News

A Study Into Replayability -- Biome Basics
A Study Into Replayability -- Biome Basics
For this first of a multi part post, we're going to dig into what makes a game replayable in the eyes of the player. Biomes are an essential part of creating random or procedural content, and the first step in the process.
April 27, 2018
Hyper-Exclusive Content
Hyper-Exclusive Content
The Indiepocalypse happened. Now what do we do?
April 27, 2018
How to Handle Christianity in Video Games
How to Handle Christianity in Video Games
This article considers the matter of Christianity in commercial video games and provides examples - subtle and overt, successful and not - regarding Christian iconography, themes, and references, as well as how authors could make Christian video games.
April 26, 2018
Creating fully destructible cities while maintaining 60FPS
Creating fully destructible cities while maintaining 60FPS
Our design goal for X-Morph: Defense were destructible environment and a stable framerate. While not mutually exclusive, it took a lot of time and effort to make it all work. Here's what we did in order to meet our own and our players' expectations.
April 26, 2018
Scaling Dedicated Game Servers with Kubernetes: Part 4 - Scaling Down
Scaling Dedicated Game Servers with Kubernetes: Part 4 - Scaling Down
Fourth and final part of a series on managing and scaling Dedicated Game Servers with open source projects Kubernetes and Docker. In this version we write a strategy to scale down our Kubernetes cluster, while making sure we don't interrupt active games.
April 26, 2018
Problems of Developing Games in Non-Developed Territories: The Usual Suspects (Part 1)
Problems of Developing Games in Non-Developed Territories: The Usual Suspects (Part 1)
In this first post of a multi-part series, we will look at what causes are creating problems for emerging game territories. This first part focuses on the common aspects most of those inside such territories are familiar with.
April 26, 2018
How many wishlists should you have when launching on Steam?
How many wishlists should you have when launching on Steam?
I recently asked developers to share their Steam wishlist-related data because I wanted to know the relationship between wishlists at launch and sales at launch. Here's what I found out.
April 25, 2018
Kotaku is not the answer: strategic thinking for indie game PR
Kotaku is not the answer: strategic thinking for indie game PR
Indie devs new to PR are often tempted to set their sights on coverage from the very biggest games websites. But this can often be counterproductive. This article explores why Kotaku is not the answer - and what indie developers might want to try instead.
April 25, 2018
A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Group Projects at University
A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Group Projects at University
Using the knowledge I've gained over my time in academia, I've written an extensive guide that's intended for all students of game development to find guidance that will help them improve their approaches when it comes to group projects at university.
April 25, 2018
Game Design in Real Life: Lessons from a Disney Vacation
Game Design in Real Life: Lessons from a Disney Vacation
Game design lessons can be found everywhere. In this article, the first in my "Game design in real life" series, I take a look at some of the design lessons that can be learned from the design of Disney World.
April 24, 2018
Video Game Deep Cuts: Rise Of The Ambient Parent Jam
Video Game Deep Cuts: Rise Of The Ambient Parent Jam
This week's highlights include a piece on Zelda & ambient video games, the role of parents in games like God Of War, and a NBA Jam making-of video.
April 23, 2018
Atari VCS: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Atari VCS: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
This is an excerpt from '21 Unexpected Games to Love For The Atari VCS', available in the current game eBook Storybundle. E.T. gets a lot of crap, but it is possible to enjoy, and it's arguably better than Warshaw's previous hit Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
April 23, 2018