UnionVGF Indie Game developers (or thinking about becoming one) corner

The natural resistance to trying out a new software, when the existing one is doing fine, just that I need to use commercial version of the software, its expensive, & I wanted complete legitimacy in my tools.

I will be considering all options, blender & Modo will certainly be on the list, but I will have time to think while I pick up Unreal 4 know how.
 
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Yeah, I just picked up Photoshop for $10/mo. I wanted to have it paid for instead of monthly, but they wanted so much for the older versions it was ridiculous. I can stomach 10 dollars a month though.

I almost missed the sale on Modo. If I had bought when I was going to instead of procrastinating, I would have missed the sale. I have no idea how often it goes on sale though, so who knows when the next one will be.

What program are you using now?
 
Feet finished, each foot only 370 triangles:

5E8eG5h.jpg
u4sLN8O.jpg
 
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Godsmack said:
Yeah, I just picked up Photoshop for $10/mo. I wanted to have it paid for instead of monthly, but they wanted so much for the older versions it was ridiculous. I can stomach 10 dollars a month though.

I almost missed the sale on Modo. If I had bought when I was going to instead of procrastinating, I would have missed the sale. I have no idea how often it goes on sale though, so who knows when the next one will be.

What program are you using now?
Click to expand...

- Photoshop CC cost me 13 Euros a month (used to paying extra here compare to USA so I can digest),
they give some exra like Lightroom & AdobeBrdige that I do not cared about. If I can removed them for cheaper photoshop, I would have done so.

- Zbrush fully paid (cost me 500 USD). Free upgrades
- Clip paint pro (recommended by you I believed, fully paid at 40 euros one time(40% discount)
- Other useful development tools which are free, like XNormal, & another that combine normal map.
- 19 euros per month (19 dollars if you live in USA) for unreal 4 subscription.
- I also avoid using non royalty free images from internet, which means most images via google. I paid for a few pictures & one 3D assert so far. I intended to get a few more if they are worth the value.

Maya I am using is non-commercial so I technically should not use to create commercial, & to be fair, I have not so far. Some people will try to buy the commercial version a few months before game release. I do not think Auto-desk will actively pursue them (since they eventually paying), but I certainly do not want to go down that route.

I cannot comprehend the thought that my years of hard work will be killed by being sued to take off my game from the market due to not using proper paid version in my development.

My secret hope is that the competitions kick Autodesk in the groin so hard, that they willing to add more features to Maya LT, or have a more competitive pricing for their full Maya.
 
DLC said:
Feet finished, each foot only 370 triangles:

5E8eG5h.jpg
u4sLN8O.jpg
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I think the toes have too much details, & rest of the feet too little, relatively speaking. A way to save polygon is to have him wear footwear, if it does not compromise the design of your character.
 
starseeker said:
I think the toes have too much details, & rest of the feet too little, relatively speaking. A way to save polygon is to have him wear footwear, if it does not compromise the design of your character.
Click to expand...

Was thinking about making something like this, but got carried away with details yes ( watched youtube video and started seeing how easy was to make a detailed foot)
Not much that needs to be fixed on, think I will keep the toe (tho make it a bit bigger) and gone make rest of feet a bit more round.

BNn8L0L.jpg


Also started on remaking hands, oh those hands, have 30 savings where I am testing different ways to make hands, I think I got it now, tho gone make it different then the other low polygon hands I have seen:
600 triangles, I think that is about where I want it, don`t want to remove too much now.

af1hlZf.jpg
 
Why your finger have 3 joint loops? (instead of 2?)

I hope you do not mind, I did a quick paint-over, what I think will optimize the mesh further.

Paintoverfingers_zps0d5fe5cb.jpg
 
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Ah thanks, was following a video tutorial about making hands (but there was about making knuckles as well) sow this is of great help.
 
Thanks again starseeker , now have manage to reduce triangles to under 400, I will go over it again and see if can fix small things, but seems good and later I will make a high poly version for Normal mapping

frwflRw.jpg
 
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I think I am happy with the amount of puzs (this was purposely spelled to prevent people easy google search then dup my idea) I have in the game. As it stand I have 12 main ones (in fact 2 have been revealed here before), which I feel is sufficient (though I can always add more) for the length of the game (4-5 hours)) I am doing.

Soluing puzs is only half of the game. The others include exploration/discovery & readings to discovered the plot, the history, story, & yourself, which I also spend a great deal of time creating, but unfortunately cannot reveal too much at the moment.

Below is typical (mid size) main puzzle type. Unfortunately I cannot reveal rest of my puzs (especially the one I feel most impressive with) , as I am worry people (not in this forum) may steal them. Until at least my game is near finish...

wc1_zps2914ad37.jpg

wc2_zpsea9195a7.jpg

wc3_zpsbfa04dbc.jpg

wc4_zpsd4449ab1.jpg
 
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DLC said:
Thanks again starseeker , now have manage to reduce triangles to under 400, I will go over it again and see if can fix small things, but seems good and later I will make a high poly version for Normal mapping

frwflRw.jpg
Click to expand...

No problem. Just help each other out.
 
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Good news, Construct 2's pathfinding engine has been upgraded so I was able to put my destructible environments back in. I also set it up yesterday so that the character would walk over to a wall tile and attack it leaving a pile of rubble behind. I also set it to glow red when over the wall tile so you know which one you are destroying. I am still deciding on what kind of "destroyed" animation I want, if any. Everything is looking good so far.

I am still making decisions on the turn based system. I can have it to take a turn to walk somewhere, or simply take a turn when attacking/healing/etc. I want the system to have tactical combat, but I also want it to not be tedious mining the level. And of course, I need to make sure the system cannot be abused for free, easy wins.
 
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Just a curious question, I did not take counts, but isn't dungeon crawler quite very crowded genre, (after the 2D platforms & shooter)? What is your strategy for your game to stand out? For instance, child of light have a painting style, & combine platforming with RPG.

Anyway, I reveal my strategy.

Firstly I choose a genre & perspective that isn't as common, the first person adventure genre.

Then I focus on making higher quality more realistic visuals (admittedly in a more constrained space), as oppose to many other indies that aim for stylised or simpler one. Which is why I choose UE4. Only my talent (& time) will determine if it will turn out so so, or good, but its a challenge I can accept. :) Hope my years of making 3D is my spare time finally pay off!

Next I make my game very accessible, so hardcore adventure gamers, or people who just wanted to go though the game as an interactive story (story is a big focus) can both do so, with the hint system I have (similar to broken sword 5).

Lastly, I hoped the game can attract women gamers, which is why it have a female lead, also that its accessible, & can be play like an interactive book. While its risky to have a female lead, Adventure game is one the genre that is more open to female lead, & many high rated adventure games have female leads like April Ryan from the longest journey.

I am not pretending this is some master plan, but its a plan.
 
lcyOgSZ.jpg


Character became much less triangles then I had planed for, a bit more than 3100 together, some fixes here and there (like head size, at first I thought was too big sow I scaled it down, now it may be too small) and I think I am ready to try making a high poly version, sculpting adding more details to it, then normal mapping.

I look very forward to try Substance Painter.
 
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Just a point to note, since you are making a 3rd person game, (top down?), you will need strong silhouette in the camera perspective. Also a character color scheme that can separate it from environment.
 
starseeker said:
Just a curious question, I did not take counts, but isn't dungeon crawler quite very crowded genre, (after the 2D platforms & shooter)? What is your strategy for your game to stand out? For instance, child of light have a painting style, & combine platforming with RPG.
Click to expand...

It depends. My game is similar to dungeon crawlers, but it has some newer characteristics. I plan on marketing it as a rogue-like which is a genre that is getting more popular and is not too crowded yet. A typical rogue-like has random levels, an option for permadeath, RPG elements, turn-based gameplay, limited healing/food, and a focus on shorter games with good replayability.

The game is turn-based like Civilization, and that hasn't been done as much in isometric dungeon crawlers. Baldur's Gate was turn based, but not like Civilization where you have limited actions and movements. It's definitely not a click-fest like Diablo. It's more about thinking about your next move.

I am also featuring things made popular by games like Minecraft where you can destroy tiles and gather materials. They will be things like steel to upgrade weapons or gems to upgrade spells. It'll be more like Skyrim than Minecraft in its upgrade system though. It gives people something to do other than fight, and can appeal to greed. For example, I can have traps or hazards that only trigger when mining, but the payoff might be an awesome stone for your sword.

I plan on using my art skills to the fullest to get people's attention. Since this is my first game, I want it to be a success, but I also want to use it to learn about how to make a game. I am spending so much time learning, that my next game will be done much more efficiently. And I can switch to another genre or continue to build upon this one. If it doesn't do as well as I'd like, I can change things up and learn from my mistakes, or simply use it as a portfolio piece to join another team.

I also feel comfortable with this style of game. I don't have to make boss fights or worry about enemy attacks being hard to dodge. I can just make it based on numbers and strategy. I am more of an RTS player than a sidescroller player, so this is not too hard for me. It also gives me a chance to do fantasy art, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I used to do fantasy art for fun, but then kinda got out of it for a while when I started college and ended up doing more landscapes and portraits.
 
Godsmack said:
It depends. My game is similar to dungeon crawlers, but it has some newer characteristics. I plan on marketing it as a rogue-like which is a genre that is getting more popular and is not too crowded yet. A typical rogue-like has random levels, an option for permadeath, RPG elements, turn-based gameplay, limited healing/food, and a focus on shorter games with good replayability.

The game is turn-based like Civilization, and that hasn't been done as much in isometric dungeon crawlers. Baldur's Gate was turn based, but not like Civilization where you have limited actions and movements. It's definitely not a click-fest like Diablo. It's more about thinking about your next move.

I am also featuring things made popular by games like Minecraft where you can destroy tiles and gather materials. They will be things like steel to upgrade weapons or gems to upgrade spells. It'll be more like Skyrim than Minecraft in its upgrade system though. It gives people something to do other than fight, and can appeal to greed. For example, I can have traps or hazards that only trigger when mining, but the payoff might be an awesome stone for your sword.

I plan on using my art skills to the fullest to get people's attention. Since this is my first game, I want it to be a success, but I also want to use it to learn about how to make a game. I am spending so much time learning, that my next game will be done much more efficiently. And I can switch to another genre or continue to build upon this one. If it doesn't do as well as I'd like, I can change things up and learn from my mistakes, or simply use it as a portfolio piece to join another team.

I also feel comfortable with this style of game. I don't have to make boss fights or worry about enemy attacks being hard to dodge. I can just make it based on numbers and strategy. I am more of an RTS player than a sidescroller player, so this is not too hard for me. It also gives me a chance to do fantasy art, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I used to do fantasy art for fun, but then kinda got out of it for a while when I started college and ended up doing more landscapes and portraits.
Click to expand...

Sound exciting & ambitious at the same time. Yap, the next game will be more efficient for sure. I am having the same shoe as you, trying to pick up a lot of stuff. My motivation is I will only get better.

I too like you are trying to use my respective strength to stand out from the cloud. Yours is 2D art skills, mine is 3D. Good luck for us, & everyone else here developing games.
 
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Very excited about a project I've been working on with a start up studio. I can't reveal much, but we're aiming to do a kickstarter by late October/early November. Right now I'm working pro-bono, but the hope is that ks will cover commercial licenses for us, which will be our minimum payment. Had a cool interview with a gaming site called OPnoobs which is a PC driver gaming centric site that sort of revolves around the community of gaming from gamer to developer. It was fun and I'm excited to see how this all comes out. At the very least, it's a great first experience for working professionally on a team. Can't wait to share we have when the time is right.
 
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Good news everyone,

Check out Eric Matyas site. He is giving out FREE (commerical & personal use) sound assets for use in games & other purpose. All you have to do is credit him, & if you feel generous, give him some donations to maintain the site.

Definitely many quality soundtracks in the link, & suitable for use in games. I know I will certainly use many of the sound assert in the site. I will make also a donation, but I am still considering on the actual sum.

http://soundimage.org/
 
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A bit of progress report. I am now setting up the toilet scene I posted earlier in UE4, & testing out the lighting,.

To get good rendering result in UE4 is definitely not plug & play. I am struggling a bit (which is a bit of an understatement). My lighting incompetency is again apparent in UE4...sigh. So far its the only major point I am struggling in UE4, but if rendering fail, everything fail!
 
Hi everyone,

I've got a site up with free music and soundscapes that you can use in commercial projects, non-commercial, personal, whatever you like. It's all original...all my own stuff...all I ask is to be credited as indicated on my homepage:

http://soundimage.org/

I sincerely hope my music is helpful. Any and all feedback is welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric
 
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starseeker said:
Good news everyone,

Check out Eric Matyas site. He is giving out FREE (commerical & personal use) sound assets for use in games & other purpose. All you have to do is credit him, & if you feel generous, give him some donations to maintain the site.

Definitely many quality soundtracks in the link, & suitable for use in games. I know I will certainly use many of the sound assert in the site. I will make also a donation, but I am still considering on the actual sum.

http://soundimage.org/
Click to expand...
Wow, that's awesome.
 
Finally, something to show for in the actual game engine. The bathroom not complete, & still some way to the quality I wanted, but its a start. I am moving on to picking up other need skills for UE4.

I wanted to make sure the the asserts I created (& will create) are the right size & assemble well without issue in the game engine, so I have put them up fairly soon, after I 'played' a bit since I got UE4 (2 weeks ago) .

Many of the asserts are lacking final textures, lighting sucks (its a pain to tune, but hopefully I will get better), & there some placeholders throw in, but its good to have a feel.
Not much gameplay mechanics, just simple collision & movement for now. I removed the HUD (which is nothing bit a mouse cursor & date/time) to capture these shot.

I think it runs about 30fps on my crappy laptop.
captureue401_by_starseeker-d7zubtk.jpg


captureue402_by_starseeker-d7zubty.jpg


captureue403_by_starseeker-d7zubuu.jpg
 
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Cool, I'm sure it'll look really nice once you get the lighting sorted the way you want and whatnot.
 
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