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• How to go from mainstream to indie development?

  - by Salano Software

  I'm currently working as a game programmer for a AAA-level developer and publisher - which falls into the 'nice problem to have' category, I know, except that I'm growing more and more disenchanted with the direction of both the company and the AAA portion of the industry as a whole. I don't see any games on the studio's calendar for the next several years that I'm actually interested in working on; it looks like a continuing parade of sequels, license extensions and largely-derivative work. Which isn't to say that there won't be interesting things to do on those projects; but more and more I find myself wanting to do something fundamentally different. It seems like the market's never been better for smaller-scale projects, and I'd love to jump into that (and I've done small demos for Android and have started digging into iOS), but I obviously can't put anything out while I'm working for the company, and I'm concerned that I shouldn't even do substantial development in my spare time on anything I'd eventually like to release on my own. At the same time, I'm leery of leaving the job I've got for hopefully-obvious reasons, especially without a specific plan in place. Has anyone out there got experience with 'going indie' out of a mainstream job, and does anyone have specific suggestions as to what the best approach is and what I should specifically be thinking about or be careful of?

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• Development costs of an indie multiplayer arcade shooter

  - by VorteX

  Me and a friend of mine have been wanting to remake one of our favorite games of all time (007: Nightfire) for a long time now. However, remaking a game likes this is really complicated because of the rights to the Bond-franchise. That site was created months ago, and by doing so we have found some great people (modelers, level designers, etc.) that want to help, but our plans have changed a little bit. Our current plan is to create a multiplayer-only remake of the original game, removing all the Bond-references so that the rights shouldn't be a problem anymore. We still want to create the game using the UDK and SteamWorks for both PC and Mac. Currently there's 3 things I need to find out: The costs of creating an arcade shooter like this. We want to use crowdfunding to fund the project. The best way to manage a project like this over the internet. Our current team consists of people all over the world, and we need a central place to discuss, collaborate and store our files. The best place to find suitable people for this project. We already have some modelers and level designers but we also need animators, artists, programmers, etc. I believe creating an arcade game like this with a small team is feasible. The game in a nutshell: ±10 maps, ±20 weapons, ±12 game modes, weapon/armor pickups, grapple hook gadget, no ADS, uses SteamWorks, online matchmaking, custom games, AI bots, appearance selection, level progression using XP (no unlocks), achievements. Does anyone know where to start? Any help is appreciated.

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• Is ActionScript 3 used by Serious Indie Developers?

  - by Puedes

  This question is for dedicated independent game developers: My dream is to be a game developer. I am a senior in high school who has taken Computer Science for all four years. I have used Java the whole time, but last year I started using PHP and ActionScript 3 (with Flixel). I also used Game Maker for a brief period. I apologize for this, I wanted to get that out of the way and clarify the fact that I have experience of some kind with game development. I am stuck at the moment because I don't quite know what language to use to develop games at a professional level. I am seriously interested in becoming a dedicated game developer, but this issue is really bothering me. I would like to know what the best option would be for my case, based on your experiences. Any advice is appreciated. Things to consider: I am only interested in making 2D games (I am not worried about 3D support) It would be ideal to use something that can be ported to multiple platforms (so as not to run into this problem later) I can't seem to figure out what the industry likes to use So far, this is what I have: I can't decide if it would be wise to stick with ActionScript 3, or move to C++ I know Flash would be for browser games, but what if I want to make a downloadable game, like Plants Vs. Zombies or Super Crate Box? Would Flash be a smart choice for standalone games, or did they use something else? Thank you for reading this, as I would like to stop worrying about this and make some games! Also, I hope this wasn't all over the place :) tl;dr Should I move ahead with AS3 or use something else i.e. C++

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• Costs/profit of/when starting an indie company

  - by Jack

  In short, I want to start a game company. I do not have much coding experience (just basic understanding and ability to write basic programs), any graphics design experience, any audio mixing experience, or whatever else technical. However, I do have a lot of ideas, great analytical skills and a very logical approach to life. I do not have any friends who are even remotely technical (or creative in regards to games for that matter). So now that we've cleared that up, my question is this: how much, minimally, would it cost me to start such a company? I know that a game could be developed in under half a year, which means it would have to operate for half a year prior, and that's assuming that the people working on the first project do their jobs good, don't leave game breaking bugs, a bunch of minor bugs, etc.. So how much would it cost me, and what would be the likely profit in half a year? I'm looking at minimal costs here, as to do it, I would have to sell my current apartment and buy a new, smaller one, pay taxes, and likely move to US/CA/UK to be closer to technologically advanced people (and be able to speak the language of course). EDIT: I'm looking at a small project for starters, not a huge AAA title.

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• Choice of Input / music / graphics libraries for an indie game - what factors should I consider?

  - by RusselMeMan

  I was wondering which tools (grapics-sound-input libraries, game engine libraries) that the following indie games used: Braid Superbrothers: S&S Super Meat Boy Limbo Fez (I know this one is XNA) Also, what is in common use in production games? My guess for game development in C++ is: -DirectX is most common for  Windows games -SDL or SDL+OpenGL is most common for  Linux games -OpenGL + Apple APIs are most common for OSX development What do most indie game projects use? If I wanted to casually build my own game for fun in C++ with the idea of possibly releasing it to Steam or something someday, is there anything I should be concerned about if I make it with DirectX for music/sound/input and build my own game engine? Thanks!

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• How much to pay for artwork in an indie game?

  - by f20k

  I am an indie developer and I need some detailed artwork. How much is reasonable to pay an artist for say 20 character designs? I know it depends on the artist's skills, etc, but I am wondering what to expect so that I can budget it. Edit: Let's say cartoon-ish art (Example - not necessarily in that level of detail but that kind of cartoony-art style). No 3-d modelling - The art will be used as still images in game and for promotional reasons. I'd provide a base sprite design for them to expand on and detail. Also, some numbers would be nice - I like numbers. Even a range is helpful. Like: expect to spend $x2 ~ $x1 for top-notch and $y2 ~ $y1 for decent quality. I understand I can ask at some indie-help site but, if an artist says something like $1000 for 20 designs, I wouldn't have any idea if it's reasonable / good deal / bad idea etc.

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• How to develop an indie game for xbox360

  - by The Worst Shady

  I want to make an indie game for xbox360 . even if it is freeware I should pay Microsoft or not? And what will I need to develop an indie game.

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• Score Awesome Games on the Cheap with Humble Indie Bundle 6

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  It’s the Humble Indie Bundle time of year again; score six great games at a name-your-own-price including acclaimed action-RPG Torchlight. The Humble Indie Bundle combines games from independent development houses into a big promotional pack where gamers can name their own price and choose how much of that price goes towards the developers or gaming-related charities. Included in this bundle are: Dustforce, Rochard, Shatter, S.P.A.Z., Torchlight, and Vessel. Torchlight 2, the followup to the wildly popular Torchlight, is set for release in a scant two days–now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of Torchlight on the cheap and get yourself up to speed. The Humble Indie Bundle is cross-platform and DRM-free. Grab a copy and enjoy it on your Windows, Mac, or Linux machine without any registration hassles. The Humble Indie Bundle 6 How To Create a Customized Windows 7 Installation Disc With Integrated Updates How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using?

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• Humble Indie Bundle V: Psychonauts, Superbrothers, and More at a Name Your Own Price

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  There’s a new Humble Indie with some fantastic DRM-free and cross-platform offerings and, most importantly, some fantastic games. Score a copy of Psychonauts for the best price in town! But seriously: if you’re looking to game on a budget this Humble Indie Bundle is an absolute gem. For a few bucks (that you can even opt to donate to charity) you can score five awesome games including Psychonauts. I enjoyed Psychonauts so much I’d happily pay the full original retail just to play it again. In addition, the full soundtracks for each game are included with your purchase. Hit up the link below for more information. Humble Indie Bundle V is available until 6PM EST, 6/14/2012. The Humble Indie Bundle V HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online Here’s How to Download Windows 8 Release Preview Right Now HTG Explains: Why Linux Doesn’t Need Defragmenting

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• How bad would be to focus on iOS/Android development for an indie developer?

  - by kender

  After some time developing games for others I'm thinking of moving towards my own productions. My background is 10+ years of software development, with last 2 years spent on the iOS development (Objective-C and CoronaSDK). With my current experience in Corona I can quickly develop for iOS and Android systems. And this is something that I'm probably gonna do with several of the game ideas I have, at least for the prototype part. But - I'm wondering if it's not a bad idea to focus on those 2 systems only. After all there are other mobile platforms, there are PCs, Macs and Linux boxes... All of them having gamers using them. I was wondering if it wasn't a good idea to try some other SDK, giving me more flexibility when it comes to platform-independance. There's Unity3D (I think I can develop a 2D game in it though), there's MoAI from what I checked. I see a few options, not sure which one is best as I have little experience in this field (publishing own games): Stick with CoronaSDK for the whole time, release for iOS and Android platforms, screw other mobile devices and PCs, Use Corona for prototyping, then when the idea goes more into the "production" phase rewrite it in MoAI or Unity3D for more platforms support, Start with one of those 2 SDKs right now (which means the prototype phase will be delayed a bit, but after that I can jump right into real coding). Any clues here, what to do?

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• How to make a battle system in a mobile indie game more fun and engaging

  - by Matt Beckman

  I'm developing an indie game for mobile platforms, and part of the game involves a PvP battle system (where the target player is passive). My vision is simple: the active player can select a weapon/item, then attack/use, and display the calculated outcome. I have a concept for battle modifiers that affect stats to make it more interesting, but I'm not convinced the vision is complete. I've received some inspiration from the game engine that powers Modern War/Kingdom Age/Crime City, but I want more control to make it more fun. In those games, you don't have the option to select weapons or use items, and the "battling" screen is simply 3D eye candy. Since this will be an indie game, I won't be spending $$$ on a team of professional 3D artists/animators, so my edge needs to be different. How would you make a battle system like this more fun and engaging?

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• Alternative ways to make a battle system in a mobile indie game more fun and engaging

  - by Matt Beckman

  I'm developing an indie game for mobile platforms, and part of the game involves a PvP battle system (where the target player is passive). My vision is simple: the active player can select a weapon/item, then attack/use, and display the calculated outcome. I have a concept for battle modifiers that affect stats to make it more interesting, but I'm not convinced this by itself will add enough of a fun factor. I've received some inspiration from the game engine that powers Modern War/Kingdom Age/Crime City, but I want more control to make it more fun. In those games, you don't have the option to select weapons or use items, and the "battling" screen is simply 3D eye candy. Since this will be an indie game, I won't be spending $$$ on a team of professional 3D artists/animators, so my edge needs to be different. What are some alternatives to expensive eye candy that you or others have used to make a non-3D PvP game more fun and engaging? Did the alternative concepts survive the release?

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• Game engines and monetization of indie games

  - by Extrakun

  Does the game engine you use affect monetization of indie games? Of course, targeting difficult platforms is one of the issues. Besides that, how would the game engine used impact monetization of games, assuming cases where the developers is going through a portal and handling the online distribution themselves? As an example, if I make a game in DarkBASIC, will it be harder to sell it than one made with Popcaps Framework or ClanLib etc.?

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• Music Rhythm Game: Copyright Music Question for Independent (Indie) Game Developers

  - by David Dimalanta

  I have a curious question regarding on musics used in music rhythm game. In Guitar Hero for example, they used all different music albums in one program. Then, each album requires to ask permission to the owner, composer of the music, or the copyright owner of the music. Let's say, if you used 15 albums for the music rhythm game, then you have to contact 15 copyright owners and it might be that, for the game developer, that the profit earned goes to the copyright owner or owner of this music. For the independent game developers, was it okay if either used the copyright music by just mentioning the name of the singer included in the credits and in the music select screen or use the non-popular/old music that about 50 years ago? And, does still earn money for the indie game developers by making free downloadable game?

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• Interesting/Innovative Open Source tools for indie games

  - by Gastón

  Just out of curiosity, I want to know opensource tools or projects that can add some interesting features to indie games, preferably those that could only be found on big-budget games. EDIT: As suggested by The Communist Duck and Joe Wreschnig, I'm putting the examples as answers. EDIT 2: Please do not post tools like PyGame, Inkscape, Gimp, Audacity, Slick2D, Phys2D, Blender (except for interesting plugins) and the like. I know they are great tools/libraries and some would argue essential to develop good games, but I'm looking for more rare projects. Could be something really specific or niche, like generating realistic trees and plants, or realistic AI for animals.

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• Interesting/Innovative Open Source tools for indie games [closed]

  - by Gastón

  Just out of curiosity, I want to know opensource tools or projects that can add some interesting features to indie games, preferably those that could only be found on big-budget games. EDIT: As suggested by The Communist Duck and Joe Wreschnig, I'm putting the examples as answers. EDIT 2: Please do not post tools like PyGame, Inkscape, Gimp, Audacity, Slick2D, Phys2D, Blender (except for interesting plugins) and the like. I know they are great tools/libraries and some would argue essential to develop good games, but I'm looking for more rare projects. Could be something really specific or niche, like generating realistic trees and plants, or realistic AI for animals.

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• Audio libraries for PC indie games [closed]

  - by bluescrn

  Possible Duplicate: Cross-Platform Audio API Suggestions What options are out there these days for audio playback/mixing in C++? Primarily for Windows, but portability (particularly to Mac and iOS) would be desirable. For a small indie game, potentially commercial, though - so I'm looking for something free/low-cost. My requirements are fairly basic - I don't need 3D sound, or many-channels - simple stereo is fine. Just need to be able to mix sound effects and a music stream, maybe decoding one or more compressed audio formats (.ogg/.mp3 etc), with all the basic controls over looping, pitch, volume, etc. Is OpenAL more-or-less the standard choice, or are there other good options out there?

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• As a indie, how to protect your game?

  - by user16829

  As a indie, you might not work in a company. And you may have a great game idea and you feel it gonna be a big success. When you released your game. How do you protect it as your own creation? So that someone also can't steal the title and publish a "sequel" e.g. Your-Game-Name 2,3,4. Or even produce by-products like Angry Birds but without your permission. So how we can prevent these from happening by legal methods. Like copyrights, trademarks? If a professional can fill us those info, it will be great.

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• 2D animations frames vs 3D animation for small indie project: timing considerations

  - by mm24

  pretty lame question but was wondering.. I am developing a 2D game using Cocos2D for iOS. The art work till now is all 2D (is a shooter game) but some of the characters would benefit of complex animations (eg. 20 frames). I feel a bit stupid because I came across only now that there is the chance to do 3D to 2D frames exporting and then to use them in Cocos2D. The thing that put me off on 3D gaming at first was that it takes more than one person in a team to do so properly (Illustrator, 3D modeller, 3D animator and programmer). Now I feel a bit stupid because having a 3D model I could do and modify the poses whenever I wanted (I should ask to the 3D animator which I guess would be time expensive). Instead now is me and two illustrators (as I require many frames per character). Is my impression that it would have been much longer right or not? Are there any other project management considerations that can be done on this? Sorry if for some this might be trivial but is my first "indie game developer experience".

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• Indie devs working with publishers

  - by MrDatabase

  I'm an independent game developer considering working with a publisher. This question is very informative however I have more questions. Please give feedback on the following issues... I think this can be helpful to many indie devs in the same situation. Source code: is it common for developers to give the publisher the source code? Code quality: does this matter when working with a publisher any more so than when just working on your own (or in a small team)? Just wondering if developers working for the publisher might scoff at the code quality and perhaps influence the relationship between developer and publisher. Unique game concepts: are publishers generally biased towards new/novel game concepts? Intellectual property: if I send a playable demo to a publisher what's to stop them from just reproducing the new/novel game mechanic? I think the answer is basically nothing... but I'm wondering if this is a realistic concern. Revenue sharing: how does it work? what's a common ratio? 70/30? 30/70? Flaky publishers: how common is it for a publisher to "string along" developers for a while then just drop them? Can this be reconciled with a contract of some kind? And any other issues you've encountered or heard of.

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• Indie Software Developers - How do I handle taxes?

  - by Connor

  I apologize if this is the wrong site to post on, perhaps someone could point me to the proper place if it is not. Hello, I am 17 years old and currently develop applications/games for Android and iPhone as well as develop internet websites and code a variety of my own projects. I have been very fortunate and have made a large amount of money and continue to make money online to the point where I do not need a stable job, though I'd like to get one after college. I've never held a job anywhere, and have never had to pay taxes. I'm coming into a lot of issues and I am quite confused. I get money from MANY sources- 15 different advertisement networks(!), 4 different payment processors, 5 different affiliate networks and a variety of other sources. All of them pay to different places and at different times (checking account, PayPal, reloadable debit card, ect.) I essentially have a list in a Notepad with names and login information for each source. I have also created a PHP script that uses cURL to grab all the revenue from each service, add it all up, then text me every few hours so I can keep track. It's a mess, but it's working OK, and I can create custom reports (for IRS?). But enough of that, my questions are about taxes in the US, and how indie developers handle it all. I'm at slightly over $250k so far this year, with negligible earnings last year. I have it all stockpiled in a bank account and haven't touched it, I'm a bit scared to. What do I file as? A sole proprietor, a business, just a regular person? How can I handle all of the different revenue sources? (AdSense, CJ, LinkShare) So far none of them have sent me any paperwork on taxes and I've read that I'm supposed to pay taxes quarterly? Do I need paperwork from EACH source to file? Or can I just say I got $x total and that'd be it? What percentage do you pay of total earnings? Average? Should I create an LLC? A corporation? Or stay as a developer? What would be the cheapest options? Could I go to jail? I haven't touched the money except a few dollars to help my parents pay the mortgage once. Any insight would be great. My parents have no idea what I should do, both have no forms of higher education and both have no high school diploma's. They just live day by day with simple jobs. I appreciate any help or experience with this.

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• Bastion - Indie Humble Bundle

  - by user68008

  I have downloaded Bastion for Ubuntu and installed in the home folder normally. When executing "Games Bastion" nothing happens. Running Bastion directly from the installation folder results in the error below Unhandled Exception: System.EntryPointNotFoundException: glProgramParameteri at (wrapper managed-to-native) OpenTK.Graphics.OpenGL.GL/Core:ProgramParameteri (uint,OpenTK.Graphics.OpenGL.AssemblyProgramParameterArb,int) at OpenTK.Graphics.OpenGL.GL.ProgramParameter (Int32 program, AssemblyProgramParameterArb pname, Int32 value) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.EffectPass.ApplyPass () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.Effect.DefineTechnique (System.String techniqueName, System.String passName, Int32 vertexIndex, Int32 fragmentIndex) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.SpriteEffect..ctor (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.GraphicsDevice graphicsDevice) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.SpriteBatch..ctor (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.GraphicsDevice graphicsDevice) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at GSGE.ExceptionGame.LoadContent () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 <snip> I have tried some solutions on the internet, like adding OpenTK.dll.config the line below: <dllmap os="linux" dll="libXi" target="libXi.so.6"/> This didn't help. Also tried running as sudo and that didn't help. Some posts said that this might be a problem with Ubuntu noveau drivers. But I'm using the NVIDIA proprietary drivers. DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu DISTRIB_RELEASE=10.04 DISTRIB_CODENAME=lucid DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS" OpenGL vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation OpenGL renderer string: GeForce 9400 GT/PCI/SSE2 OpenGL version string: 3.2.0 NVIDIA 195.36.24 direct rendering: Yes

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• Indie Games See The Linux Market

  <b>Blog of Helios:</b> "Sure, I've played all the repository shooters...bloody chunks flying and monsters galore. I have a short attention span...mostly because I suck at shooter games. I just don't play them often. But every now and then, one game catches my eye. For this post, that game is Caster."

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• Python or C server hosting for indie development

  - by Richard Fabian

  I've written a lot of the game, but it's singleplayer. Now we want to join up and play together. I want to host it like an MMO, but haven't got any personal ability to host (no static IPs or direct access to a reasonable router that will allow me to port forward) so I wondered if there were any free / very cheap hosting solutions for people developing games that need to develop their MMO side. In my case it's a world server for a 2D game where the world map can be changed by the players. So, GAE sounds expensive, as there would be quite a few updates per second (I heard they bill for data updates but not for download, but can't find refernce to billing anywhere on the FAQs) I'd prefer to be able to write the server in python as that's what the game is written in (with pygame), but C is fine, and maybe even better as it might prompt me to write some more performant world generator code ;)

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• SEO Gives Indie Filmmakers Marketing Boost

  Tim Beachum developed a sweet viral online marketing campaign for Consignment that was getting major results. I started to pay close attention to what he did to promote the movie. Two things jumped out at me.

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