New Game Creator
New Game Creator
Hi All,
Not sure if this is the right place to post, my apologies if not, can someone point me to a more appropriate place?
I've started work on a new piece of PC software to make it easier for non-programmers to create games for a Spectrum, 16/48/128 initially, with Next on the roadmap.
It's very early days, but I've started recording some videos of the progress and would welcome any thoughts and suggestions.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 5pU24T5BLL
For reference, if anyone's interested at all, I have some background in this, having created the 3D Construction Kit back in the day at Incentive, and worked on more tools and technology stacks at game studios since than I can remember.
Paul
Not sure if this is the right place to post, my apologies if not, can someone point me to a more appropriate place?
I've started work on a new piece of PC software to make it easier for non-programmers to create games for a Spectrum, 16/48/128 initially, with Next on the roadmap.
It's very early days, but I've started recording some videos of the progress and would welcome any thoughts and suggestions.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 5pU24T5BLL
For reference, if anyone's interested at all, I have some background in this, having created the 3D Construction Kit back in the day at Incentive, and worked on more tools and technology stacks at game studios since than I can remember.
Paul
- Daveysloan
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Re: New Game Creator
This looks fantastic! Really intuitive.
I'm especially excited by the prospect of having a Next game creator in the pipeline!
I'm especially excited by the prospect of having a Next game creator in the pipeline!
Homepage: https://sloanysoft.wordpress.com
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Twitch: www.twitch.tv/sloanysoft
Games: https://sloanysoft.itch.io
Twitch: www.twitch.tv/sloanysoft
Re: New Game Creator
Agreed, this looks great! I'm also pleased to see it's cross-platform. Mac support is always the first thing I check, as so many tools are Windows-only (eg. MPAGD), or sort-of-working-with-Mono (eg. #CSpect). I'll definitely be trying this.
Wowzers! I remember watching the VHS and building my house in 3DCK. That was really great software. It was Amiga version I had - not sure if you worked on that?
Re: New Game Creator
Great work so far! It looks awesome! I like the look of the drag and drop interface that you created. Also nice is that you have an integrated emulator for testing.
Re: New Game Creator
Yes, it'll be fully cross platform, it's built with Godot, I might even make it web based as well, although that would require making the z88dk available on the web too.clebin wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 6:27 pm Agreed, this looks great! I'm also pleased to see it's cross-platform. Mac support is always the first thing I check, as so many tools are Windows-only (eg. MPAGD), or sort-of-working-with-Mono (eg. #CSpect). I'll definitely be trying this.
Wowzers! I remember watching the VHS and building my house in 3DCK. That was really great software. It was Amiga version I had - not sure if you worked on that?
Yes, I did the Amiga, Atari ST and PC versions of 3DCK too.
Re: New Game Creator
It doesn't have an integrated emulator, not at this point. The tools simulate the display density of the target platform, in as much as they are artificially constrained to the correct resolution and in the case of the map editor, constrained to 8x8 pixel blocks. But the emulator you see in the videos is Zesarux.
Re: New Game Creator
Video showing the latest status of the project.
- Cheez26
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Re: New Game Creator
Wait...this is made with Godot? Can it work with models earlier than Next? Because I really need something other than AGD. Also, while we're talking Speccy tools for Linux, will this work on a Raspberry Pi 400 or even the latest model that is 5?
I'm still surprised that this is make with Godot. Good work!
I'm still surprised that this is make with Godot. Good work!
Chelsea E., a Speccy fan from the U.S.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.
Re: New Game Creator
Wow, that's certainly a claim to fame. I remember using it back in the day and having lots of fun with it. Not that I ever made anything that exciting, but it was certainly cool.
Great to hear you've carried on that tradition of building dev tools too and will have to give this a whirl at some point.
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Re: New Game Creator
Absolutely fantastic! Thanks so much for doing this! AGD is great, but when making a game it's good to have options, to fit your style or project. I'd like to take the plunge someday and make a game, so it will be interesting to see what the options are.
I'm not sure if AGD can do 'big' sprites but it's something I've never seen and wonder if it has a built-in limit. Also, sprite motion always seems very crude with AGD (no inertia or acceleration), though I'm not sure whether that's due to imposed limitations or just user choices.
My only other suggestion for your software would be the ability to have AY sound effects. I've spoken to Mr Cauldwell about this and he is satisfied with AGD having beeper sound effects only, since, as he points out, very few classic games used AY sound effects. Though as an AY fan, I'd love to be able to interrupt a channel of AY music with AY sound effects. Alternatively, you could have native support for Arkos music/SFX modules which I'm told are more performance-efficient than standard .pt3 modules.
By the way, back in the day, I was mad about 3D Construction Kit. Admittedly, there wasn't enough power to really create much, but I always loved the user-friendly interface.
I'm not sure if AGD can do 'big' sprites but it's something I've never seen and wonder if it has a built-in limit. Also, sprite motion always seems very crude with AGD (no inertia or acceleration), though I'm not sure whether that's due to imposed limitations or just user choices.
My only other suggestion for your software would be the ability to have AY sound effects. I've spoken to Mr Cauldwell about this and he is satisfied with AGD having beeper sound effects only, since, as he points out, very few classic games used AY sound effects. Though as an AY fan, I'd love to be able to interrupt a channel of AY music with AY sound effects. Alternatively, you could have native support for Arkos music/SFX modules which I'm told are more performance-efficient than standard .pt3 modules.
By the way, back in the day, I was mad about 3D Construction Kit. Admittedly, there wasn't enough power to really create much, but I always loved the user-friendly interface.
Re: New Game Creator
It is currently exclusively "original" Spectrum, there is no Next specific stuff in there, yet. I do plan to make it cross platform in the future, and it has been engineered to support that, including Next.Cheez26 wrote: ↑Sat May 04, 2024 10:24 pm Wait...this is made with Godot? Can it work with models earlier than Next? Because I really need something other than AGD. Also, while we're talking Speccy tools for Linux, will this work on a Raspberry Pi 400 or even the latest model that is 5?
I'm still surprised that this is make with Godot. Good work!
It should be feasible to work on a Pi, it's not really pushing the limits of Godot at all, in fact, one of the possible distribution mechanisms I'm considering is making it a web app.
Re: New Game Creator
It currently exports to the Z88DK compiler and the SP1 sprite library, so has very few limitations on sprite size in theory. Right now, the UI is fixed at 16x16, but that's just a matter of adding more tools and controls to implement multiple sprite sheets of different sizes, and definitely on the roadmap.Lee Bee wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 1:52 am Absolutely fantastic! Thanks so much for doing this! AGD is great, but when making a game it's good to have options, to fit your style or project. I'd like to take the plunge someday and make a game, so it will be interesting to see what the options are.
I'm not sure if AGD can do 'big' sprites but it's something I've never seen and wonder if it has a built-in limit. Also, sprite motion always seems very crude with AGD (no inertia or acceleration), though I'm not sure whether that's due to imposed limitations or just user choices.
I do plan to include both beeper and AY sound and music creation tools in the longer term, it's a one-person hobby project at the moment, so not likely to happen quickly, but definitely planned.Lee Bee wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 1:52 am My only other suggestion for your software would be the ability to have AY sound effects. I've spoken to Mr Cauldwell about this and he is satisfied with AGD having beeper sound effects only, since, as he points out, very few classic games used AY sound effects. Though as an AY fan, I'd love to be able to interrupt a channel of AY music with AY sound effects. Alternatively, you could have native support for Arkos music/SFX modules which I'm told are more performance-efficient than standard .pt3 modules.
Thanks, I have to say, I'm pretty proud of the 3DCK, it was a labour of love at Incentive, and I feel the interface still stands up now, as you say, given the platform limitations.
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Re: New Game Creator
One thing I loved about your vid is how you can edit sprites and see the room update in real time. This strongly appeals to me. I like an "immediate" interface where there are no barriers slowing down the creative process.
In fact, I like the idea of building the game graphically from within its own environment (3DCK style). So I'd have the game screen always visible, and when I make a sprite, it appears in the current room by default, ready to position. That would make the editor seem very approachable as you'd be able to make a working "game" in seconds, and it would only be a matter of building and improving. That's the kind of thing that appeals to me as I'm lazy and like instant results
In fact, I like the idea of building the game graphically from within its own environment (3DCK style). So I'd have the game screen always visible, and when I make a sprite, it appears in the current room by default, ready to position. That would make the editor seem very approachable as you'd be able to make a working "game" in seconds, and it would only be a matter of building and improving. That's the kind of thing that appeals to me as I'm lazy and like instant results
Re: New Game Creator
Another short update:
- Cheez26
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Re: New Game Creator
@pgregory Holy cripes, you probably have enough for an open beta. Especially with an undo button and an exporter. Nice.
Chelsea E., a Speccy fan from the U.S.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.
Re: New Game Creator
Thanks, I don't think it's at the beta stage yet, quite a few missing features, you couldn't really create much of a game with what's there at the moment. It is getting there though, and I do plan to sit down at some point and work out, among my long list of features still to be implemented, where would be a good point to engage with creators in some testing and feedback. Not quite sure how to go about that right now, but I'll look into it as and when.
I might consider something like a Patreon, never tried that, but it might be a good way to engage with seriously interested individuals who would be willing to do some testing early on.
- Cheez26
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Re: New Game Creator
@pgregory Well, what are you waiting for? Start funding.
Though, I would prefer Ko-fi for hobbyist projects like this.
Though, I would prefer Ko-fi for hobbyist projects like this.
Chelsea E., a Speccy fan from the U.S.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.
Also a musician and a beginning games developer.