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Indie Game Development Thread 3: Indie Jones and the Template of Doom
- Thread starter Makai
- Start date
timetokill
Banned
Tip: don't write a design document
What is this thing you speak of
You mean post-it's and scrawled unintelligible drawings chicken scratched whilst half asleep at 2am, right?
LordRaptor
Member
If this is for a professional assignment, you should already have a template; everywheres different, and they're all broken in their own unique ways because people don't read them and the game you're working on is the living document (and even then not everbody plays that).
If its for yourself, start with a TODO list, and start fleshing out, then do a priority sweep into "mandatory", "nice to have" and "if theres time / easily cut". If you really wanna go the extra mile cross reference that with 'expense' criteria for "Incredibly time consuming / only used once", "big job, lots of use", "easy, used everywhere" to really establish bang for buck.
If its just curiosity, or training yourself into good design pattern ways of thinking, this is a pretty great talk, and heres the powerpoint for tl;dw
I wrote design documents for over 9 years at my last place and let me tell you. No one read it outside of the design team. The only real benefit for writing them was for the company imo, just in case the designer leaves and they will have a full history/design to hand over to the next mule to finish it up. Oh, and the QA team would use it as the holy grail when going through private testing which was annoying as it meant we had to go back and update the design docs to reflect all the changes made through development.
However, while working on my own games, I never write anything down and just go straight into the fun stuff. Making it.
But if you really insist, keep it on point. Don't write paragraphs of text. Bullet points work best to try and get a programmer to read your design. Lots of images and/or video to show off the design works best rather than trying to explain it in a structured sentence.
Lastly, never follow your design to the death because 9 times out of 10, you will have made a terrible design choice before actual play testing.
I just want to jump in and agree with everyone else. The times I have written a design doc it just doesn't complete any of the goals I want it too. My current design process seems to work for me, so I'll detail that out for you.
There are 3 living documents associated with my current project.
A task log. This is a single bullet list of tasks I plan to accomplish the next time I sit down and work. I update it by marking off what I completed and adding new tasks every few days.
I would consider this document public, but all of my "requirements" are brief and I think others would struggle to understand what each task really means.
My Design Journal. This is a pile of notes and emails that contain almost every idea related to the game. When I calculate hit rates, have an idea for a magic sword, or write up a backstory for the town major it gets put here.
These are my personal notes that act as the details for my task log. I do not plan on sharing them with any part of the team.
Paper Prototypes. When someone needs the details, this is the form they get it in. Almost all of my UI and Levels have reached this point. The person who needed it clearly defined was me. I hand draw a specific aspect of the game on graph paper, describe what buttons do and what will be shown. I try to match my drawing to screen res, but don't get too caught in the details.
So far this approach has worked very well for me.
Just wondering if anyone was able to test this? Almost ready to move into production but I would like some feedback on the control of the ball/marble itself. Fixed some camera issues that are still present in this build (mostly smoothing the in and out) and added 2 new power ups (pick-up system for that is next)
Astrael
Member
Gave it a go just now. I only got one level presented just in case there were supposed to be other layouts. Here are my disorganized thoughts:
- I assume the white flooring is lowered friction, it took me a bit to notice why I kept sliding right off when trying to turn a corner on it haha.
- Only difference between C (controller) and X (keyboard/mouse) was which device let me move the camera, both let me move the marble normally. Is there a way to just poll both or the most recent input method so you don't need the input switch?
- The marble seems a little floaty when jumping by default (as in, not a lot of weight to it even without using reduced gravity). Not a big deal here though, just seems like it might be heavier given its size.
- Otherwise, the controller version is pretty responsive on the ground. Keyboard controls I had a heck of a time aiming any jumps but to be fair I'm not a keyboard + mouse gamer, still I could tell the acceleration was a lot higher on keyboard.
- Regardless, some of the hops are a little finicky because when you collide into a wall/platform, even a short one, you lose all horizontal momentum so can't just roll over them even on small jumps. I feel with the marble's grip you should be able to roll over an edge (at least, an edge with normal floor friction) if the marble is above a certain height threshold. Or maybe just bounce away from the wall (reflect the horizontal motion vector). Not entirely sure what your aim is for this behavior to be honest so these are just suggestions.
- You can spin the marble in midair any which way you want but it has no effect on its motion until you land again, though this is just an amusing observation more than anything haha.
- Oh, and when heading to the planet with Q, if you drop gravity with R en route you'll just end up falling into nothingness.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah right now it is a prototype level more than a real level (though that might change this weekend) so the Q to go to the planet was more for fun hahaha.
Either way, thanks!
CertifiedFP
Member
Egh, started work on reworking my existing tilesets to fit entirely within the limits of VGA Mode 13h (Among other heavy overhauls that needed to get done sooner rather than later) and splitting/reorganizing several tiles into different tilemaps after I realized how trash my old ones were both in how they were laid out as a tileset and how they were colored/shaded. It'll take some time to get done fully, but it looks more visually cohesive already and should increase my level-creation productivity in the long term if all goes well. And unfortunately I'm too much of a cheapass right now to hire anyone else for this stuff. Anyone else have any horror stories regarding stuff like this to share?
Anyway, was bored, and decided to finally get around to making a WIP bootscreen that plays at startup as a little throwback and immersion-aid. The VSX2, the most popular PC of the
70's!
Anyway, was bored, and decided to finally get around to making a WIP bootscreen that plays at startup as a little throwback and immersion-aid. The VSX2, the most popular PC of the
24
I played with keyboard + mouse and thought that the ball was quite difficult to control. It takes long to build up speed and then it's hard to stop the ball or to roll around corners. Maybe you could increase the friction on the floor? Obviously comes down to preference, personally I'm more a fan of precise controls vs. "build up insane speed". So depends in what direction you're going.
Also, did you think about allowing a bit of air control?
Yeah there is /some/ air control....but not much. I will adjust that as well but I would still prefer people build up some speed before going for a jump lol
Yo guys, it's been a while !
Dropping by to announce I actually launched the official website for the game I've been working on
https://helvetii-game.com/
Dropping by to announce I actually launched the official website for the game I've been working on
https://helvetii-game.com/
(now the game is to guess which podcast's promotional code I used for the squarespace website)
Yo guys, it's been a while !
Dropping by to announce I actually launched the official website for the game I've been working on
https://helvetii-game.com/
(now the game is to guess which podcast's promotional code I used for the squarespace website)
Looks great! What are you building this in?
SeanNoonan
Member
I've been pretty bad at keeping up with the thread and self promotion as of late. Here's what I've been up to as of late.
"Bad Juju", my entry for the Game Maker's Toolkit game jam got featured as an honourable mention in the latest video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDmjt-UfybM&t=3m41s
\o/
Also, last weekend I took part in the Ludum Dare competition. My entry Oil Patrol is playable and ready to be voted on here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/oil-patrol
Let me know what you think
"Bad Juju", my entry for the Game Maker's Toolkit game jam got featured as an honourable mention in the latest video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDmjt-UfybM&t=3m41s
\o/
Also, last weekend I took part in the Ludum Dare competition. My entry Oil Patrol is playable and ready to be voted on here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/oil-patrol
Let me know what you think
Unity !
I'm curious whether garbage collection will have any significant impact.
Let me know what you think
The sequel Ice Climber deserves. Better be some climbing going on tho
Bought em, thanks for the heads up! Think I might take a good chunk of time off work to get through some of these now.
Guys, I've become a father for the first time! Everything is fine.
Her name ist Ella -- Vienna's new pride!
Birth was hardcore for my wife. Respect to all women's giving birth! Jesus!!
Congrats! I am very glad I was born male for this very reason!
It seems your engine is no longer your most important baby!
Guys, I've become a father for the first time! Everything is fine.
Her name ist Ella -- Vienna's new pride!
Birth was hardcore for my wife. Respect to all women's giving birth! Jesus!!
awesome news! time to put that code away for a while
Guys, I've become a father for the first time! Everything is fine.
Her name ist Ella -- Vienna's new pride!
Birth was hardcore for my wife. Respect to all women's giving birth! Jesus!!
Congrats
Here is the MonoUE fork of Unreal Engine for C# and F# programming in Unreal Engine
EDIT: To see the page you need to be signed up for Unreal Engine Github
EDIT: To see the page you need to be signed up for Unreal Engine Github
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
Guys, I've become a father for the first time! Everything is fine.
Her name ist Ella -- Vienna's new pride!
Birth was hardcore for my wife. Respect to all women's giving birth! Jesus!!
Congrats, bro. Welcome to the club. You'll have to code even more efficiently from now on.
We just released a new teaser trailer for our game See You On The Other Side. It's an atmospheric first-person puzzle game where you cannot walk in the shadows:
It originally started out as a university project a few years ago. We basically wanted to make a fun little game with a twist. The concept came to us when we thought "hey, why not see if the shadow mechanic from Closure would work in 3D?" We wanted to make a game similar to Antichamber and LIMBO.
We didn't really expect anything, but just for the fun of it we put the original prototype up on Reddit as a free download. Suddenly we received a lot of attention from game journalists and youtubers. We then went to showcase the prototype at various events (and even won a few prizes!) which was a great experience.
Now, having finished our master's degrees last summer, we have decided to pursue the dream of making a "real" commercial version of this game. We founded a company called Tunnel Vision Games and are now in full-on production mode thanks to government funds (we are using Unity). Being a game dev is exciting, yet we never imagined that our original prototype would create a snowball-effect like that. Lesson learned: Reddit can be really awesome!
It originally started out as a university project a few years ago. We basically wanted to make a fun little game with a twist. The concept came to us when we thought "hey, why not see if the shadow mechanic from Closure would work in 3D?" We wanted to make a game similar to Antichamber and LIMBO.
We didn't really expect anything, but just for the fun of it we put the original prototype up on Reddit as a free download. Suddenly we received a lot of attention from game journalists and youtubers. We then went to showcase the prototype at various events (and even won a few prizes!) which was a great experience.
Now, having finished our master's degrees last summer, we have decided to pursue the dream of making a "real" commercial version of this game. We founded a company called Tunnel Vision Games and are now in full-on production mode thanks to government funds (we are using Unity). Being a game dev is exciting, yet we never imagined that our original prototype would create a snowball-effect like that. Lesson learned: Reddit can be really awesome!
Hi guys.
So I'm making a VR exploration/adventure game; STUPID HATE. A point and click adventure game in VR pretty much! Just a small 2 man team working on this in our spare time, I'm super passionate about this project and the concept has been in my head for the past 5 years, and the past few months has been the humble beginnings .
Flashing gif warning, spoilered:
I am shooting all of the environments here in Taiwan, using Photogrammetry we will create surreal cyberpunk settings that you will be able to walk around and interact with.
You can check out the Photogrammetry expert working with me on this as a steam environment to give you an idea of the output: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=965
It's very early days yet, but full steam ahead right now. I am currently looking for an environment artist and dev with experience in VR for freelance work. if you know anyone or have the skillset, please show me your portfolio!
So I'm making a VR exploration/adventure game; STUPID HATE. A point and click adventure game in VR pretty much! Just a small 2 man team working on this in our spare time, I'm super passionate about this project and the concept has been in my head for the past 5 years, and the past few months has been the humble beginnings .
Flashing gif warning, spoilered:
I am shooting all of the environments here in Taiwan, using Photogrammetry we will create surreal cyberpunk settings that you will be able to walk around and interact with.
You can check out the Photogrammetry expert working with me on this as a steam environment to give you an idea of the output: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=965
It's very early days yet, but full steam ahead right now. I am currently looking for an environment artist and dev with experience in VR for freelance work. if you know anyone or have the skillset, please show me your portfolio!
Woah, if that's actually real-time rendered in-game graphics it's very impressive. Although it appears your Steam link is broken?
Michael Armbrust
Member
I've put out my August Progress Report and made a blurry teaser screenshot:
These progress reports were supposed to be an easy alternative to writing a dev blog, but this one took so much time to write. I reimagined my gameplay last month so hopefully it was just a one off and next month's will be quick to write again.
The teaser image will hopefully help me with marketing. I'm not ready to fully show the game yet but this way I can at least have some up to date content on the front of my website.
Reminded me of One Upon Light but yours has the opposite approach and looks a lot cooler. I really like the art style.
How are you handling darkness detection from a gameplay perspective? Will the player fail if they still have even the smallest amount of light on them? How are you handling shadows from behind the player that might not be noticed? I imagine those could be frustrating.
These progress reports were supposed to be an easy alternative to writing a dev blog, but this one took so much time to write. I reimagined my gameplay last month so hopefully it was just a one off and next month's will be quick to write again.
The teaser image will hopefully help me with marketing. I'm not ready to fully show the game yet but this way I can at least have some up to date content on the front of my website.
We just released a new teaser trailer for our game See You On The Other Side. It's an atmospheric first-person puzzle game where you cannot walk in the shadows:
It originally started out as a university project a few years ago. We basically wanted to make a fun little game with a twist. The concept came to us when we thought "hey, why not see if the shadow mechanic from Closure would work in 3D?" We wanted to make a game similar to Antichamber and LIMBO.
We didn't really expect anything, but just for the fun of it we put the original prototype up on Reddit as a free download. Suddenly we received a lot of attention from game journalists and youtubers. We then went to showcase the prototype at various events (and even won a few prizes!) which was a great experience.
Now, having finished our master's degrees last summer, we have decided to pursue the dream of making a "real" commercial version of this game. We founded a company called Tunnel Vision Games and are now in full-on production mode thanks to government funds (we are using Unity). Being a game dev is exciting, yet we never imagined that our original prototype would create a snowball-effect like that. Lesson learned: Reddit can be really awesome!
Reminded me of One Upon Light but yours has the opposite approach and looks a lot cooler. I really like the art style.
How are you handling darkness detection from a gameplay perspective? Will the player fail if they still have even the smallest amount of light on them? How are you handling shadows from behind the player that might not be noticed? I imagine those could be frustrating.
ahh my bad : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=965540991
Yup it's real time! @ 90FPS too.
Do we have any top down map designers in here? I'd love to hear some opinions on what to look out for or read some tips on how to improve.
My JRPG levels are under way. I finished the first map, a tutorial dungeon called, Imp Dungeon.
<Insert Dungeon Image Later>
I put in locked doors, unlocked doors, a hidden trigger for a shortcut, an optional section with bonus treasure and a hard enemy, and a mini boss that blocks your access to the 2nd floor.
<Insert Dungeon Image Later>
The second floor is more open, with a single short cut back to the start and optional rooms with treasure to pad out the players options for weapons. The dungeon ends with an optional boss, if you pass your skill checks he can be skipped entirely.
Next up is my Mercenary Camp. I have a lot of dialog to write for this. It's were my mechanics can be explained by NPCs and as I write it out it's clear that I have created a complicated pile of mechanics... but I love it.
My JRPG levels are under way. I finished the first map, a tutorial dungeon called, Imp Dungeon.
<Insert Dungeon Image Later>
I put in locked doors, unlocked doors, a hidden trigger for a shortcut, an optional section with bonus treasure and a hard enemy, and a mini boss that blocks your access to the 2nd floor.
<Insert Dungeon Image Later>
The second floor is more open, with a single short cut back to the start and optional rooms with treasure to pad out the players options for weapons. The dungeon ends with an optional boss, if you pass your skill checks he can be skipped entirely.
Next up is my Mercenary Camp. I have a lot of dialog to write for this. It's were my mechanics can be explained by NPCs and as I write it out it's clear that I have created a complicated pile of mechanics... but I love it.
Could you please not post giant flashing GIFs like that? That feels very risky for seizure-sensitive people.
You'll also want a warning on your game if it's like that, as you may know.*edit* If it's in VR, you need a freaking giant seizure risk warning. I'd never want to play a VR game that might flash something suddenly in my vision like that.
Could you please not post giant flashing GIFs like that? That feels very risky for seizure-sensitive people.
*edit* If it's in VR, you need a freaking giant seizure risk warning. I'd never want to play a VR game that might flash something suddenly in my vision like that.
That won't be in the game no, it's just a banner, I'm not an idiot
- I've made it a JPG, Thanks so much for the helpful comments on my game though!Have you used GM? I'm stuck with going down the GM route or using unity/unreal. I have beginner experience in c# and c++ but i do understand the coding logic. This your first project?
Slamtastic
Member
Enjoy a gif of the FPS project i'm messing with alongside working on the racing game
I'm not sure exactly where it's going to lead at the moment but i'm focusing on a prototype of the basic mechanics right now
I too got an idea for an FPS, and started working on the movement basics recently
JeffG
Member
Guys, I've become a father for the first time! Everything is fine.
Her name ist Ella -- Vienna's new pride!
Birth was hardcore for my wife. Respect to all women's giving birth! Jesus!!
Congratulations
timetokill
Banned
Mega congrats, missile!! Feel free to share a pic of Ella with the thread sometime if you want to
Thank you! Didn't actually know about One Upon Light, but yeah, it's interesting to compare the games (as well as games such as Closure and Aragami).
We have iterated over the shadow mechanic many times now. In the beginning, it was very dynamic and freeform, which basically meant you could walk through ANY unlit parts of ANY object. This turned out to be very difficult to implement, design and understand (imagine being stuck halfway through a wall, for instance).
We then decided to make it a bit more like Portal, in the sense that you could move through certain walls if the shadows were big enough. But we found that walls aren't actually that interesting in the long run, since the "aha moment" of jumping through a wall gets stale very quickly. Here's an example of an older version where you could jump through walls.
In the end, we decided to focus on shadows on the floor, since it was too difficult to make the walls work good enough, and it didn't really contribute to the focus of the game: its puzzles. Hence the "the floor is made of lava/shadow" catchphrase.
Right now, we detect four points underneath the player (approximately the radius of the torso). If ALL points are in shadow, the player will sink into the darkness.
About the problem with shadows behind the player: so far, we have found the level design can make up for this. In a previous version, we tried to make some invisible walls so that the player wouldn't actually fall into the shadows by accident, but for now it works fine with proper level design and light setups.
Not sure if it can interest some peoples here but there is a new game maker humble bundle:
https://www.humblebundle.com/gamemaker-rebundle
https://www.humblebundle.com/gamemaker-rebundle
And now there is also a humble book bundle with heaps of Unity and UE books
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/unreal-unity5-book-bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/unreal-unity5-book-bundle
timetokill
Banned
Are all of those GMS things for GMS 1? Because those licenses for $15 seem awesome bu I'd really want them for GMS2.
Its for one but if you get it you can upgrade to version 2 for $50. That deal ends sometime in August. So $65 vs $100
shysaursoft
Member
I just rushed to grab this - I'd missed the Game Maker Studio deal last time it came past on Humble, not gonna miss it this time. I now finally own a copy of GMS, and can say goodbye to Construct2.
timetokill
Banned
TetraGenesis
Member
I'm thinking of grabbing the GMS1 Humble Bundle and then grabbing the upgrade to GMS2 as well -- does the source code for everything carry over for all of those games? And are the other licenses that come in the bundle included in the upgrade price for GMS2 or is that just the standard one?
Edit: I looked it up and see that it include anything but the desktop version.
Edit: I looked it up and see that it include anything but the desktop version.