Top Skill to become a game developer

Today I suggest to you to read very carefully this article.
Done?
Good, now let's try to think about it.

Become a game developer, not John Doe, but a great game developer, try something simple (like Minecraft concept) and make it perfect.. and see people enjoy playing your game.
From my point of view is a really hard task. What I've learned so far is a mix of programming experience, few games that you can play on this blog and not so much.
So IMHO, top skils to become a game developer is application: only with hard work and good and planned tasks you can try something. Forget all the sites that says to you "create a games in few minutes!".
Top games, from AAA titles to indie or casual one are all made from many peoples!
So what? Don't give up and continue to try, one step at time to build your game :D

New year resolution

For first time I'm writing this few lines and make some promises:

1) develop 5 new games,
2) take my Java Engine, MarteEngine to a stable state,
3) write some documentation for MarteEngine,
4) partecipate to next Ludum Dare with better results,

I'll read this next year :D

Kongregate for mobile

Konregate in maybe the most flash based games community on net (now with Unity support) and is really interesting that now is mobile with Kongregate Arcade for Android (next will be Iphone? Nokia have you lost this train?).

It's a really big step and many developer should think carefully about our future. It's mobile our future as hobby developer?

LD19 results are out!

LudumDare 19 is now officially finished and results are out. I'm in with RandomLD19 and here there are results.
My entry have these end ratings (84 position on 133, not bad, not bad!):

• Innovation 3.35 : I like to see these ratings because RandomLD19 is all about innovation and this is a good rating :D
  
• Fun 2.10: game is not so fun because is not finished, I'll remember that, but is a decent rating this, for my first entry on LD
  
• Theme 2.95: again I like this, because I'm near theme :D
  
• Graphics 1.50: right, no graphics around :D
  
• Audio 2.39: people like some random sounds ? I like it too :D Concept behind RandomLD19 is game entities will cause sounds, I must remember that!
  
• Humor 1.55: no humor, but someone found some humor :D
  
• Overall 2.55: this is a right overall rating for my entry, because game is not finished and I can expand it in many ways, so thanks people!
  
• Community 3.08: I've tried 20-25 games and tried to contribuite on community :D

For other entries (IMHO) I suggest you to play:

• Winner, Attack of time travelling pygym from outer paleolithic (aka Time Pygym): fun, easy to play and hard to master, good graphics, impressive work and nice concept!
• 1492 Island: an incredible game with impressive gameplay, really really addicctive game!
• 10 Minute Galaxy: I've already blog about this, so go and play it!
• Treasure Island: a good idea with a boat too slow.. nice to play anyway!
• Arise: after all is a good game with so many ideas :D
  

SpriteJS

SpriteJs is a framework to build games for a different range of platforms: desktop and mobile too. Last month I've talked about ImpactJS and now I can show you a little and promising framework to do similar things like ImpactJS but free!

Key point of this framework are ability to swtich between canvas (HTML5 anyone?) and normal rendering and extreeeme ease of use. To demonstrate that I've done a little HelloWorld example for SpriteJS, you can download it here.

I don't know future, but if this kind of libraries can provide secure and fast deploy way for games both players and developers will have great convenience, for example:

• more platforms => more players (keep in mind new smarthphone, even IPhone or Htc),
• fast time in developing => no need to compile => more time for games,
• better Javascript and Html5 performance for major browsers => fast games,
• browsers => no more forced on one os => more players (I'm watching you linux-gamer, I know that you exist, even for casual game!)
  

There are issues, I know it: first implementations on varius browser of html5 new tags (canvas on top of it) will sucks and there are problems on code obfuscating to keep my games's sources code hidden.. but are problems that will be solved.

As written before, I believe in this little "market" of open sources engines for videogame to place side by side with business options, why not?

10 Minute Galaxy

10 Minute Galaxy is a fast-browser-based game that you must play: started as Ludum Dare 19 entry, now his creator have made and extended version.
Rules are simple (but no tutorial are in so, be patient and read): you have one ship to move using mouse try to explor all galaxy. Every planet you visit give you resources you can use to upgrade your ship and your attack firepower, because there are enemies around!
Game is simple as soon you don't make stupid moves and have a random generator for planets, so every game is different.

Beauty of this game is simple design, rules and scan idea: let player decide to see before do is a key point for every game, but here is a point of gameplay, so player must decide what to do and when :D

Try now!