Today’s Snapshot
- Tools & Engines: GameMaker beta adds fast 3D sphere culling; Unreal modding chatter heats up; a commercial title reportedly loads mods directly via a “~mods” folder.
- Releases & Events: 40v40 shooter ’83 launches a free demo; multiple LD58 entries go live; prototype iterations and a music album release.
- Hiring & Opportunities: Two mobile roles (junior/senior); Austin Unity coworking; game audio podcast kickoff; in‑depth creator interviews recruiting.
- Tutorials & Assets: Unity Timeline tutorial for 2D cutscenes; Godot 4.5 outline shader attempt; retro film look asset on sale; ScreenshotSaturday dynamic entry.
- Community & Progress: Several solo dev logs updated; Steam developer page gains followers; veteran dev medical fundraiser; Mastodon server recommendations.
- Topics & Trends: AI’s debated use in photogrammetry-to-PBR workflows; devs migrating from Roblox to Unity; Ireland’s artist basic income policy sparks thoughts on game ecosystem.
Focus Details
- Tools & Engine Updates
- GameMaker: Beta quietly adds a “fast 3D sphere culling” function, faster than manual implementations, suitable for spatial culling and performance optimization.
- Unreal: Community engages in tongue‑in‑cheek discussion around mod creation, with rising attention.
- Mod Mechanism: Posts claim “create a ~mods folder to load content without barriers,” suggesting some commercial titles are becoming more open to user extensions (awaiting official clarification).
- Releases & Creative Activities
- ’83: A 40v40 shooter launches a free demo, priming for Steam Next Fest and Early Access.
- LD58: Multiple devs share entries and retrospectives, including the horror title Blood Machine, full‑stack 72‑hour creation Broke Custodian: From Dust Till Display, and seek‑and‑find Hidden Secrets.
- Prototype Iteration: Pachinvaders, a pinball‑style defense game, upgrades to v0.0.8, testing a card‑selection system (PC build available).
- Original Soundtrack: Touhou‑inspired project Chuhou Joutai 3 releases its full OST on Bandcamp.
- Hiring & Community Opportunities
- Roles:
- Product Madness: Junior mobile developer (Unity, Montreal).
- Singularity Systems FZCO: Senior mobile game designer (remote; economy and level design focus).
- In‑person Collaboration: Austin Unity coworking open day (Capital Factory).
- Media & Outreach:
- New game audio podcast “Audio Logs” teasers released.
- Party XP recruiting one‑on‑one long‑form interview guests from the game ecosystem.
- Tutorials, Resources & Assets
- Unity: Complete tutorial on Timeline‑driven 2D cutscenes, ideal for lightweight narrative/performance pipelines.
- Godot 4.5: Submitted approach combining object highlighting with a 2D outline shader, useful for interaction cues and stylized rendering.
- Unity Asset: Retro “old film” visual effects pack on sale, suitable for nostalgic filters and lens atmosphere.
- Weekend Watch: Reminder for ScreenshotSaturday dynamic entry to track indie project progress.
- Community Support & Creative Progress
- Source Support: Game Dev Feed is independently operated and patron‑supported, calling for Patreon/Graze backing to maintain quality and an ad‑free experience.
- Fundraising: Medical crowdfunding for veteran developer Rebecca Ann Heineman; community encouraged to support.
- Social Migration: Gamedev.place recommended as a quality Mastodon server.
- Dev Logs & Showcases:
- Menu system refactor and bug cleanup (automation/logic‑driven project).
- Godot learning path: tutorials by year‑end, self‑dev and release next year; “rocket obstacle course” prototype completed.
- Combat design: Godot project experimenting with melee + spell combos and particle abilities.
- Unity custom cutscenes and a “Carrot Boss” performance; ZBrush/Blender character rig complete and “mini‑Cthulhu” speed sculpt.
- Art livestream: Castle background painting for original game Clip Idol (YouTube/Twitch).
- Operations: Encouraging follows on the team’s Steam developer page for updates.
- Topics & Trends
- AI Applications: Beyond code assistants, some argue near‑term utility in converting photogrammetry to PBR textures and accelerating the workflow; claims are marked as disputed with differing views.
- Tools & Platform Choices: A developer expresses moving from Roblox to Unity for fuller features and professional pipelines.
- Policy Watch: News of Ireland normalizing its artist basic income program triggers discussion about whether game developers are covered and potential boosts to the local game ecosystem.
Actionable Suggestions
- Performance Optimization Teams: Track GameMaker’s new sphere culling API; assess gains for large‑level/multi‑object projects.
- Art & Tech Art: Try the Unity Timeline tutorial and “old film” style resources; experiment with 2D outline stroking in Godot to improve interaction readability.
- Publishing & Marketing: Leverage ’83’s Next Fest momentum; observe player reception to large‑scale battles and retention mechanics; actively join ScreenshotSaturday for visibility.
- Talent & Network: Monitor both junior and senior roles; join Austin Unity coworking or podcast/interview slots to expand industry touchpoints.
- Strategy & Compliance: Review openness and safety boundaries of mod loading mechanisms; watch AI’s controllable use in asset production and copyright compliance.