1. A Pathfinding Project Pro: Navigating the Virtual Maze*

The A* Pathfinding Project Pro is a game-changer for Unity developers seeking seamless navigation for AI entities. Whether you’re creating Tower Defense (TD), First-Person Shooter (FPS), or Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games, this asset’s blazing-fast pathfinding capabilities stand out. Supporting various graph types, multithreading, and advanced features like local avoidance, it ensures your AIs effortlessly find their way through complex mazes. With 16 example scenes and comprehensive documentation, integrating this asset is a breeze.

2. Hot Reload | Edit Code Without Compiling: Revolutionizing Development Workflow

Hot Reload is a game development boon that allows instant code changes without the need for time-consuming compilations. In a world where efficiency is paramount, this asset supports a wide array of edits, from logic changes to asynchronous coding. Its compatibility with Unity versions and versatility in supporting different code structures make it a trusted ally for solo developers and large studios alike. With a user-friendly setup and impressive features, Hot Reload has earned its place among the Unity Awards 2023 nominees.

3. Final IK: Achieving Realistic Animations

For developers seeking the pinnacle of Inverse Kinematics (IK) in Unity, Final IK emerges as a comprehensive solution. Compatible with various render pipelines, it empowers developers to create cutting-edge, high-fidelity graphics across different platforms. The asset includes a range of IK solutions, from Full Body Biped IK to Interaction System, providing a robust toolkit for achieving realistic character animations. With over 30 demo videos showcasing its capabilities, Final IK stands as a vital asset for elevating game animations.

4. Easy Save – The Complete Save Data & Serializer System: Cross-Platform Data Management

Easy Save redefines how Unity developers handle save data and serialization. Since its introduction in 2011, it has evolved into a feature-rich system supporting encryption, compression, cloud storage, and more. Its versatility allows serialization of a wide array of elements, including GameObjects, arrays, dictionaries, and Unity object references. With compatibility across various platforms and integration with popular Unity visual scripting tools like PlayMaker and Bolt, Easy Save offers a robust and flexible solution for managing game data.

5. TopDown Engine: Crafting Seamless Top-Down Experiences *Personal Fave!

Developed by the creator of the acclaimed Corgi Engine, the TopDown Engine stands out as the most complete solution for creating top-down games in Unity. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced developer, this 2D and 3D engine provides a rich framework for top-down action games. Packed with features, including a tight character controller, advanced AI system, inventory management, and multiplayer capabilities, it caters to diverse game development needs. The engine’s commitment to game feel, extensive content, and constant updates make it an invaluable asset for crafting top-down games that truly resonate with players.

Game dev is hard, so anything we can do to speed up the process, meet our deadlines and release games is fantastic. What are your thoughts on the Unity Asset Store?

The post Top Unity Assets From 2023 appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

As a game developer who relies on Unity for my projects, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment when I heard about the recent changes in Unity’s pricing model. This news has come as a shock to everyone and I wanted to take you through the original issue, the subsequent backlash from developers, and the potential U-turn that Unity seems to be considering.

The Initial Shock: Unity’s Runtime Fee

On Tuesday, September 12, Unity dropped a bombshell by announcing the introduction of a “runtime fee” for developers. Starting from January 1, 2024, game creators would be required to pay a fee each time a player installed their game. This decision was met with shock and outrage, especially among indie developers.

Unity specified that this fee would only apply to games that had made over $200,000 in the last 12 months and had at least 200,000 lifetime installs. For Unity Pro and Unity Expertise users, the thresholds were even higher. This fee, calculated based on monthly installations and varying by the developer’s Unity plan and location, left many developers concerned.

The Backlash: Outcry from the Developer Community

The gaming community, particularly indie developers, expressed their anger and frustration on social media. Concerns were raised about the potential for malicious users to uninstall and reinstall games, burdening developers with hefty costs. Developers also feared that games included in charity bundles or subscription services like Xbox Game Pass could incur substantial charges.

Indie developer Aggro Crab highlighted the impact on Xbox Game Pass, stating that the Unity runtime fee could significantly dent their income if their game was downloaded by millions of subscribers. Unity’s decision was seen as potentially detrimental to charity bundles and indie developers’ sustainability.

Unity’s Attempt to Clarify

Unity attempted to clarify the situation by explaining that the majority of developers using Unity Editor wouldn’t be affected. The runtime fee would primarily impact developers with successful games generating revenue above the specified thresholds. Unity’s FAQ section aimed to address developer concerns.

In an interview, Unity’s president for Create solutions, Marc Whitten, made efforts to mitigate concerns. He claimed that developers wouldn’t be charged for multiple installs by malicious users, but only for initial and second installations on different devices. He also assured that games in charity bundles wouldn’t incur charges. However, some developers remained sceptical.

A Possible U-Turn?

Unity’s recent statement on Twitter acknowledged the confusion and discomfort caused by the runtime fee policy. They expressed their commitment to listening to the community, customers, and partners, and promised to make changes to the policy, with updates expected in the coming days.

Despite Unity’s claims of confusion, developers still appear uneasy about the policy. Some are calling for a complete reversal or a more traditional revenue-sharing model. Unity’s reputation has taken a hit during this process, with developers exploring alternatives like Godot.

As a Unity user, I hope that Unity’s reconsideration leads to a fairer and more developer-friendly pricing model. The next few days will be crucial in determining Unity’s stance and whether it can rebuild trust within the game development community.

The post Unity Divided appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Game development companies increasingly recognize that outsourcing is a smart move to improve a video game by saving time and money. It’s like bringing in a team of experts who can handle different parts of a video game, whether it’s creating realistic character animations, a vibrant game environment, or creating rhythmic sound and music. This way, a video game looks amazing and works well without costing too much.

So, it’s a win-win for both developers and players!

In this article, we will touch upon what outsourcing is, factors to consider, tips for successful outsourcing, and how to outsource different parts of your indie games like characters, animations, and coding, to professionals outside your game development team.

What Is Outsourcing Indie Games?

Outsourcing indie game development involves hiring external experts or companies to handle specific tasks or aspects of the video game creation process.

Outsourcing means getting help from people outside your game development team to help you create different parts of your video game. Instead of doing everything independently, you hire experts specializing in different areas, such as character design, animations, sound design, quality testing, and coding, to bring your gaming visions to life.

The ultimate goal of outsourcing is to make the most out of the expertise of professionals, save time, reduce costs, and enhance the game’s overall quality.

Different Areas of Game Development Process to Outsource

As we all know, successful game development requires different skills and talents. Game development companies choose to seek help from experts with a broader pool of expertise to create a power-packed video game. Whether it’s character design, sound design, coding, or any other aspect of the video game development process, these experts bring their specialized skills to create a video game that not only captivates players but also contributes to the success of a video game.

When it comes to outsourcing different areas of the game development process, various components are outsourced to a person or a company to create a fun game. These include:

Character Design

As characters form an emotional connection with the players, video game characters should be designed well to enhance the player’s immersion in the games. Outsourcing character design to professional artists gives life to your game’s heroes, villains, and creatures and enhances your game’s aesthetics and visual appeal.

When outsourcing character design for your video game, it’s essential to communicate your vision clearly to the character designers. You can provide a sketch, a written brief, or even a Pinterest board with character references you admire to convey your expectations. It’s also advisable to discuss the number of revisions with the outsourced team to ensure alignment with your vision. Usually, 2-3 rounds of revisions are standard, but it varies depending on your needs.

In many cases, you can also request a 2D concept image before proceeding to a 3D model in a T-pose that allows you to evaluate and refine the character’s design before it becomes fully realized in the game. This comprehensive approach to character design ensures that the final characters in your game align closely with your creative vision and the intended player experience.

Benefits: 

• Expertise
• Cost-effective
• Time-saving

Animations

Good animations make the gaming experience while bad animations break the gaming experience. To offer a gripping experience, game development companies outsource animations to experts with diverse skills to take the gaming experience to the next level with captivating animations.

While you are outsourcing animations for your video game, it’s important to discuss your animation software preferences, such as Spine or Adobe Animate, to ensure compatibility with your project. Clarify whether you will receive both the raw animation files and the final exported animations. Moreover, you can also inquire about the integration process to streamline your development.

Also, discuss whether your outsourced team offers different animation styles to choose from or if they offer custom animations that align with your game’s unique aesthetics and gameplay requirements. By addressing these factors during the outsourcing process, you can ensure a cohesive and effective animation pipeline for your game.

Benefits: 

• Access to global talent
• Reduced risk
• Variety and versatility

Coding and Programming

Coding and programming is a highly-specialized skill that not all developers have, companies outsource coding professionals with multiple specialities to create a highly functional and entertaining game without long-term costs. As different parts of games require different coding, outsourcing the right expert or team will make all possible that you aim for.

When outsourcing coding and programming services, it’s imperative to establish critical parameters. Ensure that the code provided is not only fully commented but also optimized for efficient performance. Inquire about the presence of a robust bug-finding process to guarantee a smooth and error-free gaming experience. Furthermore, discuss the availability of post-delivery support, including bug fixes and updates, to maintain the game’s integrity post-launch.

To convey your requirements clearly to the coding team, consider providing examples from similar games to the team along with a comprehensive written description of each game. Doing this will ensure that your code aligns seamlessly with your game’s visions, mechanics, and overall quality.

Benefits:

• Quality assurance
• Flexibility and scalability
• Access to specialized expertise

Sound and Music

Sound and music in game development set the mood and atmosphere of the game and make the game environment come alive with dynamic audio. As sound and music add depth and richness to the game’s narrative, outsourcing it to a professional who can pull this off effectively is very important. This outsourcing ensures that the audio elements complement the game’s visuals and leave a lasting impression on the players.

While you are considering outsourcing sound and music production for your game project, it’s essential to clarify several key aspects.

1. Make sure that all soundtracks and music compositions are entirely original and tailored to your game’s unique atmosphere and needs.
2. Discuss the terms of copyright ownership—confirm that upon payment, you acquire complete ownership of the audio assets.

Benefits:

• Immersive auditory experience
• Global pool talent
• Time efficiency

Level Design

Game level design is another specialized skill that requires in-depth knowledge of game mechanics, player psychology, and game narrative. Game development teams outsource this part of the game development process to experts to enhance player engagement, experience, quality, and overall enjoyment.

So while you are outsourcing level design, inquire whether it will be delivered as a grey box with basic layout or fully realized with detailed environments, as it affects the scope of work and resource required. Don’t forget to clarify the pricing structure, whether it’s per individual level, bundled levels, or a comprehensive package for all levels, to manage your budget expectations effectively.

To provide optimal direction, provide your outsourcing team with a comprehensive game design document or detailed written descriptions of levels, including objectives, gameplay mechanics, and unique features to meet your game’s technical requirements, optimizing gameplay performance, and enhancing player engagement.

Benefits:

• Gain fresh perspective
• Maintain cost-effectiveness
• Speed up game development

Is It Right To Outsource Game Development Parts For Your Business?

Yes, outsourcing parts of your game development process is a smart move that you can make to create big games without any hassle. With experts in different areas, you bring in the expertise of professionals to level up your project.

Here’s why outsourcing might be right for you:

Access to Experts

Outsourcing lets you work with experts who are pro at different tasks, like coding, art, or sound. They improve your game as they are well-versed with all the knowledge and skills needed to bring your project to life.

Focus on Your Strengths

Instead of spreading yourself thin, you can concentrate on what you do best, like game design and planning, while letting others handle the technical aspects of game development.

Cost Savings

Outsourcing is very cost-effective. You pay for the work you need when you need it without the hassle of breaking the bank with the long-term costs of hiring full-time staff.

Flexibility

With outsourcing, you can scale up or down with the changing requirements of your project. If your game gets more extensive, you can acquire more help from the team. You can hire a small team to meet your demands if it’s a small project. It all depends on your project.

How Much Does It Take To Outsource A Game Project?

Setting up a cost for outsourcing a game project is very tricky. It means you have to think carefully and really understand what your game needs. You also need to figure out how much everything will cost and be ready to change your budget as the project goes on. Being flexible with your budget and talking well with the team you’re outsourcing to are super important. This helps make sure your game project goes smoothly, achieves what you want, and ends up being a fun game for players to enjoy.

When it comes to outsourcing, there are several factors involved that make a profound impact on the success of your project. These factors include:

• Choosing the right outsourcing partner
• Clearly defining your project goals and requirements
• Establishing effective communication channels
• Setting realistic timelines
• Understanding cultural differences and legal considerations

All these risks particularly arise when you work with an international outsourcing company. By carefully considering these factors and making well-informed decisions, you can make the most out of the benefits of outsourcing and increase the likelihood of your project success.

Let’s now walk you through various examples that give you the cost estimate for some specific outsourced tasks.

For example, if you’re outsourcing the creation of fully rigged 3D models with animations, you can estimate that it may cost between $2,000 to $5,000 per model, depending on the complexity of the model and animations.

Similarly, when outsourcing the level design for a game, estimating costs for 10 3D levels for a First-Person Shooter ranges from $10,000 to $20,000, considering the complexity and detail required for each level.

Individual character concept designs are also a part of the budget. These start at around $100 to $500 per character concept. However, remember that most games need multiple characters, so the overall cost will depend on the number of characters required.

Effective Tips For Game Outsourcing

As outsourcing has become a new practice in the gaming industry, companies are finding new ways to make the most out of this approach. Suppose you are finally deciding to hand over your game development project to an expert or team outside your company. In that case, we want you to consider some tips that will prove to be useful during your outsourcing process. 

Pen down your objectives.

Before you start outsourcing, it’s crucial to write down what you want to achieve. Think about what parts of the game development you want to outsource and what results you expect from the outsourced team. Knowing your objectives and requirements will help you focus on your goals and guide your outsourcing decisions.

Maintain transparency.

It’s important to keep open and honest communication with your outsourcing team. Share your vision for the game, your expectations, and any challenges you foresee. Opt for project management tools, virtual meetings, emails, and other communication channels to address concerns promptly. Keeping good communication will help everyone understand what needs to be done and reduce the chance of miscommunication. 

Delve deeply into research.

Take your time out to research potential outsourcing partners carefully. Look at their past work, talk to other developers who have worked with them, and ensure they have the right skills and expertise to complete your project successfully. Doing thorough research will help you find the right fit for your game.

Start with small-scale projects.

If you’re new to the outsourcing concept or working with a team externally for the first time, it’s wise to begin with smaller projects. Starting with smaller projects will help you eventually build trust that will lay a strong foundation for more complex projects down the road. 

Draft a clear binding contract.

When you decide to work with an outsourcing team, having a clear and legally binding contract is good. This contract should outline the scope of work, deadlines, payment terms, and ownership rights. Having everything written helps protect both parties, ensures everyone is on the same page, and avoids misunderstandings.

What Factors Should I Consider While Outsourcing? 

Now that you know that outsourcing in areas you are not an expert in will make your project better and more efficient, some factors still demand your careful consideration. These considerations will ensure that your outsourcing is not just beneficial but also well-planned and successful.

Now let’s take a look at the factors that you need to consider while outsourcing:

Expertise 

Whichever team or person you choose, ensure they have the right skills and experience that match your project’s requirements. Take time out to examine their portfolio thoroughly to gain insights into their quality of work. Conducting this review will increase the chances of a successful partnership with the outsourced team.

Budget

Although outsourcing saves you a huge chunk of money, you still need to consider your budget carefully. Make sure you are fully aware of the costs involved in outsourcing and are crystal clear with the payment plan. A defined detailed budget plan will ensure financial clarity and help you avoid unexpected financial surprises.

Time 

Timely project completion is one of the most important parts of the planning process. While outsourcing the team, discuss your project timeline early to ensure everything runs smoothly and smoothly down the road. Effective communication about the project’s deadline keeps the development process on track and maintains your project’s momentum.

Quality Standards

Never compromise on quality standards, as it is essential to the game’s success. Compromising on quality can have long-lasting consequences, so it is important to ensure that the team you are working with aligns with and upholds your quality expectations. Remember to never settle for anything less than what your project deserves.

Scalability

While you are outsourcing the team, it is important to discuss if they can scale up or possess the ability to handle increased workloads. In such cases, it is essential to know whether or not they can expand as per your project’s evolving needs. Ensure that the outsourced team remains reliable and flexible through your game development venture, regardless of your project’s ambition.

Choose Your Outsourcing Team Wisely

When it comes to game development, the choice to outsource different parts of your game development project can be a game-changer for you, allowing you to leverage the specialized expertise of the professionals. However, success hinges on one crucial decision: selecting the right outsourcing team.

Remember to scrutinize their skills, experience, and portfolio to ensure they align with your project’s needs and quality standards. Clear communication, a well-structured plan, and a comprehensive contract are your allies in this journey. By choosing wisely, you’re not just outsourcing, you’re also forging a partnership that brings your game to life in ways you never imagined. So, take your time, research, and confidently choose your team.

The post How To Outsource Different Parts Of Your Indie Games? appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Weekly Updates for Your Creativity

Every Wednesday, get ready for fresh surprises as the Dev Days of Summer Sale updates with new deals, ensuring that you’ll find something exciting every week. From top-notch 3D models to game-changing scripts and effects, Unity’s Asset Store has you covered.

The Best of the Best

The excitement doesn’t end on August 17th! Starting from that date, the Best of the Dev Days of Summer Sale takes center stage, and you’ll have until August 31, 2023, to explore and grab your favorite assets at unbeatable prices. It’s like the best Unity Black Friday deals in the summer!

Save 50% on Curated Favorites

With approximately 100 assets discounted at a whopping 50% off, the Dev Days of Summer Sale brings you the cream of the crop from trusted affiliate partners like CodeMonkey, Gabriel Aguiar Prod., Sunny Valley Studio, and Christina Creates Games. Prepare to level up your game development with the best tools and resources.

My Top Picks: Must-Have Assets

As a fellow game developer, I can’t help but share my excitement about some incredible assets included in this sale:

1. Feel by More Mountains – Enhance the atmosphere and emotions in your game with stunning visual effects and shaders.
2. Easy Save by Moodkie – Streamline your game’s saving system with this easy-to-use and efficient asset.
3. All In 1 Vfx Toolkit by Seaside Studios – From explosions to magic effects, this toolkit has everything you need for eye-catching visuals.
4. Ability & Combat Toolkit by ABC Toolkit – Create complex combat systems and unique abilities for your characters with ease.
5. Gaia Pro 2021 – Terrain & Scene Generator by Procedural Worlds – Design breathtaking landscapes and immersive environments with this powerful tool.

Don’t Miss Out!

Take advantage of the Dev Days of Summer Sale and get those bits that will help you move your game forward. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting your journey, these discounts are too good to pass up. Head over to the Unity Asset Store now and grab the assets you’ve been dreaming of at unbeatable prices.

Note: If you’re looking for more fantastic Unity deals, be sure to check out our article on the best Unity Assets. Happy creating!

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Benefits of Using Assets From The Unity Asset Store

Make games quicker: Using assets from the Unity Asset Store can save you a lot of time and effort by providing pre-written code and background assets that you can incorporate into your game. This can help you focus on the creative and unique aspects of your game rather than spending time on the more technical and time-consuming tasks.

Test out game mechanics: The Unity Asset Store is a great place to try out different game ideas and mechanics. You can experiment with various assets and see how they work in your game without having to spend time creating them from scratch.

Give your game extra polish

The Unity Asset Store has a wide range of assets that can help you add polish to your game, such as particle effects, baking solutions, and professional lighting add-ons. These assets can help make your game look and feel more professional and appealing to players. Similarly, by using the wealth of version control systems, you can ensure you have a faster workflow and fewer bugs.

Reverse engineer how they work

By using assets from the Unity Asset Store, you can learn how to code and create game assets by examining the code and comments included with the assets. This can be a great way to improve your skills and knowledge as a game developer.

Use assets for common actions, systems, and graphics

The Unity Asset Store also has a variety of basic assets, such as character controllers, enemy pathfinding, and repeatable assets like trees, that you can use in your game. These assets can help you create a solid foundation for your game and save you time on creating these basic elements from scratch.

Expand the reach of your game

By using the localization tools available on the Unity Asset store you can make your game more accessible for those who don’t speak the same language as you. Text-based adventures have a niche audience so adding additional languages means that you can reach that niche in more countries.

Make more games

Game developers are always coming up with new ideas, and the quicker you can produce games, the sooner you can move on to your next project. By using assets from the Unity Asset Store, you can save time and focus on creating more games and bringing your ideas to life.

While some people frown upon games that rely too heavily on third-party assets, using assets ethically and responsibly can help speed up game prototyping and development, resulting in more fun games for players. The Unity Asset Store is a great resource for game developers looking to save time and create better games faster.

The post Benefits of Using Assets From The Unity Asset Store appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

In my previous article looking at Real AI in Gaming, we touched upon when systems accidentally collided in Red Dead Redemption. However, in Zelda, we mentioned that you can bake an apple whilst it’s still on the tree by holding a torch underneath it. Similarly, you can attach balloons to your raft to create a flying machine. In Dishonoured 2, the two different characters have a very different skill sets from each other meaning that systems within the level have to be robust enough to work for two different types of assassins. These games all have multiple systems working in tandem and it’s the player’s role to either trigger, negate or break these systems which gives the player the feeling of true freedom.

Real World Systems

These systems are used in a similar way in real-world manufacturing and it might surprise you that some industry players actually took cues from the gaming industry. Paul Kruszewski, President of WRNCH predicted in 2016 that game development mechanics and quality control systems would overlap in the future. Right now, machine vision systems view and monitor super fast assembly lines taking photos, processing that information, and using deep learning within their complex neural networks to spot issues and faults and improve productivity.

In the games industry, there is a growing number of both system designers and systems design. For example, if we look at the various systems all working alongside each other such as weather, flora & fauna, NPCs, loot levels, and enemy positions. Each individual system is worked on by a System Designer, but the cohesive whole needs to consider by the systems design team to ensure they all work together to give the player a sense of realism. It is clear that players benefit from a more dynamic and varied game experience whilst at the same time and developers benefit through less rigid implementations of the core of their games.

A Sandbox of Opportunity

A look at Goat Simulator is a great example of a sandbox with lots of overlapping systems that can be manipulated which unexpected consequences. But this also demonstrates one of the big issues with system-based games – It’s very hard to give the player a specific experience. It can take considerably longer to make a system-based game due to the myriad options available to the player. We have all seen bugs that allow players to break through the clipping or go above the level to complete it quickly and easily. The more systems that can be manipulated, the more creative ways there are to break the game.

Sports Games Could Lead the Way

With every iteration of Madden, Fifa, or NBA, they do more than simply update the roster of players. They get the opportunity to tweak the many systems at play. Sports games don’t have to worry about a story or being at a certain point at a certain time. The result of each match is determined by the player and the systems it plays against. In these games, you can’t simply run up the left side to score each time. At some point in the flow of gameplay, something unexpected can happen that forces the player into a situation where their previous plan is no longer viable. In the heat of the moment, they need to change tactics and try another way.

In summary, system-based game development is growing as studios want to give players a more rounded experience in the worlds they inhabit. Systems allow for more realism but at the same time create unpredictability. However, it is this unpredictability that makes stories worth telling. Telling a friend that you completed Gears 5 from start to finish is one story, but one told by many players. If you are the one who managed to climb on a Brumark back and walk through the city undetected, that is a unique story that is worth telling.

The post What Is Systems Based Game Development? appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Game developers are storytellers and want players to have a controlled experience in order to ensure you can play out their vision for the game. This means AI needs to be tempered and controlled. Sure, a level layout can randomised to a certain extent, but the core gameplay loop and narrative structure are maintained.

True AI in Video Games

So let’s go down the rabbit hole and predict what games might be like with true AI as the suggestions are the stuff of true science fiction. Firstly, we need to clarify the two types of AI in gaming. One type is Real World AI and the second is Human-like AI, Real World AI is when the various systems of a game overlap to give the player real-world experiences in the digital world. In a funny clip from Red Dead Redemption, the player shoots a warning shot into the air and a second later a bird drops dead next to him. The moment was very funny but was not scripted or planned, the bird was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Similarly, in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link can bake apples whilst they are still on the tree when standing under them with a flaming torch. These overlapping systems mean that the game world can act and react like real-world elements.

No Man’s Sky was famous for its universe of procedurally generated planets. Thousands of worlds with different flora and fauna to explore. Essentially, the game created worlds for the players. In the future, we expect AI to take this one further and create the world around you as you are playing. Imagine a game that learns your play style and creates a world and story that works for that style. If you like to play the sniper, then various vantage points are generated, unwitting enemies scattered, and various missions require a skilled assassin. Similarly, what if the game knows how long you generally play and keeps quests, missions, or chapters to that length. The dark side to this is shown in the Film ‘Her’ in which the AI video game taunts and tempts the player to play more. If the AI in the game knows you give up at certain points, could it give you a better weapon, a loot box, or a reason to continue playing? Will parental control be needed to stop AI from encouraging play after two hours? The idea of AI becoming the game director is both exciting and scary. If the game is able to react to you and create levels, characters, and missions based on your preferences, we will see many games becoming more of a service (similar to Destiny, Fortnight, or League of Legends).

The Holy Grail of Video Game AI

The Holy Grail of video game AI is the ability to create a character in-game with true AI. Elizebeth Comstock from Bioshock Infinite is a fantastic example that is going in the right direction. Designed and built by a team of 12 people known as ‘The Liz Squad‘. Their goal was to create a nonplayer character that felt real and responsive, whilst having its own ability to navigate the game world. The motion capture was fantastic and the facial expressions were taken directly from the voice actor during her recordings. Elizebeth is not a subordinate under your control, but a partner in the game that you enjoy spending time with and ultimately come to care for. The more you interact with her throughout the game, the more she changes to match your interaction. With characters like Alyx in Half-Life and Ellie in Last of Us growing beyond their actions, we are seeing some emergent gameplay, but nowhere near the limits of what is possible.

The big breakthrough in AI gaming is suspected to come from a smaller studio or an AI game app development company, rather than one of the bigger studios as they have more freedom to experiment. When this happens, gaming will enter a new era of game development.

The post Real AI in Gaming Will Change The Industry appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Learning to code is fun!

Coding lets children create various animations and games. And please, find a child who wouldn’t like those? That is why most platforms aimed at teaching children coding are based on animation. For example, with Roblox Studio, you can both play games created by other users and create your own. As Roblox cannot be accessed in some regions, the solution may be a Virtual Private Network service. So, Roblox + VPN is the formula you should remember and use when you encounter a problem connecting to the platform.

Coding helps to cope with challenging tasks

Coding requires critical thinking and creativity to find the right solutions to solve problems. These features come in handy not only on the computer screen to create the animation or game you want, but also in real life. This is why more and more countries are incorporating learning to code into school curricula. Education which includes coding has a positive effect on the personality and, in a sense, hardens it – preparing it for future challenges. And this protects against unpleasant mistakes that could have been avoided if coding had only been learned since childhood.

It helps to understand the world around you

Coding is involved in most areas of our lives. Why? Look around – everything is computerized. You won’t avoid it in stores, post offices, banks, or security. What is more, each of us has at least a few smart devices and we already have a hard time imagining life without them. This dependence will only grow in the future, as well as probably cause related problems. In order to be able to recognize them, familiarity with coding would be handy. Just imagine yourself if you were to teach about it when you were a kid!

Learning to code improves writing and math skills

Experts in education state children should start early to learn how to code. Among the many benefits, it provides is a marked improvement in subject achievement. For example, research shows that coding learners find it easier to learn correct spelling. Also, these children make noticeably fewer mistakes in completing various math tasks. Of course, many advantages of coding have not yet been discovered due to the lack of research. But we will definitely find out more about them in the near future. Therefore, while we can no longer look back on time and gain coding knowledge, we can make sure that children would learn how to code and coding itself might become a priority area for learning.

The post What I wish I had learned about coding when I was a kid appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

But first, let’s address the ever-interesting question of ‘How much does a video game developer make a year?’.

How much does a game developer make on average?

Along with other tech job roles, game development is also a lucrative career path with decent salaries and employee benefits. So how much does a game developer make? The game developer average salary differs widely depending on the country, as well as the type of game that is being developed.

According to popular job platforms such as Glassdoor, the most common salary range for a game developer in North America is between $61,000 per year with a maximum of $123,000. This makes sense considering that this region accounts for the widest tech job market, including video game development.

Now let’s see what it takes to forge a career path in this field and how to become a game developer at home.

Hard skills

There are many skills to build when you start your journey in web development. The good news is that some of these skills are fairly easy to pick up and others will take a lot longer. Hard ones fall into the second category of time-intensive endeavors.

Game Engine

A game engine is a software framework designed for the creation and development of video games, just like an IDE for software developers. It won’t do all the art of creating a video game for you, but it can accelerate your development process by providing a suite of visual development tools and reusable software components. This gives game developers more time to focus on the unique game elements. 

Unity, Unreal, and CryEngine are some of the most popular game engines cited in a majority of job requirements. Moreover, Unreal and Unity are also iterating at a fast pace, meaning that you need to keep up with the latest updates to stay current.

Programming Language

Although there is a wide range of programming languages for game development, budding developers will be well-served by mastering core technologies like C++, C#, Python, and Java. C++, for example, is the scripting language used by Godot and Unreal Engine. At the same time, C# and Unity are a popular duo to start with for most beginners. If you’re aiming for mobile, you can also look into Kotlin, Swift, and other native mobile technologies.

Game Testing

All games should pass quality control before being released to the player. That’s why you also should have an understanding of the software development life cycle and how testing applies to game products. This skill can help you polish your code and understand the issues that typically occur in game programming.  

QA testing validates the gameplay from a tech standpoint, making sure it doesn’t have any glitches or crashes. Game developers can also set up playtesting sessions (or do it on their own) to gather the feedback of other players and refine a game.

Game visualization

Visualization skills, including prototyping, are one of the most critical skills a game developer can cultivate. A game coder worth their salt should be equally able to discern prototypes made by their colleagues and articulate game concepts by forging their own prototypes. Game mechanics, for example, can be expressed through paper (you sketch your ideas on paper) or code prototyping. These ideas can then be put to playtest to define the core game mechanics.

Soft Skills

But how to become a video game developer when you have already mastered the tech fundamentals? You can work your way up by nurturing soft skills. The latter goes hand in hand with technical acumen and can significantly ease the strain.

Time management

Every game developer has been in a situation where they have fallen behind on a project or deadline. Whether this is due to unforeseen circumstances, procrastination, or just not being organized enough, poor time management skills can result in missed deadlines and strained relationships with colleagues. To avoid it, you should set attainable and measurable goals for the day, keep away distractions and take regular breaks to boost your productivity.

Problem-solving

The very branch of game development is a perpetual cycle of issues and their effective resolution. Therefore, the ability to tackle problems and stand up to challenges is essential for anyone engaged in game creation. Alongside solid programming skills, you should foster analytical thinking to brainstorm the right solution. This skill can be promoted by solving basic programming questions or participating in contests and hackathons.

Creativity

Out-of-the-box mindset is also a salient component in a code-dominated field. When it comes to forging innovative game concepts or programming the game’s terrain, game developers must have an open mind and be able to think outside the box. Thus, according to a study by Microsoft Research and North Carolina State University, game developer success hinges on creativity and interpersonal communication skills more than on traditional programming skills.

Positive attitude

Positive thinking helps you land emotional balance in the workplace, which, in turn, makes your brain perform at its peak. With a bright outlook, you have more chances to remain calm and concentrated and as a result, you can make effective decisions in challenging situations. Therefore, instead of focusing on negative reinforcements and a horde of tasks, keep the scope small and preach positivity to remain productive.

Wrapping Up

Game developers are core team members that vitalize game concepts and turn prototypes and sketches into playable experiences. So how to become a professional game developer in 2022? A powerful combination of hard and soft skills can trail the blaze in the gaming career. As a beginner, you should commit to mastering game engine fundamentals and look into core gaming technologies like C++ or C#. Time management and creativity will also become valuable assets to your game developer persona.

Bio:

Yuriy Denisyuk is Game Production Lead at Pingle Studio. He’s responsible for successfully managing the Game Production pipeline. Yuriy is this lucky person who plays the best games for work in order to keep up with trends and creating new ones. He likes writing, reading Manga, fantasy and professional literature in his free time.

The post How to become a game developer in 2022 appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Social justice movements like Black Lives Matter have opened the door for more representation of People of Color in American Media, and that has extended to the games industry. People of color have always been pivotal to the ascendance of video games as a global billion-dollar industry and its innovation as an art form. The difference is that now more people are noticing and talking about it.

When games include a broader spectrum of the human experience – when they come from an LGBTQ+ lens, tell stories about disabled people, or are grounded in pre-colonial or non-western mythology – they give more opportunities to innovate and experiment. That allows for new ways to tell meaningful stories, or even just provide fun experiences.

In the end, that amounts to having more and better games for gamers everywhere, and that can only be a good thing. That’s why we must amplify the voices of black gamedevs and other game developers of color.

We’ll shed a little light on some of the early contributions of people of color in the games industry, and give a rundown on some of the cool, fun, and exciting new games made by Gamedevs of Color that you should play and support.

Who Was The Black Game Developer – And Why It Matters

As with most STEM fields, people of color have contributed major advances to the games industry that have largely been lost to history.

Jerry Lawson, the inventor of the Fairchild Channel F, is credited as being the first Black game designer. Lawson created many of the innovations that went on to define the modern games industry, and effectively invented the concept of home gaming.

Lawson’s was the classic entrepreneur success story. Having started repairing TVs in New York City, he went on to join Fairchild Semiconductor in San Francisco. There, he created the classic arcade game Demolition Derby, one of the first microprocessor-powered games.

He developed the Fairchild Channel F in 1976, which introduced the concept of swappable cartridges. This pioneered the idea of building a library of games and introduced the concept of home consoles. The Channel F was the early predecessor for the Atari 2600, the first commercially successful home video game console.

Lawson went on to start his own software company Videosoft, the first Black-owned video game company, which would ultimately prove unsuccessful. Lawson was not well-known in his lifetime and died in relative obscurity. Thankfully, he was honored by the International Game Developer’s Association as an industry pioneer. A joint scholarship fund established by the University of Southern California and 2K Interactive was established in May 2021 in his honor to support black and indigenous students seeking careers in the games industry.

Percentage of Black Game Developers in the Games Industry

Social justice movements and organizing by people of color in STEM have led to more of the early pioneers in the games industry to start getting the recognition they deserve, and that’s a good thing. When we pull the scope back and look at the current state of the industry as a whole, the outlook is less promising.

African Americans represent about 13% of the population of the United States and about 11% of all American gamers. Despite this, only 3% of game developers identify as Black or African-American, compared to white/Caucasian developers who make up 81% of all game developers.

It’s also worth noting that much of the representation of people of color in the games industry is in the indie gaming space and that there are few well-known Black Gamedevs in the AAA industry. There are exceptions of course, like Travis Williams who worked on classics like Vampire: The Masquerade and Ars Magica, and now works as the Head of 3rd Party Production at Oculus VR. Williams has used his position and status in the games industry to push for the representation of people of color in mainstream games.

15 Indie Games by Black Game Developers

So much for everything in this industry we need to change and fix. It’s not all gloom and doom though. There are a LOT of cool games currently in development or recently released made by gamedevs of color. They span every genre and platform, from co-op brawlers to heartfelt visual novels to action-adventure fantasy games. Many of them are offering new and unique ways to tell stories, and our industry is richer for it.

Here are some of the indie games made by Black game devs you should know about.

1. Swimsanity!

Do you remember when you came home after a long, boring day of school, and all you wanted to do was get together on your couch with your friends and play a game? You didn’t learn much, you got teased or pushed around at lunchtime, and your friends probably went through the same crappy stuff. So you’d go to one of your houses, pop open a snack, and play Super Smash Bros. Melee.

That’s the gaming itch that Swimsanity scratches, and it does it nicely. This is an underwater co-op shooter where you team up and use a variety of power-ups and weapons to fight aquatic enemies like giant orca whales and crabs. Think Power Rangers, but underwater.

Swimsanity and the creators Decoy Games have showcased at PAXEast multiple times and have been featured in Bloomberg. It’s available for $14.99 on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Remember also to join the Swimswanity Discord and follow Decoy Games on Twitter.

2. Chrono Ghost

Chrono Ghost is a puzzle-adventure game that features time manipulation mechanics like those seen in indie classics like Braid and lesser-known titles like The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. The game places you in the role of the Chrono Ghost, who is tasked with using their new powers to prove their worth to the Spirit of Time. With one thumbstick you move the character, and with the other, you stop, slow down, or speed up time.

Chrono Ghost also has the distinction of being featured at the MAGFest Indie Showcase three years in a row. Chrono Ghost is available for $5.99 on Steam, and remember to follow the devs NITETIME Studios on Twitter while you’re at it.

3. Treachery in Beatdown City

Innovation and experimentation are all well and good, but sometimes just taking a genre that people already know is fun and making it even better is enough. Side-scrolling beat ’em up games like Final Fight and Double Dragon defined a generation of arcade gaming and became staples of modern geek culture. Treachery in Beatdown City is here to carry that torch.

Treachery in Beatdown City features a main cast of three fighters to choose from who represent different martial arts disciplines like jeet kune do, capoeira, and MMA, as they punch, kick and bodyslam their way through an urban dystopia to save President Obama from being kidnapped.

Apart from being a fun arcade game inspired by the classics, it’s also a dark comedy game that features social commentary about systemic racism and gentrification. Throwing a trashcan at a Breitbart-reading cop or a Karen jogger is pretty satisfying, and woke. You also get your standard video game villains like ninjas and cyborgs, though.

The game has been featured at PAX Rising in 2018 and 2019 and has even been given an endorsement by No More Heroes creator SUDA51.

Treachery in Beatdown City is available for $19.99 on Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Itch.Io. Don’t forget to follow the game on Twitter too.

4. Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan

What makes Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan special is that it’s rooted in African mythology, rather than the lens of medieval western fantasy that most adventure RPGs are grounded in.

Mechanically Aurion is most similar to side-scrolling action games like Dungeon Fighter Online, and certain RPG elements give it similarities to JRPGs like Golden Sun.

Aurion wears its African roots proudly on its sleeve. The game takes place in an alternate universe where Africa was never colonized. The developers themselves are based in Cameroon and are the first video game studio to come from the African nation.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is available for $14.99 on Steam, and you can follow the developers Kiro’o Games on Twitter.

5. Hair Nah

If you’re a woman of color reading this, then comment below if this has happened to you.

There you are, minding your own business, you’re walking to work or going to a bar to meet up with your friends when some white Karen pops up out of the blue and goes “oh my god, your hair is so exotic/curly/poofy, can I touch it?” After which you have to swat their hand away because your head is not a ****ing chia pet.

This is just one of the hundreds of little microaggressions that most white people never have to think twice about but are part of the daily lived experience of people of color. And that’s what Hair Nah is all about.

Hair Nah became very popular when it was released in 2008 and had 200,000 shares on social media. It follows the story of a globe-trotting woman of color trying to avoid her hair getting touched by oncoming white hands as she travels to Havana, Osaka, and Santa Monica.

This game struck a chord because of how it approaches the exotification of people of color. It was so on-point that during its release it was one of the most talked-about games on the internet, and it was even nominated for a Webby Award. Plus, Hair Nah is free.

Consent is real people. People of color aren’t petting zoos. 

6. Tiny Bird Garden

What with the world in the midst of a global pandemic and a forthcoming climate apocalypse, people are understandably a little stressed out and in need of some me-time and do something fun and relaxing that takes minimal brainpower.

That’s probably why Animal Crossing became everyone’s favorite game in the early days of the pandemic. It’s also why you should probably check out Tiny Bird Garden.

Tiny Bird Garden is a casual simulation game about collecting adorable, colorful little birds. You customize the garden they live in, you talk to and interact with them, you dress them up in little hats.

This is a low-pressure, low-stress game that you can play if you’re going through a tough time and need a dose of the feelgoods. Tiny Bird Garden is available on Steam and Itch.Io for $9.99.

7. BLeBRiTY

This is a game with some A-list talent behind it, as it’s the brainchild of Jesse Williams from Grey’s Anatomy and Detroit: Become Human.

BLeBRiTY is a funny and irreverent party game in the same vein as Cards Against Humanity or Exploding Kittens, only it’s also a celebration of famous people of color and their contributions to culture.

The game offers in-app purchases but is otherwise free on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. Make sure to follow BLeBRiTY on Twitter too.

8. Black Inventors Match Game

This one is similar to BLeBRiTY in theming, but it’s more of an educational tool for children.

The Black Inventors Match Game is intended to teach children about Black inventors, ranging from the famous ones like George Washington Carver to lesser-known ones whose inventions have changed the world like Lewis Latimer (the inventor of the electric carbon filament that made the lightbulb possible) and Garrett Morgan (the inventor of the three-light traffic light).

The history you learn in schools is often told through a white lens. Games like this help to broaden that historical perspective while also helping children develop their concentration and memorization skills.

The Black Inventors Match Game is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store for $0.99. You can also follow the developers on Twitter.

9. ValiDate

Intimacy and romance are great, but how do you find room for love in your life when your job and your family and society in general are working together to stop you from ever finding it?

That’s what ValiDate is about. It’s a visual novel that explores the lives of 13 adults as they try to navigate their relationships – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s currently in development and is slated for release in June 2022.

A lot of visual novels are mushy brain-popcorn that focus on all the romantic aspects of a relationship. Rarely does a game comes along that examines how hard it is to hold down a relationship when you yourself are already struggling just to survive. Plus the ValiDate memes are pretty on-point.

You can wishlist ValiDate on Steam, support it on Patreon, and follow the game’s development on Twitter.

10. She Dreams Elsewhere

There are few scarier things to think about than waking up from a never-ending coma. That’s what She Dreams Elsewhere is About.

She Dreams Elsewhere is an RPG about Thalia, a woman in a coma who has to fight her own nightmares in her struggle to wake up. The game plays looks like Undertale as seen through the lens of OFF! It uses some pretty evocative imagery and unsettling subject matter, which may be why it was featured at the GDC Indie Megabooth.

She Dreams Elsewhere has a demo available on Steam where you can also wishlist the game. While you’re at it, join the Discord and follow the devs on Twitter as they go to Game Devs of Color Expo.

11. FarRock Dodgeball

FarRock Dodgeball is a classic example of a game made with love.

FarRock Dodgeball, made by developer Keenan Williams of SideB Gaming, is an arcade sports RPG about high-stakes competitive dodgeball, but it’s also about so much more than that. The game is a deeply personal story inspired by Keenan’s formative experiences growing up in FarRockaway, Queens. It’s also a love letter to New York itself, featuring homages to sneakerhead culture and NYC street food.

Plus, the 8-bit hip-hop soundtrack is bumpin’.

FarRock Dodgeball came out last week on September 24th. You can buy or wishlist FarRock Dodgeball on Steam or the Apple Store now. While you’re at it, make sure to follow SideB Gaming on Twitter and Instagram.

12. Before I Forget

Before I Forget takes the same format as a lot of arty walking simulators like That Dragon, Cancer, and What Remains of Edith Finch. And that’s not a bad thing. This game is a great example of how video games can be tools to teach empathy, and experience the world through the eyes of someone outside of your lived experience.

Before I Forget tells the story of a woman living with early-onset dementia, as she collects objects that remind her of her life experiences and piece together her memories. It’s introspective, heartfelt, and just might make you ugly cry. It’s not without good reason that Before I Forget was nominated for a BAFTA award.

You can buy Before I Forget on Steam or Nintendo Switch for $7.99. Be sure to also follow the devs 3-Fold Games on Twitter.

13. Aerial_Knights Never Yield

Not every game has to innovate or experiment or start the next big trend in indie gaming. It’s enough for a game to be about pure, unadulterated fun. That’s what you’re getting with Aeiral_Knights Never Yield.

Aerial_Knights Never Yield is an endless runner-platformer similar to Bit.Trip Runner. It takes place in a futuristic Neo-Tokyo style Detroit where you jump and parkour over obstacles. The whole game is no longer than a feature-length movie and the story takes a backseat to the gameplay, and it’s just as well because the gameplay is pretty fun and is a great way to get a quick dopamine fix. The soundtrack is also pretty great and is like a blend between The World Ends With You and Cowboy Bebop.

Aerial_Knights Never Yield is going for $11.99 on Steam. Please also consider following the dev Aerial_Knight on Twitter and Instagram.

14. Breeze In The Clouds

Have you ever wondered what sort of shenanigans your pets get up to whenever you’re not around? The creators of The Secret Life of Pets did, and so did the developer of Breeze in the Clouds.

Breeze In the Clouds is an isekai story about a pet corgi that gets teleported to a magical realm where he gains the power of airbending (or aerokinesis if you want to get fancy).

The game is a 2D side-scrolling action-platformer that features some really fun, cute, and creative character designs. The soundtrack is also really cool and hip, it’s a blend between jazz, samba, and other “old school cool” music set to a classic beat that makes you think of SNES or Sega Genesis-era games.

It’s currently still in development, but you can and should support the developers by following Breeze in the Clouds on Twitter and Discord. While you’re at it, throw a few bucks their way on Patreon.

15. Sasha Says

The last game on our list is a popcorn game that everyone can enjoy, regardless of whether they consider themselves a gamer or not.

Sasha Says is a mobile game that’s a cross between Bop-It and Simon Says that includes quotes from Women of Color role models and historical figures like Rosa Parks and Serena Williams. It’s kid-friendly, and it’s a good way for toddlers to develop their cognitive functioning and reaction times. Plus, it’s free on the Apple store with in-app purchases.

Final Thoughts

People of color have put so much more of their soul and their passion into the games that we know, love, and enjoy than they get credit for, but that’s slowly but surely starting to change. We can choose to make the gaming community a better place and open the door for more Black gamedevs to tell their stories by supporting their projects and engaging with their content online.

To recap, the awesome indie games by Black gamedevs you need to know about are:

1. Swimsanity!
2. Chrono Ghost
3. Treachery in Beatdown City
4. Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
5. Hair Nah
6. Tiny Bird Garden
7. BLeBRiTY
8. The Black Inventors Match Game
9. ValiDATE
10. She Dreams Elsewhere
11. FarRock Dodgeball
12. Before I Forget
13. Aerial_Knights Never Yield
14. Breeze in the Clouds
15. Sasha Says

What are the other games by Black gamedevs we should be paying attention to? Are there any important ones we missed? Let us know about them in the comments, and we’ll check them out for the next round!

Arthur Bio

Jonathan Jennings is a VR game developer is the lead developer at Weird Kid Studios. His current project is a VR arena arcade shooter called Galactic Bar Fight.

The post Awesome Indie Games by Black Game Developers You Should Keep An Eye On appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

If you have your hand on the pulse of the world of software development, you have probably noticed a major rise in the number of projects involving enterprise training, and especially those that engage immersive technology. This trend was examined by PwC, whose recent report forecasts a 23x increase in workers using immersive tech by 2030.

While the demand for immersive training solutions is greater than ever nowadays, supply is struggling to keep up. The reason for the disparity – obstacles during development. Building training software is already complicated and time-consuming, but adding immersion into the mix adds a whole new layer of difficulty.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go into this fight alone. In this article, we examine why Unity is one of the best tools you can have when building a virtual training application for your company.

Problems of virtual training development in 2021

The problems of training development software are far beyond complex coding or demanding art needs, and the answers to them are also anything but simple. Still, let’s take a cursory look at these issues, leaving room for further exploration in future publications.

1) One company, numerous solutions

Training solutions used to be quite limited in use, so companies would often order 1 or 2 for a particular task or skill. Today, the trend has turned towards businesses aiming to build dozens of training solutions, tailoring them to various branches, professions, and skillsets. This is a big ask for developers.

2) Businesses want their own continuity

With cyberthreats ramping up progressively each year, many businesses are hesitant to delegate maintenance of their applications to the third-party studios that developed them. They prefer to provide maintenance in-house, yet often struggle with finding enough full-time specialists with the expertise and rates they want.

3) Focus on visuals has shifted to experience design

As training programs have advanced, so have requirements for their creation. For example, today’s developers are under pressure to closely replicate real work experiences (e.g. every step of repair, from opening a toolbox to conducting a fix to putting all the tools back). The increase in required content leads to an increase in required work hours.

4) Deployment should be smooth and fast

It has become a top priority for developers to provide quick deployment on numerous devices, and are expected to deliver instant integration of completed solutions: upon completing the creation of a training program, a build should be automatically generated and made accessible to a select few users.

5) Frequent iterations

Given the complexity of training solutions, it is difficult to create specifications for them that cover all relevant and possible interactions. These specifications cannot be taken as gospel, and developers should be prepared for multiple rounds of revisions throughout the process based on client feedback.

How these problems are solved with Unity

You can make leaps and bounds towards solving these issues with the right planning and business strategy, but it will all be for naught without robust tools at your disposal. One such tool is Unity, an engine with a massive ecosystem of integrations and wide-ranging support for various platforms and devices. It also has some of the best assets available right now.

The thing about Unity that makes it a great fit for this line of development is the ability it grants to easily create custom frameworks and application logic for use during development. Let’s examine how this advantage (and others) can help you overcome the pressing issues listed above.

1) Multiple training solutions through automation

Though individual simulations in company-wide training solutions might be different in mechanics, they have similar elements. When developing various training solutions, having a custom Unity framework focused on these common elements will allow you to quickly generate scenarios for individual simulations, requiring only minor tweaks.

2) Built-in tools for continuity and security

Without a doubt, Unity developers are among the most plentiful groups in the programming community, so companies with solutions on this platform can easily find staff for secure continuation of projects. Notably, Unity also supports tools and systems that follow the most up-to-date security guidelines and strictly delegate project roles/accesses.

3) Keeping experiences accurate with unified libraries

Though there is no getting around the need for complex and accurate user experiences in a simulation, the development time can be drastically shortened with libraries of common elements (among different simulations). This system, along with Unity prefabs and nested prefabs can allow you to spend more time on the creation of unique experience elements.

4) A cross-platform behemoth expediting deployment

Unity may not be unique in its support for various devices and operating systems, but it stands out in the sheer diversity of support. This should be appreciated by any cross-platform developers on your team. For example, immersive simulations are supported by top-notch tools like VRTK and MRTK.

5) No need to start from scratch with each new iteration

Some might see the iterative approach as a nuisance, but a custom framework can make it manageable. If you plan to reuse old elements and models, it will allow you to do it in minutes, as well as grant the capability to accommodate multiple corrections before a vertical slice is presented.

Is Unity a “must-have” choice?

Certainly, Unity is not the only engine with a broad and versatile ecosystem, and you don’t need to make the choice alone. If you work with a tech partner, you can also ask them for a technical evaluation before any coding happens. They might choose Unreal Engine 4 as the best tool for the project, and might even choose to go next-gen with UE5.

Still, there is no doubt that Unity is one of the most powerful options available for enterprise training software. The freedom and ease that Unity grants in creating custom frameworks are simply spectacular and worth the hype. If you have a large project requiring lots of iteration/reuse of code or content, be sure to consider this top contender.

The post Building an Enterprise Training Application for VR? Unity is the Way to Go appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

On May 26, 2021, the “Early Access” version of Unreal Engine 5 was released. Game developers all over the world finally got to tinker with the long-awaited platform and see all it had to offer. As you might know, Unreal Engine is one of the most popular game engines available today, with UE4 (released in 2014) being used for millions of projects, and not just games.

Though there have been plenty of updates to Unreal Engine 4 over the years, none were as large in scale as version 5 – a giant leap forward in game design. For anyone curious about this new release, how it compares to the previous one, and what it means for the industry, we are breaking it all down for you.

What are the main changes in Unreal Engine 5?

Unreal Engine 5 was in development for several years (and you could say is still being perfected), but many of the additions were conceptualized 7-8 years ago. Thus, many of the new features are truly groundbreaking and designed with the proper care and time. Let’s examine some of the changes:

Rendering/Performance

UE4 had a pretty great rendering system based on Direct X 11 & 12, but it was quite a chore to manually set up levels of detail (LOD) for each mesh.  UE5 completely changes the mesh system from a static to a dynamic one. In other words, it allows you to maintain a very high poly count in each scene, only processing the details that you can perceive.

This new system (called Nanite) largely eliminates loss of quality during LOD transitions, and also supports the import of high-detail 3D sculpts as well as photogrammetry scans. Finally, in terms of performance monitoring, version 5 mostly keeps the existing system (Unreal Insights) intact, while adding oft-requested features like memory leak detection and profiling support.

Physics

At first glance, you might think that UE5 has the same physics system as the previous version. This is partly true, especially when it comes to rigid-body mechanics, collisions, and friction. However, the devil is in the details, and there are a few goodies that are sure to make the work of developers easier.

Firstly, we can point to new support for Asynchronous Physics Simulation, a feature that allows individual physics systems to function separately from the overarching game physics. This is best exemplified in the new Physics Fields system, which you can use to create many physics simulations in the game, each with its own rules and properties. These features are considered helpful for receiving predictable results in game situations (so the player avoids absurd scenarios).

World-building

One of the issues with UE4 and other current-gen engines is that there are hard limits to the size of the maps you want to create, connected with memory and performance issues that occur as you scale up. While version 5 does not remove these limits, it pushes them much farther, thanks to optimization and compression.

With the new World Partition system, you can make gigantic levels without splitting them up into sublevels and hundreds of load points. Now, you get a much smoother loading system based on distance, and the file system for actors has been streamlined to single files instead of a whole jumbled mess.

Lighting

The things that UE5 has accomplished with lighting and shadow are spectacular, and certainly worthy of their own article.  The new Lumen illumination system is at the very center of these accomplishments. For one thing, it is incredibly responsive, immediately reacting to scene and light changes. The same thoughtful and realistic approach has been applied to shadows, with major improvements to shadow resolution.

While UE4 had nice features like Screen Space Illumination and Ray Tracing Illumination, they were not very reliable. This has been fixed in the new version, providing truly next-gen visuals. At the same time, we must mention that the Lumen system is very demanding, and can be successfully deployed on only powerful PCs and next-gen video game consoles.

Gameplay frameworks

For those who love the Blueprints scripting system, don’t worry! It is still around in Unreal Engine 5. While most of the gameplay settings like input have been carried over from v 4, there are some bright new additions, including support for radial dead zones, contextual input, and chorded actions.

It has become much easier to develop standalone, encapsulated features, which should reduce the number of bugs and let developers learn the new workings of the system faster. The security of game frameworks has also been strengthened, and it has become near-effortless for developers to share completed features among one another.

There is a lot more to cover on the topic, and we took a skimming approach. If you want to go more in-depth regarding the additions and systems introduced in UE5, you can start with this guide from the creators of the engine Epic Games.

How Unreal Engine 5 will impact the gaming world

UE5 is slated for release in early 2022, and we expect it to have a massive impact on the gaming industry:

High poly counts in nearly every game

UE5 ends the decades-long belief that there are only so many high-poly models you can fit in a level/game, and that the use of many such models is reserved for AAA titles. With its groundbreaking geometry system, the floodgates for creating unlimited geometry have been opened, and this is something small and indie studios will surely take advantage of.

Old hardware gets left behind

It is inevitable for engines as powerful as this one to require powerful hardware, and the specs truly are a doozy: a GTX 1080/Vega 64 graphics card or higher, 8 GB of VRAM, and 32 GB of system RAM.  Thus, many developers working from their basement or with some outdated hardware will need to upgrade to take advantage of the new version.

Finally, a worthy tool for next-gen consoles

2020 was a big year for Xbox and Sony, as they both released their next-gen consoles, which promised to make gaming substantially better and more convenient for users. While the consoles are spectacular, the big story of the year was the shortage of games that take advantage of the powerful hardware. Now, with UE5 at the disposal of developers, we can expect many truly next-gen titles to begin popping up.

More incentive for UE moviemaking

We have already seen Unreal Engine used in TV shows like The Mandalorian and movies like Rogue One. This trend should continue as the engine becomes friendlier for filmmakers. The tools for cinematic levels of lighting, detail, and VFX are now available, and we’ll see how many of our favorite shows and films take advantage of them in the years to come.

Takeaways: Is it time to upgrade?

As excited as you may be to upgrade to the newest version of Unreal, you should consider the needs of your project first. Keep in mind that the full functionality of the engine will become available in 2022, so if you prime it for release based on UE5 in 2021, your game may miss out on some amazing stuff. Additionally, the current “Early Access” stage is much like a beta – full of bugs, underdeveloped options, inconvenient interfaces.

It will take some time for the engine to become fully usable, but you can already start introducing your developers to it and begin planning projects that will use it. If you have no developers or they are unfamiliar with this engine, you can always hire a capable partner to help. Even if you start your project with UE4, it should be possible to upgrade following a few simple guidelines.

Related: Advanced Game Development Tools 

The post Unreal Engine 5 is About to Make a Splash in Game Development: Here’s How appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

These assets range from 3-D models, image or audio files, animations, textures, etc.  Some popular assets like the Animator Creator, Render texture, etc. can bolster your game-building techniques and make them more efficient. By saving up to 50%, you can get your hands on some of the best Unity assets listed below:

GAIA PRO:

GAIA PRO is a professional terrain and scene generator for Unity that allows you to create aesthetic and ravishing mobile, VR, console stand desktop scenes. 

Pros & Cons:

This streaming system gives you the advantage of either working fully procedural or manual. 

GAIA PRO is robust and provides fast results. The assets keep receiving updates and tweaks. 

There’s a drawback of lacking comprehensive tutorials, but it won’t be tough to figure out the tools, thanks to their fantastic support. 

Savings:

The GAIO PRO was previously priced at €258.17, but the new discounted price is €129.08 only. 

UFPS: Ultimate FPS

UFPS is a professional, kinematic character controller designed to create the ultimate first shooter for PC, mobile, console, AI, networking, and VR. 

Pros & Cons:

UFPS is an exceptionally well-documented and professionally coded asset for both designers and programmers. It can also be used as a learning tool.  

As a beginner, it is potentially the best platform to make a good FPS. Still, if you are a competent developer, eventually, you will run into its limitations and require more features and updates. 

Savings:

The UFPS asset after 50% off is a steal deal and is available at just €33.50 only. 

Corgi Engine – 2D + 2.5D Platformer

Corgi Engine is one of the best selling and most complete platformer solutions for Unity built around a non-physics-based character controller. 

Pros & Cons:

It’s the best tool to create a 2D + 2.5D platformer game compatible for desktop, mobile, consoles, and many more. The Corgi Engine is simple to use. May you be an experienced developer or a newbie; you can make the best out of this engine with its heavily coded database, excellent tutorial levels, and loads of content. 

With little downsides such as unorganized folders and rigidity in manually working, the Corgi Engine contains MMFeedbacks, the Inventory Engine, and Nice Touch assets, without additional purchases. 

Savings:

Previously priced at €53.60, you can get the Corgi Engine for €26.80 only!

Pro Camera 2D – The definitive 2D & 2.5D Unity camera plugin

Pro Camera 2D is a plugin for Unity that allows you to quickly set up a camera for any 2D game. 

Pros & Cons:

It supports orthographic or perspective cameras, so it works great for all types of 2D and 2.5D games. It also supports all three axes (XY, XZ, and YZ), which means Pro Camera 2D is applicable for any 3D game with camera movement on a 2D plane. 

This plugin covers a wide range of features, extensions, and triggers. Also, your one-time purchase gives you a lifelong to all future updates for free. 

Savings:

The users highly recommend it, and right now, you save and get Pro Camera 2D at just €17.87! 

Quest Machine

Quest Machine is a full-featured, easy-to-use, and extensible quest system that lets you add handwritten and procedurally-generated quests to your project. 

Pros & Cons:

There is no scripting required here. It works great in 2D and 3D and also supports multiplayer games. 

Quest Machine is tested on platforms such as Windows, Mac, WebGL, Android, iOS, etc. With its thoroughly-documented source code and extensive scripting AI, learning how to use this massive package will take some time. For you beginners, 90% of the features might seem daunting until you understand the system to its fullest. 

Savings:

Now you can create unlimited quests at runtime at a halved price of €29.03 only!

Ultimate Game Music Collection

The Ultimate Game Music Collection is a definitive video game stock music pack with 218 tracks and cues. It includes full content from 11 popular packs and various genres to choose from, such as action, fantasy, casual, horror, puzzle, and many more. 

Pros & Cons:

You can use the music in your project innumerable times without any additional fees at such a low and affordable price. The music standards are high-quality and professionally mixed to create a fantastic soundtrack for your project. 

Savings:

Consumers’ highly satisfactory response has made it a must buy at a small price of €20.10 from €40.20.  

Ultimate Sound FX Bundle

Ultimate Sound FX Bundle provides a massive library of 9023 premium sounds chosen over thousands of sounds recorded. 

Pros & Cons:

All the sounds are game-ready and designed to enhance the feel of your game. The pack gets a future lifetime update for a one-time purchase. It features sounds such as real recorded gun and bullet sounds, Retro/2D platformer sounds, animal sounds, etc., making the experience professional. 

Savings:

At such a low price of €8.93 from €17.86 right now at the Cyber Week, it’s a deal you need to make before it ends. 

Mesh Baker 

Mesh Baker combines multiple meshes and combines the materials on those meshes into a single mixed material to enhance drawbacks by reducing draw calls produced by different assets and models. 

Pros & Cons:

For static/dynamic batching, models and atlases can be fixed and created to share materials. Mesh Baker requires no scripting and hardly needs 5 minutes to learn and understand. 

Also, non-destructive workflow ensures that the source assets aren’t altered or affected, but a new combined mesh and texture atlases are created separately. Being one of a kind, Mesh Baker remains a little inclined towards being much more useful for an experienced user. 

Savings:

Previously priced at €58.07 and now €29.03 only!

TopDown Engine

TopDown Engine is a complete top-down solution for Unity that allows creating both 2D and 3D top-down games. 

Pros & Cons:

With clean coding, good practices, and optimizations, TopDown Engine is very fast and works on desktop, mobile, consoles, etc. Also, the heavily documented codebase makes customizing simple and easy for professional developers. But a little knowledge of Unity Learn will be enough for newbies to understand this engine. 

Savings:

The TopDown Engine is now available at half its price. €26.80 only!

Anything from the Kitbash 3D Collection

Kitbash3D is Unity Asset store’s first large library partner, which creates the world’s most premium 3D assets. Their asset library has been used by successful and renowned film studios (Disney, Fox, Marvel, HBO) and game studios (Ubisoft, EA, 2K, Tencent). 

Pros & Cons:

A list of kits provided by Kitbash3D and available at Unity Store include 3D assets of Spaceships, Cyberstreets, Neo Tokyo, Shangri-La, Roman Empire, etc.  

Using the Kitbash3D asset, you can create a beautiful scene for video games, film, TV, design, or art. But if you carelessly mix an asset kit, you will end up with a clash of different design languages, affecting performance and speed. 

Savings:

There is no room for mistakes in developing a project anyway, so make your project a visual dream come true by getting your Kitbash3D kit at a discounted price of €88.89 from €177. Colossal saving, isn’t it?

What Now?

The Unity Asset Store is a one-stop store to get all those assets and systems to enhance your game-developing skills. Consequently, your project development becomes more comfortable, faster, and more impressive. 

With these sale offerings, you can save a staggering total of £410 if you purchased the ten assets listed above, and that would be a HUGE saving promising you tons of features to level up your game development truly.

The post Top 10 Unity Assets to Buy Right Now appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

If you have already done so, then you’ll already know how much fun you can have with Roblox. Whether you’re completely new to the game or you’re an old hand, you’ll quickly learn that Robux, the in-game currency used in Roblox, is crucial to a smooth experience with the game. Put simply, if you don’t have Robux, you’re not going to get very far within the Roblox infrastructure. It’s used for everything from buying games and access to purchasing new items for your avatar. 

Luckily, we’re here to help you understand how to make the most of Robux. Here are 5 different ways you can obtain Robux in Roblox. Some of these are easier than others, so feel free to go with whatever works for you. Here we go!

First, What are Robux?

Robux are ‘Roblox-Bucks’ and is the digital currency used in Roblox and can be earned in-game or purchased with real-world money. These Robux can then be exchanged for digital items within the many games for items from pets to VIP access.

Check out a free Robux site

This is probably the easiest and quickest way to get yourself some Robux. There are many ways to get free Robux, but heading over to a site like the one we’ve linked here is a fantastic way to shore up some in-game cash quickly. You need to make sure that the site you choose is completely safe, of course, and that you’re not going to be scammed, but once you’ve made sure of that, there’s nothing stopping you from building an unstoppable Robux empire for your Roblox avatar.

Remember, not all free Roblox Robux sites are created equal. Some are unscrupulous and don’t have your best interests at heart. It’s very important to keep that in mind as you look for a free Robux provider. The site we’ve linked is an excellent place to start; it’s reputable, reliable, and offers friendly customer support.

Buy Robux with real money

The most straightforward official way to get Robux is simply to buy them from the Roblox website. Roblox offers you the chance to buy Robux in different denominations; you can either buy smaller packs for less money or go for larger-cost value packs that cram more Robux into the deal.

How much are Robux?

The smallest amount you can spend is £4.59, which will net you 400 Robux. Packs increase in price, ending up at £92.99 for a whopping 10,000 Robux. Remember to buy sensibly! It is worth noting that Robux prices do fluctuate and this Robux price was correct at the time of writing

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to get a refund on the Robux you buy and that they can’t be transferred. If Roblox chooses to, it can technically revoke your license to use your Robux, but this won’t happen unless something remarkable occurs (which is extremely rare).

Earn Free Robux Gift Cards

If you are a regular internet surfer, why not earn free Roblox Robux whilst you search. By signing up for Microsoft Rewards and using Bing instead of Google you can build up points that can be redeemed for vouchers. These vouchers include Roblox Robux. 1,500 points will get you 100 Robux 3,000 will get 200 Robux and so on up to 1,000 Robux for 15,000 points. Just by doing what you already do, you can earn free Robux. To help boost the acquisition of points, there are 140 points given every day just for doing a few quizzes or particular searches.

Subscribe to Roblox Premium

If you’re an avid Roblox fan, you’ll be pleased to know that the game operates a monthly subscription model. Roblox Premium is a service that not only allows you access to a monthly allowance of Robux but also gives you a 10% bonus whenever you buy Robux of any amount. That means that instead of getting 400 Robux from the £4.59 tier, you’ll instead get 440, and so on. Those extra Robux are not to be sniffed at; they’ll really start to add up over time.

Roblox Premium is well worth having if you’re in any way a fan of the game and if you play it a lot. It’ll give you access to Roblox’s in-game economy, which allows you to trade items. Premium also grants you an increased revenue share from your games, so you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Sell your items

Have you made something awesome that you want to share with the Roblox community at large? Selling your items can be a great way to make yourself some Robux. Whatever you’ve made, setting up a marketplace page for it and getting the word out there means you can guarantee at least a few people will see it and possibly even buy it for their avatar. Remember that Roblox takes a 30% cut of your profits when you sell items via the Roblox marketplace.

Another thing to remember is that the community won’t just buy anything. If you want your Roblox creations to stand out and to get more Robux for yourself, you will need to make something memorable and interesting. Don’t simply create a low-effort item and expect to be disproportionately rewarded.

Create great Roblox games

Roblox is, first and foremost, a game creation suite. With that in mind, perhaps one of the most efficient ways you can get Robux for yourself is to create great games. If you can manage to make something original and interesting, then charging money for it shouldn’t be a problem; word of mouth will spread quickly and players will want to check out the cool game you’ve created. This method does require more effort than the others, but it’s arguably worth it.

Roblox will take a certain percentage of your profits if you create games using the platform. You can reduce this percentage by signing up for the Roblox Premium service. Doing so will mean that you’ll take a bigger cut of the games you sell. Just like with items, make sure that your games are high-quality or people won’t want to buy them.

Best way to buy Robux

There are a few different ways to acquire Robux (mentioned above), some of which are more legitimate than others. Here are a few of the most common ways to buy Robux:

1. Roblox website: Robux can be purchased directly from the Roblox website using a credit card or PayPal account. This is considered to be the most legitimate and safe way to acquire Robux.
2. Third-party sellers: Robux can be purchased from third-party sellers, such as online stores or individual sellers. However, it is important to be cautious when buying from third-party sellers, as there have been reports of fraudulent or fake sellers.
3. Robux generators: There are many websites and apps that claim to offer Robux generators, which promise to give you free Robux. However, these are almost always scams and should be avoided. They may also cause harm to your device.
4. Some Roblox groups and players may offer Robux in exchange for real money, but it’s important to be careful when buying from unknown players or groups, as they may be a fraud.

Word of Warning

It’s important to note that Roblox has a strict policy against buying, selling, or trading Robux or items outside of the official Roblox platform. Purchasing Robux from unauthorized third-party sites, such as Robux generators, may result in the suspension of your Roblox account.

Check out our article on Roblox Scams (and how to avoid them) here.

The post 5 Different Ways You Can Get Robux appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

The first stage challenges the entire developer community to submit their idea in a Game Design Doc, and pitch it in a short video. Six entries will be chosen by a panel of expert judges. Stage two will see a select few invited to an exclusive VIP Mentorship Summit to work with visionaries, engineers, and spokespeople from Universal, Microsoft, Intel and Unity to help them make the most of their project (along with the Unity Asset Store).

The final few will be tasked with creating a vertical slice of their game using Unity, and submit for the ultimate goal: a consultancy agreement with Universal and the chance to make their game a reality.

Every contestant gets the opportunity of a lifetime to design a game for an iconic world.

Stage One Deliverables:

• One Game Design Document (up to 13 pages)
• One pitch video introducing yourself, your team, your experience, and your idea
• Optional: Supplementary content such as concept art, videos, models, or story.
• All deliverables must remain private

Contest Judges

• Lauren Montgomery: Co-executive Producer at DreamWorks TV and Showrunner for Voltron Legendary Defender
• Dean Takahashi: Lead writer for GamesBeat of VentureBeat Magazine
• Bob Gale: Oscar-nominated screenwriter-producer-director, best known as co-creator, co-writer and co-producer of the Back to the Future films
• Kate Edwards: Kate Edwards is the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify, a consultancy for content culturalization, the Executive Director of Take This, and is the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

For more information about the contest visit the official competition page on the Unity.

The post The Universal GameDev Challenge by Unity appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Francisc was on the remote development panel alongside Dan Da Rocha, David Housden, and Lynne Lui at Game Anglia. I was lucky enough to interview him about all thing video games, from Ubisoft to indie development. Having worked on both AAA titles and smaller ‘award-winning’ mobile games, he has seen the pros and cons of each career path.

Being the founder of No Moon, a creative gaming company is Burrarest, Francisc aims to drive the transition to a better economic system using new production principles, highly autonomous talent and unique game development processes whilst working remotely with professionals from all over the globe. The ultimate aim is to create breathtaking, simple experiences that trip deep emotional triggers, and to funnel everybody’s creativity and freedom from the comfort of their home.

The post From Ubisoft to Indie Dev | Francisc Apostu Interview appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

• What is a Unity Educational Evangelist?
• How can game developers embrace the Unity community?
• Where are the best Unity tools and resources?
• Is Unity in schools?
• What is The Playground Project?
• Game Development and Unity certification tips?
• Unity VR Development

And so much more. Whilst I would love to give you all the answers right here, you have to watch the video to find out. If you would like more information on some of the topics we discuss, we see the links below.

Useful links:

• Follow Liz Mercuri on Twitter (@FragFox)
• Download Unity 3D
• Meet and collaborate at Unity Connect
• Unity Learn Channel
• The Playground Project
• Best Unity Assets Right Now

The post The Power of Unity | Liz Mercuri Interview appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

So, if you have missed the boat on getting a University degree in game design or development, never fear, as here are five fantastic Udemy courses for budding game designers and developers.

The Ultimate Guide to Game Development with Unity

Created by Jonathan Weinberger and Unity Technologies
https://www.udemy.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-game-development-with-unity/
156 lectures but only 12 hours

Learn C# Code by Making Games – Complete Unity Developer 2.0

Created by Ben Tristem, Rick Davidson, GameDev.tv by Ben
https://www.udemy.com/unitycourse2/
– 118 lectures and 16hrs

Check out my interview with Ben Tristem here.

Finish Your First Game Quickly Using GameMaker Studio 1.4

Created by Benjamin Anderson
https://www.udemy.com/make-a-game-in-a-single-afternoon-using-gamemaker-studio/
– 28 lectures 3.5 hours

Unity Game Development Academy: Make 2D & 3D Games

Created by Mark Price, Developed by Mark Price
https://www.udemy.com/devslopes-unity3d/
– Biggest at 118 lectures and 35hrs

The Unreal Engine Developer Course – Learn C++ & Make Games

Created by Sam Pattuzzi, GameDev.tv by Ben Tristem
https://www.udemy.com/unrealcourse/
– 55 hours of video

Whether you are looking to code in 2D or 3D or use a drag and drop engine or get down and dirty with code, Udemy is a great resource to start you on your game dev journey. My only advice is to finish a course. Many offer certification and rewards for finishing and it’s great for your mental well-being to start and finish a course. Many a time I would start a course, learn something new and then spend weeks messing around with my new skill and lose my way. By completing a course you can equip yourself with the skills to do many things and mess around for a whole lot longer.

I was lucky enough to interview Ben Tristem from GameDev.Tv, and one of the top teachers at Udemy and you can check out my interview here.

The post 5 Great Udemy Courses For New Game Developers appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

250 Budding Game Developers Descend on Suffolk Waterfront on November 18th.

Monsters, mining and virtual woodland creatures are all on the agenda on November 18th, as the game development community flock to Ipswich for Game Anglia, the biggest game developer conference to be held in the region.

For almost ten years the University of Suffolk has been nurturing local talent into some of the world’s best game developers. These students have gone on to work for such companies as EA, Sony, Sumo Digital and Playground Games.

According to data from UKIE (The Association of UK Interactive Entertainment), the East of England is said to have over 150 independent games companies, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the area. Game Anglia aims to bring together aspiring game developers, growing companies and established studios for a day of talks, demonstrations and video gaming fun.

The talks kick off at 10 am with BAFTA award-winning Brenda Romero, game developer and industry pioneer and closes with a friendly question and answer session with John Romero. John was a founding member of ID Software, the creators of such games as Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake. Throughout the day, experts from around the world will cover a range of topics from turning game jam submissions into fully realised games, all the way to final user testing.

Aside from the talks, the conference will also showcase a multitude of indie titles from mobile games to virtual reality. Visitors can play, leave feedback and vote on their favourites from the day, as well as meet local studios and mingle with like-minded gamers. Those interested in attending, showcasing or sponsoring the event can get in touch with the Game Anglia team at http://www.gameanglia.co.uk or email hello@gameanglia.com.

The event will be hosted at the newly refurbished Atrium Building at the University of Suffolk and run until 6 pm on the 18th November. Parking is available at the University of Suffolk car park and will be free to visitors of the event. Prices range from £15 for students to £95 for VIP tickets, that include an after party with many of the gaming legends from the day.

Sketchbook Games director and industry veteran Mark Backler said “There are a lot of game developers in East Anglia but there seem to be lots of disparate groups. We want to try and bring everyone together and help strengthen the games industry and community in the region”.

The post Game Anglia Launches November 18th appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

GameSalad

This tool allows a developer to create a game quickly and easily without writing a line of code. Features include:

• Wide behavior library
• Visual drag and drop interface
• Integrated physics engine

The behaviour library allows a developer to create the actions that he prefers from a library of advanced and basic game behaviours. Students can use simple logic to determine the actions and behaviours of game objects. For example, if you wanted to make a player graphic move left on the press of a button, users need only drag the behaviour onto the button.

The free version of GameSalad allows creating, previewing and publishing games to the iOS and web platform. The pro version allows monetizing the game and publishing it to Windows 8 and Google Play Store.

Stencyl

Stencyl offers a wonderful toolset and vast platform support. It does not require coding and it has an excellent drag and drop interface that is inspired by MIT Scratch project. Developers remodeled MIT’s project through adding other features. Code blocks dragging and dropping has never been this simple.

The software allows innovative game developers to write code, import libraries and develop their own games. They can also build worlds and design scenes with the software’s nifty Scene Designer. Apart from the world editor, there is an Actor editor. This is a tool that allows one to create NPCs and characters and alter their look and behaviour. With Stencyl one can create wonderful games like slot machine online 2017.

Stencyl Basic allows creation and publishing of games to their site. Publishing a game to Windows, iOS, Google Play and Mac requires one to pay 199 dollars per year.

GameMaker: Studio

This is the widely used tool for both newbies and professional developers that can create beautiful 2D games assisted by its built-in script library (game creator language). Developers can import character sprites, animations and fonts and thanks to a large community of artists and developers, there are a plethora of resources available online.

GameMaker can produce solid, high-quality physics-based games with the help of its Box2D physics engine and shader effects.

Its export modules let developers create a game and several executables that can be exported to several platforms by just pressing a button.

FlowLab

This tool allows budding developers to create iOS and browser games directly in the browser itself. It has every tool that a student would need and since the toolset is kept online developers can share their games easily.

FlowLab has a unique programming that allows the user to connect behaviours in order to come up with refined game logic. It also contains built-in drawing and animation tools that let users create animations, characters and NPCs.

The free version of FlowLab contains fifty objects and five levels and it allows users to create three games only. Its pro version has unlimited levels and objects and it allows the creation of an unlimited number of games. It also allows publishing games to iTunes.

Sploder

This is an online tool that allows amateurs to develop web games with several toolsets. Users can create space adventures, arcade games, shooters or platformers. Every genre has its own tools and there is a physics game developer for developing physics-based games. There is also a graphics editor for creating pixelated characters.

Sploder allows publishing games to the site to have them rated by others.

The Choice is Yours 

It is worth trying out the different programs and creating a simple game in each. This way you can get a feel for the engine, its behaviours and pick the one that suits your skillset. Either way, these will give you a taste of game design and development that can lead to more advanced programs and a career in game creation.

The post Free Game Development Tools For Students appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Free Game Development Tools

Unity (Free / $75 a month for Pro)

Unity is not only my favourite, but also the most extensively used 3D game engine currently on the market. The latest version is packed full of features including new dynamic lighting updates and a fantastic standard shader. The new audio mixer allows you to change the audio on the fly, to muffle or alter sounds and time them perfectly to the character’s actions.

Unity is free to use for the personal edition and the professional version starts from $75 a month. Amazingly, the free version does not have a limited toolset but lacks support, reporting, analytics and cloud builds, which can easily be added at a later date. Three development languages are officially supported: C#, UnityScript (basically JavaScript with type annotations) and Boo, so it’s quite versatile (however, Boo is deprecated). As this is hugely popular, it has a large number of assets and plugins available to help you create your first game. The fact that it deploys to multiple platforms also means you widen the reach of your games.

URL: www.unity3d.com

Unity Asset Store – A huge range of assets and models to use in your games.

Unreal Engine (Free for all with 5% royalty share)

The Unreal Engine powers hundreds of games as well as real-time 3D films, training simulations, visualization and more. Unlike some of these engines, it works on both PC and Mac. I love this engine and it is going from strength to strength with each update.

My favourite part is the blueprints; the visual scripting editor section that means you can do so much without coding a single line. However, when it comes to coding, you need to know C++ which is not a great one for ‘beginners’.

Unreal Engine is currently free to use, but there is a catch. A 5% royalty starts after the first $3,000 of revenue per product per quarter. You don’t pay royalties on film projects, or contracting and consulting projects such as architecture, simulation and visualizations.

This is a very popular engine that produces some stunning results and has been used for games such as Final Fantasy VII remake, Street Fighter 5, Hellblade, Eve, Rocket League, Ark and so many more.

URL: https://www.unrealengine.com/

CryEngine ($10 a month)

CryEngine’s award-winning visuals make this a very tempting development tool to start making your games in. With such games as Ryse: Son of Rome, FarCry and Homefront: The Revolution under it’s belt it is a hugely popular engine. Its array of lighting, reflection and depth of field options help make stunning-looking games (if you have the right artist). Cryengine uses C++ and LUA and can create games for PC, Mac, Consoles, and VR.

However, its recent troubles have left many worried about its future. Recently, Amazon bought the code (or licensed its software) and Cryengine is enjoying a new lease of life in Lumberyard. However, Lumberyard is a different fork for the software and is essentially another product. Support for the standard CryEngine may be phased out over the coming years if they encounter further issues and Lumberyard may be pushed to the forefront.

My favourite part is the Designer tool provides an easy-to-use interface for manipulating geometry. Not only can it be used for prototyping levels, but the user can also create complex shapes and meshes which triangulate automatically. Anything can be created in-engine without the need for external DCC tools.

It also works on PC and Mac.

URL: http://cryengine.com/

Shiva 3D (Free with a $200 pro package)

ShiVa3D is a 3D game and application development suite that comes in an easy to use, yet very powerful WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. ShiVa can export games and applications for over 20 target platforms, including Mobile, desktop and consoles. The web version is currently free with additional packages at $200 for pro (where you can publish to everything) and $1000 for complete with bug tracking and reporting tools. It uses a Lua like code language and my favourite part is its real time ‘in-game’ editing where you can makes changes to the assets mid-game. Games of note include Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame,  Atomic Ninjas and Babel Rising 3D.

URL: http://www.shivaengine.com/

Torque 3D (Free)

Torque 3D is a free, open-source game engine with no costs for starters or professionals. Torque 3D comes equipped with a full suite of tools to allow you to produce high-quality games and simulations. Sadly, there have been some complaints about art imports and if you use Blender for your 3D models you may come across some issues. However, there is a thriving community and recent updates which might have improved upon this. As it is open source there is no limit to where this engine might grow.

Torque 3D is a PC program and can work on a Mac, but not officially supported.

URL: http://torque3d.org

O3DE – Open source, real-time 3D engine

URL: https://www.o3de.org/ 

Advanced 2D Game Engines

Cocos 2D

Cocos2d-x is a suite of open-source, cross-platform, game-development tools. Developers can publish from a single code base to mobile, desktop, web, and now even console.  The core used C++ with additional JavaScript and Lua bindings.

My favourite part is the brand new graphic renderer: The Cocos2d-x renderer is optimized for 2D graphics with OpenGL. It supports skeletal animation, sprite sheet animation, coordinate systems, effects, multi-resolution devices, textures, transitions, tile maps, and particles.

Some games you might have heard of include Badland, Tales of Asteria, and Dragon City.

Best of all, it’s completely free and available on both Mac and PC.

URL: http://www.cocos2d-x.org/

Monogame (Currently Free)

Monogame currently supports iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, Windows, Windows Store, Windows Phone, and PlayStation 4 with more platforms on the way. According to my research, it says “By leveraging C# and other .NET languages on Microsoft and Mono platforms you can write modern, fast, and reliable game code”.

I haven’t tried this one myself, but have heard good things. With games such as Bastion, Towerfall: Ascension, and Skulls of The Shogun it’s one to consider.

Update: Xamarin, the company behind Monogame has recently been bought by Microsoft so we should start to see some changes happening with this engine in the coming months.

URL: http://www.monogame.net

Solar 2D (Used to be Corona SDK)

https://solar2d.com/

Solar 2D (previously Corona SDK) is a cross-platform framework that allows developers to create 2D games and apps very fast using easy-to-learn Lua. It is currently completely free and has produced thousands of games.

The tool lets developers create a game and publish it to iOS, Android, Kindle, Nook, TV and desktop without paying anything. Through this, developers are allowed a limited number of plugins, such as for ad monetisation – as in-app purchases are not supported by the Starter SDK.

Features available in the starter pack include basic shapes, lines, text, custom polygons, anchor points and groups and containers, as well as the ability for users to create their own splash screens.

There are so many out there to choose from and some others include:

• Contruct 2
• Source SDK
• Gamemaker Pro
• Gamesalad
• Havok
• Fox
• Monkey
• Fusion 2.5

These are great engines and many are covered in my ‘beginners video’ as some are drag-and-drop engines and do not require programming knowledge

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In Destiny, I have cleared the available planets, conducted countless patrols, completed the side quests and the latest Taken King update. However, when I re-visit the planets there is no evidence my game ever took place. This would have been fine in the old ways of gaming and they were simple levels, but this is supposed to be a living breathing galaxy.

On of my suggestions is to have a ‘1 year’ story cycle in which the story starts at launch (encouraging more early adopters) and plays out for a year. Gamers can complete the story quests, enjoy the patrols and side quests and after a year the world updates. Planets that are now ‘safe’ have their scenery updated a little, the quests are more about rebellion and internal struggles and new planets/areas are opened up. Players in this model would know that the following year, all their hard work would be shown in the new update. Additional buildings or settlements can appear and the mess of war can be tidied up. The quests can still be the ‘half an hour of fun’ but with a couple of added story tweaks.

At the moment, lower level players can see ‘The Taken’ roam the lands which is a start but updated character models are a little on the lazy side.

Alternatively, the game’s story can evolve over the course of the year and the battles and scenery get updated throughout the year. If players join the game in the middle of the year they join mid-battle and mid story. Certain areas have already been freed or completed and the new players jump into the latest struggle. This would encourage gamers to get the game early to be part of the first wave of players. In this model, games can enjoy seasonal updates and get weather updates which could change the whole look of the map. Quarterly updates similar to what is offered in season passes would move the universe forward and keep players interested throughout the year.

I can see this working well in Ubisoft’s Division as players know that in a year’s time, the whole city will get an overhaul. Cars and rubbish might be tided up and life might start returning to the city. Players can feel that all their grinding has made a difference.

It makes sense to me, but means a lot more work for developers. However, with digital games becoming long term platforms for gamers it seems like a great way to merge classic gaming with long term MMO’s.

Let me know your thoughts…

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The gaming industry in Canada employs 16,500 people, according to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada 2012 figures, and contributes $2.3-billion to the economy. While there has been a contraction in the number of large studio developers, Canada still has the third largest game development sector.

I wanted to celebrate the Canadian gaming industry with a look a number of developers that have not only shaped the games industry but are also creating some of the most exiting titles poised to come out on PC’s and ‘next-gen’ consoles.

Polytron

Whilst many may not like the man, you can’t help but love the game. Fez, developed by Montreal native Phil Fish of Polytron, helped re-ignite the indie game movement. The 2D/3D puzzle platformer has simple graphics, an amazing soundtrack and mind bending puzzles is really fun to play.

Capybara Games

Another Indie game that helped put a firework under the indie gaming movement was Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery. This pixel-art style adventure game had graphics reminiscent of the 90’s point and click adventures, but its intriguing story line and unique audiovisual style earned it numerous awards.

DrinkBox Studios

If we are talking awards then few have won as many as Guacamelee! This lovingly crafted homage to classic old school Nintendo fare is the tale of an unfortunate agave farmer called Juan who sets out to save the world and the woman he loves. Guacamelee! mixes action and platforming with the ability to switch between “The Living World” and “The Dead World”. So colourful and so fun!

Brace Yourself Games

The last thing you need when dying, is for someone to come and steal your heart and force you to dance to get it back. Well that is the story of Crypt of the NecroDancer – A rhythm based dungeon crawler that is knee deep in awards and offers players a unique perspective on a classic genre.

Studio MDHR

The indie game that stole the show at E3 2014 and 2015 was Cuphead by Studio MDHR. Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game with a heavy focused on boss battles. Whilst the co-op game play is nothing new the 1930’s cartoon aesthetic really helps differentiate it. Cuphead has been delayed till 2016, as a new flurry of Microsoft money is pumped into it to give it extra polish. Can’t wait.

It’s Not All About the Indies

The Canadian gaming industry is not solely focus on indie titles. A wide range of gaming companies has flourished over the past few years from online casinos to AAA developers, so whether you are after an online casino guide for Canadian players or eager to play the next Gear of War games, look to Canada for your next gaming fix.

Ubisoft Montreal

Ubisoft Montreal is easily the biggest developer currently working in Canada employing over 2000 people. Ubisoft have worked on some classic franchises that include Far Cry, Assassins Creed, Prince of Persia and a slew of Tom Clancy games. Far Cry 4 was a huge success set in the lush land of Kryatt in the Himalayas and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate looks to be a return to form as our hooded assassins take to the streets of Victorian London.

Ubisoft Toronto

Led by the lovely Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond, Ubisoft Toronto is a lot smaller that its Montreal counterpart and worked on such titles has Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4.

Rockstar Toronto

Staying in Toronto, Rockstar Toronto (formerly Rockstar Canada) helped bring the phenomenon that is GTA5, to consoles and PC’s in the past 12 months. Aside from assisting the GTA games they have also worked on all three Max Payne titles.

Bioware

Few game developers are as groundbreaking and pioneering as Bioware. It’s back catalogue of games may not be a long list, but every title on it are high quality. Jade Empire, Star Wars KOTOR, Dragon Age and the Mass Effect Series all pushed the boundaries in storytelling by creating engaging characters and intriguing narratives. With Mass Effect: Andromeda and a new Star Wars game recently announced I am hugely excited to see what is next for BioWare.

The Coalition

Another trilogy that is getting a fourth is the Gears of War franchise. Coalition (Formerly Microsoft Vancouver and Black Tusk Studio) are a newly created studio dedicated to all things GOW. The newly remastered ‘Ultimate Edition’ has recently been released and Gears 4 is due out at the end of 2016.

Eidos Montreal

The Deux Ex series have to be on my all time favourite game franchises, so I was thrilled to hear the news that ‘Deux Ex: Mankind Divided’ will be coming out in 2016. Similarly, the new Lara Croft game, ‘The Rise of the Tomb Raider’ also has me extremely excited, for when it comes out in November 2015. Even though it is due to come out at the same time as Fallout 4, many are sure to play this before diving into the dystopian future of Fallout.

So there is 11 fantastic reasons why Canadian developers have not only created some classic games but are continuing to create some of the most exciting games currently in the industry. There are many others I could mention such as Capcom Vancouver, creators of Dead Rising 2 and 3, Capy Games, developers of Below and Metanet who found fame with N++, but I can tell you are getting restless. If there are any important games or developers that deserve a mention in this list please let me know and I will work them in. Until then, keep your eye on Canada as as it might be where your new favourite game was made.

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This is a great opportunity for game devs to pick up an array of game-ready 2D assets for use in both concept games and full commercial games.

Assets include backgrounds, characters, weapons and Interface elements. Assets start at $1 and you can get fully animated character packs for as low $15 for one character or as low as $90 for 10.

The sale is ahead of a plethora of new stock soon to be added, most of which will be using the new Spine Animation program. This means that assets will come with the editable vector files, a set of game-ready PNG’s, atlas spritesheets and JSON files.

<a href=”http://www.graphic-buffet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/marine-inspiration-gd.jpg”><img title=”marine-inspiration-gd” src=”http://www.graphic-buffet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/marine-inspiration-gd.jpg” alt=”marine-inspiration-gd” width=”620″ height=”464″ /></a>

The sale is only one until the 2nd of September so get them whilst they are hot.

Sorry for the advertising post but a game designer has got to eat… Plus it’s a really awesome deal.

For more information visit <a title=”2D Game Assets” href=”http://www.graphic-buffet.com/products-page/extended-underwater-pack-2d-assets/” target=”_blank”>http://www.graphic-buffet.com</a>

<a href=”http://www.graphic-buffet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/example-rpgpack3.jpg”><img title=”example-rpgpack3″ src=”http://www.graphic-buffet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/example-rpgpack3.jpg” alt=”example-rpgpack3″ width=”620″ height=”549″ /></a>

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Games have long since evolved beyond two dimensional tennis, and a hit game necessitates a mixture of components from a complex storyline and intricate graphics to an emotive soundtrack and the all important winning rapport with the player.

What is a brand?

A brand is a single representation of all information connected to a product, over time this creates associations and expectations about that product and it develops a reputation within the market place. The components of a brand can be portrayed through written, audio and visual content.

Games that have successfully transferred from the small screen to become a household brand with their own franchise fulfil all of these brand criteria and more. Those that have stood the test of time have one thing in common – a relatable protagonist.

From game to brand

Characters make great brands because they are essentially an ambassador for that game. They represent the storyline, the ideology behind the game with which the player identifies, and act as a link between the game franchise and any other products that fall under the brand’s umbrella.

Lara Croft

Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft was immediately transferrable from the video game platform to the big screen. She was the first female protagonist in a video game which made Tomb Raider instantly interesting to players, the game has a clear storyline and a character with an intriguing back story.

Lara Croft was quickly established as a household name through the phenomenally high sales of the first two games and Croft’s subsequent appearances in Lucozade and SEAT adverts. 18 years after the first Tomb Raider game was released for the Playstation, and there are two films, comics, novels, clothes, toys, art and theme park rides all under the Tomb Raider brand.

Super Mario Bros.

The Super Mario brothers were the first stars of the video gaming world to make the leap to film in 1993, at the peak of the Mario universe’s popularity, following a four year run of various Super Mario TV series beginning in 1989. Super Mario became representative of not only the game’s brand including comics, manga, clothing, homeware, toys, a theme park in Japan and just about anything else you can put Mario’s face to or on – but Nintendo.

Super Mario is Nintendo’s third most successful franchise, the Italian adventurer is synonymous with the console and remains the face of video-gaming 33 years after its inception. But what made Super Mario a video game goliath?

Players are drawn in by the allure of the unknown world, the fantasy element that gives all video games their appeal, Mario must tackle the challenges of another world with all its monsters and conquer it – while saving the Princess along the way. Mario is an adventurer and explorer spurred on by the rewards (coins and mushrooms) along the way, giving him the speed and flight abilities needed to get the next level where yet more unknown terrain awaits.

Pokémon

Arguably Nintendo’s most wide-reaching franchise, Pokémon hit the 90s with a bang and brought sets of trading cards, TV series and films with it almost immediately. Pokémon’s immense popularity derived from its ability to be just as addictive in its non-digital trading card form as the game itself, with millions of consumers who had never played the game discovering Pokémon as a result of the cards alone.

The Pokémon world’s extensive list of characters is what makes the game fascinating to players who wanted to discover more about the characters’ powers and advancement.

Angry Birds

Undoubtedly the latest gaming hit for a new generation of players. But what made this simple concept for an app so compelling to its users? It takes a matter of seconds for the rules of the game to become apparent meaning that the model of how the interface behaves is firmly established in the players mind. The game then engages the user further by adding details to this model at the right time; it is this carefully planned expansion of the game’s problem to solution methodology that makes it so addictive.

Angry Birds is markedly unlike the other examples noted, where the root of the brand’s success lies in the story-telling and discovery aspect of the game. Regardless, the game is turning out to be just as lucrative and a film based on the premise is set to be released in July 2016.

How can you turn your game into a brand?

Each of the games above provides a relatable character for the player to invest in and act out their own fantasies through. They open up new worlds with aliens, dinosaurs and magic to be explored, and provide reams of terrain to be discovered by the protagonist.

By applying the basic concepts of brand strategies to your game you can increase your chances of taking your game or app into bigger, wider reaching territory. Basic brand strategy for game developers:

–        Setting your game apart from the competition

–        Establish strong feelings and a favourable view of your protagonist

The post Turning Your Game into a Brand appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

I’m sure a lot of you may have thought as I did during those first few months of the Xbox One; if anyone released a game now, they would get their arm bitten off due to the lack of titles to play.

This look behind the game development curtain is sure to inspire as well as prepare developers thinking of taking the plunge and approaching ID@Xbox. It makes me wonder how many of those Kickstarter campaigns that have stretch goals to publish to Xbox One took insurance into consideration.

[one_half]Task [/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cost in USD $[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Maintaining the Sixty Second Shooter URL [/one_half]

[one_half_last]19[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sending the second dev kit to Brett Douville [/one_half]

[one_half_last]63[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Hardware (usb and video cables and the like) [/one_half]

[one_half_last]72[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Video capture device (for making trailer) [/one_half]

[one_half_last]181[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Localization (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) [/one_half]

[one_half_last]729[/one_half_last]

[one_half]E&O Insurance [/one_half]

[one_half_last]2037[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Foreign ratings boards (PEGI, USK)  [/one_half]

[one_half_last]2042[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Total:[/one_half]

[one_half_last]5143[/one_half_last]

The largest expenditure was the Errors & Omissions Insurance. The blog post said that

“Microsoft requires this; it’s in the contract. And it’s not just any E&O Insurance – it has to cover IP and copyright violations, so the cheap E&O Insurance you can easily find online doesn’t qualify. I went through an insurance broker (Parker, Smith, and Feek) and found the cheapest insurance that would qualify.”

Secondly, there was the ratings boards that came it at over $2000, which was another requirement from Microsoft.

“if you want to release in a given territory, you have to get your game rated by the official ratings boards of that territory.”

“if you want to release in a given territory, you have to get your game rated by the official ratings boards of that territory.”

He went on to say that he skipped both Australia and New Zealand due to the fact that they both wanted around $2K for their ratings boards.

With certain costs inevitable, it will make it easier for other developers budget for release on the Xbox Store.

Source: Happion Labs

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Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan

This fantastic cyberpunk murder mystery would make the perfect action/adventure game. The protagonist Takeshi Kovacs is a highly trained envoy with a skill set that would make James Bond jealous. His body (or sleeve) has a mix of cybernetic and biological upgrades and death is overcome by simple downloading into another sleeve (cloned body). Assigned to solve the apparent murder of a 300 year old billionaire, Kovacs is dragged into the seedy world of strippers, snuff movies, underground fighting rings and organised crime. The book is full of colourful characters, high impact action sequences and a story that twists and turns until reaching its epic conclusion.

Ready Player One | Ernest Cline

If one book is ripe for a movie and game, it’s this one. When Haliday, the creator of a Matrix-style universe known as ‘The Oasis’ dies, his last will and testament is to host an Oasis wide competition to find three hidden Easter Eggs. The winner of the competition gets all of his money (some 300 billion dollars) and control of his company, which in turn, controls the Oasis. The competition spawns a whole subculture of adventurers and companies whose sole objective is to find these eggs. When the hero discovers the first egg the competition
erupts and with it, an adventure across space and time. Haliday’s fascination with the 1980’s plays a huge part and you will drive Deloreans, fly X-Wing fighters and fight in 100-meter tall Japanese robots.

Star Wars: Death Troopers | Joe Schreiber

Star Wars may get its fair share of video games already but this isolated story would make a fantastic game. The premise is simple, an imperial prison ship on route to a prison planet is redirected to help a nearby super star destroyer that has been missing for some time. Upon docking, they guards are infected with whatever killed off the crew. Before they all perish, a guard unlocks some of the cells, when they discover that some people have a natural immunity. Then follows are a romp through both a locked down prison ship and dark and formidable Super Star Destroyer, both of which are teeming with zombies storm troopers and psycho prisoners. Yes, I said it… Zombie storm troopers! Everyone onboard is either dead or undead and the army of zombie storm troopers and support staff are waiting for you around every corner, as well as a few unlockable ‘hidden’ characters. Whilst the story is thin, the game would rock!

Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson

A sword-wielding cyberpunk hacker, a cocky hover-board riding courier and a mystery cyber drug know as ‘Snow Crash’ able to affect real world minds. These characters are just the start. Set in a future where corporations and crime lords control the world, the book if filled with cyberpunks, robot rats, nuke carrying red necks and settings that range from high-tech tower blocks to a flotilla of religion obsessed hippies. If this was an open world game in which you fly around the city using your hoverboard and harpoon (Just Cause style), fighting off both corporate and mafia thugs as you seek the source of Snow Crash then it could be a fantastic game.

Neuromancer | William Gibson

I would see a Neuromancer game as a mix of Mass Effect and Payday as you play a Henry Dorsett Case is a 2-bit hustler in a dystopian future. Once a talented hacker you have your central nervous system damaged as punishment for stealing from a previous boss. When a rich businessman offers to rebuild you in return for a few jobs, you set off on a series of technological robberies and hacks. Along the way, you team up with a colorful band of hackers as the jobs get bigger, harder and more dangerous. You also uncover the true reason behind the businessman’s motives and are dragged into a dangerous game that could end the world as they know it.

Check out my other game/book crossover articles:

• The 10 best video games from books
  

• The 10 Best Books Based on Video Games

The post 5 Sci-Fi Books That Would Make Awesome Video Games appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

In most cases, games need set rules and laws to govern play. These rules allow players to learn and get better at the game. If you think of tennis for example, the rules are set and anyone can play. However, only those willing to put the effort in truly excel. If randomness is introduced players would not seek to become professionals as they could never truly control the game. In some cases, such as XCOM randomness is introduced at the very beginning in the placement of the enemy aliens. This randomness works well as it changes the game from memorizing where the aliens are, to a more strategic game where the act of playing requires skill.

Games like the original Mario and Sonic games required the user to play the levels and memorize the layout in order to achieve the best outcome. Whilst fun, it left little playability after the levels had been completed. More recently, games have introduced additional elements to extend playability such as three different star achievements which are achieved when certain criteria are met. This feature does extend the game but only by a factor of three.

One such random occurrence in modern games is the infamous winged blue shell in Mario Kart. The blue shell is a power-up given to the last place player and pretty much instantly, takes out the player in the first place. The game itself is fantastic and has spawned a slew of clones but one thing that does stop it from being a fully playable game is the blue shell. I know it is part of a range of balancing measures to keep the game fun for all players but it ultimately punishes good players and those who have attempted to master the game. When you see gamers play Mario Kart at a competitive level you will notice that a tactic has emerged where played actively try NOT to be in the first place and that by sitting in the middle of the pack is the best strategy when competing.

I don’t think I have explained myself fully here but the moral of the story is that if you intend your game to last, and tempt players to really invest time and effort in your game, then keep randomness to the absolute minimum. It will just turn players off and pigeonhole your game with many others in the ‘good fun for five minutes’ bracket and lose players who will follow and promote your game. Obviously, some exceptions to the rule exist but trust me; my logic is sound.

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Because localization is a hassle?

Maybe it is, just remember: there is more than one way to skin a cat. For example, ackuna.com provides developers with free, accurate translation through a crowd-sourced platform. Crowd-sourcing translation is the same technique that Facebook used to localize their service to other regions. Ackuna makes it possible for indie game developers to do the same for their games.

Google has just launched an app localization service. There you can have your Android app translated for about US $100. That’s Android though, what about other platforms? Well, translation services are aplenty, and each offers a different take on the process. However, most are expensive premium services that hide your project from you for a few days, and then hand it back to you to reformat in the localized language.

Translation is an art, not a science, and each individual translator has their own idiolect. This can have bad consequences for a game that’s meant to appeal to a vast audience. Likewise, another benefit of crowd-sourced translation is the feedback you receive from the translation community. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of people will see the text of your project before its translation is finished, and each can make small adjustments that normalize the language used. In this way you also get exposure.

Localization is a process of exploration. You are exploring the profitability of releasing in foreign markets. So, do your research, try to keep it cheap, and make sure you can do it accurately. You’ll see some challenges along the way (such as formatting, determining which markets are cost-effective, and maybe post-release customer service) but when only 27% of internet users speak English, (according to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm) it’s worth looking into as who knows, your jet powered zombie elf game could be a massive hit in eastern Europe.

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1. What made you want to make games primarily for young children?

The decision to make apps for kids was something that just occurred organically – I’ve always been a fan of all genres of video games, and I especially loved light-hearted platformers such as Castle Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse for Sega Genesis, that could easily qualify as a kiddie platformer.

I was also no stranger to playing games like “Putt Putt goes to the Moon” – which was a 2D point and click learning game for kids. I would experiment with all genres, but the kids app genre is always what appealed to me the most, and also where ideas came naturally.

2. Do you approach children’s game design in a similar way to adult game design, or is the process different?

A majority of the applications you see in my portfolio are geared towards the very younger age group, probably starting at 3 and up. I approach game design in a similar way for the majority of my apps – encompassing a very intuitive user interface where even a 3-year-old could pick up and play the game without any assistance from a parent or teacher. I’ve even had reviews where parents have stated it was easy for their kid to get started, and they didn’t require any help. That is my goal for the initial experience – of course, keeping them engaged for long periods, and having them come back to my app over and over is another very important goal in game design – especially for kids of a younger age bracket who tend to have much shorter attention spans than the older kids and “tween” crowd.

3. What game style or type have you found to be most successful in your experience?

It’s difficult to pinpoint one genre, because it changes all the time depending on what consumers want to play – basically I study what is trending in the app store in terms of popularity and try to design an app with a twist, and add additional unique features to that app that will make it stand out from the rest. In previous years, food apps have been very popular, but the focus has changed to other app genres, and adapting to that change is crucial to success.

4. You charge a minimal amount for your games, why did you choose to avoid the free to play model?

For the paid model, 0.99 cents is the most I will charge for my apps given their content and genre – namely that they are geared towards kids – I’ve avoided the free to paid model for Nook & Amazon, but institute iAP for iOS – Each App Store is different in terms of what works, and I may institute a free to play model for Amazon and Nook in the future.

5. Which platform do you prefer to make games for and why?

I enjoy working with all platforms – I always prefer iOS as I prefer their operating system, but Android is a market that is booming right now – I think it’s very important to consider all markets, even obscure ones that you think may not be successful.

6. Do you have any game development tips for those looking to make games for children?

One tip I have is if you’re making educational games for kids, go read up on some activity books you find in the kids section at Target, or Barnes & Noble – buy a few of those, and study those activities, and try implementing them into an app – there are endless possibilities for educational apps in the app store, and apple is always looking to feature new and innovative products!
If you have a unique art style, that also helps – games from developers like Duck Duck Moose and Toca Boca have a unique art style, and branding that you would recognize immediately if seen on the app store.

7. Which game has been your most successful to date and why do you think it was so popular?

One of my initial, and most successful games that propelled me into doing this as a full-time business was “Fairytale Preschool” – this was a very basic, kids educational app for iOS which featured activities like finding the right color bottle, counting games, memory matching etc. This one was featured by apple under New & Noteworthy and reached the top 100 games on the app store. It also reached the top 5 position in the education category all by itself, without any marketing.
Of course, fast forward 3 years later to present time, and this kind of app would never have achieved the success it did back then.

8. What channels do you market your games on and which drives the best results?

I use Facebook, Twitter as the primary marketing outlets. There are also ad campaigns that you can run to drive installs to your apps, but they work better with free models for applications and games. Free App of the Day is another good example of marketing, but they charge a pretty penny for their services.

9. Like many game designers, do you have a BIG game in you which you will eventually build?

We are currently working on a 2D adventure game which will be released by next year – that is the big game that I’ve always wanted to work on, and it’s the biggest, most daunting project I’ve ever worked on to date.

10. What title(s) do you have in development at the moment?

At the moment, we are working on the 2D adventure game, full steam ahead! I also still make time for the kid’s apps, and if I see something trending, I will work on a piece for the app store. The holidays are coming up, so holiday-themed apps are also in the works!

Finally, what would you say to your younger self when she first started creating games…

Be prepared for many sleepless nights, and long work hours!

For more information on Beansprites games and apps, please visit http://www.beansprites.com

Originally on Graphic-Buffet.com

The post Indie Developer Interview: Beansprites | Games For Children appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Like most mobile games developers, Unity have been closely following what important additions and changes the recently released iOS 7 update has made. One of the biggest and most exciting of Apple’s initiatives is the standardization of game controllers for iOS-based platforms. Unity are happy to reveal, in addition to several important bug fixes for Xcode 5 / iOS 7 (Build&Run, WebCamTexture and status bar), Apple Controller support is included with  4.2.2

This blog post (http://blogs.unity3d.com/2013/10/11/unity-4-2-2-brings-ios-game-controller-support/) answers most common questions this addition will raise and serve as a short tutorial on how to add support for iOS Game Controllers in Unity authored games.

The post Unity 4.2.2 brings iOS Game Controller support appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

During the Brainstorming Phase

We all have to start somewhere, and it all really begins with an idea, and sometimes not even that. The brainstorming phase is often known as your idea generator as well. It’s the phase you’ll use to decide the very basics of your story, such as who’s your main character. Unfortunately it is not quite as easy as it sounds, nor as easy as Game Dev Tycoon makes it. But there are a few things you can keep in mind that might help in major areas of struggle when you are first thinking of what you even want to do with your game.

The First Contact

In the military there is a phrase that tends to be well known in planning a military campaign. It’s that your plan will never survive first contact with the enemy. Except when it comes to games, it’s not your enemy but your game player. When you recognize that there will always be something you can’t account for, you’ll understand that you should focus on the best possible scenario for things you can account for.

This is especially important when you consider that you can only code so much into your game for telling the story, even with things like dialogue options, there will always be something your player thinks of that you won’t and that’s okay, the point is to tell the best story you can, without making it seem like you are forcing the player completely on a roller coaster track they can’t get off.

The Reporter’s Avenue

Among journalists that are creating an article there are the major questions that every journalist is supposed to ask themselves, and these questions have circulated a lot around the sphere of authors and screenwriters and is just as effective a strategy for a brainstorming in the game area. Those questions you should consider are pretty basic too, but not something everyone keeps in mind. They are: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How?

If you hadn’t noticed answering those questions actually completes what is called by authors the ‘setting’ of your story, they are just a more useful way of thinking about the setting of the story you are going to tell.

The Starting Line

There’s an idea that floats around the author world, especially recently that the opening line of a novel can tell a lot about what’s going to happen in the novel, the pace, the story and pretty much everything. Not to mention, the opening line is often the place where everyone starts, much like Alice in Wonderland: You start at the beginning and go till the end, then stop.

If there is any one thing you can do to help the brainstorming process along, it’s to consider what your opening scene would be. Or more specifically, what is the first thing other than the start screen that your game player is going to see and experience. We actually see this done exquisitely with The Last of Us and that is not exactly a bad game to be emulating, just don’t pirate-emulate it.

During the Storyboarding Phase

Once you have at least a few concrete ideas to let more ideas flow from, you tend to step onto the storyboarding area of your planning, which is all about showing how your story is going to play out. This isn’t really any easier, and often times many story developers will go back and forward between the storyboarding and brainstorming phase. But there are once again a few ideas you can keep in mind when it does come to planning out that whole story, all of which come from places you might not see in referenced in a game design course, even though we can draw a lot of similarities.

The Broken Window

The Broken Window concept became well known thanks to the book The Tipping Point, but it’s still not exactly the most known thing. The general idea behind ‘The Broken Window’ is that if you fix the small things, you impact the big things, because when it comes down to it, it’s all small things. And when you consider often times coding for a game ends up focusing on finding a single piece of darn code that needed to be fixed to solve some massive problem, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched of a concept to apply to the story as well.

Applying to the storyboarding, means when you create your great story, focus on the small things in it and as you build up all the small details of the story, you’ll soon discover you have a story well beyond the expansion of probably what you needed in the first place. If you focus on the small stuff, everything else starts to fall into place.

The Basic Acts

The last thing you always need to keep in mind when handling the story, is that every story, ever, follows a very simple ‘act’ or pattern of acts. Every story can always be broken down into three major components (which can usually then be broken down further). Those three components? You already know them. They are: The beginning, the middle, and the end.

If you are having trouble with an ignition point, sometimes starting the story in what you would have considered ‘the end’ or ‘third act’ can have a drastic impact on what your story becomes. On top of that, sometimes the ending of a story can come to you better than the beginning, that doesn’t mean you still need to start with the beginning. Just as long as you eventually have a beginning.

Those three components are broken down the way they are because you can plausibly start with any of them and still manage to create a story. And this is because the beginning is just introducing everything, characters, setting, what’s going to happen. It’s all the set-up. The middle is where all your meat or action is taking place, and then your end is finishing everything off nicely. Sometimes the action is easier for people to start with, and often times, you discover that starting in the middle, right in the action, still creates the beginning you needed, while letting your players jump right into the thick of the story.

Hopefully these ideas will help you with creating that story, and if you have any other tips to provide those trying to figure out how to put together their story, feel free to add some below. The more help, the better.

The post Using Story Planning Elements from Other Occupations for Game Development appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Do you have what it takes?

If you want to become a successful video game designer, there are two paths you can take—the creative path or the computer-programming avenue.

The creative option requires you to have natural artistic ability, while the programmer needs to have a mathematical bent and a good grasp of logic and sequence. These skills can be further honed through education, but an innate inclination is required.
Some of the skills that can be learned include problem-solving, a knowledge of computers and technology, scripting languages, narrative skills, and creating digital images.

What subjects should you take in high school?

If you want to become a well-rounded student that has the perfect background for video game design, you should try to take as many of the following courses as you can.

• Visual arts
• Computers, including scripting languages like Basic, Pascal, and C/C++
• Mathematics, including calculus
• Physics
• Creative writing

You may also like to learn about game developing software such as GameSalad, Corona, Stencyl, and Construct2. The more you know the further ahead of the competition you’ll be.

Should I bother with college?

Quite simply put, yes. It will better equip you to compete in a field where a huge number of people are fighting for a small number of jobs. Plus, your degree will give you something to fall back on if it turns out that this career choice isn’t for you.

While you’re in college, you will be able to build up a strong portfolio that you can use in future job interviews.

You have three possible college paths that you can take.

1. Pursue a degree in Video Game Design.
2. Pursue a degree in Fine Arts, Animation, or Graphic Design, making sure to include computerized animation or graphics.
3. Pursue a degree in Computer Science including courses in software design.

Image courtesy of: David Michael Morris via photopin cc

What schools offer the best programs?

When it comes to investing a wad of serious dough into an education, you want to do your homework and thoroughly investigate potential schools and the programs they offer. Thankfully, the Princeton Review and GamePro Media have teamed up to compile a list of the schools with the best programs in Video Game Design.

The Top 10 are:

1. University of Southern California
2. University of Utah
3. DigiPen Institute of Technology
4. The Art Institute of Vancouver
5. Michigan State University
6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
7. Drexel University
8. Champlain College
9. Rochester Institute of Technology
10.Becker College

If you dream of creating the next video game sensation and possess the right skills, you can enjoy a successful career as a professional video game designer. Yes, you can create virtual worlds that will fascinate generations to come—and get paid to have a whole lot of fun.

What tips do you have for aspiring video game designers?

The post So You Want To Be A Game Designer? appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

It is a virtual reality head mounted display that turns major release games into a 3D experience that people playing the NES in the 80s only dreamed of.  The Oculus Rift lets players block out the real world and have a fied of view of more than 90 degrees horizontal, more than any other competing device, which is its strongest pull. It has been said to really provide an immersive experience.

The Oculus Rift started off as a Kickstarter idea, developed by Oculus VR, and raised $2.4 million dollars. It was first introduced at the 2012 E3 with a live demonstration of the prototype and it only took four hours for them to reach their original Kickstarter goal of $250,000. Now, the device is being supported by huge developers like Cliffy B, John Carmack of id Software, Gabe Newell of Valve, as well as a ton of others. Having that kind of developmental backing is proof that the Oculus Rift isn’t just a gimmick but a seriously great piece of technology.

So when will it actually be in homes? Well, currently Oculus VR is working on tweaking the headset even further and working on tracking movement better. But there are a lot of great videos out on Youtube if you want a demonstration of how it works. It has already been used on past releases like Team Fortress 2 and Skyrim, to name a couple, and with astonishingly accurate results. There’s been talk of a starting price point of around $400, though nothing has been confirmed.

Could this be the future? Will every gaming household have an Oculus Rift in it at some point in the next 5 years? If price ends up going down once development is really set, it is more than possible that this could be the next big piece of technology in homes. It’s everything gamers ever wanted, but we’ll have to wait and see how things develop down the line.

The post What is the Oculus Rift? appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

New Game+

This option has popped up on more and more in recent games and creates a very strong sense of replay value. This choice lets players restart the game but often with the same items and level from the previous play through. This has been expanded even more in games like Mass Effect where your character and his or her choices are carried over.

A “Home”

This is a mechanic in quite a few long-term games, Skyrim, Minecraft and Dungeon Defenders being great examples. Having a home, where you can store things you find, trophies you collect, can change and add to as you move on in the game, is a nice added element to reward you for your efforts in a way you can visualize.

Skipping Cut-scenes

Another great mechanic for replay value, being able to skip cut scenes makes replaying a game with a lot of stories easier. We all like to indulge in our favorite cut scenes from time to time, but otherwise you are usually trying to move right along in your second playthrough, so being able to hit a button to move on is a small but needed mechanic.

Minimal HUD Design

To increase immersion, a lot of games are doing away with HUD design, especially first-person and third-person shooters. Take for example Dead Space, which lets you just see your health on the back of Isaac’s suit. Or Metro 2033 and Far Cry 2, which make it far more immersive without being told every little detail.

The post The Best Newest Game Mechanics appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

The most notable of those sports games includes the following:

• Madden NFL 25 – Late August

• NHL 14 – Early September

• NCAA Football 14 – July

• NBA 2K14 – Late October

These games are all big sellers on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, so it stands to reason that EASports and 2K would make every effort to tap into the next-gen market that’s going to be in full swing even before the release of the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.

If the publishers don’t release these games for the new platforms, it would have to be considered a wasted year for the franchises wouldn’t it? They would have a month or two at most, which would already be filled with speculation and news about games for the new consoles, before being completely overshadowed by the PS4 and 720 release dates.

Game Developers have Options

At this point EASports and 2K would have a few different directions they could go with this dilemma, and its pure speculation as to which direction they might choose. In the light of this being a bigger gaming year than usual, the following scenarios are all fairly plausible.

• Release the games for the next-gen and current-gen consoles.

• Release ported versions of the games for both consoles.

• Release the current-gen console games, then an updated next-gen version in time for the new console’s release dates.

• Punt by releasing a current-gen version of the game this year and wait until 2014 to release the 720 and PS4 renditions.

Conventional wisdom might suggest that the developers will wait until next year to release a full-on 720 and PS4 version of their games, but we need to consider that these companies are trying to make a profit and would have no reason to put out a game that isn’t going to sell in the wake of a next-gen console onslaught.

One thing to consider is that the Xbox 720 and PS4 will almost certainly play Xbox 360 games. Whether or not they’ll improve the graphical experience of the user or improve the game in any way is impossible to tell at this point. However it stands to reason that EA and 2K could make themselves feel a little bit better about potential sales by just saying, “Well, they’ll buy it for the 360, then just play it on the 720”.

But if they assumed that, would they be right?

New technology has a way of making old technology extremely thin and uninteresting. There’s little doubt that the graphical experience for gamers playing a 720 game on a 720 Xbox is going to be leaps and bounds ahead of what they get on the 360.

In fact, you’re probably looking at something closer to what someone might enjoy graphically on a gaming PC or at least close to it. With a significant improvement in graphics, 360 and PS3 sports games are going to be a tough sell no matter what.

Future of Sports Gaming

Like I said, it’s all speculation at this point, but even with perhaps a bumpy year in store for fall sports titles, the future of sports gaming on consoles is extremely bright at this point. Getting a graphical overhaul from next-gen consoles is a much needed step and will be well-received by the mainstay sports gamers.

Titles like Madden seem almost too big to miss an event like the unveiling of a new Xbox, and even the NHL series has gotten popular enough over the years to be considered a likely candidate to release along with the console.

If they do it, we can only hope that these games will be solid pieces of software in their own right, and not just pandering copies of the 2013 games so they could sell on the 720 and PS4.

To know more about Brandon Perton and where to sell video games thru his Company The Old School Game Vault online now.

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[Update] Below I have listed a number of programs that can help beginners. However, I have also written a number of other features that focus on more advanced software tools for beginners as well as the top 3D modelling programs should you want to look beyond Blender 3D.

Scratch | Mac | Windows | Linux

Developed by MIT Media Labs, Scratch is ideal for creating stories as well as games that are interactive. The use of animated content makes it especially appealing for children as young as 8 years old. The programming ‘language’  it uses encourages children to learn computational, as well as mathematical concepts and to make games that hold their own individual stamp.

Sploder | Flash Enabled Browser

Sploder is a browser-based creation tool that uses flash to create games very quickly. This software really is for the novice developer as it’s more of a level builder than a creation tool. There are four game types to create and plenty of assets to drag and drop but your creation is limited to what the software can create. However, it’s easy to use and you can create a platforming hack-and-slash in a matter of minutes.

Alice | Mac | Windows | Mac

Meant for older children learning computer science, this object-orientated programming language has been developed by Carnegie Mellon University. In Alice’s interactive interface, students drag and drop graphic tiles to create a program, where the instructions correspond to standard statements in a production-oriented programming language, such as Java, C++, and C#. This is a great tool for designing 3D video games.

Gamesalad | Mac (Mainly) | Windows 

Gamesalad is a great tool for game development as it requires no prior programming knowledge. It has an easy-to-use drag and drop interface and movements and interaction are all controlled by ‘behaviours’ where the user adds rules to govern what each element will do. This game is free to try and publish online but also has a powerful compiler in order to create games for iPhone, iPad, Android and Nook. This feature, however, does come with a small price tag. For those with a talent for art and animation, this is definitely one to start with.

RPG Maker | Windows

This is a great resource for role-playing and can turn out amazing games. It is not only free but also quite easy to master. You can use this extremely popular software to produce games that have your own music, characters, story as well as dialogues. Over the years, various versions of RPG have been created and you can expect to pay around $25 for the standard software.

Stencyl | Mac | Windows

This flash-based games engine is growing in popularity and has created many great indie titles. This tool is very similar to Gamesalad in many respects, in that, it uses behaviours to control the different elements of the game. It does, however, use tile-based levels which is great for creating large complex levels but with low file size. This has both a free model to get you started and a paid version for additional features and the ability to export games to mobile devices.

Game Maker Studio | Windows (mainly) | Mac

This is probably the most advanced software on the list offering a wider variety in the types of games that can be created using it. It has both a drag and drop system along with its customised programming language. The feature list is vast and if you are willing to spend around $300 per platform you can create builds for everything from iPhones to Xbox One. This would be a great starting program for those truly serious about game development.

Phrogram

If you are familiar with Visual Basic or even Microsoft.NET, then Phrogram is the best option for you. It can help you to gain knowledge about traditional programming by way of easy to comprehend examples and tutorials. It is not a freeware but you can utilise a 30-day trial period.

Pygame

This makes you familiar with the Python programming language which is used by large corporations like YouTube and Disney. It is more appropriate for those people who seriously wish to get more knowledge on technical aspects of programming rather than just the fun of creating one’s own games.

Construct 3 | Mac | Windows

Construct 3 supports a number of platforms but it seems geared mainly towards HTML5 development. There is a free version to get you started and a tiered price range that goes up to around $400. Construct 2 is ideal for 2D games and there is a thriving community supporting it.

Adventure Game Studio | Windows

For those looking to specialise from day one why not try Adventure Game Studio to create a point-and-click adventure like the classic Monkey Island series. It’s only on PC and obviously, you are limited to one game type but if you have a passion for story and point-and-click adventures this is really fun.

Recommendations

Obviously, you can choose any of the above for your next game project but if you wanted my opinion I would say that you can’t go wrong starting with Gamesalad or Stencyl if you want to create mobile games or simple browser-based games or Game Maker Studio if you have your eyes on the consoles.

Next Steps

Once you have your program of choice then you not only need an idea but graphics to work with. If you are not skilled with art programs then here is a handy list of places to get game art and graphic assets.

Conclusion

All of the above game design software offers a simplified and interesting introduction to the world of programming along with providing the satisfaction of creating customised games. The added advantage is that it helps to form the basis for a more advanced career in computers and programming. One can easily access a number of tutorials that can help the novice game maker to become an expert in this field. A career in game development can be one of the most rewarding if one has the requisite knowledge and expertise in the various programming languages. This software can be the first step forward in this field. Besides, you can even learn to make your own 3D video game at summer camps being organised by professional companies such as ID Tech. The camp organisers also provide you the software you will need to design your own games. The basic game-making fundamentals that you learn in the camp or build through software paves a strong foundation for the future.

The post Game Design Software that can Help Beginners Create their Own Games appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

The games graphics is reminiscent of the classic ‘Ghosts and Goblins‘ but it adopts a ‘rogue-like’ game-play mechanic, meaning every game is different. Mix that with a selection of humorous children with such ailments as color blindness and irritable bowel syndrome, and you have all the ingredients of a fantastic game

I managed to drag the Lee brothers away from their final tweaks and test to ask them a few questions about their latest title, the journey and game development in general.

How long have you been making games?

Hey, my name’s Teddy Lee, and I’ve been making games with my brother Kenny on and off for about 5 years now?

But before working with my brother, I’ve been making games on the side since I was probably around 6, first working with Pen and Paper, and then going up to RPGMaker and other things. Left on my own, I’d probably still be making games with RPG Maker since I can’t code or draw for my life.

Are there any developers or games that inspired you to get into games?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to get into games, so it’s hard to say.  But there are a few developers that I look up to. Shigeru Miyamoto for sure because he’s constantly on the creative forefront. Pikmin, Zelda, Mario, Nintendogs. All of those games are completely different from one another, and they all spawned their own franchises and genres.

What tools did you use to make your games?

Kenny wrote the game entirely in C#, using XNA. It’s a custom engine, so he did a massive amount of work for this game. The largest by a fair margin.

When did you first come up with the concept of ‘Rogue Legacy’

The game sort of came together in pieces. We had the general idea for a children mechanic, but we tied everything together in a pretty fluid fashion.  It’s pretty exciting, working on a game for a year, hitting a block, and then trying to design your way out of it. Not really.  It’s pretty horrifying, and definitely leads to nightmares, but that’s how we roll I guess.

How long has ‘Legacy’ been in production?

1.5 years.  My brother worked on it full time, and I worked on it part time up until about 3 months ago. We’ve also hired artists and musicians down the way.

Glauber Kotaki is our amazing Pixel Artist.

Gordon McGladdery is our musician and sound technician. He makes some amazing stuff.

Judson “Tettix” Cowan is another musician on the game, and we’ve worked with him on our other projects. He is always top tops.

How many ‘children’ are there to choose from?

The children are randomly generated, you get to pick from 3 every time you die, so there’s no real limit.  I guess there’s a theoretical limit but I don’t know the math.

Children are composed of 3 major modifiers.

CLASS – Each child has their class preference, so you could be like a Knight, or an Assassin, or a Mage, etc. All classes have base modifiers applied to them, as well as their own custom “special ability”.  So a knight can block with his shield, and he has very strong base stats.  An assassin has low health, but a really high critical chance, and he can become smoke, allowing him to walk through enemies.

SPELL – Each child has their own preferred spell, so you don’t go into a game with your choosing. And there’s a bunch of spells, and certain spells are locked to certain classes.

TRAITS – A child can have upwards of 2 traits. So you could be both nearsighted and color blind which would be brutal.  Or you could be Endomorphic (fat so you don’t get knocked back far), and Gigantic, making you this immovable giant.

All of these are applied onto a child, making every play through unique.

How did you decide their ailments?

We just come up with them as we go along.  Some of them we come up accidentally due to a bug in the game, which we then polish off into a feature.

How many levels/bosses are there?

The games not made of levels. When you enter the castle the castle is always different, so it’s not like you beat the castle, and then level 2 starts.  There’s defined zones and bosses, but we don’t want to say how many just yet.

What has been your biggest hurdle and how did you overcome it?

Just getting the game to where it is now has been quite the challenge. There is so much in the background running in this game that’s easy to take for granted. For example, there’s a dynamic scaling system, which works into the Procedural Map Generation.  There’s a drop system, a chest system, economy links, and this whole slew of other stuff, which all tie into the Procedural Map, with their own rule sets and what not.  We put a lot of time into making the game as “fair” as possible. If we just let the game build itself without any checks and balances, it’d be all over the place.

Can you tell us more about how the levels are all unique?

Every time you die, your castle is rebuilt from the ground up. Each room spawns their own set of enemies based off a logic system, they scale dynamically to the castle, and on top of that, bonus rooms and room linking is all applied dynamically to this system as well. We do have some “special” logic rules built into the game world which will help people recognize patterns in the randomness, but they were all implemented purposefully.

From your experience developing this game what advice would you give to those trying to do a similar game?

Never make a game PURE random. PURE random is bad design. Controlled randomization is very important.
Also, never mistake procedural as an easy way out. It’s a lot more work then expected.

Do you have any plans to port the game over to any other platform?

There’s some feelers, but nothing confirmed yet.

Whats next for Cellar Door Games?

Well, either a new game, or bankruptcy. We’ve made this game with our own money so if it doesn’t do well, we’re pretty much screwed…

But we do have plans in the future if we can sustain ourselves. A couple of projects that we had stopped previously for budget reasons and such.

Also, hopefully we get an Oculus Rift.  We’ve been waiting forever for our kit. And we had some really cool things we wanted to try out on that.

Do you have any words of advice for budding young developers?

Make a small game and finish your small game. There’s a huge difference between almost finishing something and actually finishing it.
Also, don’t try to do something “better” than someone else.  Be original.  Otherwise it’s just a quality battle, and there will always be teams bigger than you.

How do you plan to market the game now its nearly complete?

No idea. We are so thankful to the Reddit community for picking it up the way they have.
We do plan on releasing a HD version of the trailer someday.  It looks way better running at 60fps then it does at 30 (YouTube cap).

 Help give this game the ‘GREENLIGHT’ on the Steam website here >>

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