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[MikeHaggar]

can anyone recommend some good, introductory level tutorials on pixel shaders? i'm making a 2d game with hand-drawn art and am interested in using pixel shaders to add some "coolness" to some of the special attacks (things like impact blast waves etc...). i'm currently working in xna and would be interested in something that starts VERY basic and then builds to maybe an intermediate level.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Me and my friend are starting a local gallery space and just started doing the online stuff... I made this placeholder website super quick (not much going on) using gamemaker HTML5.

Super easy and smooth.

(NSFW)

http://www.oddspacegallery.com

nothing complicated or special, just my first time trying HTML5 with gamemaker and glad it works as easy as I hoped.

games are art

 

[bumpkin]

This is the worst. Although I do feel like it's really helpful to walk away and come back when you're spinning your wheels, it can be hard as hell to do.

It's even worse when I realize that the new code was fine; something is broken in the old code. I couldn't figure out why something wasn't displaying, so I went and added in some elements that were working in the codebase the project was built on. Those elements wouldn't display either... FML.

But you are right, I at least did spot problems with the new code that I wasn't seeing last night. It's just a shame they weren't the magic bullet.

 

[Margalis]

can anyone recommend some good, introductory level tutorials on pixel shaders? i'm making a 2d game with hand-drawn art and am interested in using pixel shaders to add some "coolness" to some of the special attacks (things like impact blast waves etc...). i'm currently working in xna and would be interested in something that starts VERY basic and then builds to maybe an intermediate level.

The book "The Cg Tutorial" is pretty good. Technically it's for CG but CG/HLSL are basically the same thing. I don't know much about setup up shaders and stuff in XNA though or what is a good resource for that.

If you have questions on specific types of effects feel free to post about them or PM me. I can probably help you with the Cg/HLSL side of things.

 

[Dead Prince]

For those that follow Construct2 (HTML5 game maker). They are releasing the next big build r100 next week. http://www.scirra.com/blog/94/release-100-is-coming-22nd-august

60 WebGL shader effects
Export native-performance iOS apps using appMobi's directCanvas.
Export Windows desktop apps (EXEs) with Awesomium.

 

[SovanJedi]

So, hey guys! We at Megadev (in collaboration with Adult Swim) are proud to present our latest new game - SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS!

PROMOTIONAL FLYER:

Play the game on Adult Swim's site here!

It's possibly our best game yet and we are all very proud of the work we've put into it - it's been 6 long months of hard work and some development fisticuffs, but I think it's been worth it.

 

[embalm]

I love that retro ad. I really want to do something similar for our upcoming game, but doubt it would look that great.

 

[razu]

I've done a few things to Chopper Mike. But raddest is the fading platform shadow...



I really thought I'd be pushing what I could get out of the free version of Unity, but nope. Just get, alter, and set the alpha of the current material colour. Simple!


Tried making some music in nanoloop earlier... that wasn't pretty... ;/

 

[asa]

Finally starting to get to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Past few weeks I've been working like 12+ hour days (again) to get the game completed. I just played the darn thing for about an hour straight and not a single bug or glitch appeared. FEELS GOOD!

Final testing start tomorrow or thurday and hopefully nothing major shows up and I can start looking into releasing this thing! Btw, would there be any voluntary testers here? (If so, shoot me a private message)

Still haven't made my mind if I should charge real monies for it or not.

Game is quite fun and unique, so I could see someone buying it, but on the other hand...

Shot from the newest build:

 

[Mikeside]

So, hey guys! We at Megadev (in collaboration with Adult Swim) are proud to present our latest new game - SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS!

PROMOTIONAL FLYER:

Play the game on Adult Swim's site here!

It's possibly our best game yet and we are all very proud of the work we've put into it - it's been 6 long months of hard work and some development fisticuffs, but I think it's been worth it.

Have only played the first level a bit, but I love it - any mobile/downloadable version coming?

 

[Dali]

For those that follow Construct2 (HTML5 game maker). They are releasing the next big build r100 next week. http://www.scirra.com/blog/94/release-100-is-coming-22nd-august

Oh nice. I dicked around with Construct 2 for a few hours and it seemed insanely easy to use and get something 2D going with. The only thing I was wondering about was performance and if I did something I wanted to be able to export it and run it natively as an .exe. Seems like one of those concerns can be checked off, but what about performance? Unity seems like a better option (albeit a whole lot more difficult to get something running) for a higher res, 60fps, 2D game that may utilize, large, unoptimized assets or have a lot going on.

 

[SovanJedi]

Have only played the first level a bit, but I love it - any mobile/downloadable version coming?

^-^

 

[razu]

Quick game mechanic test tonight... Captain Jatobe begins...



Boats...!!

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

Was about to pull the trigger on GameMaker and am just wondering what you guys think about it for someone doing something solo with some scripting experience and no 'budget' or 'talent'. I just have some ideas that have been floating around in my head and I want to put them down and see if they are fun for me.

 

[Blizzard]

Was about to pull the trigger on GameMaker and am just wondering what you guys think about it for someone doing something solo with some scripting experience and no 'budget' or 'talent'. I just have some ideas that have been floating around in my head and I want to put them down and see if they are fun for me.

In my opinion it's great for 2D game prototyping for someone starting out. However, even the free version should let you do scripting and get some basic stuff going. My advice is to try that, follow some tutorials (see a few pages back for GML tutorial links), and if you like it, THEN buy the full version.

 

[superbank]

Checking in. Thanks to everyone who had good tips for GML. I'm on tutorial 20-something of the wizirdi youtube tutorials and they've really helped. I would recommend going this route if you want to start with GML.

My solar system vertical shooter experiment is on the side lines for now. I could keep going and make a mediocre shooter and I may come back to that, but I also have a gravity concept I'd like to approach but I'm not skilled enough to implement it yet. So I've switched gears to making a board game prototype. It's based on an existing IP so it's totally a labor of love.

What I notice with fan games is the fans document it every step of the way and eventually the company hits them with a cease & desist because... they know about it. And maybe they reached some limit of quality or they're creating a game that might lose the company sales. So my first instinct is to create it in secret and when I'm done just release it to the intranets. That way I'll never get C&D and it's free to spread if people enjoy it. Would there still be legal implications if I went this route? I would be using their IP but everything is built from the ground up and it's a different take on the game. It uses the same mechanics (sort of) but applied to a board game setting.

Also, what is your opinion on fan games? "It's all good/it's creatively bankrupt/you should put your efforts to an original game that you could sell"? I was thinking if I get a fun prototype going I might contact the company and see if they're interested. I know, they probably won't even give me the time of day but it wouldn't hurt to try right? Also I'm worried if I approach them they could say "you can't work on this anymore, and if you release it we're gonna lawyer up!" which would suck. If you can't tell I'm also very paranoid and think of every possible bad outcome.

About a year ago or maybe less I've been toying with the idea but actually it's based on a game my friend created when he was 12 or something. He was a big fan as most kids were and decided to turn it into a board game. So last year he found it in his attic and we tried to make sense of it and it started from there. The game created by his 12-year-old self wasn't playable or fun but it was enough to spark our creativity to change it. I'm in a different state now and he's not into game development so I've run away with the idea. The mechanics we created are really enjoyable so I want to keep going and turn it into a real game. It was supposed to be a pure cardboard fold-out board game but thinking about it in videogame terms led me to create more interesting mechanics and solve some problems the early version had. My goal is to create a fun board game and maybe make it playable online so I can play it with my friends. The GML documentation makes it sound easy to implement online functionality so hopefully it is! I bet it's not.

 

[vareon]

Ever since I tried Adventure Game Studio three weeks ago I spent my free time trying to make one trial game.

John Eagle



Aside from the embarrassing art, it's quite complete--and very short, like it will only take less than 10 minutes of your time. I'd be grateful if some of you wanted to waste time with it, though I especially wanted to hear some criticism about the writing (I'm not native English but I tried to write verbose English).

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

In my opinion it's great for 2D game prototyping for someone starting out. However, even the free version should let you do scripting and get some basic stuff going. My advice is to try that, follow some tutorials (see a few pages back for GML tutorial links), and if you like it, THEN buy the full version.

Hmm, thanks! What's another alternative? I've been looking at Scrolling Game Development kit too (Plus side: C# would be better to learn in the long run - Minus side: I might burn out before I actually MAKE anything).

Let's say I want to make an overhead, Dwarf Fortress looking game about moving around the environment and interacting. Just simple movement and exploration.

 

[Blizzard]

Hmm, thanks! What's another alternative? I've been looking at Scrolling Game Development kit too (Plus side: C# would be better to learn in the long run - Minus side: I might burn out before I actually MAKE anything).

Let's say I want to make an overhead, Dwarf Fortress looking game about moving around the environment and interacting. Just simple movement and exploration.

Game Maker should work great for a simple overhead game. If you wanted to do something really complex and generate maps randomly you might run into issues, but even that might be possible.

Basically just grab a tutorial and jump in. Do a couple, and google for an overhead game tutorial for Game Maker if things aren't clicking for you.

All of the above doesn't cost anything and could be done in say, a Saturday afternoon or weekend. Dive in and see what your opinion is, then ask for alternatives if you really hate it. Learning C# and doing something with that will probably take you longer (I think Unity is an option for C# but I'd say Game Maker is simpler if you're just starting out with 2D).

 

[Heart of Black]

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

 

[kodecraft]

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

Kewl.

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

Game Maker should work great for a simple overhead game. If you wanted to do something really complex and generate maps randomly you might run into issues, but even that might be possible.

Basically just grab a tutorial and jump in. Do a couple, and google for an overhead game tutorial for Game Maker if things aren't clicking for you.

All of the above doesn't cost anything and could be done in say, a Saturday afternoon or weekend. Dive in and see what your opinion is, then ask for alternatives if you really hate it. Learning C# and doing something with that will probably take you longer (I think Unity is an option for C# but I'd say Game Maker is simpler if you're just starting out with 2D).

Makes sense. Thanks again! And coupled with:

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

Seems like GameMaker will be enough for me for now.

 

[razu]

Boat core controls complete...!



I am constantly amazed by the awesome speed at which you can prototype things in Unity. I've been out for dinner with the GF since starting this. It's less than 2 hours of work. Unity ppl rule!!

 

[kennah]

Does Game Maker work ok for Roguelikes?

 

[asa]

Boat core controls complete...!
I am constantly amazed by the awesome speed at which you can prototype things in Unity. I've been out for dinner with the GF since starting this. It's less than 2 hours of work. Unity ppl rule!!

Unity is indeed amazing for prototyping! (hard part is tying all the loose ends into a final product ) Are you manipulating gravity or how did you do the floating effect?

 

[razu]

Unity is indeed amazing for prototyping! (hard part is tying all the loose ends into a final product ) Are you manipulating gravity or how did you do the floating effect?

Yeah, that's the truth. But then, it'll make it all the more satisfying once it's done!

I leave gravity alone. I add a lift acceleration/force, (mass is 1 so it doesn't matter), to the centre of gravity based on depth, (zero when the boat is fully out of the water, positive 9.81 when the boat is at the level I want it to sit at - which is where the CoG is, and it increases linearly the further under it goes). I then add a propeller force at roughly where the propeller would be, pointing along the boat's forward axis, (so if the boat points up or down, it gets pushed up or down). I then add a steering force that is proportional to the velocity along the boat's forward axis, (just dot velocity with the boat's z/forward vector). So the steering isn't powered as such, but if you accelerate, you get more steer, and you can steer when you are off throttle.

To make it self-right I add a small downward force at a the bottom of the boat. As it rocks this always pulls it back to upright, in an amusing wobbly boat sort of manner

I then mess about and mix up some magic numbers... and you've got boat physics...!

I won't waste too much time on this. But I think I'll put a few gates in, and a timer, and publish a browser micro game in the next few days.

VAMflax micro game #2...!

 

[Lem]

Dunno if it's the right thread but i just give it a try

Does anyone know any interesting, good books for game development that actually can help me get startet with making games? Any other advices? GAF I NEED YOUR HELP!

 

[vareon]

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

Well damn. Makes me want to try it!

 

[Blizzard]

Well damn. Makes me want to try it!

It's really pretty ideal for simple 2D sidescroller or overhead games, where you can lay out the map manually in the editor. I don't know about for roguelikes or games that might try to randomly lay out a map, though it -may- be possible. Anyone have input on it?

You can even do multiple viewports, like the game jam game I helped make this year which had a sidescrolling player 1 part, and a simultaneous overhead player 2 part:

 

[RelentlessRolento]

games are art

lol

yeah, well, we may be featuring some indies devs in the gallery if things lead to out of state artists.

 

[Ranger X]

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

Do want!

 

[pixelpai]

It's really pretty ideal for simple 2D sidescroller or overhead games, where you can lay out the map manually in the editor. I don't know about for roguelikes or games that might try to randomly lay out a map, though it -may- be possible. Anyone have input on it?

Randomly layed out maps should be possible: There are serveral functions to manipulate a room, e.g. room_tile_add to add a tile at a given position. I have never tried it, but it should be possible to setup a room in it's "on creation" event. or - if this takes too much time - use some kind of "transition" room inbetween two rooms to setup up the next one.

Another possiblity and much easier to accomplish: create a number of rooms with fixed layouts and randomize the way the player traverses through these rooms.

I'm working on a game in Game Maker now, going to be converting it at some point to C# probably.

Here's a screen:

This looks great.

 

[Hinomura]

So, hey guys! We at Megadev (in collaboration with Adult Swim) are proud to present our latest new game - SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS!

Play the game on Adult Swim's site here!

It's possibly our best game yet and we are all very proud of the work we've put into it - it's been 6 long months of hard work and some development fisticuffs, but I think it's been worth it.

Nice!

 

[Meatpuppet]

Any recommendations for tools for creating animated sprites? Tried trawling some of the early parts of the thread but to little avail

 

[nicoga3000]

Does Game Maker work ok for Roguelikes?

Of course - GM really does excel at nearly every style of game. It simply takes time to understand the engine.

E: That being said, your biggest challenge in ANY engine is going to be writing the randomly generated level/dungeon design. That's a universal challenge.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Any recommendations for tools for creating animated sprites? Tried trawling some of the early parts of the thread but to little avail

There's another thread with good links and a lot of inspiring sprites! I'm really quite happy with ASEPRITE right now but there are other options.

 

[Dascu]

Any recommendations for tools for creating animated sprites? Tried trawling some of the early parts of the thread but to little avail

Been a long time since I used it, but I hear GraphicsGale is still very popular.

 

[Jocchan]

So, hey guys! We at Megadev (in collaboration with Adult Swim) are proud to present our latest new game - SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS!

PROMOTIONAL FLYER:

Play the game on Adult Swim's site here!

It's possibly our best game yet and we are all very proud of the work we've put into it - it's been 6 long months of hard work and some development fisticuffs, but I think it's been worth it.

Played it yesterday, and it's indeed very cool. Great job
P.S. Let me guess who did the game over animation...

 

[Meatpuppet]

There's another thread with good links and a lot of inspiring sprites! I'm really quite happy with ASEPRITE right now but there are other options.

Been a long time since I used it, but I hear GraphicsGale is still very popular.

Thanks for the input. Tried out ASESPRITE, will come back to it later after some Android tutorials

 

[kennah]

Of course - GM really does excel at nearly every style of game. It simply takes time to understand the engine.

E: That being said, your biggest challenge in ANY engine is going to be writing the randomly generated level/dungeon design. That's a universal challenge.

Thanks. at least i could try out mechanics without random levels.

 

[razu]

I've published a micro-demo of the "Captain Jatobe" boat game. It's got buoys!

You can play at VAMflax.com:

 

[Bomber Bob]

Aside from the embarrassing art

Dude, gfx is great! pixart 4evah

 

[flkk]

Played both Chopper Mike and Captain Jatobe. I really love how you get the physics feeling in your demos razu, you really nailed those. Any plans to turn Chooper Mike into a full product? Add a bunch of levels and different types of obstacles / powerups and you've got yourself a full game. Wish I had been playing on a touch device.

---

I just released my first flash game "Treasure Sweeper" into the wild. It's like minesweeper but with pirates, treasures and a couple powerups.

Click to play:


Or you can play it on your portal of choice:
http://www.kongregate.com/games/funstorm/treasure-sweeper
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/601197
http://zayplay.com/game/867/Treasure_Sweeper.html

If you had fun playing and have a Kong/NG account please rate, you'd be doing me a huge favor

 

[Platy]

So, hey guys! We at Megadev (in collaboration with Adult Swim) are proud to present our latest new game - SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS!

PROMOTIONAL FLYER:

Play the game on Adult Swim's site here!

It's possibly our best game yet and we are all very proud of the work we've put into it - it's been 6 long months of hard work and some development fisticuffs, but I think it's been worth it.

It is awesome !
But not sure if it is my pc or it is the game ... but it looks like it is on fastfoward 2x of so fast that it is. Gravity and all.
Kinda felt like I was playing an emulator with the "+" button pressed xD
Was that the idea ?

 

[Linkified]

Hi y'all, right for those who use Unity regularly for mobile how many scenes do you usually have within a game is it one per level or do you try and make it so that you can have mutliple levels in one scene?

 

[SovanJedi]

It is awesome !
But not sure if it is my pc or it is the game ... but it looks like it is on fastfoward 2x of so fast that it is. Gravity and all.
Kinda felt like I was playing an emulator with the "+" button pressed xD
Was that the idea ?

Yeah that was the idea, it's a fast game! Take your time if it's a bit too much for you though. :]

Played it yesterday, and it's indeed very cool. Great job
P.S. Let me guess who did the game over animation...

Ho ho ho, I did all the graphics for the game, so yeah I did the Game Over animation. The final boss is my real magnum opus though.

Glad you all like it!

 

[razu]

Hi y'all, right for those who use Unity regularly for mobile how many scenes do you usually have within a game is it one per level or do you try and make it so that you can have mutliple levels in one scene?

I've structured mine to have a core scene 0 with a script that calls DontDestroyOnLoad or whatever it's called on itself, then loads scene 1, a splash screen, which then loads scene 2, the playable level.

To restart my game level I just reload the last loaded scene.

 

[Jocchan]

Ho ho ho, I did all the graphics for the game, so yeah I did the Game Over animation. The final boss is my real magnum opus though.

Glad you all like it!

Pics or it didn't happen!

Spoiler

The second boss is kicking my ass

 

[SovanJedi]

Pics or it didn't happen!

Spoiler

The second boss is kicking my ass

Spoiler

Is that Torment (the turtle)? He's only weak when attacking him from behind. Best way to do it is to coax him into charging for you, then performing a super jump and landing a few hits on him before he turns around. The faster he's running at you before you jump the longer it takes for him to stop, so it's best to wait near the edges of the room so he can gather enough speed.

Bombs work pretty well against him if you time them well; Grenades rolled along the ground and Molotovs are even better, and Remote Bombs and Jelly Bombs are practically easy mode, haha.

 

[Linkified]

I've structured mine to have a core scene 0 with a script that calls DontDestroyOnLoad or whatever it's called on itself, then loads scene 1, a splash screen, which then loads scene 2, the playable level.

To restart my game level I just reload the last loaded scene.

So with regard to the actual scene 2 - does that contain multiple levels with you setting the camera in a different location each time?