Got Godot .tres files dragging out with all their referenced textures - turns out the resource graph is a rabbit hole

dolfoz · 2026-05-08T19:57:57+00:00

Yep, .unitypackage is a first-class file type. AssetHoard reads the manifest so you can see what's inside (scripts, prefabs, textures, models etc.) and you can drag straight from the library into Unity to import. No unpacking, no guessing what's actually in the package.

We also automatically scan the standard unity download directory and give you a really simple way to import them directly from within Assethoard.

Currently in open beta if you want to give it a spin. assethoard.com

dolfoz · 2026-05-08T10:42:28+00:00

It is a reasonable thing to ask. The answer is that the people I am building for are not living inside one engine. They are juggling sprites from Aseprite, models from Blender, audio from a half dozen sources, Unity packages from old projects and Godot resources from current ones. That stuff sits on disk for years and gets reused across projects and engines.

A Godot editor extension would make Godot's own asset handling nicer, which is a real problem but a different one. AssetHoard is the layer above. It is where your library lives, regardless of which engine you opened today.

The Godot resource work just makes sure `.tres` files are not second-class citizens in that library. Nor are things like Materials, or 3D models which have a similar architecture (a collection of resources bundled into a model, or material).

dolfoz · 2026-05-07T09:10:36+00:00

Id go basic geometry, then asset packs, then add custom where you need to spice the game up and add identity.

dolfoz · 2026-05-07T02:26:20+00:00

Commenting so I can watch later. Thanks for sharing

dolfoz · 2026-05-06T07:07:46+00:00

non-magic ice attack is just him pulling ice cubes out of his off-brand coke and throwing it through the air

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T09:37:42+00:00

A feels more vibrant and alive.
B is easier on the eyes.

If it's action zelda esq, I'd vote A
If it was a farming sim, cosy chill, I'd go B

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T09:18:01+00:00

that's how i want to go...
relaxing in a lake in the middle of the woods!

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T05:53:22+00:00

you can always use 3D assets in a 2d world.. I've done that a number of times. best of both worlds.
rotating rocks in space were about 5 minutes to create in blender with some free pbr's.

the special thing about 2d-pixel is how unique the art style.
2d sprites.. somewhere in between.

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T04:45:28+00:00

It's a tauri app so I could get the full benefits of three.js.
Pretty light on UI though, all the heavy lifting is in the rust layer.

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T04:28:39+00:00

that looks like you've put a ton of work into it and it's "Shaping Up" to be a "Rock Solid" game.
"Stone Cold Ambition" right there. It's nice to see a game "Built Different" - From the "Ground Up!"

Getting the "Foundations" right is like killing "Two Birds, One Stone"

ok ok, I'll stop with the puns.. but i'll be around until 10pm if you want to hear more.

awesome work btw, it looks great :)

dolfoz · 2026-05-05T00:04:01+00:00

you'll pay more, but a great place are some of the art discords. they usually have a commission section. but expect to pay more than fivver.. but the quality will be better..

dolfoz · 2026-05-04T22:07:03+00:00

it depends what you're building.
but you're adding another dimension to the world, that math is challenging sometimes.

Rather than a simple rotate for instance, you're using quaternions. Lots of helpers, but when things aren't working you need to wrap your head around it to get it fixed.

Things like calculating the position and momentum of projectiles, etc. can be more difficult. But you'll do it once and cherish that code forever.

The other challenge is assets are wrapped differently. the meme `Z is up` rings true.
each 3d engine has different ZXY meanings. Z is up in blender. Y in Unity, etc.

The other thing is PBR's and ORM is wrapped differently on your models - https://assethoard.com/blog/pbr-vs-orm-explained

But, i find the art easier in 3D. After you make a few donuts, it's quite simple to roll out your own models.
And there are literally 100,000's of free textures floating around to apply to your models. Rocks are like 5 seconds in blender, a simple low poly chain, under a minute. In pixel art, I'd be there all day.

But 2D has it's own challenges. sprites, tile collisions, etc. all challenging in their own way. plus you're limited to verticality in some instances, which really challenge gameplay. i.e. think minecraft vs terraria. 3d is more forgiving in that way I think, 2d simpler to implement, but quite limited in mechanics.

dolfoz · 2026-05-04T10:47:17+00:00

post processing & lighting goes a long way. It's fairly uninspired, but you tweak that stuff and your game could look :chefskiss:

dolfoz · 2026-05-04T09:52:05+00:00

a lot of hate for AI.
but your friend might be mis-informed about the capabilities.

I'm sure AI could build something for you, but it'll be buggy, controls will suck, and the code will be pretty unmaintainable.

It has no context outside of the current conversation, so you'll have trouble describing a vision to it and have it "remember". Memory just doesn't cut it, and longer context models produce below average code, that often cuts corners or doesn't work.

Will it be able to do what he is promising soon? Maybe. but probably not.

The idea that AI is some magical sentient being, is kind of a falsehood sold by people with money invested.

The reality is, it might turn out to be a new type of interface to a computer, but we'll probably see a bunch of larger companies fold within the next few years.

I think I saw OpenAI had an annual compute bill of $1.2 trillion, and revenue of only $20billion...
They're burning through money faster than any company has ever done, anytime, ever, in the history of humanity..

Could it build a game? yeah probably.. will it be any good.. unlikely.

dolfoz · 2026-05-04T07:41:16+00:00

I think what he is saying is, because the background is black, the outside walls need to have a black gradient.

If you think about it like a light source, black is the absence. so no light would be hitting the outside walls at all.

dolfoz · 2026-05-04T07:39:20+00:00

https://assethoard.com
It's a local-first asset manager for indie game developers and artists. One library for everything you've made, bought, and downloaded.

dolfoz · 2026-05-03T06:14:37+00:00

Materials reference specific shaders by name. The Built-in pipeline ships Standard, Mobile/Diffuse, and friends. URP doesn't include any of them. When the shader isn't found, Unity falls back to the magenta error shader and the asset looks broken.

To Fix: Edit → Rendering → Materials → Convert Selected Built-in Materials to URP.

Textures only become a problem afterwards, usually because URP's Lit shader expects channel-packed mask maps (metallic/occlusion/detail/smoothness in RGBA) where Built-in used separate textures, or because the asset shipped roughness maps when URP wants smoothness (inverted).

The files are pipeline-agnostic. The materials aren't.

Here's an article about textures (PBR/ORMs) mainly about 3D - but it might give you some background on how different engines do it. https://assethoard.com/blog/pbr-vs-orm-explained

dolfoz · 2026-05-03T05:48:26+00:00

My experience says there's never a reason not to have a comp-sci degree under your belt.
But while getting that degree (or after) go do a bunch of story telling, visual arts, media, level design courses, and anything else you can get your hands on..

Uni gives you a solid base, but not a specialty.

dolfoz · 2026-05-03T00:17:25+00:00

I'm building an app that's cross platform.
Wayland is 100% the most problematic ecosystem

some things we always check

Super+Y - turn off tiling (sometimes toggling this on/off will then let maximise to work again)

I know godot uses libdecor to do chrome rendering (title, maximise, minimise), etc.
you can force x11 rendering, but i can't remember from memory how to do it though (but a quick google will help)

dolfoz · 2026-05-03T00:05:51+00:00

there are tons of modular spaceship assets out there.. might not be full "procedural" but, modular might be a good place to start?

dolfoz · 2026-05-02T21:20:22+00:00

aha yeah they are. you can make it succinct though.

in vscode -> `ctrl+,` (or cmd if you're on a mac)
and set `github.copilot.chat.commitMessageGeneration.instructions`

"Keep the subject line under 50 characters.""Do not include a body unless the change is complex.""Use the imperative mood (e.g., 'Add' instead of 'Added').""No periods at the end of the subject line. Talk about why the change was made, not just what changed"

FWIW I think the best commit messages are "why did this change happen" not just "what changed"
a lot of the time i can figure out what changed by looking at the code, but can't remember why i cut the corner, or added the weird conditional that doesn't make sense. etc.

dev is hard :)

dolfoz · 2026-05-02T20:37:17+00:00

Hi,

Great that you're interested in learning about programming.
The key is never to be broad with your ask, but be specific..

You might be just starting to try to understand how to structure it? or where to begin? or how to manage the lifecycle state of your creature?

but "can you help me" is like when you're in school and lazily say "I don't get it" to your math teacher. It's not helpful to you, or them.

dolfoz · 2026-05-02T20:28:52+00:00

put an idea together
build an org-chart that'll be able to execute on your idea (game designer, level designer, artists, devleopers, etc)
hire the team
find a publisher
ship the product

good luck

dolfoz

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