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    Thursday, June 10, 2021

    Home Unlabelled Hi Gamedev, If you are working on a project that requires gunshot sound effects, I recorded a Mossberg Shotgun & AR 15 Rifle on a shooting range. I hope you can use it. Greetings Marcel

    Hi Gamedev, If you are working on a project that requires gunshot sound effects, I recorded a Mossberg Shotgun & AR 15 Rifle on a shooting range. I hope you can use it. Greetings Marcel

    June 10, 2021

    Hi Gamedev, If you are working on a project that requires gunshot sound effects, I recorded a Mossberg Shotgun & AR 15 Rifle on a shooting range. I hope you can use it. Greetings Marcel

    Hi Gamedev, If you are working on a project that requires gunshot sound effects, I recorded a Mossberg Shotgun & AR 15 Rifle on a shooting range. I hope you can use it. Greetings Marcel

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:51 AM PDT

    Interviewed the Indie Dev behind Kainga on learning game dev and launching a successful Kickstarter in 3 Years! Hope it motivates some folks here

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 02:18 AM PDT

    Just released game, getting spammed with "reviewers" asking for steam keys.

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 03:51 PM PDT

    Hi all,

    I've just released my first indie game on steam, and already I'm being bombarded by emails from people asking for free steam keys so that they can review the game. Some of these people are steam curators, but most are YouTube channels ranging from 3,000 – 20,000 subs.

    As a first-time dev on a low budget (who honestly didn't expect to receive much attention) I'm eager to get my game some much needed exposure. This seems almost too good to be true, and I suspect there is something fishy going on. Some of these reviewers are asking for multiple steam keys btw – this seems like a red flag.

    But some of them do seem legit though, and since I really do want some publicity, is it worth giving out free keys in the hopes that some of these people will genuinely review the game like they are saying? The game is pretty cheap, so perhaps getting a bit of exposure is worth the risk of being scammed out of a few free copies.

    What do you guys think? Any advice would be muchly appreciated.

    Many thanks.

    submitted by /u/RogueworksGameDev
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    I gave away $18.6 on Twitter, here's what happened

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 08:14 AM PDT

    More specifically, I ran a contest on my Twitter with the three prizes being a copy of the Indie bundle for Palestinian Aid on Itch.io which is still available and on sale at an outrageously low price, so check that out!

    Notes:

    • I also bought the bundle myself, but I won't be considering that for this promotion since, y'know, I'd've bought it anyway.

    • All costs are in CAD, which is about 20% less than USD.

    • I'm just some guy and this was very small-scale. Take the things I say with a grain of salt, please correct me if I'm wrong and just give your opinion on this stuff too - I'm still very much just learning.

    TL;DR.

    I gave away indie bundles instead of buying Twitter ads. For $18.6 I gained 8 followers, lost 2, and got lots of engagement. Compared to the price of impressions, engagement, and followers via typical ads I think this was pretty good economically speaking. Moreover - it was lots of fun and made some people really happy. I'd highly recommend trying it some time if you're in the market for building a following or giving people free things because it's fun and nice.

    It probably would have been better to do it through week days, prepared better promotional material, and just generally not made it such a hasty, split second decision. If you have a bigger following, you might even be able to talk to some indie games and try to coordinate this sort of thing with them alongside a sale or update.

    Cost comparison to Twitter ads.

    I haven't ran Twitter ads before, and therefore my perception of them is certainly skewed. Perhaps one day I'll spend some money on that and compare this experience with that one! For now, we're going to look at it more theoretically - the cost for impressions on Twitter is variable, you can set a bid - Twitter provides suggested bids and I'll go off of them. When I viewed it last, the cost was as such per 1K impressions.

    Cost Bid($) Impressions/$18.6
    Low $4.23 4397
    Medium $5.74 3240
    High $7.25 2565

    Now, you might ask, "how does bid value impact the quality of impressions?" And I have no idea. Let me know if you do know.

    So, how many impressions did these posts get? This campaign stretched across 5 main tweets, but since each reminder was quote tweeting the initial post, I think that it's safe to say that the number to really look at (in terms of overall impressions) is that first one.

    Post Impressions
    The initial pitch. 4167
    Reminder 1 578
    Reminder 2 696
    Reminder 3 988
    Wrap-up 727

    Keep in mind "the initial pitch" overlaps with "reminders 1-3", as the reminders each quote-tweeted the original pitch. With that in mind, this campaign resulted in something in the realm of 5000 impressions. However, how that compares to other tweet I've made is a natural question. Well, my second most successful post has 2,720 impressions and I would say a usual post gets anywhere between 400 and 1000 impressions quite reasonably. So, did this do better than usual? Not particularly in terms of impressions.

    The number of impressions was not resoundingly more than if we had perhaps recycled some past content over 5 tweets instead and although this giveaway is a lot more recyclable in the short-term than any given piece of normal content, it's less recyclable long-term. In any case, where this promotion truly shined was more in the realm of engagements and following.

    Comparison by engagement.

    Bid suggestions for engagements (this seems to include retweet, like, and replies) are as such:

    Cost Bid($) Engagements/$18.6
    Low 0.36 51.66
    Medium 1.27 14.64
    High 2.17 8.57

    If we discount the various typical retweet bots, the total number of engagements from "regular users" that I wouldn't typically get was about 15-20 just on the main post, with 6 of those being replies. In the end, this seems comparable to buying the engagement instead even when only considering the main post, and none of the engagements given on followup posts.

    However, one interesting factor I'm also noticing is that these numbers are deflated somewhat compared to the day-of, I think this may be as a result of people cleaning their timelines of these things as they end and/or Twitter removing spam accounts - so I'm glad that I took some time before finishing this post to let that dust settle.

    Comparison by followers.

    It's noteworthy that people who follow during a campaign like this might just bounce the second I start posting about my own game again, but this promotion does appeal to people who like indie games so - well, y'know, only time will tell and after all, the same could be said of a bought follower too.

    It's also noteworthy that none of my tweets regarding the campaign included a requirement to follow me, but I did have a pinned tweet that showed off some of the stuff for my thing and that included an invitation to follow for more stuff like that. I might have been able to really pump up those numbers, however at the same time I'd like to think this ensured that the people who did follow me did so because they wanted to.

    Bid suggestions for followers are as such:

    Cost Bid($) Followers/$18.6
    Low 2.42 7.68
    Medium 2.72 6.83
    High 3.02 6.15

    At the beginning of the campaign, I had 43 followers. Immediately after my first post, this dropped to 42. Following that, it rose to 50 between then and the final post, and finally, fell back to 49. So all in all, lost 2 gained 8. If we assume this is all related to the campaign we can consider this perhaps a +6? Some people may have felt it was uninteresting, a scam/spam, or just too marketeering. All in all, it worked out favourably I think.

    Reflections.

    I would attribute much of the success of these 2nd and 3rd reminders (compared to he first) to their use of a simple image just slamming the word "FREE" on top of some games.

    Similarly I think this was more effective in terms of bringing in followers for the fact that I just have content already (with a post that combined some of that content in to one pinned on the profile) so it creates a bit of a, "Come for the giveaway, stay for the indie game" situation that wouldn't exist if my profile was just fresh out of the oven and no other content to show off.

    The third reminder post especially evoked a big response I think with the "LAST CALL", and the second seemed to tickle something in some people with, "3 winners, but only one entrant so far! This is embarrassing!" I think a lot of people are likely to pass up a giveaway because they assume the odds won't be in their favour, reminding them that they have a good shot can be a good way to ensure at least a minimum amount of engagement.

    All of the winners, plus some other users, did follow me. Interestingly 1 winner followed before winning, while the other two winners followed after being informed - so there may be a bit of an "obligatory" sort of feeling there. The more prizes you give out, the more chances you have to create a moment of, "Oh, really? Me?!" Or at least a "I should probably follow them, or I'd feel bad!" moment.

    Would I do it again?

    Absolutely. I'm very happy with how this campaign went - just even having 3 or more people to give out the 3 prizes to was more than I was expecting at first because it wasn't doing too great before the reminder posts. Giving away the bundle to a few people in and of itself was fun and nice and the performance in terms of analytics was solid enough. Similar (at least from what I hear) to regular ad campaigns, it allowed me to reach beyond my usual audience which is really neat.

    I think importantly I'll do it every once in a while, but not too often, to try to avoid cultivating a following that's a bit too interested in giveaways specifically. I also want to continue to simply promote these things to people who are interested in indie games more than anything, since a person who likes indie games is more likely to like my thing.

    What would I do differently if I did it again?

    I think I would have considered doing it throughout the week instead of Sunday/Monday, as Sunday/Monday can be quite "meh" in my experience. Due to the time constraints of the bundle, I needed to get it done ASAP in this case unfortunately.

    I would have prepared better promotional material from the get-go, I think the original post not being particularly eye-catching was a bane to the potential for it to reach higher ends of the hashtags it used and potentially reach a more widespread audience. Similarly, I would have chosen the hashtags on my initial post a bit more carefully and tried to just stick with things that would ensure more engagement right off the bat.

    I would emphasize "make sure I can DM you" a bit more, since most people who entered didn't have their DMs entered and I had to simply reply-tweet them. Or perhaps even go full promotion mode and ask entrants to follow me, as if someone follows you you can DM them without all the fuss.

    Another thing I'd consider is trying to collaborate with people, especially if I get more of an actual following in the future I think it could be great to find more games I'm personally interested in, talk to the creator(s) and maybe intentionally coincide the promotion with an update to their game or a sale for it.

    Thanks for reading.

    Or at least reading part of it, this is a bit overly long, isn't it? As they say, if I had more time I would have wrote a shorter post.

    In any case, I hope this post was helpful to you in some way and might encourage you to do your own giveaways or just buy the bundle itself, it's a steal of a deal and almost gone!

    And finally, of course, check out the Twitter for future giveaways and, y'know, the game we're making! @AkestorDev

    submitted by /u/AkestorDev
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    Why games keep updating after the release ?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 03:53 PM PDT

    I take for example Fallout 76 who got a big slap in the face when it came out

    Now it's apparently getting better

    But why continue in a game that started that bad and not using the team for another one ?

    Do you think that's because project budget isn't done at the moment or is it because Bethesda really trust in this project ?

    Maybe it could be just easier to make big patch even gameplay patches than making a game (which is maybe from scratch from this type of game)

    A lot of question ! Have a nice day

    submitted by /u/lord_baba
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    How do you advertise your game?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 12:57 PM PDT

    I released a game on Steam about a week ago, currently has 411 outstanding wishlists and 49 units sold.

    This project took me (and a friend) 3 years from start to finish (only worked on it on free time and when in the mood).

    The game is cheap and had a 15% discount on first week. Sales seem to have stopped for now, couple days with 0 units sold now.

    Tried advertising a bit on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but couldn't reach a bigger audience. We believe we are really bad at this.

    We do believe the game is fun, and the price is ok. We know it's not a AAA game, but we think it has more potential than that.

    So I'm asking for help. How do you spread the word about your game? Which platforms are better to use to reach more people regarding gaming? What can I do?

    submitted by /u/evohunz
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    Is it late to switch to game dev in my mid-30s?

    Posted: 09 Jun 2021 11:35 PM PDT

    Hi everyone,

    I'm a software engineer with about 6+ years of experience. I'm currently working as a web dev. I love game developments but I hadn't tried it until a month ago when I installed Unity and made a couple of simple one-level and unfinished with a couple of box games. I'm in my mid-30s and I was thinking to switch to game development, but there are some questions I have, I really appreciate it if you can guide me.

    1. as I said, I'm in my mid-30s, is it reasonable to switch to game development at this age, because I need to learn a lot of new things, and of course I don't have any real experience in game development.
    2. The programming part of the game development is not an issue for me, my problem is when the design comes in. Let's say I'm going to develop a game, does it make sense if I learn to design (3d models, sounds, level, etc.) by myself?

    thank you

    submitted by /u/EndZeeee
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    Do games developer just turn visibility on and off for clothes?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 05:08 PM PDT

    If a game just turn visibility on and off for clothes isn't that will take a lot of memory especially when there is a lot of clothes customization like hundreds of clothes and pants. I'm assuming we are using something like a modular character where the torso,arm and etc is separated.

    Or do we instantiate the clothes into the game? Isn't that gonna ruin the weight paint of the clothes when we make it as a child of a bone/armature since weight paint only exist for each bone (based on my understanding correct me if i'm wrong), It makes sense for things like weapons and etc since it moves as 1 pieces and doesn't have the need for any deformation but what about clothes like shirts or pants where there is deformation at the joint.

    Edit: Is modular character not suitable for deformation and only have 1 bone for each part? I think I'm suppose to separate part even more like top leg and lower leg for better deformation but that still isn't the best I guess. Should I just use another clothing system if I wanted good looking model? Like morphing and etc

    submitted by /u/Biggymin
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    2.5D art approach in games?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 04:05 PM PDT

    Hey all,

    I am working on a "isometric" RPG, similar to the original Fallout series, and I have a question regarding the art, not the programming.

    My engine is completely 2D and right now I am using placeholder 2D sprites that I found online that have a 2.5D "isometric" look. I am starting to move to the phase of my project where I am going to do a more professional vertical slice of the game, hiring an artist and such.

    I see a lot of pixel artists that can do this POV but pixel art is not the style I am going for. I think the original Fallout series and Diablo were 3D models rendered down to 2D, wasn't it?

    So my question is what approach should I take and what do I ask for? Do I get a 3D animator to create the characters and animate the motions and then render them down to 2D sprite sheets? Or is there a such a thing as a 2.5D isometric artist? Would the 2D artists not take longer to craft the animations for every NPC, especially with different weapon variants? Also whomever does this would need to create the world environment and objects as well.

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/neodare
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    Photogrammetry equipment for indoor 3D prop scanning

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 02:45 AM PDT

    Hey, it took me a couple of months to put this video together, but it's finally here :)

    I really hope it was worth the effort and someone will find it useful and helpful.

    I think this is the last time I've done such a long one :)

    https://youtu.be/REA3XNgUMJg

    Cheers!
    Grzegorz

    submitted by /u/gbar76
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    "Giving the middle finger" = Mature content ?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 02:39 PM PDT

    I'm developing a remake of an old ZX Spectrum game (Bloody Paws), and I'm currently working on a "classic mode" that let's you play the game with the graphics and mechanics of the original. I'm debating including the original loading screen, in which the main character is shown giving the middle finger.

    https://worldofspectrum.org/scr2gif?size=5&file=pub/sinclair/screens/load/b/scr/BloodyPaws.scr

    If I were to include it, do you think I'll need to update the rating of the game to "mature" on Steam? What's your take?I'm leaning towards omitting this screen, honestly.

    submitted by /u/Mersox
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    Do you create color pallets for you games?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

    Im planning a pixel art game and know that I want it to be pretty warm colors I think but I was wondering if I should create a large pallet that everything in my game would use or just pick colors that work best for each object.

    submitted by /u/PNGU1N0
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    The Storyteller- Free Voice Actors powered by Artificial Intelligence

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 01:59 PM PDT

    Do studios use Twine professionally?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 11:28 AM PDT

    I see articles and posts all over the internet recommending Twine for practice writing dialogue or branching storylines, but do studios ever make use of it? I've even seen a job listing or two recommending experience with it as a hobbyist, but nothing more. I'm learning game design and want to know how much time to invest with this tool.

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/NormalTuesdayKnight
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    PSA to all the Xbox Devs, There isn't a single established (fps)"Aim Training" Game for console players;yet the demand for one is very high. I would gladly shoot someone for a console version.....but I would miss.

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 05:24 PM PDT

    If you are unsure, what I'm referring to, You can always look up kovaak's Ain trainer and Aim labs (free on steam). I know this is easier said than done. But I Figured its a great idea, that has an applicable audience, with a portion of that audience, is practically guaranteed to be choosing your product; because there's no other options!

    submitted by /u/The_Lightskin_Wonder
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    How Common Is It To Use A Custom Engine?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 04:59 PM PDT

    I'm new to the world of programming, and for someone like me it seems absurd to code anything other than basic character output and input, let alone an entire engine. With this narrow point of view, I always thought that people would use engines like Unity or Unreal, but I'm beginning to find that indie devs are creating entire engines for themselves?? I know large studios do that, but small teams?? How common practice is this?

    submitted by /u/icysoun0
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    The importance of learning new things as a Game Dev

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 07:14 AM PDT

    Hello,I am a second year CompSci student and am considering going into game dev. During the two years of uni ive completed something that has been drilled into us is the need to constantly be updating ur skill set, i find myself having to learn things I would never need again for the sake of a single project. I also make games on the side using unity and stuff but something I felt there is that there isnt really a need to learn new things in the same way I would with other software dev, the new things I learn are just stuff I need to know anyway there isnt any of that tangential stuff as with normal dev. This could just be my inexperience as a game dev but what I was wondering is how important is it to learn new stuff as a game programmer, In the indie sphere I assume it dosnt matter much Im more curious on the AAA side of things, how important is it.Note: I dont like or dislike the tangential learning stuff im just curious. English isnt my first language I apologize if I said something strange or confusing.

    Update: Thankyou for all the replies so far! A bit of clarification based on the response. Im more interested in systems development when it comes to games, things like menus, combat, more macro stuff. Most of the changes that have come in this field that seem to require people to learn new things have been rendering related stuff which would largely affect tech artists and engine devs another field I could think of is AI and ML in the game dev pipeline. Im wondering how fast things would change for a systems dev.

    submitted by /u/YForce260
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    Developing for the playdate console

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 03:59 AM PDT

    Are you guys looking forward to develop for the playdate console? What's your thoughts on it based on the current info?

    submitted by /u/nilanjan1920
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    Suggestions for a Game Design/Production Master’s program

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 12:30 PM PDT

    Hello, I'm looking for a Master's program in EU/UK which is mainly focused on general game design and production. I have a non-technical Bachelor's degree so it shouldn't be too coding-heavy, I'm mostly looking for production / project management roles (and maybe narrative design) in the future.

    I wanted to ask for suggestions from the reddit community in case someone has done a similar master's in the past, or has a friend who has done it. My ultimate goal with the master is to find a gaming job in EU/UK, so a program with some industry connections would be very useful. Thanks in advance!

    Some example programs I found: Aalto University - Finland https://www.masterstudies.com/Master-of-Arts-in-New-Media-Game-Design-and-Production/Finland/Aalto/

    University for the Creative Arts - UK https://www.uca.ac.uk/study/courses/ma-games-design/

    University of Suffolk - UK https://www.uos.ac.uk/courses/pg/msc-games-development

    ISAART - France https://www.isart.com/degree-programs/video-games/producer/

    submitted by /u/PasTaCopine
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    Need advice for game I am planning.

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:11 AM PDT

    So I have this idea for a game that follows this dog and he finds his way home. You start in like the city and find your way to his owners house. The story has more layers than that but it is not needed for this question. I am not the greatest coder and have never tried 3d art so I plan on making the game 2d. So my two options would be a platformer style (not sure if correct term but the style where can only go in two directions). Or I could do a top down. I feel that a platformer style would be more immersive but struggle to think of puzzles/obstacles/mechanics that seem natural in a city setting while a top down gives me a lot of options and would allow for obstacles similar to untitled goose game where you have to maybe steal a key from someone (just an example) but I feel it would be less immersive.

    submitted by /u/PNGU1N0
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    Procedurally generated 3d levels.

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 03:19 PM PDT

    Hey!

    I've been toying around with an idea for a game but I've hit a roadblock. For my idea it is crucial that I am able to generate a rich AND unique 3d level procedurally. I am not trying to replicate games like No Man's Sky (procedurally generated but "very basic" when it comes to the world generated).

    What I'd like to create is a world that is full of details (doesn't need to be open world or a very big world at all. I am looking for something like a small "city" or level. For example, for the sake of it, let's pick "Control": Levels are not big but have enough details as to make them unique.

    So I'd like to be able to create procedural levels that can be both unique and "solvable". Levels will also be VERY different from each other (in general), so I would like to avoid simply "re-arranging" assets. I want one place to look like a modern city, while another could be a desolated place. Asset creation and production is not important right now, but the approach to generating levels that make sense is what is stopping me at this early moment.

    Any ideas, suggestions, pointers or whatever will be appreciated!

    Cheers!

    submitted by /u/NoSkillzDad
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    Party Jam is June 21 - July 1st!

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 11:18 AM PDT

    Party Jam by Game Jolt, Amazon Web Services and Beamable is a 10 day game jam starting on June 21st where participants will make a social, multiplayer party game (think Among Us, Fall Guys, etc.).

    In addition to a cash prize, 3 winners will get a chance to play their creations with Dan Gheesling on the home page of Twitch.tv! But that's not all, they'll also have the opportunity to pitch their game to a panel of publishers and investors made up of 505 Games, Xsolla, Griffin Gaming Partners, and Amazon Games! There will be coaching sessions for the winners prior to the pitch with the creative director of Riot!

    Register here: https://form.jotform.com/211297793949171
    Party Jam community: https://gamejolt.com/c/partyjam

    submitted by /u/itslorac
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    How should I price my indie game?

    Posted: 10 Jun 2021 02:28 PM PDT

    I've been working on a Zeldalike RPG with an open world with a number of places to explore, NPC's to talk to, chests to find with weapons that activate mechanics, one miniboss, and one big final boss fight. We are basically finished with the game, but are getting feedback from playtesters that it takes around 30 - 40 minutes to beat completely. What should we charge for it? The original plan was $4.99, but now I'm not so sure. There are some games that I love which are say $15 and give you 2 hours of gameplay, and others that are also cheap and give you an absurd amount of gameplay. From what I've read, indie developers usually underprice their games (and so you should charge more than you think) and games that are really cheap $2-$3 get a bad reputation. Our game I believe is very polished and has fun gameplay, but is short and doesn't have much replayability value. What do you think?

    submitted by /u/shaneh369
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