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GAF Indie Game Development Thread 2: High Res Work for Low Res Pay

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Blizzard

Banned
Pehesse, I can't think of anyone more deserving. Congratulations, and make sure to take good care of your hands! Good posture, frequent breaks, etc. :)
 
I've been messing around with Super Mario Remaker demo for the past couple weeks, but since it's a demo it's very incomplete. I've been looking for a long time for a program where I can create that's easy to use like LBP which I spent a crazy amount of time creating content in and was wondering if anyone here can recommend me something like either of these two.

I've been struggling with a bunch of programs over the past nine years and nothing I have been able to click with yet. I have basically made 0 progress and I don't want to fuck around anymore and get myself where I want to be so I can eventually start working in the industry.
 

Popstar

Member
I've been messing around with Super Mario Remaker demo for the past couple weeks, but since it's a demo it's very incomplete. I've been looking for a long time for a program where I can create that's easy to use like LBP which I spent a crazy amount of time creating content in and was wondering if anyone here can recommend me something like either of these two.

I've been struggling with a bunch of programs over the past nine years and nothing I have been able to click with yet. I have basically made 0 progress and I don't want to fuck around anymore and get myself where I want to be so I can eventually start working in the industry.
Check your PMs for a PICO-8 code.
 

Tain

Member
Blasian Persuasion said:
I've been messing around with Super Mario Remaker demo for the past couple weeks, but since it's a demo it's very incomplete. I've been looking for a long time for a program where I can create that's easy to use like LBP which I spent a crazy amount of time creating content in and was wondering if anyone here can recommend me something like either of these two.

Maybe try out the modern and free Unreal Tournament editor? Unlike jumping right into UE or Unity game development you'll be making maps/mods for an existing game (giving you plenty of assets to work with), and it seems like the natural progression from more approachable but less powerful editors like Mario Maker or LBP. And if you get a good grip on the editor, it'll be all the easier to transition into full-on Unreal Engine game development. UT might not be that exciting to you, though, understandably.

PICO-8 is a good call, too.
 

_Rob_

Member
Now that I've managed to put down Breath of the Wild I'm back to working on Clive 'N' Wrench! Trying to find a balance between "natural" looking landscape but also clearly defining boundaries is a real challenge.

Middle-Age-Crisis-Forest.png
 

LordRaptor

Member
Trying to find a balance between "natural" looking landscape but also clearly defining boundaries is a real challenge.

Unambiguous heights is a good idea if you're not already using it - anything that looks sort of like it might be within jump height will have people trying to jump it, if its at least double maximum jump its a lot easier to immediately parse as 'just scenery'.
e: although I see you're already using convex (or is it concave? I can never remember which) walls which is another good 'don't even try mate' visual indicator
 

missile

Member
Gaining some ground in global illumination;

BBwDpLo.gif


I extended the soft-shadows from last post and do now sample the entire
hemisphere for light instead, using my rather rude approximation technique
coupled with my pixelizing technique which seem to produce pretty good results
again (nice distribution (for eye integration), no flicker, no objectionable
patterns, etc., but with the same issues (still) as explained last time yet
far superior to pure random sampling the scene). I'm rather curious how far I
can go with it.

Looks pretty good from a distance, I would say. Currently there is no
diffuse interreflection, but I'm going to add that later on, i.e. letting the
light bounce around to get sort of a blueish cast on the ground. I hope it
won't alias with the first bounce. Will see.


PS: Well done, Pe! :)
 

Pehesse

Member
I've been messing around with Super Mario Remaker demo for the past couple weeks, but since it's a demo it's very incomplete. I've been looking for a long time for a program where I can create that's easy to use like LBP which I spent a crazy amount of time creating content in and was wondering if anyone here can recommend me something like either of these two.

I've been struggling with a bunch of programs over the past nine years and nothing I have been able to click with yet. I have basically made 0 progress and I don't want to fuck around anymore and get myself where I want to be so I can eventually start working in the industry.

Are you looking for programs to "create" content or "assemble" pre-made content with no possibility of adding your own stuff? In game editors mostly fall into the latter category (LBP, SMario Maker, Advance Wars editor, Megaman Powered Up editor, etc).
If your aim is to build a portfolio for industry purposes, I'd suggest going one step beyond assemblers, and use at least tools like Hammer (Source editor - you can use mainly prefabs but you can still build very personal and tailored stuff), UE as recommended by Tain above, or try very accessible game building software like RPGMaker. In fact I highly recommend that last one, any version will do - get started by using the templates and trying to get a game to run, then branch off it, and try to start using the software to build something other than RPGs - once you know your way around it, it's actually super flexible! Once you feel confident enough, you can likely try more general tools like Game Maker/Construct 2, and see where that takes you, though eventually you'll have to start creating your own content/find people who'll make some for you, or who you can buy some off. For industry pieces, in my own experiences, unfortunately very little is interesting apart from completed stuff (as they're mostly looking for something that shows you have a skill you can take all the way), so I'd focus mainly on trying to show off something "finished" - and usually, big and complex leads to the opposite of that, so I'd recommend to keep your pieces simple and to the point! Show you can take a project and develop it entirely, even if it's something very simple - and then, build off from there! Either way and no matter where you start, good luck - though honestly (and I know in my current situation, this may sound strange), if you can afford it, I think the indie life is more rewarding than working for the industry, but YMMV :)

Pehesse, I can't think of anyone more deserving. Congratulations, and make sure to take good care of your hands! Good posture, frequent breaks, etc. :)

PS: Well done, Pe! :)

Muchas gracias, compadres :-D
Also, Blizzard, if I may ask: do you still work on that tactical game from a while ago? It was looking mighty interesting!

Now that I've managed to put down Breath of the Wild I'm back to working on Clive 'N' Wrench! Trying to find a balance between "natural" looking landscape but also clearly defining boundaries is a real challenge.

Middle-Age-Crisis-Forest.png

BotW didn't inspire you to make every surface climbable? :-D :-D
 

Blizzard

Banned
Muchas gracias, compadres :-D
Also, Blizzard, if I may ask: do you still work on that tactical game from a while ago? It was looking mighty interesting!
It's still on hold, along with learning to draw from the book I got and the tips you sent me, along with my other game, while I work a "real job" and make money and try to get married and such. :p Such is the way of things.
 

Pehesse

Member
It's still on hold, along with learning to draw from the book I got and the tips you sent me, along with my other game, while I work a "real job" and make money and try to get married and such. :p Such is the way of things.

Oh! Sorry I asked, then, but if that counts for anything, I completely understand and respect your situation, and I'll still be looking forward to it, whenever/if you get the chance to start it up again!
 

Blizzard

Banned
Oh! Sorry I asked, then, but if that counts for anything, I completely understand and respect your situation, and I'll still be looking forward to it, whenever/if you get the chance to start it up again!
Don't apologize; I'm glad someone even remembers it! My newer idea is more commercially viable I suspect, but I'd like to make both eventually in a magical world where I find a way. :)
 

_Rob_

Member
BotW didn't inspire you to make every surface climbable? :-D :-D

Haha it'd be all too easy to fall into the trap of taking a great many things from that game, self control is a must! Come to think of it, that's probably what inspired me to get back to working on this level.


Unambiguous heights is a good idea if you're not already using it - anything that looks sort of like it might be within jump height will have people trying to jump it, if its at least double maximum jump its a lot easier to immediately parse as 'just scenery'.
e: although I see you're already using convex (or is it concave? I can never remember which) walls which is another good 'don't even try mate' visual indicator

Yeah concave walls seem to work very well, I've also been studding the way games like Uncharted use colour to highlight what can and can't be traversed. The jump height comment is a fair point too!
 
So we just recently got done with updating our game with the art overhaul and have it out on Steam now. It's been quite the long week wrapping it all up and there's still a few small things here or there that need to be fixed. All in all however, it's looking pretty great and we'll be getting closer to starting a new dungeon track soon. Here's a trailer, but for it's only on Facebook.

And here are some screens detailing the new style! Sorry for picture spam, but we had to cover a lot of ground.

 
Are you looking for programs to "create" content or "assemble" pre-made content with no possibility of adding your own stuff? In game editors mostly fall into the latter category (LBP, SMario Maker, Advance Wars editor, Megaman Powered Up editor, etc).
If your aim is to build a portfolio for industry purposes, I'd suggest going one step beyond assemblers, and use at least tools like Hammer (Source editor - you can use mainly prefabs but you can still build very personal and tailored stuff), UE as recommended by Tain above, or try very accessible game building software like RPGMaker. In fact I highly recommend that last one, any version will do - get started by using the templates and trying to get a game to run, then branch off it, and try to start using the software to build something other than RPGs - once you know your way around it, it's actually super flexible! Once you feel confident enough, you can likely try more general tools like Game Maker/Construct 2, and see where that takes you, though eventually you'll have to start creating your own content/find people who'll make some for you, or who you can buy some off. For industry pieces, in my own experiences, unfortunately very little is interesting apart from completed stuff (as they're mostly looking for something that shows you have a skill you can take all the way), so I'd focus mainly on trying to show off something "finished" - and usually, big and complex leads to the opposite of that, so I'd recommend to keep your pieces simple and to the point! Show you can take a project and develop it entirely, even if it's something very simple - and then, build off from there! Either way and no matter where you start, good luck - though honestly (and I know in my current situation, this may sound strange), if you can afford it, I think the indie life is more rewarding than working for the industry, but YMMV :)

I always struggled with RPGMaker though. I had two versions of it, but got frustrated like the rest. Same with GameMaker. I'm terrible at programming. Even the simple shit in Twine and Ren'py confuses me. I want to know what it's like working in a AAA space first before I attempt to make a AAA game of my own. I don't think I've heard of Hammer. I'll look into that too. Thank you for the advice.
 

Minamu

Member
I always struggled with RPGMaker though. I had two versions of it, but got frustrated like the rest. Same with GameMaker. I'm terrible at programming. Even the simple shit in Twine and Ren'py confuses me. I want to know what it's like working in a AAA space first before I attempt to make a AAA game of my own. I don't think I've heard of Hammer. I'll look into that too. Thank you for the advice.
If you're set on AAA, and I get why, Unreal is a good place to start. So is Unity3D. You juuuust missed out on buying some great tutorial video series on Udemy for those. They have plenty of great tutorial material of their own though. Unreal Tournament was mentioned earlier, might've been to you, and that sounds great, I'm interested in that myself. Otherwise Skyrim content could be of interest as well, that's AAA with a unique engine, but mostly for level design, it's not really fit for making your own games in I suppose. Hammer editing tool is Valve's engine for Counter-Strike and Half-Life etc. Game Maker and such are great in their own way but if you're into AAA, you can't go wrong with stuff like CryEngine, Unreal and/or Unity.
 

Pehesse

Member
I always struggled with RPGMaker though. I had two versions of it, but got frustrated like the rest. Same with GameMaker. I'm terrible at programming. Even the simple shit in Twine and Ren'py confuses me. I want to know what it's like working in a AAA space first before I attempt to make a AAA game of my own. I don't think I've heard of Hammer. I'll look into that too. Thank you for the advice.

No worries, I hope it helps! For AAA, I basically echo Minamu's advice, and if you ever feel like giving RPGmaker or Construct 2 another shot (not AAA, granted), feel free to PM me when you don't get something, I might be able to help, or at least I'll be happy to try (I can't program either, which is why I'm a strong advocate for visual scripting tools, as those are MORE than capable of making complete games on their own)! Either way and no matter what you do, good luck!
 

missile

Member
Added a second bounce of light.

BBwDpLo.gif

old

OQzQC3D.gif

new

The sphere and the ground do now reflect each other to some degree. The
sphere is an ideal diffuse reflector and the ground reflects with 50%.

Sure, one or two more bounces would be cool making the contact shadow resp.
diffuse interreflection more soft, but would also increase the computation
load. Anyhow, more than say two or three bounces aren't even worth the effort
unless you want to have super fine shades (well, offline rendering).

I'm pretty much satisfied with what I see on screen knowing that I just use
only 1 sample per bounce. The samples are special build and distributed serving
me a better job of integrating over the hemisphere. For, instead of making a
more expensive integration over the hemisphere per bounce, I spread the
integration over a larger area. That's an idea I got from experimenting with
dithering a lot, where you basically try to get more shades by integrating
over a larger area or by lowering the resolution/definition. The technique
I developed here for global illumination produces pretty good results using
the same idea. If you try the same with pure random sampling with just one
sample per bounce, the image will look rather rough/ugly and doesn't lend
itself for easy eye integration (you can see the noise even from a distance,
unless you use much more samples).

---
Edit: See for yourself. Did some test renderings.

missile's tech vs. random (1 sample, each)
5fFUNvu.png
/
OaIw0fc.png

---

I will try some further optimization to get some more quality out of the same
two bounces. For, as you can see, there is sort of a discontinuity in the new
animation for the contact shadow when the sphere touches the ground. There is
this dark region with a sudden transition into the soft region. This tells me
that there is some discontinuity which shouldn't be there, even not using
just a few samples.
 

Chaos17

Member
Anyone play with Live2D?

I'm trying to learn it, and it seems easy as someone who works alot with After Effects, but it'll take time to figure out.

(not my art, just a Live2D example)
yandere-Copy.gif


My only gripe so far is the interface's text dosnt scale up on higher resolution screens.

Going to be building a visual novel with Live2D and TyranoBuilder

A part of me regret that Persona 5 didn't used this kind of animation for their portraits, I've seen similar 2D animated portraits like your and it can become really detailed. It's just bring out life to 2D portraits so much.
 

TheMink

Member
If you wanted to make a metroidvania and your team is mostly artists and sound designers what engine would you use?

Unity seems like the most robust solution, but maybe we might spend to much time just getting things to work.

Stencyl is accessible to no programmers but maybe not as open to fine tuning?

Thoughts?
 
If you wanted to make a metroidvania and your team is mostly artists and sound designers what engine would you use?

Unity seems like the most robust solution, but maybe we might spend to much time just getting things to work.

Stencyl is accessible to no programmers but maybe not as open to fine tuning?

Thoughts?


2d ? Then gamemaker for sure, quick learning curve and the best 2d engine imho.
 

Timeaisis

Member
If you wanted to make a metroidvania and your team is mostly artists and sound designers what engine would you use?

Unity seems like the most robust solution, but maybe we might spend to much time just getting things to work.

Stencyl is accessible to no programmers but maybe not as open to fine tuning?

Thoughts?

Gamemaker for sure. Unity always requires some programming, unless you are willing to spend a lot on asset store solutions.
 
No worries, I hope it helps! For AAA, I basically echo Minamu's advice, and if you ever feel like giving RPGmaker or Construct 2 another shot (not AAA, granted), feel free to PM me when you don't get something, I might be able to help, or at least I'll be happy to try (I can't program either, which is why I'm a strong advocate for visual scripting tools, as those are MORE than capable of making complete games on their own)! Either way and no matter what you do, good luck!

If you're set on AAA, and I get why, Unreal is a good place to start. So is Unity3D. You juuuust missed out on buying some great tutorial video series on Udemy for those. They have plenty of great tutorial material of their own though. Unreal Tournament was mentioned earlier, might've been to you, and that sounds great, I'm interested in that myself. Otherwise Skyrim content could be of interest as well, that's AAA with a unique engine, but mostly for level design, it's not really fit for making your own games in I suppose. Hammer editing tool is Valve's engine for Counter-Strike and Half-Life etc. Game Maker and such are great in their own way but if you're into AAA, you can't go wrong with stuff like CryEngine, Unreal and/or Unity.
Thanks. I'm not sure if y'all actually understood what I meant. I was responding to the part where you said you think Indie is more rewarding. I was just stating that I don't want to be stuck in Indie and eventually want to make games on the scale of AAA which is why I want to go work for a big studio one day. I can't manage one without learning how one is run first.
 

Pixels

Member
A real turtle? We got tiny baby turtles (cumberland sliders), only to discover they're very complicated to care for properly. We now have a nice setup but one of them still died and we never understood why. :(

lol that would be fun but I actually got a 3D model enemy turtle.
 

Minamu

Member
Thanks. I'm not sure if y'all actually understood what I meant. I was responding to the part where you said you think Indie is more rewarding. I was just stating that I don't want to be stuck in Indie and eventually want to make games on the scale of AAA which is why I want to go work for a big studio one day. I can't manage one without learning how one is run first.
I see what you mean. I classify myself as an "involuntary indie", because... that's what I am :lol I'm not indie by choice. I've got a master's degree in game design and roughly 20 game projects of various sizes behind me, stuck at a completely unrelated job; I want to get into AAA asap. People keep saying that "oooh you'll just be a cog in the machinery" and yeah, most likely, but that's true for any group project with more than one person :) I like that aspect of collaboration.

That said, you won't of course fully understand AAA until you're actually in it. Knowing the tools is a great first step but I suspect that reality is far more complex than whatever one can imagine. And then some :)

What areas of development are you into?
 
Howdy all, hope it's kosher to share our new trailer for Narcosis (our first in, uh... two years). We've been slaving away on this game since its inception as a student project, but the end is in sight: shipping for five platforms (Steam PC/Mac/Vive, Oculus and Xbox One) in eleven languages in a little over a week...

Narcosis Trailer 3: "#Safe+Dry"

 

JackelZXA

Member
For anyone interested: Lab Zero is currently looking for a 2D animator for contract work on Indivisible. All info here: https://labzerogames.com/jobs-2d-animation-contractors/

I thought I'd give it a try myself, mainly to see if I could make it, but I fear this is outside my skills. I'm trying to get the application done remotely quickly, as I feel it's an integral part of what they're looking for, and I'm wondering how to balance the cleanliness of the animation. Here's my current attempt for the Ajna anim:

ReflectingEdibleColt.gif


The right hand motion is bothering me, though I feel a bit constrained because of the imposed keyframe's hand position (could've just done another motion, you might say, but I didn't get any other looking right).
I'm mainly wondering if I should spend time cleaning up the rough torso/hand lines more, so they're in line with the head/legs, or if that's time wasted as they're specifically mentioning that cleaners will rework the animation and that some roughness is acceptable.

So, thoughts? Should I rework the torso/hands to be cleaner? Should I completely rethink the right hand motion because it's too off? Should I just give this up and go back to working on Pacha?

There's still a whole other motion to do, which will take me at least another day, and I fear taking longer than 2 days for the overall application would be overkill, but I have no prior experience with contract animation, so I don't actually know - thoughts on that appreciated as well!

(also, good luck to any other who'd apply!)

Yeah i did the test, too! The deadline snuck up on me and i was still working on my animation after my day job (only able to spare a few hours a day, unfortunately) i was also doing a few itterations to figure out what i wanted to do but i did get it done, minus the shading. Here's mine:
ajna_kick-test13.gif

I'm real happy with it even if i dont get the job. (The wording was vague and it seemed like they werent accepting any more applications but were simultaneously allowing more submissions until the end of the 15th for consideration? The wording was weird but i decided to finish anyways)

I also got the second test done, too. The deadline kind of snuck up on me, i saw the blog post update one or two days before the 15th and pulled an all nighter to get the second test done despite lacking sleep. I was able to get both tests completed, the second one being a 10 hour rush to the finish before my shift the next day (which i nearly slept through, i was so tired after this test) but i got test 2 done, too:
dhar_knockup5.gif

It's not what i was hoping for and i was planning on having everthing done by the following weekend so i could really work on it all and shade them, but i'm super proud of the work i did and that i was able to get the second one done under such a rough deadline. I sorted out the psd's, got my portfolio updated, and sent both tests and the portfolio out before noon of the 15th, well before the cutoff point. Really hoping i hear back from them, as this is a job i'd love (and i'd do anything to leave my delivery job for something that i actually enjoy)!

If anyone has any response on my two art tests let me know! I'll be checking for replies! I havent posted in the thread much recently because the sprite work i've been doing has been debug pallet application (i finished all player frames for my game and now have to prep them for implimentation in my alpha) but i'll probably get back to that soon! Might take a break and play neir automata for a bit befoee i get back to my game...(working on the art test was a good two weeks away from my game's sprite work for me) but yeah, critiques welcome!

The test is over and i submitted what i had done, but i'd love to hear some feedback on my animations from peeps in the thread here! :D


(Also yeah, congrats on the hire! I only hope they...have a few more slots to be filled!) ;p
 

missile

Member
Fixed the discontinuity of the contact shadow. The transition from the umbra
into the penumbra is smoother now.

old / new
OQzQC3D.gif
/
uIl0VZB.gif



That ambient term :)
ADYzpNx.gif



Next I will try a scene with a finite/small light source which will put my
method (of just one sample) under heavy stress because only a few sample will
hit the light source actually. That's sort of the same issue when AAA studios
talk about low and high frequency lights. Hence, small light sources won't
have a huge effect on the scene, because they are usually undersampled. So
putting a small yet bright sun/disk into the sky won't light up the scene
sufficiently. But there are ways to counter this to some degree by guiding the
samples and using other technique yet I want to try without to see how it
performs under the most general case (no explicit light sources, everything
can).
 

Pehesse

Member
Yeah i did the test, too! The deadline snuck up on me and i was still working on my animation after my day job (only able to spare a few hours a day, unfortunately) i was also doing a few itterations to figure out what i wanted to do but i did get it done, minus the shading. Here's mine:
ajna_kick-test13.gif

I'm real happy with it even if i dont get the job. (The wording was vague and it seemed like they werent accepting any more applications but were simultaneously allowing more submissions until the end of the 15th for consideration? The wording was weird but i decided to finish anyways)

I also got the second test done, too. The deadline kind of snuck up on me, i saw the blog post update one or two days before the 15th and pulled an all nighter to get the second test done despite lacking sleep. I was able to get both tests completed, the second one being a 10 hour rush to the finish before my shift the next day (which i nearly slept through, i was so tired after this test) but i got test 2 done, too:
dhar_knockup5.gif

It's not what i was hoping for and i was planning on having everthing done by the following weekend so i could really work on it all and shade them, but i'm super proud of the work i did and that i was able to get the second one done under such a rough deadline. I sorted out the psd's, got my portfolio updated, and sent both tests and the portfolio out before noon of the 15th, well before the cutoff point. Really hoping i hear back from them, as this is a job i'd love (and i'd do anything to leave my delivery job for something that i actually enjoy)!

If anyone has any response on my two art tests let me know! I'll be checking for replies! I havent posted in the thread much recently because the sprite work i've been doing has been debug pallet application (i finished all player frames for my game and now have to prep them for implimentation in my alpha) but i'll probably get back to that soon! Might take a break and play neir automata for a bit befoee i get back to my game...(working on the art test was a good two weeks away from my game's sprite work for me) but yeah, critiques welcome!

The test is over and i submitted what i had done, but i'd love to hear some feedback on my animations from peeps in the thread here! :D


(Also yeah, congrats on the hire! I only hope they...have a few more slots to be filled!) ;p

Hey, congrats for doing the test all the way too! And who knows - I only got their message a few days after they said on twitter their search was over!

Since you're asking for critiques, here are my thoughts, though keep in mind that's really more my subjective opinion and I'd be curious to hear what an actual seasoned animator has to say (Noogy, where art thou?)

I see what you were going for with a roundhouse kick, but I feel the windup lacks in hip motion to prepare the swing (you basically use your first three frames to slowly raise the right leg while keeping the hips fixed before snapping to a new hip motion on the fourth - I'd probably have recoiled the hip further back on 1-2, raise the leg and trail the hip to show weight on 3-4 then use 5 to do a smear/transition/fast snap movement before the key). As it is the windup feels a bit slow and the resulting kick lacks a bit in impact, as if she were caressing with the kick rather than hitting with it. The followup and return to idle goes a bit fast for me, and I think it could have use 3 to 4 more frames to make it cleaner if you're not smearing it (and even then) - in fact, I had considered a roundhouse myself, and thought the imposed 12 frame limit was a bit short for it, which is why I went for a more straightforward straight kick. Still, for a roundhouse, I think you spend a bit too much time with still hips on 7-8, as I feel the whole body should follow the kick to accentuate the impact. Basically, I'd think the kick is only the result of the body swirling, so you would have the torso/hips moving first, then have the leg kind of trailing behind (though with a bit more force than that :-D), whereas your kick is driving the whole motion and the body doesn't react to it until 8 (arguably 9), leaving you only four frames for a return to idle from a back view, which is... not a lot. You even use the 12th frame as a very small transition before the idle, when I think you might need something a lot more expressive due to how few frames you can spend on that, maybe an exaggerated crouching motion to show the effect of her getting back on the ground before standing up again. I'd suggest going much faster on 7--9, and reduce that motion to maybe a single smearing frame (you'd have your "pre-impact" on 5, clear hit on 6, then "trail" on 7), use 8-9 for a very quick turnaround, then 10 slight squat, 11 squat trail/weight recovery, and 12 stand up/return to idle (and use the belt trails to do a whole clean circle arc on 8-12 to compensate for the snaps). Of course, that sounds nice in theory, but I'd be hard pressed to actually do it :-D

I don't have much to add to the other damage+fall motion as I think yours is better looking than mine :-D

Hope you'll get the call!
 

LordRaptor

Member
I don't want to be stuck in Indie and eventually want to make games on the scale of AAA which is why I want to go work for a big studio one day. I can't manage one without learning how one is run first.

I want to get into AAA asap.

AAA is a factory line, so if thats where you want to be, you want to specialise.
Like, insanely specific specialisation of doing just one thing, and wait for an entry level position opening at doing that one thing at literally any studio that has a record of actually releasing games - doesn't matter if its for Dora The Explorer Super Happy Fun Time or whatever, thats how you get in, and recruiters aren't looking for you to have a track record on super awesome successful titles (but it helps) they're looking for you to have done the specific thing they need on titles that shipped.
 

_Rob_

Member
AAA is a factory line, so if thats where you want to be, you want to specialise.
Like, insanely specific specialisation of doing just one thing, and wait for an entry level position opening at doing that one thing at literally any studio that has a record of actually releasing games - doesn't matter if its for Dora The Explorer Super Happy Fun Time or whatever, thats how you get in, and recruiters aren't looking for you to have a track record on super awesome successful titles (but it helps) they're looking for you to have done the specific thing they need on titles that shipped.

I can't imagine ever wanting to work in AAA dev, it sounds rather soul crushing. Working on my own game is my reward for a week of working my day job on the "production line" of graphic design! Of course that's merely subjective, I'm sure there's plenty of benefits to working at a AAA studio (relative pay stability for example!).
 

LordRaptor

Member
I can't imagine ever wanting to work in AAA dev, it sounds rather soul crushing.

There's a reason theres such a high burn out rate and why there's a big talent shortfall - theres a ton of AAA jobs going in most areas of specialisation if you're prepared to travel and relocate with a "must have shipped at least 2 titles" requirement attached
e: in fairness, my only experience is with the UK 'scene', it might be different elsewhere.
 

_Rob_

Member
There's a reason theres such a high burn out rate and why there's a big talent shortfall - theres a ton of AAA jobs going in most areas of specialisation if you're prepared to travel and relocate with a "must have shipped at least 2 titles" requirement attached

Indeed, I hear so many horror stories from talented people far more qualified than myself. It's a shame that there seems to be little room for creative input on most projects, I have a lot of respect for people that can put up with it.
 

Pehesse

Member
Congratulations on the job pehesse! Sorry I missed that part!

Dang, thanks a lot :) And there's really no worries, I know not everyone's around all the time (well, I kind of am, but that's more because of being unhealthily obsessive :v)!

EDIT; yass this time I managed to stick this stealthily at the bottom of the page :-D
 

Jobbs

Banned
The other day I got the idea in my head that I should try adding gored ragdoll corpses into my game -- I've always been fascinated with this and loved it in games like Fallout 3. They could be a little silly looking at times, sure, but the satisfaction they added I always felt made it more than worth it (plus the silliness can be part of the charm and part of the fun). I'd never done anything like this, but since my game engine uses Box 2D I knew it must be possible.

After a little research, a new stencyl extension, and some tinkering, I had a functioning ragdoll.

zDdMkWI.gif


It was simpler than I thought to get a basic ragdoll working -- Box 2D already has features that are well suited to it. Just took a bit of trial and error to figure out what type of joints to use and how to set them up.

Next I made it rain men just to see if it'd cause any unforeseen problems or performance issues in an actual level + I just wanted to do it

Here's what I got when I just swapped the ragdoll in on enemy death and nothing else.

qoYC4vf.gif


This is a promising starting point, but we really need to start adding forces and playing with joint destruction to make it more fun.

voj7CgJ.gif


shotgun

7cdeGCx.gif


I'm not totally done tinkering with it (honestly I can't imagine being totally done tinkering with anything) but I think it's close to where I want it.
 

Five

Banned

Oh, we didn't even talk about this but that's good! Different levels of concussive force is a great way to help delineate the different guns. I thought you were just going to make the shotgun break the joints. This came together really well :)
 

Jobbs

Banned
I think this is a great start! I had always wanted to add judicious use of ragdoll in the past.

Hot damn!

thanks guys!

Oh, we didn't even talk about this but that's good! Different levels of concussive force is a great way to help delineate the different guns. I thought you were just going to make the shotgun break the joints. This came together really well :)

Okay, that's good to hear, thank you. I tried having the ragdoll explode, but it looked a little too dry and minimal with mainly just the ragdoll parts flying out (I'd need to add juicier parts to make it sell). I tried just throwing the enemy harder and having him fall apart somewhat and it seemed to work.

Also look at this bug I caused. Sorry about so many gifs, but this is funny and weird and almost seems like it could be useful somehow.

rIWGNyX.gif
 
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