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    Frank Herbert Discovered the Secret to Game Development Decades Ago

    November 23, 2021

    Frank Herbert Discovered the Secret to Game Development Decades Ago

    Frank Herbert Discovered the Secret to Game Development Decades Ago

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:56 AM PST

    Here's a quote from Frank Herbert, the author of Dune:

    "A man is a fool not to put everything he has, at any given moment, into what he is creating. You're there now doing the thing on paper. You're not killing the goose, you're just producing an egg. So I don't worry about inspiration, or anything like that. It's a matter of just sitting down and working. I have never had the problem of a writing block. I've heard about it. I've felt reluctant to write on some days, for whole weeks, or sometimes even longer. I'd much rather go fishing, for example, or go sharpen pencils, or go swimming, or what not. But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, "Well, now it's writing time and now I'll write." There's no difference on paper between the two."

    At a high level I think there are several pieces of wisdom for game development (and everything else) found inside:

    • Don't worry about inspiration. Primarily I think this just means to make sure that you're not only doing the tasks that are easy to accomplish. With your game, try and identify the important tasks that you probably don't enjoy doing as much, and prioritize getting them done as early as you can. Later on in development, those things are less likely to pull you across the finish line.

    • Focus on a first draft. The quote above does not imply that Frank Herbert rushed through an initial run of Dune and then called it a finished novel. What it means is that early on in the process, his priority and focus was on getting things down, words onto the paper. For game development, this could mean putting more focus on creating a game jam style version of your game as early as possible instead of focusing on random features. Get the words down (or the game), and then make it better. You can't edit what doesn't exist, and no one can play a game that only exists in your head.

    • You're not alone. Finishing a game or a novel or any piece of art is truly one of the most difficult things to do. I think it's important to remember that even people like Frank Herbert dealt with these concepts and was pulled towards procrastination at times. Just remember that you're not alone, and there's nothing wrong with you or your efforts when things become difficult. You can do it, and the world will be all the better for it.

    I made a short video on these concepts and enjoyed talking about this quote. Hopefully someone benefits from it, thanks for reading, and good luck with your projects!

    submitted by /u/thebuffed
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    Low Poly Tool Set - Asset Pack

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 05:12 AM PST

    My tutorial of making sprites for people who can't draw

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 04:33 PM PST

    Is anyone making mid-level money here?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 05:40 AM PST

    It seems like we only hear about super successful stories (survivorship bias I guess) where people made a lof of money or sometimes someone who completely failed and made $0 shared their story.

    Are there any people who make "enough" money? I mean in the ballpark of a salary. Not becoming rich but not having to quit either, just enough to stay afloat, to live a normal life and to save a small part of the revenue.

    OrangePixel comes to mind, I remember he said in a video he was making kinda the same money as an employee in his country.

    I would like to make some games and I would be ok with the idea of making some decent money out of it, I don't need millions of dollars. If I would get the same money as my salary (maybe even a bit less) I would be ok with it, but is this even possible, or is it a case where you either make a lot of money or you go bankrupt?

    submitted by /u/tudor07
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    JRPG vs Western Design Philosophy

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 06:13 PM PST

    So I just finished playing through a campaign of XCOM 2. Absolutely fantastic game with a tightly designed tactical combat system. I don't know if "Western" is really the correct word for it, but it's the one I'll use for now. After I beat the game a friend suggested I give Fire Emblem a try, lending me a 3ds to give Fire Emblem: Awakening a spin. I'm a couple hours in and... just really bored out of my mind. The combat seems so dull and lifeless. Every combat has been on an essentially flat grid. The weapon system is glorified Rock-Paper-Scissors. Character balance feels nonexistent.

    Clearly this isn't just "bad game design" though. It's a popular title in a popular series. And I realized another Japanese title I tipped my toes into recently (Persona 5) have a lot of similar elements.

    Firstly, a "weakness" system. Enemies being vulnerable to certain attacks seems important. This list of weaknesses isn't short though, if it's elements, there are usually a high number of them. In FE:A, there are 3 basic weapons, but others that don't directly seem to be in the weakness circle. I don't even know how many elements there are in P5, feels like at least a dozen. I know this kind of thing pops up in other popular titles too, Pokemon comes to mind. Obviously weakness aren't absent in Western designed games, but they are quite different. Much more focused, and generally less common. And, I think, generally more obvious/intuitive eg. robot enemies are weak to electric damage.

    It's not completely clear to me what sort of experience this is intended to give. Skill testing in relation to memory? Knowing which enemies are weak to which element and which character has access to those attacks?

    There's also the whole idea of random encounters (this more from P5 rather than Fire Emblem), which I know is very common but that I don't understand. It's always felt like senseless dull grinding to me. Battling easy enemies by mashing the same attacks over and over. Western games aren't free from this by any stretch of the imagination, but I think trash mobs are much less likely to endlessly respawn in a Western game.

    There are some other elements that come to mind as well (lots of character stats, lengthy dialogue sections, heavy consumable focus, etc.)

    So help me understand. Why do you like these design directions? Or are you in my boat in finding them off-putting? Perhaps you used to find them annoying, but you pushed through and once you were more used to them, you started to enjoy them?

    submitted by /u/Leonard03
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    How would you create a game with a Claymation artstyle?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 06:15 PM PST

    When it comes to a 3D game how would you go about replicating the look of clay or using actual clay?

    submitted by /u/Mr_UrchinMacky
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    How do you guys make your requirement system?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:30 PM PST

    No, I'm not talking about system requirements for your game. I'm talking about a system where you can set the conditions for a requirement to be met before something else can happen.

    For example: the player needs to have both the fire sword and be at least level 30 in order to enter this dungeon. Or let's say you're making a rogue like game, and the player has to have a bow equipped for the bow range extension power up to show up.

    I'm curious how you guys make your requirement system. Do you have a way to abstract the system so it can be used along with your other systems? Or do you code it into your systems individually?

    submitted by /u/kchen12
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    What a technical marvel M.A.G was!

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 06:24 PM PST

    Massive Action Game was released almost ten years ago, on the PS3.

    What's the big deal, you ask? It maintained a solid 30 fps on 1280x720. This is all whilst 256 players were on a server. Sure, due to the map size, you'd only ever have 90-100 in any given area, this is still extremely impressive.

    Bear in mind, the PS3 only had:

    256MB of slow ass RAM

    256MB of slow ass VRAM

    A very under locked 7800 GT to fit TDP requirements of a console.

    On a terrible 1 strong core, 6 weak core CPU/SPU Cell Processor that was notoriously difficult to work with and that just sucked.

    I find this fact mind blowing. I can't begin to imagine how the insanely talented Dev team mixed in great animations, gunplay, audio and a 3D minimal and UI elements on very pretty looking environments with great lighting for the time.

    Big kudos to these devs. Looking at current releases like 2042 barely being able to maintain a solid frame rate, it makes you wonder how much better games were optimised back then.

    submitted by /u/IslamTeachesLove
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    The safest way to use DOTS in your MonoBehaviour project

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:51 PM PST

    So, you quit your well-paid job in a game development company to make your own project/start an indie studio. Why would you do that?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 04:16 PM PST

    I'm wondering how commonly people decide to take this step after spending some time in the industry. Would be interesting to hear about your motivations and your story :)

    My reasons would be a mixture of the following:
    - Adapting to a supervisor's feedback, decisions and vision can be tiring, especially in cases when you don't agree with those. It would be so refreshing to be the one in charge, making final calls (spoiler: nowadays sometimes I wish someone would make some decisions instead of me ^^)
    - Like almost everyone else, I had a "dream game" idea to which I feel strongly about at least giving a serious try.
    - Making a successful indie game feels like winning a lottery, but hey, the only sure thing is you're not gonna win if you don't buy a ticket. I guess it's better to try when I still can rather than regret it later :)

    submitted by /u/MaciekWithOats
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    Game dev on Linux??

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:28 PM PST

    I don't like Windows 11, Do any of you use Linux?? Because that really has made me start considering Linux as an option for my primary OS with Windows just there for testing and games , after just running it on VMs. especially after the LTT challenge. Any distro you would recommend? Or, Is WSL just a better option with only Linux dev environment especially with WSLg, being able to run Linux apps with their GUI?

    submitted by /u/Techsposure
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    ?What to make after I made this?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:20 PM PST

    I made a spongebob horror game. It is buggy, but I made it in a week or two. It's all about Mr Krabs sneaking into Goofy Goober's while avoiding Patrick. It's a buggy mess, the game sometimes cannot be completed, so should I go bigger now, or should I try to go back and give that a more polished feel?

    submitted by /u/StillAssistance
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    Tips for applicants this COVID, from a recruiter’s POV

    Posted: 21 Nov 2021 07:58 PM PST

    Last Friday was the first time in my 8 years as a senior programmer/recruiter that an applicant cried in an interview. She's a CS fresh grad and told me she felt extremely pressured having no clue how to find work properly, especially since she's from the graduating batch during COVID.

    I gave her some personal tips, and I figured I could post them here to help out other fresh grads/students on the same boat:

    • Explore recruitment platforms. A lot of companies expand their recruitment options outside conventional portals like LinkedIn. I have industry friends adding game-focused listings into Leaderboard Jobs, and we also often search for applicants in Indeed, and even Upwork.
    • Streamline your CV and profiles. Recruiters look at hundreds of applications everyday, so make sure your CV and online profiles are streamlined. Get your LinkedIn and Github profiles up and running, and make your CV as concise and clean as possible.
    • Make passion projects anyway. Even a short game or a small game could work for your portfolio. I look for cues that demonstrate your technical know-how. If you're not confident about finishing a game, make a project document recruiters can look into. Hint: Modding, joining game jams (here are upcoming ones from Itch.io) - they count!
    • Problem solving is very important. Aside from technical components, I want to emphasize that recruiters also focus on your problem solving. When you're given a problem to solve on-site, chances are the recruiter will review your work with you. It helps to be able to demonstrate your methodology and way of thinking in those tests. You should show that you know how you solve a problem, not just the answer.
    • Expand your skill set. Learning new frameworks and tools through videos and online courses is a huge plus and gives you a lot of professional options in the long run. If you're a fresh grad, don't be afraid to settle for a position and expand your skills as you earn. Your company will likely appreciate it if you show initiative in learning what other departments do. Even if you quit, your prior experience is still a great addition to your portfolio.

    I'd like to point out that this process is something our studio does (we're a team of 35), so it's vastly different from company to company. But I figured this might help illuminate parts of the application process, especially from the recruiter's perspective.

    submitted by /u/GeneviveHamel
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    What makes an EPIC Final Boss?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 06:57 PM PST

    What things make a epic final encounter with the big baddie of the main story?

    submitted by /u/KadeWad3
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    Any good place to find Unity/C# gamejams calendar for a solo indie noob ?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 05:37 PM PST

    I'm new into coding and want to get my teeths into real situation and learn with poeple ! I search good calendar tools where gamejams for unity are written. Can you help me about that please ?

    submitted by /u/Vifargent753
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    "Chill games" - a new genre?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 02:28 AM PST

    I just wonder if anyone noticed. In the recent years kind of a meta-genre arised: "chill games", as I call them. Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, A Short Hike, Flower, Journey, ABZU, Dorfromantik, Kind Words, Gris, recently Unpacking etc. It's not a genre mechanically, but more of an "art movement", like impressionism or cubism in painting.

    Chill games have basically two traits: - relaxing atmosphere - no pressure on getting better or a possibility of failure

    Do you think this is going to stay or it's just a short trend that will die out in a few years?

    submitted by /u/ned_poreyra
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    Do you think libgdx is good for 2D?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:12 PM PST

    I want to create a 2D game on mobile and desktop and maybe web. I have experience in Java and Kotlin. Do you think libgdx is great for that? Or should I use an other engine.

    submitted by /u/IAmOpenSourced
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    Lock on: Is it necessary, and what kind is best?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:01 PM PST

    I'm working on a lock-on system for my game, so I wanted to ask what other people thought of them. A lot of action games implement some sort of lock-on system. Games like Dark Souls and Zelda have a very "invasive" lock on, meaning that a lot of things change when you're locked on. For example, movement becomes relative to the enemy, and your character's movement and dodging relies on more quickstepping and strafing than before. Other games implement camera lock, which saves you from having to navigate the camera, or just automatically target the closest enemy.

    What do you feel is the best form of lock on?

    submitted by /u/thekingdtom
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    Anti-Procrastination Hosts File - Block your distractions away, make friends and win at life.

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:53 PM PST

    Made this host file today instead of working on my game.

    Hope it's useful, I'll probably keep it updated.

    submitted by /u/050607
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    How important is it to create the client and server using the same language?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 02:56 PM PST

    I have heard sometimes that making client and server in the same language has the major benefit of being able to share game logic code between the client and server. Also, it leaves less room for mistakes between the client and server code based.

    But what if I am using JavaScript to make my game, and I don't want to use Node for my server? Should I switch to making my game in Unity so that I can use C# for the server?

    Is there any situation where it is recommended to use different languages for client and server?

    submitted by /u/Mysterious_Ad7624
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    Does anyone know an engine suited for an atmospheric walking sim?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:56 PM PST

    I'm looking to make a 3D somewhat retro style atmospheric walking sim similar to Yume Nikki with a somewhat similar style to paratopic where you explore an abstract reality.

    If possible I would like the engine to be free, easily capable of complex collision, efficient in culling objects (it's going to be an open-world), easy to manipulate models & create environments and has no splash screen. And of course, be able to export as an executable

    I was using Unity before but didn't want to deal with the splash screen because I think it really takes away from the experience, and I don't mind learning a new framework I've learnt a few languages.

    submitted by /u/Masgame
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    Can I Get Same Results From Character Creator 3 In Unity 3D

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:14 PM PST

    Hello!

    My game that I am making desperately needs a photo-realish character. After some digging around, Character Creator 3 looks like to be the best option. Can I get the model from Character Creator 3 to look the same in Unity? From what I have seen, character tends to look plastic because of subsurface scattering not working and stuff like that. However, I have seen some pretty photo-real human models in Unity before, just not sure how they do it. I work in Unity 3D 2020.2.5f1 URP

    submitted by /u/UnityNerd
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    I'll be using Linux for my new PC: What Distro & Game Engine should I use?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 11:41 PM PST

    To note, the main notable specs of the PC are:

    CPU Ryzen 9 3900X GPU Radeon RX 5600XT RAM 32GB of DDR4

    Also, I've not actually started development on my game aside from very small prototype ideas, so I'm not attached to a specific engine in terms of needing to keep my work

    From what I've seen, of the super popular & common game engines, Unity's the most "Linux Friendly" of them, but apparently it only runs in very specific versions of Ubuntu & CentOS (Not even other Ubuntu based Distros), not to mention those versions are fairly outdated (Only supported Ubuntu versions are 16.04 & 18.04, but not 20.04 for some reason (The latest LTS version)). Godot is the other semi-notable Linux friendly engine I've seen, but not sure I wanna commit to it yet. Are there any other super notable game engines that natively run on most linux distros? If so, what distro should I use for that engine in terms of stuff like performance optimizations, potential QoL features, etc?

    submitted by /u/Nintega94
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    Is it worth doing a game development course from a college in canada ?

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 11:03 PM PST

    Can you get a job after it? If yes which colleges would you guys suggest.

    submitted by /u/not_JYX
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    Alternatives to RAD Game Tools (i.e. Bink Video)

    Posted: 22 Nov 2021 03:58 AM PST

    Out of Epic's middleware acquisitions, RAD Game Tools (the company behind Bink Video) stands as their most significant. Quixel's Megascans still has a decent number of alternatives such as GameTextures, Poliigon and ScansLibrary. Kamu's Easy Anti-Cheat has Valve Anti-Cheat and BattlEye (and to say nothing of in-house systems like Activision's new Ricochet). RAD Game Tools doesn't really have an alternative, barring perhaps Criware (used primarily in Japanese games but some western games such as Crysis series and Life is Strange 2 used it). This is because Bink is so ubiquitous (being used by a huge majority of games) that no other company has developed a competing alternative.

    submitted by /u/Winscler
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