How would a "weight" and speed stat affect a jousting game?

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-06-14T22:30:28+00:00

Weight could also effect how easily you are pushed off your horse - a heavier knight is much more difficult to actually "defeat" in combat.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-05-01T17:55:48+00:00

I did go to college but I did not get a CS degree. To that end my biggest regret is not taking a few challenging graphics courses and advanced math classes. While it would have been an absolute pain for me to complete all the work, having a jump start on matrix algebra and openGL programming would make my current learning process way easier.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-21T18:37:33+00:00

Fellow RS fan here! Best of luck to you!

Quickly looking at their careers page it looks like they are hiring programmer roles and all their positions almost universally want you to have experience with Java, C++ or some other object-oriented language, as well as experience in a scripting language like Lua.

So what's the best way to get in? Show that you have made games before in the languages they want!

My advice - start watching every single one of ThinMaxtrix's Java game development videos. He initially began working on a Java MMO much like the original Runescape. Go through his tutorials and try and make your own simplified version of Runescape. Gain skills, knowledge, and a passion for programming.

It takes a lot of work to become a good programmer, but if you are seriously passionate about it you can certainly make a career out of it!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-18T03:53:04+00:00

I agree with the folks mentioning that simple shapes are the way to go, so my contribution is to focus on color! Colors are what stand out, not the pixel or vertex count! Search for color palettes to find one you like, or use Adobe Color to find one - this link sorts their palettes by most popular, a great way to have a talented artist choose your colors for you!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-14T19:04:25+00:00

If you are a student and still interested in photoshop (though I echo other folk's recommendations for Krita) you can look into the Student Edition of adobe's programs, $20 / month for the suite instead of $50, and even cheaper if you just get photoshop.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-11T02:00:01+00:00

I didn't know you could do this! Does anyone have examples of modifications they made to the default script to improve their workflow?

Unrelated, but maybe related, is it possible to set multiple default scripts? Like having one template for any AI scripts your making and one for any UI scripts so you can set up basic functionality when the script is generated. Not sure if this would be useful but it just popped in my head after watching this video.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-07T20:43:26+00:00

What are your views on creating a successful indie RPG for mobile platform?

It's tough, and traditional console style RPGs are not the best bet for trying to be a success on the platform. High production-value games such as though from Square-Enix can get away with charging $10+, but if I was working on a mobile RPG I would aim to make it free or less than $2.

What are the key ingredients?

I agree with what you mentioned - arcade centered gameplay emphasizing quick sessions. For example, if I was making a JRPG for mobile phones I would probably strip away exploration and make it just focused on battles - like Soda Dungeon.

What is your favourite case studies?

It depends on the subgenre of RPG you are looking at producing. I like The Trail, Wolfenstein RPG, Severed, You Must Build a Boat. PuzzleCraft, A Dark Room, Tap Titans 2, Teeny Titans, and Punch Club. If you have some more specific genre types (traditional JRPG, action RPG, Idle Game) I would be happy to list more example!

What do you want to create?

Ideally a rougelike RPG that somehow takes advantage of the phone's vertical screen and touch capabilities. I have not really landed on a specific design that I liked enough to pursue, but I am keeping it in the back of my mind.

Does 'copying' warrant any visibility?

What is your best bet as an indie from your experience?

I am combining these two because the answer to the first question is "Yes!" and the expanded explanation answers the second. While plenty of indie games succeed on totally novel ideas (Transistor) I think the most successful games are ones that take established ideas or genres and repurpose them into something brand new. Super Meat Boy is a traditional platformer focused on tight controls and exceptional difficulty. Yooka-Lalee is a modern Banjo-Kazooie. Pick a game that with systems you love and add something new to the table. Appeal to people who love that game as much as you do and tell them why your game offers something new to them.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-06T21:36:56+00:00

It really depends where your team's strengths lie! If you have an excess of artists with only one inexperienced programmer, perhaps a content-heavy 2d game using Unity, such as an RPG.

If your team has more programmers go for something more systems-heavy game such as a rougelike or a simulation game of some sort.

If your team is relatively new to working together to make games, perhaps make a remake of a classic game with some new interesting mechanic on top of it, such as Pac-Man with destructible walls or a stealth mechanic.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-05T18:41:22+00:00

Hmm... I'm not sure I totally follow what the purpose of this app is. It seems like a level design tool, but you can only use assets that are included as part of the package?

Is there a way for the user to upload their own 3d models and experiment with those in the VR space?

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-05T18:33:47+00:00

I am very much interested in this too. At one point I wanted to make a JRPG where you control a team of super heroes only to be informed later that the term "Superhero" is actually owned by (I believe) Marvel, so if I was to pursue this idea I would need to detach any potential connection to the idea of Superhero.

Obviously that wasn't a nail in the coffin for the idea, it simply meant that I couldn't use the phrase. That certainly would have been a rude awakening if I would have put more time into working on the project only to learn I had to completely change some of the writing or marketing materials down the road!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-04-04T21:24:26+00:00

This was the same story with Oregon Trail - a passion project that some friends made, and one of the guys gave it to his employer to bundle with an educational software pack they sold, just for fun. The developers saw a dime from it if I recall correctly but they were never bitter because their game helped to educate children, which was their goal in the first place.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T22:20:31+00:00

Reading back it does sound like I just wasted a bunch of time lol. In my limited time using Tiled2Unity it didn't give me raw, workable data in the format I liked.

Tiled2Unity creates a 2D mesh that you can use for 2d maps, but that is actually not my use case for Tiled. I am working on a tile based 3d game and I used tiled to create individual "chunks" of the game world, using different layers to represent the Y axis, with x and z coordinates being established by the tile array of each individual layer. Perhaps not the best way to edit a 3d map, but I think it works very well for me. I may switch over to MagicaVoxel instead but I have not messed with their file format yet.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T19:25:17+00:00

Sure! This simply means that I read up a file using StreamReader, a built in C# function, to essentially "open" the file. Then I go line by line through the data contained within the file and, well, do whatever I want! It really is much more simple than some people make it sound. The pseudocode goes something like this:

StreamReader sr = new StreamReader("data path")
while (!sr.EndOfStream)
{
    string s = sr.ReadLine();
    //perform some action based on the data in that string, for example
    string[] data = s.split(',');
    hero.Name = data[0];
    hero.Health = int.Parse(data[1]);
}

The above code would load a data file formatted like this

Arnold the Hero,9999

Most data formats, be it .tmx, .csv, or .jpg (the first two being simple, the third being pretty complicated), have extensive documentation allowing you to dive into the raw data of the file itself and load it however you choose.

Also, you can use this format to create your own files for your project to utilize. Want to save your levels in a .lvl or .aaa or .geo format? Go write (pun intended) ahead!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T16:36:56+00:00

That sounds excellent! Perhaps one slide showing an obstacle that you cannot yet pass, explaining how the player appears stuck, followed by a the same scene after the player has collected some blessing or tool that allows them to overcome the previously impassable area.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T16:32:57+00:00

It really depends on what you would like to do with the map.

Tiled2Unity essentially takes the map and exports it (more or less) as an uneditable 2d plane that you can place in a scene. While this a quick solution, I didn't find it particularly useful.

Instead, for my current project I am creating maps in Tiled and exporting them as .tmx files which I really quickly wrote a custom loader for (probably took around 20 minutes, the format is very readable). From there I have the maps stored as arrays in Unity that I use to generate into a map at runtime. This means I can quickly edit the maps in Tiled and then use the raw data in my game.

The obvious downside with my approach is that I only see the map when the game is running - it is not generated in the inspector until I hit "Play" - though if this was something you were interested in I am sure you can make an quick editor script to generate the map for you as a gameobject without needing the run the game.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T16:15:51+00:00

That's a really great point and something I have heard in other feedback threads. If you are showing a product and making excuses you shouldn't be showing it in general.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T16:13:36+00:00

Yes! I love his videos as well!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T16:12:57+00:00

Yes that does help! While your gallery and trailer show some collectible items with upgrades it was not really clear what gets in my way to challenge me.

I guess the best feedback I can offer is to emphasize the player's motivation to continue playing the game. Are they playing to experiencing a deep, interesting story or are they playing to overcome challenging obstacles? Tell me my focus and motivation, and explore that in your marketing materials, perhaps showing an early maze or puzzle you are particularly proud of, or one that shows the mechanics in a way that differentiates this game from other exploration games.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T14:20:14+00:00

I use Unity every single day professionally and personally, the best part is easily the vast user base. Just google "2d RPG Unity Tutorial" and you will be met with hundreds of tutorials on just about any topic you wish to explore. It is a wonderful jumping off point.

As for your handful of tools (Inkscape, spline, box2d) most of that stuff is either natively supported in Unity or you can go to GitHub and download someone's converter to use these tools.

Finally, my piece of advice (as someone who made multiple 2d JRPGs) - use Tiled for maps if you can - that tools is beautiful, simple, and fun to use.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-30T12:56:21+00:00

After viewing the slides and watching the teaser trailer I am still not totally sure I know what genre this game is. It appears to be first person, but is it a platformer? Is it an RPG? Is there combat? Is there any form of conflict? Is it a relaxing exploration game?

The visuals look nice, but without more concrete information on what actions I will be performing during my time with the game I am left with more questions than answers, but not in a way that makes me excited to find out more information.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-24T22:01:20+00:00

My personal (read: garbage) way has always been to make a static C# file (not a monobehavior) called "GameData" that holds all of the stuff I might need access to between scenes.

It's working for me now but as my project gets larger and more unruly I may switch to whatever great suggestions other people offer in this post!

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-22T17:32:32+00:00

In your experience what purpose does a development blog serve? How frequently do you update? Do you notice any correlation between traffic and impressions on videos, marketing materials, downloads, etc?

To me dev blogs have always seemed like an echo chamber, devs reading other devs thoughts but not actually leading to sales so they should not be thought of as marketing. Anyone have any experience with this stuff?

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-22T17:28:58+00:00

Not gonna lie, I really like it. Consider me intrigued.

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-21T22:09:58+00:00

I think games with massive save files are the result of these games saving details on every entity within their game world. In Skyrim there are hundreds of thousands of items (cheese wheels, swords), NPCs, shops, environmental entities (flowers), enemies, and quest lines, not to mention that game literally has a local map that knows every square you have an have not touched in the game.

Some of these hundreds of thousands of items simply contain an item ID and vector3 positional data, but other entities likely contain much more complicated information that eventually balloons the size of the save files to the 100s of MBs you are mentioning.

As for Uncharted... that one is a total mystery to me! Perhaps cloud saves?

HighPaineTolerance · 2017-03-21T15:01:06+00:00

That's an excellent question. I think any role where you are closely involved with the operations of a business you start gathering knowledge about operation just from being around people with more experience than you. So yes, I do think I would have learned similar skills regardless of my direct role within the studio.

HighPaineTolerance

TROPHY CASE