SCRIPT: pressure_wave

Here is a script you can use in the GMS physics engine, or when you are making a game with physics and want to create a cool pressure wave effect.
As we all know pressure waves are invisible, but has force which is acted out on other particles or objects in a world. In this case our game world. My game world I used this for was a simple space game, and when an explosion erupts with a visual particles effect I added this pressure wave by creating many invisible solid objects that shoots out from the middle of the explosion in a circle which will then interact with other asteroids and space ships giving it a realistic pressure wave push back effect.

For this script you require an object (oExplode_part)  that will be set to visible=off (invisible), I used a small sphere, which is set to solid with physics enabled and allow it to have collisions with the objects you want to be affected.

You can then call this script:
pressure_wave(oExplode_part);

in the DESTROY event of any object that is destroyed as an explosion and it will shoot out these invisible balls against all other objects in the area...

SCRIPT: pressure_wave

{
    var i, dims, force, ang, sz;
    //oExplode_part = argument0;
    sz=sprite_width;
    force = 20;
    //dim is the dimension of explosion wave
    dims = 50; //number of particles and directions each must travel to make physics wave

    repeat(dims)
    {
        ang=random(360);
        with (instance_create(x+lengthdir_x(sz/2,ang),y+lengthdir_y(sz/2,ang),oExplode_part))
        {
            //Apply an impulse based on a random vector
            physics_apply_impulse(x,y,force*(-sz+random(sz*2)),force*(-sz+random(sz*2)));
        }
    }
}

GameMaker Tutorials

Hi Friend,
and fellow GM developer.
I decided I will now and again add some tutorials or just brief descriptions with Game Maker Language (GML) scripts to my blog for your perusal.

Now that I added the LABEL keyword cloud to my blog, you can easily find similar topics of discussion on this blog. So I will add 2 LABELs to help you find TUTORIALS and GML SCRIPTS as I post these.

Look out I will start it with a simple script in my next post on how to make a fancy pressure wave effect during say an explosion when you use the box2d physics engine now incorporated in the new GMS.

Feel free to comment with tutorial requests here, and when I have time I just might just develop some of them for you here.

Great community for Game Devs

So many times the game Developer is on a solo guest face of the GameDev boss in the epic battle,
well in this short post I just want to let you in on a secret...
"You don't do this alone!"

Go find like minded individuals to support you and make friends have fun...
A great place to start is at http://www.onegameamonth.com/resources

Here they encourage and challenge each other to make a game a month for 2013, oh yes and there is an epic free pixel font resource for free download.

Enjoy,
finding you the gems and easter eggs in game dev.
Go BIG!
Boysano

Age of gamers...

I had the most interesting conversation today at work with a colleague who admitted he is also a gamer. There are many people in our large professional industrial company whom will never admit they are gamers and in fact may even be embarrassed to admit it.

This probably has a lot to do with the culture in South Africa since we are only now starting our second generation of Internet users where other countries already have a mature 3rd generation going.

Makes me wonder how many other countries still live in a "secret gamer" culture?? Blog your thoughts please..

But what really is amazing about this work colleague is that not only does he play Starcraft and Diablo 3 (his favorite) and wow, but also so does his wife!! Oh and guess what they play this online with their son, whom is in another country 1st world... Why so impressive you ask? He is already 62 years old and his wife 58, now that's just freakin awesome!!! At least I know what the future holds for me one day past 60 in over 30 years from now ha ha

This is really also exciting for the future prospects of South Africa in terms of technical growth and market size for games and innovation, yes we all know that the gaming industry is at the fore front of the worlds innovation!! Whoot and that's why I want to be part of it...

Any thoughts? Please go ahead and comment.

Until next time Indies!
Go BIG!
Boysano

Short update and a personal touch

If you want to follow a more short hand personal update from me you can like my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BoysanoIndieGaming.

The game coding is going well, I'm at 80% of my game for now I call it "Mini Creeps of War" and it will be a mob creep tower defense game...retro style.

Already got message system and levels sorted out.

I'm still holding back before I try to go to publishers with it, since in this industry first impressions last, but I wanted to be at that point already, I'm still positive with the progress though for only 8-hours a week after day job stress. Positively the day job can fund these muse projects. Looking back I'm probably already at 4x3x8 = 96 - 100hours on this project.

I'm also increasing my network, busy registering on reddit.com and found that posting honest positive feedback reviews on other game devs and graphic artists projects is the way to go for now... try it.

Keep positive and keep the focus!! You can do it!

My new Avatar is here

Just wanted to share my new personal look online, or my Avatar.

Must say I really love the fact that the GMC forums uses Gravatar, which makes it as easy as typing your email to update your avatar on all forums from one place.

Neat.

Hope you like my Avatar as much as I do, just shows you that outsourcing works like a charm if you use skilled people.

I believe brand image is very important and thats why you see it before you see any games.

Enjoy a fantastic week,
if you are still reading this "You are Legendary!!"

Start up costs for a solo indie games developer

In an effort to stay transparent and show you other dreamers what I'm going through and what start-up costs are before you even make a dime, I decided to share a short blog on what I've done so far. 

Like I said the aim was to start part time make games for HTML5 mobile devices, which is played via web browsers. I'm focusing my development, to ensure I cut time costs while I only have about 8 hours a week maximum time to work on this endeavor.

I already made the mistake of making a unique game, a derivative of the tower defense genre, instead of copy and pasting a known recipe, but replacing it with different graphics. However, I did save on costs and time by using already made free to use and sell graphics. Make sure that you are allowed to do this first, in this case the awesome author of The Lost Garden allows for this under his published licence.

So things has really started out slower than I hoped, but today I'm making progress again and want to share it with you. I thought by this time I will already have sold a game and then only blog everything of the process. But my game is about 60% complete only functionally, since family and my day to day job took priority. I really recommend that you put in leave to make the final grind to finish and polish a game, instead my family decided I must spend it with them. Well this is extra motivation for me to put in hours after a work day to also enjoy the vacation with them.

To save time I researched what others have done in 2012 to be successful and in this way also purchase an ebook and my game making software as well as some extra java code to extend the GMS (Game Maker Studio) mobile device display and orientation functionality. I also networked, until I found a graphics designer locally whom helped me with the BIG (Boysano Indie Gaming) branding graphics. These type of artists have a different skill-set than that of game animation artists, and I learned that you have to find both types of artists in your resource list. Note my strategy is to outsource game assets, and use software I purchase, while I program and market the games myself. This is the only way you can do this part time. Use other people's time and other peoples skills. In future if my games sell, I will recoup my start-up costs and reinvest 100% in new game assets (graphics, etc.).

The costs for starting up so far: (assuming you do not pay extra for time and internet costs)
1. Software: GMS + HTML5 module on special offer = $ 150
2. Code: java extension for GMS = $ 60
3. Ebook on making money in 2012 with HTML5 = $ 20
4. Brand graphics = $ 37.5
5. Avatar and more brand graphics = $ 25
5. Blogger, Facebook, google+, forums websites and marketing = $ 0 (yes its free to market)

Total start-up costs: $ 292.5
(Note: I already had an iPhone 4 and iPad 3 to test my game on, you may need to buy these as well, or borrow a friends. But while I would recommend buying it when you can, since you must test your games, I do not recommend buying this when you are not sure you can even sell a game, prove this to yourself first!)

It's safe to say you need at least $ 300 to start 'making money by selling games', and a typical HTML5 game will fetch $ 300 - $ 400 per publisher at non-exclusive licence when you sell it. So if you sell your first game, then you can break even and then the more you sell the more profit. Assuming you sell your game to 3 publishers, if it is good enough. Then you have paid back start-up costs (aka risk = zero), $ 300 available to re-invest in a double as good new game for graphics, and another $ 300 to spend or as profit. This is basically one of my strategies.

So note that leaving your job until you have not sold at least 3 games, or your first game 3 times is not recommended. And in time you should build a business which grows and reinvests its own resources and previous successes in other for later months to repay the investment of the start-up phase.

BUT, the best thing is to start and hone your skills and grow yourself. That is why I do this, it is fun!!
Remember 'success breeds success' and is a great motivator...