How to make your games for free? T3 indie games development guide
Probably every novice game designer wonders how to make your games for free? Today in the blog of the program "Management of online gaming projects" we found for you and translated a new article, just covering this topic.
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You do not need an AAA budget or degree to make games.
In order to make your own games, it is not necessary to be a professional developer. This weekend alone, self-taught enthusiasts made more than 7,000 new games by participating in the Global Game Jam . Within 48 hours, teams from all over the world came together to draw, develop and publish games that correspond to the thematic task of one word: “waves”.
Such events are held constantly , and the Internet is full of various free tools, tutorials , video tutorials and forums for beginners . Whether you are an experienced programmer looking for new challenges or a newbie who hasn't written a single line of code, now is the best time to start your adventures in the world of indie games.
Here are our top tips on how to make games for free.
If you're a completely new person in the gaming industry, an editor with drag and drop technology such as Stencyl will suit you. The code in it is hidden behind the interface “what you see is what you get”. Fragments of programmable logic in it look like puzzle pieces with which you can make such games .
When you first launch Stencyl , he asks if you want to take their crash course . This is a free tutorial in which you can learn the basics based on a player character character named Noni, a cute clown foe and a set of themes for creating your first 2D level. Also in the set there are sounds and several behavioral models for building game logic.
Behavioral models are your connecting pieces, each of which has a convenient drop-down menu that allows you to easily understand the keyboard input, player speed and in-game gravity settings, without having to see the code if you don’t want it.
The online tutorial will explain everything slowly and clearly, so that you will trample all the clowns in the shortest possible time. And the built-in Stencylpedia will help you quickly get started in the development for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Flash and HTML5.
Inkle Studios are behind the development of mobile text hits like 80 days and Sorcery! Their scripting language is quite simple, allowing screenwriters to quickly and easily create a branched narrative. If old school adventure is yours, then Inkle Studios is a good place to start.
YoYo games want to make game development as transparent and orderly as possible, and GameMaker Studio just meets these goals. Like Stencyl, GameMaker Studio has a drag and drop interface that allows you to build code block by block, even without programming experience.
This is an effective game engine, built on events and actions. When an event occurs, such as a button click or a collision, the game performs an action, for example, moves a player or makes a sound.
GameMaker Studio has ready-made actions that can be easily linked with each other, or, if you are more courageous, you can write your own using GML (Game Maker Language). GML is much easier to learn than languages ​​like C ++ or Java. There are also many step-by-step online tutorials that will explain you the basics. This video guide on how to make your asteroid is well suited to get you started:
The functionality of the free version is limited, but it is suitable for learning. And with the full version you can make multiplatform games for Android, HTML5, iOS, OS X, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Ubuntu, Xbox One, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT.
If you want to make games on the go, right in the browser, try PlayCanvas . Just create an account and dive right into the tutorial.
If you want to make games on a professional level, using dozens of different functions and experiences of the developing online community , start right away with Unity . This complex engine is not for the faint of heart, it takes time to figure it out, but when you do, the reward will be huge.
This engine is behind high-quality releases, such as LaraCroft GO from Square Enix Montreal and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood from Press Play. It allows you to create 2D and 3D games for different platforms with realistic physics, beautiful light and custom trees swaying in the wind .
In Unity there is a store (asset store) with ready resources, and in the basic version - a package with free ones, including controllers and animation. But in order to fully feel all the features of the engine, it would be good to navigate in JavaScript or C #. Unity supports both languages, and I will tell you as a person who 4 years ago could not write a single line of code, it is easier than it seems.
This tutorial will help you get started, and as soon as you feel comfortable, you can start to gradually dive into the online tutorial , finding information about all the functions of Unity. And if you're looking for step-by-step instructions on how to write scripts, take a look at free courses from Codeacademy .
Epic Games Unreal Engine is the engine behind AAA projects such as Bioshock Infinite, Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War 4. And, quite incredibly, they can be used absolutely free.
When you figure out your new engine, you'll need art and sound to liven up your game. And for this, too, there is a free software.
- Do pixel art in the browser using Piskel
- Draw sprites, textures and backgrounds in GIMP
- Make smooth vector graphics in Inkscape
- Create and animate 3D models in Blender
- And, if you enjoy music in games, write and edit multichannel recordings in Audacity
What are you waiting for?
By the way, if you want to expand your circle of acquaintances in game devs, chat with those who are now in Moscow engaged in the development of games, listen to lectures on the gaming industry and IT from experts, then we invite you to our free public lectures at VSBI. In March there will be a lot of them, you only need to register to enter. Details about each event and links to registration:
February 28: About the main thing in corporate IT management
March 01: Features of localization of games of domestic developers to other countries
and General open day at VSBI
March 02: Separate open day of the program "Management of game projects"
March 15: Managing a team in the gaming industry
March 22: Game graphics: basic principles and tools
See you at events!
How to make your games for free? T3 indie games development guide
Original.')
You do not need an AAA budget or degree to make games.
In order to make your own games, it is not necessary to be a professional developer. This weekend alone, self-taught enthusiasts made more than 7,000 new games by participating in the Global Game Jam . Within 48 hours, teams from all over the world came together to draw, develop and publish games that correspond to the thematic task of one word: “waves”.
Such events are held constantly , and the Internet is full of various free tools, tutorials , video tutorials and forums for beginners . Whether you are an experienced programmer looking for new challenges or a newbie who hasn't written a single line of code, now is the best time to start your adventures in the world of indie games.
Here are our top tips on how to make games for free.
Newbie? Start with Stencyl
If you're a completely new person in the gaming industry, an editor with drag and drop technology such as Stencyl will suit you. The code in it is hidden behind the interface “what you see is what you get”. Fragments of programmable logic in it look like puzzle pieces with which you can make such games .
When you first launch Stencyl , he asks if you want to take their crash course . This is a free tutorial in which you can learn the basics based on a player character character named Noni, a cute clown foe and a set of themes for creating your first 2D level. Also in the set there are sounds and several behavioral models for building game logic.
Behavioral models are your connecting pieces, each of which has a convenient drop-down menu that allows you to easily understand the keyboard input, player speed and in-game gravity settings, without having to see the code if you don’t want it.
The online tutorial will explain everything slowly and clearly, so that you will trample all the clowns in the shortest possible time. And the built-in Stencylpedia will help you quickly get started in the development for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Flash and HTML5.
Alternatively, try Ink:
Inkle Studios are behind the development of mobile text hits like 80 days and Sorcery! Their scripting language is quite simple, allowing screenwriters to quickly and easily create a branched narrative. If old school adventure is yours, then Inkle Studios is a good place to start.
Need more features? Try GameMaker Studio
YoYo games want to make game development as transparent and orderly as possible, and GameMaker Studio just meets these goals. Like Stencyl, GameMaker Studio has a drag and drop interface that allows you to build code block by block, even without programming experience.
This is an effective game engine, built on events and actions. When an event occurs, such as a button click or a collision, the game performs an action, for example, moves a player or makes a sound.
GameMaker Studio has ready-made actions that can be easily linked with each other, or, if you are more courageous, you can write your own using GML (Game Maker Language). GML is much easier to learn than languages ​​like C ++ or Java. There are also many step-by-step online tutorials that will explain you the basics. This video guide on how to make your asteroid is well suited to get you started:
The functionality of the free version is limited, but it is suitable for learning. And with the full version you can make multiplatform games for Android, HTML5, iOS, OS X, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Ubuntu, Xbox One, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT.
Alternatively, try PlayCanvas:
If you want to make games on the go, right in the browser, try PlayCanvas . Just create an account and dive right into the tutorial.
Full of adventurism? Try Unity
If you want to make games on a professional level, using dozens of different functions and experiences of the developing online community , start right away with Unity . This complex engine is not for the faint of heart, it takes time to figure it out, but when you do, the reward will be huge.
This engine is behind high-quality releases, such as LaraCroft GO from Square Enix Montreal and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood from Press Play. It allows you to create 2D and 3D games for different platforms with realistic physics, beautiful light and custom trees swaying in the wind .
In Unity there is a store (asset store) with ready resources, and in the basic version - a package with free ones, including controllers and animation. But in order to fully feel all the features of the engine, it would be good to navigate in JavaScript or C #. Unity supports both languages, and I will tell you as a person who 4 years ago could not write a single line of code, it is easier than it seems.
This tutorial will help you get started, and as soon as you feel comfortable, you can start to gradually dive into the online tutorial , finding information about all the functions of Unity. And if you're looking for step-by-step instructions on how to write scripts, take a look at free courses from Codeacademy .
Alternatively, try Unreal:
Epic Games Unreal Engine is the engine behind AAA projects such as Bioshock Infinite, Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War 4. And, quite incredibly, they can be used absolutely free.
Start creating
When you figure out your new engine, you'll need art and sound to liven up your game. And for this, too, there is a free software.
- Do pixel art in the browser using Piskel
- Draw sprites, textures and backgrounds in GIMP
- Make smooth vector graphics in Inkscape
- Create and animate 3D models in Blender
- And, if you enjoy music in games, write and edit multichannel recordings in Audacity
What are you waiting for?
By the way, if you want to expand your circle of acquaintances in game devs, chat with those who are now in Moscow engaged in the development of games, listen to lectures on the gaming industry and IT from experts, then we invite you to our free public lectures at VSBI. In March there will be a lot of them, you only need to register to enter. Details about each event and links to registration:
February 28: About the main thing in corporate IT management
March 01: Features of localization of games of domestic developers to other countries
and General open day at VSBI
March 02: Separate open day of the program "Management of game projects"
March 15: Managing a team in the gaming industry
March 22: Game graphics: basic principles and tools
See you at events!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/321922/
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