Game Development Archives

GameMaker Bundle Bargain

ogreman — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 23:32:04 +0000

There have been some great bundles at HumbleBundle over the past few years, but the current Weekly Bundle has to be considered one of the best yet. In fact, over thirty thousand bundles have already been sold in a little over a day. This is with no above the average tier at all this time. Instead, there is only above $1, above $6, and above $12. This bundle is special because not only do you get games, but you can get game making tools that would cost hundreds of dollars and made the games, and you even get the source codes for the games to see how they were made.

As you can see by the games, this software tool can turn out some impressive results. For example, Savant – Ascent is a seemingly simply game, but is quite fun especially for a game with a normal retail price of $1.99. GameMaker Studio is now free on Steam, but this bundle contains the professional version ($99) and the Android Export Module ($299). Thus, anybody who could not afford the Android Module can now. Yes, the games made from this can be played on multiple platforms. Heck, they even threw in Spelunky Classic and L’Abbaye des Morts for free! Here is the breakdown for each tier of this bargain.

$1 and Above Tier:

YoYo RPG Engine

Another Perspective

WizardWizard

Spoiler Alert

Death Ray Manta

$6 and Above Tier:

GameMaker: Studio Pro

Stealth Bastard Deluxe

Savant – Ascent

Another Perspective Source Code

Detective Case and Clownbot in: Murder in the Hotel Lisbon

Death Ray Manta Source Code

10 Second Ninja

Spoiler Alert Source Code

Super Crate Box + Source Code

$12 and Above Tier:

GM:S Android Export Module

Stealth Bastard Deluxe Source Code

Savant – Ascent Source Code

10 Second Ninja Source Code

Detective Case and Clownbot in: Murder in the Hotel Lisbon Source Code

Wasteland Kings + Source Code

The post GameMaker Bundle Bargain appeared first on GameOgre.

Humble Game Making Bundle

ogreman — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 10:48:29 +0000

Since game making software and resources are not exactly cheap, the most recent Humble Bundle is a special one. In fact, I was about ready to blog about a Python when I came across this bundle. This is one of the few bundles that I bought the top tier because of the sheer value of all the software, resources, games, and even coupons are being offered. Actually, the top tier and the beat the average tier are not far apart at $12 and $10.82 respectively. Thus, you might as well spend a little over a dollar more and get the whole enchilada!

Bundle Contents:

Bottom Tier ($1 and up)

Game Guru Game Dev Start Pack

Stencyl: 1 Year Indie Edition License

RPG Maker 90% off Coupons

Humble Bundle Starter DLC Pack

Indie Game Maker Contest ’14 Finalist Pack

Labyrinthine Dreams

Beat The Average Tier

RPG Maker VX Ace Deluxe Edition The only software I previously had.

Game Character Hub

Humble Bundle Sci-Fi DLC Pack

Humble Bundle New DLC Pack

Aveyond: Lord of Twilight

Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION

More Next Week

Top Tier ($12 and up)

App Game Kit 2

Spriter Pro

Sprite Lamp

Humble Bundle Fantasy DLC Pack

Goats on a Bridge

The post Humble Game Making Bundle appeared first on GameOgre.

A Slice of Raspberry Pi

ogreman — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 08:41:28 +0000

Ok, Raspberry Pi is a very fun name for something that is highly innovative. Although I have had a slice of real raspberry pie in real life that was delicious, this “pi” actually has me intrigued to learn much more. These are actually very small single-board computers that are about the size of a credit card. The cheapest introduction models start as low as just $20. However, I will hazard a guess that you will have a hard time find one that cheap.

Not going to go into all the technical details, but suffice it to say that this little computers can be made to do a lot if the owner has the know-how. Since GameOgre is about gaming, we will focus on that area. For example, the Raspberry Pi 2 (which is many times more powerful than the original) can be used as a retro game console. Indie developers are making the software needed to make this happen because they have welcomed the product with open arms.

Download the software onto the the device’s SD micro memory card. Then look for legit retro games from a site like Emuparadise. Most old console systems work including NES, Intellivision, and the Commodore 64 up all the way to the Nintendo 64 and the first PlayStation. In fact, games on the N64 are a turkey shoot because some work fine while others have issues or work at all. Systems up to the N64 usually work great.

As can be seen by the image above, you could even put a Raspberry Pi in an arcade machine. Played something like this over the weekend. Was able to choose from a plethora of 80s games like Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, Pooyan, and Pengo for 50 cents a pop. The concept worked very well and brought back some old gaming memories.

The post A Slice of Raspberry Pi appeared first on GameOgre.

The Ogre and the Python

ogreman — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 07:48:09 +0000

The title sounds like something from a monster movie doesn’t it? Well, it just means that I have finally decided on the my first programming language, Python. Although PHP is what most of my sites use and HTML is about the easiest language to learn, Python offers both simplicity and amazing power. It also will make it easier to learn other languages since other languages have similar syntax like Ruby and Javascript.

Regarding simplicity, this is the language that requires the least amount of code to get things done. This can save an amazing amount of time for large projects. It also helps new coders get started easier because some of the tedium is removed. Nothing is harder than staring at a mountain of code without understanding any of it. Thus, you want the easiest language possible to get started with so you can get a foothold in understanding before getting frustrated enough to stop or rage quit. In my case, it went from program to program with many books but never really decide on just one and get a firm grasp of it. That is what I am fixing today by officially choosing Python.

The other big reason that I chose Python is so powerful that it has a plethora of uses from mobile apps to games to website development to even database applications. It can even be used across all the main platforms such as Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The games that have been developed at least in part with Python will surprise you because some are quite large and popular. In fact, I happen to own some of these and I did not know what they were developed in. Of course, one of the reason I want to learn coding is to start to developing games for GameOgre.com and possibly a mobile app at some point.

Games That Use Python:

Eve Online – The best long running Science Fiction MMORPG.

Battlefield Heroes – Fun MMOTPS that will be closing in July for good.

Metin2 – Asian style fantasy MMORPG.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 4 – One of the best strategy games ever.

Freedom Force – Classic Super Hero action game from 2002.

Mount and Blade – Medieval melee action.

The post The Ogre and the Python appeared first on GameOgre.

Learning to Code Games

ogreman — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 20:14:49 +0000

Learning to code games from scratch is not easy. It takes lots of time and focus. The key is to get started and then to stay on the path. Either get started on a game project and look for tutorials every step of the way or buy the books that will help you stick to it and want to learn more. There are also sites like Code Academy that give you real time coding sources to help- you learn the basics of PHP, HTML, CSS, and more. There is even a game called Code Combat that makes you program just to move your character along the screen.

On the other hand, buying books to learn coding is n0t only expensive due to the cost of some, but also very time consuming because there are so many possibilities on where to start. For example, should you start with Python or Javascript? Years ago, programmers or coders started with Basic and were good to go. Now days, there are so many choices that it makes it considerably harder without attending a school or course dedicated specially to coding.

For example, saw Bob Parsons of Godaddy on CNBC this week. I was amazed by his story of learn how to program. He was waiting for his plane in Connecticut when he went into a book store and bought a book on basic. Then while flying he learned Basic and had already made programs from it while flying on the plane. When asked where he learned to program, he says Connecticut because that is where the book store was that he bought the book at:).

Thanks to Humble Bundle and its current Book Bundle, the process of buying coding books for yourself or for your kids has never been easier. For just $17 you can buy a grand total of $351 worth of books. There are a total of seventeen books and some cost well more than $17 by themselves. Some are Lego books and there is also a sampler and a free program to boot. The Coding books are amazing and highly reviewed wherever I looked. These include Java Script for Kids, Python for Kids, The Manga Guide to Databases, Learn to Program with Scratch, Teach Your Kids to Code, and even Super Scratch Programming Adventure! Obviously these are aimed more at kids, but it is also an easier way for adults to learn as well:). I bought this bundle so I will be describing my progress over the weeks and months to come.

The post Learning to Code Games appeared first on GameOgre.