AM PDT

    Will a Computer Science degree lock me out of the "creative" aspect of game design?

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 08:01 PM PDT

    I put "creative" in quotations because obviously programming involves a lot of creativity. What I mean by creative, I am talking about the visual design and story aspects of game dev. I know that game degrees are quite... bad. So I am opting to major in Computer Science with a minor in digital design and portfolio. Being an artist, I am worried that even with a good portfolio I might be locked into programming, when I want to be involved more in the creative team aspects of game dev as well.

    I know this is probably a painfully stupid question, and I don't mind the downvotes. Would just like some insight.

    submitted by /u/Iffy_Rae
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    How Do I Learn the Terminology and Concepts Behind Game Engines, 3d Lighting, Rendering, and Ray Tracing?

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 10:50 AM PDT

    I have a decent amount of programming knowledge, so I was wondering, where do I learn the concepts behind 3d game engines, including some math, as well as all the concepts behind lighting and other tricks? I was hoping to learn most of the concept, as well as more advanced concepts, like reflections, shadows, etc.

    submitted by /u/Stanley_C
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    more reviews of Unreal's Metahuman are rolling out (Create Realistic Digital Humans)

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 07:04 AM PDT

    Saw people were asking for an open-source 2D MMORPG, so here's something I found.

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 06:12 PM PDT

    My Love-Hate relationship with development

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 03:37 AM PDT

    I've read a few posts about burning out and not being able to keep up the fire to develop.
    I learned programming to create Flash games (RIP) and went on university to learn CS, then got a job and since then worked as a developer. Though I'm not a Game Developer, I've felt the burning out from the whole field as is.

    Only lately I found my way back to game development and realised I love this. If you asked me a half a year ago if I could imagine myself doing any development in my free time, I'd say you're mad and I'd never touch code outside of work.

    You can guess it, now I'm developing my game and I love it. It brings back that "childish" joy from the days I learned and developed my first Flash games. Now I have a lot more knowledge and I can actually create (almost) anything I want since I have the know-how from the programming side.

    Anybody with a similar story? What are your survival tactics in the industry (game or any other dev)?

    submitted by /u/Shatter830
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    Looking for any case-specific heightmapping software/tools/plugins/info

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:20 AM PDT

    Hi all, let me get straight to the point.

    I want to be able to create more accurate heightmaps for a game I play (Crashday), but the game seems to use an uncommon heightmapping method. It accepts both 8bit and 24bit BMP files, where 8bit BMP files allow for your regular grayscale (256 point) heightmaps. However, it is also able to utilize color to extend the detail to I believe 768 points. I can explain how it works by increasing elevation in single steps (using RGB values): 0 0 0, 0 0 1, 0 1 1, 1 1 1, 1 1 2, 1 2 2, 2 2 2, etc.

    Extra tidbit (that may or may not be important): It doesn't discriminate between 0 0 1, 0 1 0 and 1 0 0. As far as the game is concerned, those are identical.

    Is there anything out there that can export, convert, or otherwise work with such heightmaps? Also, is there a name for this? I've been searching with '24 bit heightmap', but this hasn't proven to be specific enough. Any information, leads or just anything you can tell/link me at all will be greatly appreciated!

    Thank you!

    submitted by /u/MicaLovesKPOP
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    Threat/Damage Indicator with Procedural Material and UMG. Can also be used as compass for Quest Objects. Made in UE4

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 10:36 PM PDT

    3D Model cost guesstimate

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 06:00 AM PDT

    I wanted to look into this a bit more myself to gage something, would anyone happen to have a guess as to how much it'd even cost to have a character model made with a rig and key frames much like the models of Guilty Gear Xrd/Strive?

    I'm curious cause it's a bit hard to tell if the models have a low or high poly count to them.

    submitted by /u/Scootie_Seafluff
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    Wiggleface: A silly game engine I made for my students

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:20 AM PDT

    Looking for breakdowns of popular games or mechanics

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:16 AM PDT

    I'm looking for YT-channels, books or other resources that breaks down how popular games are build or the thoughts behind certain mechanics.

    I don't need a tutorial telling me exactly where to put what, I'd much rather learn the thought process behind building games.

    The ever popular Space Dust Racing video is a good example of what I'm looking for, and I've come across podcasts that touches this subject from time to time.

    It would be nice with a whole channel dedicated to breaking down different games and mechanics.

    Anyone know of something in that direction?

    submitted by /u/mifan
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    Is their a reason so many indie dev studios are in Europe?

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 07:07 PM PDT

    Yea I know it's an odd question, but I'm curious. It seems that so many dev studios are disproportionately in Europe, obviously not a bad thing but I'm wondering why, tax incentives? More creative in general? Or am I dumb and maybe this isn't a thing. Lol

    submitted by /u/Norishoe
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    Tips in Internships in GameDev

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 06:43 AM PDT

    Hi guys,

    I'm a student just finishing a Video Game Design and Development Degree. I'm very interested in Game Design and Level Design and I was wondering how hard it is for a student to find internships in this field. Any tips on how you got your first job?

    Thanks a lot.

    submitted by /u/AdriaTM11
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    Any developer want to do an AMA event? (Ask me anything)

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 11:47 AM PDT

    The event is not for marketing purposes, exposure, or anything of the sorts. Its for pure enjoyment for everyone and every party participating.

    ​

    Hello! My name is Cristaf. I am the community manager over on a Discord server with well over 10,000 members at this point. We would love to invite Game developers into our community to run an AMA event with our community.

    How it would work:

    - We setup everything. All you need to join is click join on a channel and speak!

    - Members will ask game development or gaming questions in a text channel which then I will read aloud to you to speak your answer.

    - The event will be capped at 1 hour because your time is valuable!

    ​

    Want to be one of these developers? Contact me over Discord at Cristaf#8791. I cannot wait to speak with you!

    submitted by /u/Cristaf1
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    Learning A Game Engine In 1 HOUR! - Gamedev Challenge Devlog

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 11:43 AM PDT

    Preview Help

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 11:22 AM PDT

    Hello, I am just wondering how I can disable/not view the thing circled in red (in image) whilst previewing/simulating emitter. Thanks in advance! (Link to image: https://postimg.cc/hX8bZJ75)

    submitted by /u/cantfindausername93
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    Estimate for prototype development duration

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 10:30 AM PDT

    Soon my summer vacation starts before I start my master's degree. For a while I have wanted to implement a new game mode in an FPS game. Much like SnD or TDM. However, other than some Unity3D and OpenGL for school assignments I have no experience. Also I have only time to work on this for 2 months tops before I probably won't have time for at least half a year. What I want to implement is basically SnD with a twist.

    Are there complete FPS games out there that are OSS or maybe a complete development kit with everything included e.g. guns, characters, animations, textures, movement, etc. Depending on whether or not this is available, is my timeline feasable at all?

    submitted by /u/GBrouwer
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    Did you ever feel ready to start your first game?

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 04:16 AM PDT

    First of all, great community here! I'm usually a lurker but feel I should get involved more.

    ​

    I have been taking a course on Unity Learn for a few weeks now and I keep wondering if I should just dive in and start making my first game. The only thing holding me back is the thought that I'm not good enough to start yet. Maybe I don't know enough or I should be learning things as and when I need them?

    ​

    How did you feel before starting your first game? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

    submitted by /u/MichaelNealeDev
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    Retrospective on my first commercial game, a FTP online multiplayer head-to-head RTS/Tower Defense game, what went well and what didn't!

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 03:46 PM PDT

    The Game

    Nectar of the Gods is an unquenchable head-to-head real-time strategy / tower defense game where bugs battle over the finest beverages. You must strategically deploy a chosen bug family, nimbly navigate the countertop, and claim liquid nirvana!

    Data

    • Developer: Ben Thomas
    • Publisher: Ben Thomas
    • Release Date: January 27, 2021
    • Platforms: Steam (Windows)
    • Team Size: 1
    • Length of Development: 9 months part time, 6 months full time
    • Development Tools: Unity 2020 Engine, Krita (Art + Animation), Audacity (Sound + Music), Trello (Project Management)

    Goals

    • Make a polished commercial multiplayer game inspired by chess and starcraft that challenged the player and let them play with their friends online.
    • Learn every facet of what is required to launch a game: coding, art, animation, netcode, sound, promotion/marketing, trailer.
    • Build the foundation for cool future projects.

    What went right?

    • I finished the game! It is fun, playable, and feature complete. I made respectable cheerful art. The game has personality. It is not loaded with coding bugs.
    • I learned so much from the experience and feel confident I could make a number of game projects much faster with the experience I now have.
    • I am proud that I committed to and finished a project that took greater than a year. It takes great dedication to push through the grindy months.
    • I contracted the music from friends of a friend. They were incredibly fun to work with and the music turned out fantastic.
    • Releasing the game on one platform, Steam, ended up being the right call. As a solo developer trying to support multiple platforms I would have been stretched unsustainably thin, especially for a multiplayer game.
    • Facepunch.Steamworks, an open source C# wrapper of the Steamworks API worked like a charm and let me implement my online multiplayer entirely through Steam's services.
    • Almost 3 months after release 5848 people have added the game on steam and 1591 unique players have played the game. A decent audience for a first time solo developer.

    What went wrong?

    Realtime Multiplayer

    Independent developers, especially solo ones, are often discouraged from making online multiplayer games due to the complexity online multiplayer brings that would take resources away from adding more content to the game. I am happy I ignored this advice because multiplayer experiences drive me, but I absolutely regret not doing a turn based game.

    I went with P2P (peer-to-peer) networking as a small time developer rather than paying for dedicated servers. This combined with realtime multiplayer in the game created latency issues I could not overcome. If the multiplayer was turn based and did not require split second timing I could have overcome the limitations of P2P networking rather than ship a game with subpar multiplayer experience. The game is certainly very playable, the latency can sometimes cause a desync of game state between the two players, a nightmare for a game that is entirely centered around competitive head-to-head realtime competition.

    Free-to-play / Revenue

    The free-to-play model of the game is you get access to the entire game for free with only 1 of the 3 playable bug families. In the $12.99 bug pack DLC you get "The Hive" and "Spidey Party". These final two bug families add 16 unique bugs and create the "rock-paper-scissors" dynamic between the 3 playable factions inspired by starcraft.

    I modeled by business plan off of multiplayer games I know and love. Free-to-play games like League of Legends, Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, etc. I felt like I understood that a multiplayer game is as good as the strength of its community and going free-to-play helps grow that community. People will jump in due to the low barrier of entry, fall in love with the game, and spend money afterwards to enrich the experience.

    What I did not consider is how many successful free-to-play indie games are out there? Does the audience for competitive multiplayer free-to-play games expect a huge amount of polish and support for the games they decide to invest in?

    My game did not "take off", and even though a lot of people played it, very very few purchased the full experience. After excluding reviewers and friends, roughly 5 in ~1600 players spent $12.99 to unlock the full experience. <$200.00 total revenue.

    I should have tailored my business plan to a smaller group of enthusiasts rather than copying the model of industry titans.

    Press Coverage

    Like revenue, I did feel like I had realistic expectations as a first time indie developer. But that doesn't mean there weren't things I could have done better.

    I had an amazing free PR service through Post Horn PR who sent out a press release with codes to like 100 outlets and influencers. But not a single one covered my game. I think a part of that was that it was a small time game that didn't look that interesting. But what I found in my later outreach is people are MUCH MUCH more likely to cover your game if you send them a personalized message on why you think the game would be a good fit for them. I was pretty burnt out but if I put more effort in this area I would have gotten better results.

    I also found a lot of success on the "Woovit" platform getting smaller influencers to cover my game just by posting codes.

    I never found a game development "community"

    This one is a little abstract. A big part of me wanting to make a game was to connect with people who made games. To join a like minded network of people who were equally passionate about games as I was. I wanted to make friends locally attending meetups (covid kinda wrecked this one). After my game was released I wanted to feel some belonging, comradery, and connection with people I respect.

    But it didn't really go down that way. My experience developing a commercial game was extremely solitary and somewhat lonely. I was not able to go to meetups with coronavirus starting right when I went full time on the game. And people in the industry/hobby making commercial things didn't pay me much attention online, twitter, etc.

    Making a game takes years, I'm not sure how people find partners to hustle with for years on end.

    I could have done more, been more active on forums, discord, reddit, etc. But when I did participate I felt overwhelmed, like I was shouting into the void, not making a meaningful connection. I was also so tired from working on the game, trying to stay healthy, putting time into my personal life that I didn't have a lot left over for the internet.

    Controller Support

    I spent a great deal of time making the game completely playable with only a controller because I personally like playing PC games with a controller. And I am happy it's there for accessibility. But boy oh boy do the Steam stats show that hardly anybody plays the game with a controller. I just don't think it's the first option for fans of PC strategy games.

    Art

    I am so proud of the way the art turned out. I have no formal art training, and have made very little visual art in my life. But with just a drawing tablet and a commitment to a simple style I could visualize in my head I was able to create some striking albeit amateurish art. Get a feel for it in the launch trailer for the game: https://youtu.be/oaFosKnbZpM.

    Risk management

    I limited risk by:

    • Making the game solo, reducing dependencies, costs, and complications.
    • Keeping the game small, making a commercial game in about a year is somewhat reasonable compared to the much longer development cycles of other games.
    • I created the initial prototype while I was working full time, so I knew I had something I was passionate about before I fully committed to it.

    The riskiest part about this endeavour was that I quit my job to work on the game full time. I did not expect by any means to recoup my lost income. Part of making a game was just the joy of doing it and learning, not motivated by money.

    I got the fulfillment, but the game has less than $200 of revenue in 3 months. I was prepared for the game to make little money but oof this one stings and takes a bit of wind out of the sails considering how much time I spent polishing to make a commercial product.

    Mid-project changes

    A few months into the project I bailed on any meaningful single player content. It would have taken the game twice as long to come out. And would significantly increase the amount of art the game would require. This was problematic because as a new artist my workflow was very slow and something I only enjoyed in smaller spurts. I am happy with this decision because even though some people would have enjoyed a campaign, I was far more driven by the action online.

    At the very end of the project, about a week before launch, I retested the MacOS online version of the game, a version that had never had any issues, and it was not working. I have zero idea why it stopped working. Throughout the process I had not had to put any additional time into the MacOS support I just had to export "as Mac". But it was a huge bummer. I did not have the bandwidth to figure it out since Mac is such a small portion of PC gamers. And just like that Mac support was lost :(

    Summary of Lessons Learned

    1. If you are going to save money and time with Peer-to-Peer multiplayer make the game TURN BASED, not realtime.
    2. Making a game free-to-play to get more players does not equate at all to any predictable amount of revenue. Not every game is League of Legends.
    3. I learned I enjoy programming and design more than art and music. This was a really valuable lesson because if I try to do another 1+ year game development cycle I am much more likely to burn out if I need to do a lot of art and music.
    4. Making games doesn't mean you automatically get to gain a bunch of friends who make games.
    5. Steam is really powerful, I was constantly impressed by the Steamworks API and the detail that goes into a Store page.
    6. Even though I read and watched countless guides on BizDev for indie games, and learned and applied a lot of it, it was nowhere near enough to reach real eyeball volume.

    Conclusion

    I am proud of Nectar of the Gods. It feels like a tremendous personal achievement. I really enjoyed playing it with friends and seeing some internet strangers review it. I am not sure what my future in game development looks like. I don't think I could lone wolf another super long project, it's just not my nature. But I'll always be on the hunt for ways to engage with gaming and eSports. Games are my life passion. Thanks for reading!

    submitted by /u/freeBrunch
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    When will high difficulty be a problem?

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:51 AM PDT

    While doing the final polishing for my upcoming game, I find myself constantly trying to adjust the difficulty level. I started increasing loot drop rate, adding level design elements that give player some upper hand, putting more pick up items in the map, reducing enemy health... I feel like I'm afraid of player feeling "unfair", when they get into a bad situation while unprepared or receiving a curve ball that they didn't see coming, and then get frustrated and rage quit.

    This concerns me because when I first started making this game I intended for it to be highly challenging, requiring players to carefully plan every move, and I expect players to want to make every combat engagement perfect - if not they would load last save and try again - something I used to do over and over with Max Payne 2. Now it seems like my initial vision is getting "dumbed down".

    Meanwhile, those who have played my game never complained about challenges, and they kinda enjoyed the difficulty. But I don't know about the majority of people who will play this game. I'm just afraid that they will give up really fast, and miss out all the later content with my heart and soul in it.

    So TLDR: my game is hard, and I'm afraid that people will rage quit and all the content with my hard work will not be experienced. What do you think about this?

    submitted by /u/Rotorist
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    are there any tutorials out there on gameplay/controls programming? for example, timing based combos to button holding/release charge mechanics to different outputs being executed based on previous states (like fast combo fighting games) so it's not a jumbled mess of nested if statements?

    Posted: 20 Apr 2021 07:21 PM PDT

    as the title says.

    i'm trying to develop a game and i'm focusing on character controls for now.

    I'm struggling a lot with trying to properly implement controls you'd find in games like Megaman, Dead Cells or Hades - dash, dodgeroll, dash+dodgeroll, etc. Often with time durations implicated depending on character powerups modifiers.

    Is there a programming pattern or a tutorial for this?

    submitted by /u/V3Qn117x0UFQ
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    XNA vs FNA vs Monogame

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:29 AM PDT

    hi guys, so i am new to C# game dev and i would like to know the diffrence between xna, fna, and monogame. i would also like to know if looking at the xna docs for monogame and fna might help me understand and learn them more. sorry if my wording is a little off

    ​

    edit: would also like something with clear docs and fairly easy learning curve with good learning resources. also if you would recommend other graphics/game frameworks for C# would be greatly appreciated

    submitted by /u/NoInformation9327
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    What are the best options for config file formats (XML, JSON, INI, LUA, etc.)?

    Posted: 21 Apr 2021 08:21 AM PDT

    I'm a newbie in the world of game development, and would really appreciate your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of different file formats, and the right scenarios that a specific format might outshine another. I'm most familiar with XML from reading textbooks in the library, but I wonder if it might be getting outdated? Thanks in advance for the responses!

    submitted by /u/yung-padawan
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