Game Development Blog: Art, art, and more art.

After many hours spent experimenting with various styles, THIS will be the final look for the game.

You can't see so well in the GIF above (GIF can't quite distinguish between the shades used), but there are now 8 parallax layers (and climbing) in total, all of the procedurally generated, and I'm really happy with the look.

This is the first time I've shown the game with platforms and foreground layers.

The trickiest part for me was figuring out an efficient way to generate this many layers of parallax backgrounds procedurally, without taking up too much memory, as it is intended to eventually be played on mobile devices.

Also, have recently introduced some new gameplay mechanics which I really like, few code tweaks required but I think it will be worth it in the end. Very soon going to need a name. Characters is currently being animated, always lots to do!

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 - How's It Holding Up In 2015?

Made with the Surface Pro 2 & Sketchbook 7

I'm a huge technology addict, and as a designer the most exciting announcements are the new professional-level tablet devices, which allow you to get your creativity out while on the go.

2013 was for me the first time it was really feasible to really complete professional quality work on a tablet device, with the release of the Wacom Companion and the Microsoft Surface Pro 2, the key differences being Wacom's offering was Android based and Microsoft's a fully-fledged Windows 8 machine... I opted for the Surface Pro 2 and overall was really pleased.

You can read my Surface Pro 2 review here.

The problem for me as a tech-addict is the pace at which is gets out-dated, and now in 2015 the iPad Pro has (predictably) been announced, as well as the Surface Pro 3 being released in 2014 also, but how is the Surface Pro 2 holding up?

Great!

I'll admit that Apple's new offering and the Surface Pro 3 are prettier than the pretty bulky Surface Pro 2 model, but honestly the hardware is holding up just fine.

I frequently use the machine for normal browsing, occasional gaming, sketching, and finished work. The programs don't stutter, even live rotating large canvases works seamlessly though I naturally find myself just rotating the screen most of the time.

So if you're wanting to get a creative tablet but are put off by the prices, the Surface Pro 2 is now about half the price of a Surface Pro 3 and keeps getting cheaper, it's still a great buy and still a great piece of kit, that I'll still be using until a truly significant new feature is announced.

Dev Blog - We Have A Game!

After many-a-tweak a full, working game has emerged.

One of the most rewarding parts of the development process when you start a new project is when (at least some) of the initial ideas come together and you can play what you've made.

The game now has a decent character controller (character is still in progress) and working, optimised scripts that handle the scrolling parallax background and platform spawns; so the beginnings of a platformer is born!

Further work has been going into the visual style, adding a few spots of colour and highlights to the background to make things a little prettier, while not detracting from the overall silhouette look of the game, pretty happy with the way it's turning out and the feedback has been great:

The look is intentionally sketchy, I want the game to feel like you're running through a moody sketch book.

Most urgent on the TO-DO list is the character model, non-placeholder platforms, and a score system... Also, starting to feel like a name could be a good idea...

Also, you can follow me on twitter.

Game Development: Picking A Direction

As always seems to be the case, the biggest blessing of working on your own projects can also be one of the biggest hurdles: Creative freedom; do what you want, make it how you want, after all; it's your project. Many projects come grinding to a halt because they don't gain any direction early on.

I've recently started working on my own game, it's always been something I've wanted to do, and one of the main things I'm trying to do is set a direction for the art / style early on. I've played around with ideas of course but if I'm going to progress anywhere I need to work towards an end product, not just brainstorming endless ideas.

Initial sketches for some background assets.

Another reason many games don't get finished. Is they have an unrealistic scope, coming up with hundreds of ideas the game simply becomes unfinishable, I'm one guy; I'm not even going to attempt to make something as big as Witcher or World of Warcraft, much as I love those games...

Playing with new ideas for background art.

A visual style quickly coming together. 

As you can see, the art has changed direction for what initially I intended to be a Rayman-esque colourful, quirky, diverse art style, to a more simple, silhouette based style.

I feel like this direction gives the game a great sense of depth, especially coupled with the parallaxing effect that was giving me headaches until 3am last night. 

More game development news as it happens. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Oddly - A Font Is Born

Font design is something I've always wanted to try out; literally for years. So finally I went and made my very first font - Oddly.

It's a pretty simple font; only one weight, and pretty much just the neatest handwriting I could muster, but it feels fun and personal, so I like it. The whole purpose of the small project was to learn the design process behind putting a font together, and the programs for doing so.

I don't have access to the high-end font software (it's really quite expensive like everything semi-mandatory in the industry), so after looking through a few options I found Font Forge (which is Mac compatible and free).

After years of using the Adobe Creative Suite, the Font Forge software can feel a bit unwieldy, but it's functional where it matters (and did I mention it's free), and we have Illustrator for the actual design side.

I learned a lot, and I'm really happy with the result. Now I'm looking forward to putting together something a little more complex, maybe with multiple weights. 

Please feel free to check out the font here, and download and use to your heart's content. Please let me know if and where you use it, I'd love to see it in use!

Great Website for Royalty Free Stock Images.

If you're a graphic designer, web designer, or blogger you'll often need to use images to give your pages that something extra, but copyright can often be a concern.

Here's a website I use with great high-quality professional images; all with a CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license; meaning they're completely free to use, even on commercial projects:

www.pexels.com

The images are all high definition, and great quality. With 10 new images being uploaded per day. It's a great source to know for your projects.

You can see all of the details for yourself in the 'Learn More' section.

- Happy stock hunting.

5 Tips to Break Through Creative Block

We've all been there, but don't let your creative block get you down, there are lots of things you can do. Here's a few tips to break through the block and start being productive again:

1. Take a break. Hit a wall on a large project? Work on another project, doodle, make a brew, and come back to it with fresh ideas. Often you'll have a great idea for the project while doing something completely different.

2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Struggling to get the details 'just right'? If the above tip doesn't help, ask a colleague or even a friend for their insight. Non-Designer friends will often surprise you.

3. Get away from your desk. Always being at the same desk can be stifling. Grab your laptop, or a sketchpad and get into a new space. Public places are a favourite of mine, the idea that people could be watching me work (although they probably aren't) gives me just the right kind of pressure to bring out some great work, and stop me procrastinating.

4. Let your ideas flow. While there are such things as bad ideas, sometimes the worst and wackiest ideas will give you a push towards something new. 

5. Go back to the beginning. I often find that looking back to my original concepts / brainstorms helps to refresh me if I've gone a little off-track.