Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Happy 2000th Packt Publishing!


If you're a developer like me, you probably have a pretty decent sized library of reference material or eBooks built up that covers a range of topics. I can confidently say that Packt Publishing's books on both Blender and Unity3D are probably the only reason I felt confident enough to jump into Game Development and Digital Art! In fact, Will Goldstone's excellent Unity Game Development Essentials will never be far away from my desk!


This week, Packt is celebrating its 2000th Released Book Title!

2000 BOOKS!
THAT'S AWESOME!

To show their appreciation, Packt is offering a free eBook with every eBook purchase!


Friday, March 14, 2014

Unity Multiplayer Games Book Review

Build engaging, fully functional, multiplayer games with Unity 3D
by Alan R. Stagner
Packt Publishing

As a lone Unity 3D Independent Game Developer, I often struggle with the enormity of tasks required to conceptualize, build, release, and market a successful game or app. Being self-taught, I don’t have practical experience in any one field that I fall back on… I learn as i go. That also applies for funding my projects. There are no bank loans, no investors, no pooling of financial resources other than what I skim off the top of the family income that pays the bills and feeds the kids.

So, I’m pretty much just like 98% of the people reading this right now…

Earlier this year, I was given the opportunity by Packt Publishing to review their recently release book, Unity Multiplayer Games, and I jumped at the chance! Creating Multiplayer functionality in my games has always been a goal, but seemed such a monumental task. I had previously held off on tackling that topic while I focused on refining my knowledge of Javascript, C#, 3D Modeling & Animation, 2D Graphics, GUI Programming, etc. Having created several PC, Web, and Mobile games over the past 6 months, learning more and more with each new project, i decided that it was about time I step it up a notch and expose myself to the Mystic Voodoo that was Networked Game Building.

I’m always hesitant to purchase these books… many just teach you how to build that one specific type or style of game, or “Insert the Code from the Sample Project” and don’t really explain what blocks of code do or how we can use them, which is what we really need to learn.

Within Unity Multiplayer Games, I was relieved to find that this was not the case. In fact, there are FOUR different methods of adding multi-player functionality to FOUR different example games! Methods include integrating systems such as Unity’s own built in Networking API, Exit Games Photon Unity Networking API, Photon Server, Player.IO Cloud Solutions, and PubNub’s HTTP system.

In addition to the well laid out, highly detailed, and thoroughly explained examples above, the book also helps clear up topics such as Entity Interpolation, Prediction, and Hit Detection, the lifeblood of any multiplayer game!

Having only a passing familiarity with business servers and networking, I was able to easily follow the information, explanations, and instructions given. The very few times I thought I might not be “getting it” a quick Google Search of that specific topic answered my questions.


Personally, I found this book both informative and invaluable in assisting my understanding of a topic I was hesitant to jump into. I can’t wait to add an entirely new dimension of functionality and diversity to my game projects!

HAZZAH!!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!

The Dead have risen, and they are hungry for your Braaaaaains!
Its up to you to hold off the hoard of Ravenous Undead in ZOMBIED, a unique spin on the match-3 touch game.

- "Shoot" 3 or more matching Zombie Heads to score points!
- Earn a special "Bomb" item to destroy loads of Zombies!
- Two Different Game Modes: Survival Mode and Speed Mode!
- Prove Yourself the Ultimate Zombie Killer with Integrated Leader Board Updates!

...and really, who doesn't like shooting Zombies in the head?!"

FREE for Apple iOS - Download it Today!


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Cook That Bacon!

It's been a long 2013 so far, thanks to the Flu making itself known with a vengeance in the house, but we're back with a Mid-Month update on our One Game A Month Project for January, Bacon Run.

After the initial design and construction of 3D Level assets in Blender and some initial testing in Unity 3D, I was able to pull myself away from the brink of Flu-induced inactivity this weekend and correct some major issues with the meshes and game-play discovered after testing in early January.

A few tweaks to how the Maze Meshes were exported from Blender and the auto-smoothing problem was fixed, as well as how the materials were mapped in Blender, was a major boon to the overall look of the game.

Also added was a "Breadcrumb System"; a trail of breadcrumbs left in your wake to help backtrack through the maze when you take a wrong turn - this greatly assists the player in having a sense of awareness to their location, and prevents "Going In Circles" for an excessive amount of time.

One final feature added was a particle emitter from the goal, the Bacon-Monolith that is your prize at the end of each level - this also gives a sense of orientation to the player, greatly improving the time required to complete a level and keep it from becoming overly frustrating.

I've taken the liberty of documenting the creative process behind Bacon Run, more for me that anyone else, as the One Game A Month Challenge is a learning and growth tool.


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Bacon Run Day #1 Progress

After taking a much needed break over the holidays with my two wonderful children, work begins on my January Project for the One Game A Month Challenge, Bacon Run!

I imported a test level into Unity built in Blender, and begun creating the framework for the game around this.

After 6-hour(ish) of tinkering, I have the Day 1 Prototype Build posted online for those interested in checking it out - still very ugly and limited, but I'll be building up and out from here.

2013 IS GOING TO BE ONE FUN-FILLED YEAR!!!

Monday, December 31, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 2013 Everyone!!!

Hello Word 2013

'Tis that time of year when we reflect on the passing of one year and prepare to usher in a new one!

2012 was an emotional roller coaster that saw tragic events that will be remembered for years, but also great celebrations of life and joy!

I for one am looking forward to 2013! 2012 was a year of progress for me personally and professionally, and I am pumped to turn that forward momentum into a year of success and growth! With the preparations for the One Game A Month Challenge underway, I am poised to make a name for myself and Stinky Pixel Entertainment, taking one giant step forward into the industry I've hovered at the edge of for so long!

Plus, the world didn't end in December 2012... you can't ask for more than that!

If you haven't yet, check out One Game A Month on twitter and check out the Profiles of the 2,354 Developers signed up to participate!

Stay Kilted My Friends!