After many request, I have finally created a discord server for GFS. It's available at:
I have created a Patreon role that is active for all of you. If there is interest, I can create a Patreon related channel. Let me know if you are interested.
And once again, thanks so much for your support!
Oh and details are available in this video!
2020-04-14 01:49:30 +0000 UTC View PostHello folks, want your feedback on which of these three options you'd like to see a beginner/getting started tutorial on. All 3 of these are topics I intend to cover at some point (and aren't well covered now). I'll let the results of this poll determine which one I work on next.
So, which game engine would you like to see get an intro tutorial series for (both text and video). Which ever wins, I will do first.
I am also interested in feedback in the comments on other topics you'd like to see tutorials for. Two others I am considering are Phaser and DOTS(Unity), although with Phaser 4 on the horizon I am a bit hesitant there, while DOTS is also still fairly in flux... oh, and I have more Godot tutorials planned, so don't worry in that regard.
Also, thanks a ton for your ongoing support, it's extremely appreciated!
2019-11-16 20:01:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone! I mentioned earlier that over the holidays I was working on a new tutorial series for Godot, that showed game creation step by step. You can see the game we create in the tutorial in the image above. The art was created by Robert over at https://www.gamedeveloperstudio.com/ who is intending to create more aircraft in the same style. I'm intending this simple air combat game as a Hello World app of sorts for taking a game engine through it's passes, let me know what engine you'd like to see in this series... Phaser maybe?
I'm just in the process of writing up the step by step text tutorial for DevGa.Me, followed later by a video tutorial. For Patreons I am going to be making all binaries available, a PDF compilation of the entire tutorial and more.
I am also have been working on porting the Godot book chapters to 3.1 now that the final beta is here. Stay tuned for updates in that regard.
2019-01-15 16:35:01 +0000 UTC View PostHello everyone... just a quick poll to gauge all of your interest in the Lumberyard game engine. For those that don't know, it's a fork of CryEngine developed by Amazon that is actually completely free to use with a few caveats.
Truth told, until recently it was a bit of a mess, the coder experience was not small/indie friendly, the install process was blah, etc. But recently it's improved quite a bit, but tutorials are pretty lacking at this point, so I'm thinking about doing a bit of a step by step getting started kind of tutorial. I personally always like creating tutorials for under-served game engines when possible. So, any interest in learning more about lumberyard?
Oh... and I'm working on a new tutorial series in collaboration with an artist with some great perks for Patreons... going to be working on the project over the holidays, so hopefully able to share more details soon. The first iteration will be Godot based by the way, for those waiting for more Godot content. Stay tuned!
Oh, and happy holidays everyone! Thanks once again for all your support, it's really appreciated!
2018-12-19 23:04:05 +0000 UTC View PostBlender 2.80 beta was just released and it's a vastly different beast than it was before. I'm considering doing a text and/or video series on using Blender, something like an updated version of this https://www.gamefromscratch.com/page/Complete-Blender-Game-Art-Tutorial-From-zero-experience-to-2D-or-3D-game-ready-asset.aspx
Any interest?
2018-11-29 20:35:04 +0000 UTC View PostI'm getting closer and closer to making the Godot book into an actual book, and that means putting a proper cover on it. Looking for your opinion on the current crop of covers.
Let me know which if the following you like best. Additionally any feedback is of course appreciated. Nice thing about books in the digital age... I can keep making changes! ;) Want to try and keep branding consistent though, so getting the cover mostly right now would be ideal.
Another option based on feedback. Note different name.
Hello all, sorry again for the silence... just over a week and a half of summer left. Then hopefully my productivity will go through the roof... or at least, not be awful!
Just a quick heads-up, I've been somewhat hung on waiting for at least the alpha version of Godot 3.1 to finish/revisit certain book chapters. So instead of sitting twirling my thumbs I instead went down a completely different route than intended, working on a different chapter.
Right now I am putting on the finishing touches on the Godot networking chapter, which should be available by this weeks end. It covers networking, from low level sockets, to HTTP requests and finally using built in Godot ENet networking support. Stay tuned for that PDF.
I'm also looking for some feedback. I'm launching a "Hello World" game series on devga.me (which means you will again get early access to the text versions!) and YouTube. This series is basically implementing a simple minimal 3D game, a revival of my bowling game concept. You can learn more about the series here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGzk9BxBEFs). The basic gist is to give people a quick, consistent introduction to game engines, enabling you to either quick start with an engine, or be able to compare workflows without having to get your hands dirty.
My question to you is, what 3D engines would you like to see covered? My current intentions are:
Xenko, Unity, Unreal, Godot, CryEngine and maybe Lumberyard.
Are there other 3D engines you'd like to see get the Hello World treatment? It seems (somewhat odd/shocking to me personally) that a fair number of people are interested in Torque3D so far. Any other engines you'd be interesting in seeing get this treatment? They need to at the least support importing 3d models, physics, audio and some form of scripting to be considered.
I am also hoping to do a similar series for 2D games, basically implement the same simple but complete 2D game across several game engines. I need to come up with a game template to work with. A suggestion in the above thread was a top down tank game... and I rather like that idea, but I'd love to hear from all of you if you've got any suggestions.
Oh, and thanks once again for all your support, it's greatly appreciated. Especially through the summer doldrums!
Cheers,
Mike
2018-08-22 22:38:33 +0000 UTC View PostApparently there was a bit of a fail on the backend at Patreon and a certain number of Patreons are being flagged as fraud. They apparently switched banks which caused this. Hopefully it's fixed soon.
So if you just got flagged as fraudulent, that's apparently why and they should be reaching out to you. Looking at my own logs, it seems only 5-10% of you were effected.
Hopefully all fixed soon, sorry for the screw up. Just a heads up I have nothing to do with it, your account should be fine, Patreon messed up and they've recently owned it. The worst part is, you may have been auto-kicked from the channel, as my Patreon count just dropped along with this mistake. Hopefully that is all sorted as well.
2018-08-02 21:53:46 +0000 UTC View PostHello all,
Earlier I put it to a vote on what to cover next on http://DevGa.me, Phaser, Cocos Creator, Defold or Unity ECS and the results came back pretty even... with a lot of write in votes for Godot. ;)
Since the results came back as pretty much a tie, I am going to go ahead and create a Cocos Creator series... in fact I'm already about halfway done the text version. I decided to go ahead with Cocos for a couple reasons. First, I already had a great deal written on the topic in rough forms. Second, there's not a lot of good material out there on this language. Third, I think it's pretty nice... even if you don't want to use Cocos Creator, I think you will enjoy learning what it's capable of.
So expect to see a preview of that series soon, hopefully Friday or Saturday, with the series being initially published Monday or so. (That part's iffy... Long weekends in Canada and US, may delay slightly).
Also, I notice a lot of you are here for Godot, Godot and more Godot. So then I decided... ok... how about Godot?
Obviously I don't want to over do Godot or divide from my efforts on completing the book and existing tutorial series. Then it dawned on me, that as I am coming to the end of the 2D content, I could do a quick series on implementing a 2D game using all that we've learned. Create a simple 2D game using physics, sprite animations, music, etc... basically put everything we've learned into practice. So less explanation ( that's covered already) and more of a step 1-99 style creating a game. This could be the 3rd text series on DevGa.me (with a summary video or two). Let me know what you think?
Oh and I mentioned it in the other thread about the Godot book chapters, but I'm not quite done 2D like I thought I was. I completely forgot to cover layers & cameras, which is itself another chapter. I should also fit particle systems and lighting in somewhere as well, although I may shoehorn lighting into the 2D graphics chapter, I don't think there's enough there to really justify an entire chapter. Particles I may just cover later in 3D, most of the knowledge can be back-ported to 2D.
...anyways, that's my immediate plans for the future. In addition to polishing off the Tilemap chapter I've been working steadily on the Cocos Tutorial which you should see soon. I'm hoping the Cocos series will be more of a one and done (instead of ongoing), so once that is completed I can dedicate time directly to making that 3rd Godot game tutorial. Of course, parallel to all of that I will be continuing the existing Godot book chapters and will hopefully have the Tile/TileMap video up soon.
I had delayed the Godot 3 chapter on Tiles and Tile maps because I refused to believe I couldn't get animated tiles working without using a shader...
Thankfully I was right. Chapter out soon, with animated tiles.
2018-06-25 03:35:30 +0000 UTC View PostAnother early access to an upcoming devga.me tutorial on the Armory 3d game engine. This one illustrates how to break you're game up and logically organize it using Scenes, and how you can instance data across different scenes. We implement a simple title screen, then switch between simple game levels and finally show pulling data in from yet another scene.
At this point with the Armory series being a bit more mature, the rate of tutorials is going to slow. I will probably aim to stay at about 1 per week, the next topic being on animation.
Otherwise I am working on a second text based tutorial series, as well as a Godot chapter on Tiles and TileMaps, which will hopefully be here later this week.
2018-06-24 20:16:08 +0000 UTC View Post
The Godot 3 series is in full swing on YouTube, all of the foundational stuff is now covered as well as a deep dive into 2D graphics. Additionally the WIP book chapters are available in the private section, with the source projects available in the Patreon dropbox. Generally the chapters are 1 step ahead of the videos, so you've always got a pretty good idea of what's coming next video-wise.
Additionally there is a homepage up on GameFromScratch.com, which contains the videos, as well as source code excerpts for each video/chapter, if appropriate.
http://www.gamefromscratch.com/page/Godot-3-Tutorial-Series-Index.aspx
Thanks everyone for your continued support!
2018-04-05 00:27:01 +0000 UTC View Post
As mentioned earlier, I am working on a book and video tutorial series now that Godot 3 is finally here. I will be posting draft chapter here to Patreons over time. Right now the first few are ready!
Please remember, these are very much works in progress!
2018-02-16 21:54:53 +0000 UTC View PostHello all, hope you are having a great holiday... quick tutorial in response to a Patreon's request, on using Visual Studio Code with C# and Godot.
Available in both text and video formats.
http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2017/12/21/Godot-Development-Using-Visual-Studio-Code-and-C.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1t6ZSIW5L8
As always, thanks for the support, and let me know if you have any additional tutorial requests and I will see what I can do!
2017-12-21 18:34:42 +0000 UTC View PostI've been waiting for ages for the Godot beta to reach a point it is feature complete so I can start making tutorials about the greatly updated Godot 3.x engine. That day is finally here.
Actually, I am going to be going beyond just doing a video tutorial series, I am also going to be making an e-book at the same time. How does this new series impact Patreons?
Two ways... first, like all series, all of the project files, assets, etc... I use will be made available on the Patreon dropbox and when finished as zip downloads.
Second, I will be publishing WIP chapters as the book progresses here in PDF form. I warn, they will be pretty rough in spots, may not reflect the final content and will almost certainly not be in order, but you will have access to the book as I write it!
I will be focusing heavily on Godot video and book development over the holiday season, so expect more soon!
2017-12-06 17:07:03 +0000 UTC View PostEarlier on I announced the Bowling game kit, with the intention of using this as the skeleton to create the same 3D game in several different game engines. The Kit itself was polished slightly, but most importantly, I have just finished the Unity version of the bowling game kit.
It is of course available on the Patreon Dropbox, but will also be included in a follow up private post. The kit includes all of the assets, the Unity project file, as well as a @ 30 page PDF going step by step through the process. Of course there is also the public video and web version I will be publishing to YouTube and GameFromScratch.com later today.
I hope you find this series useful. I don't believe there is any other source giving you a direct apples to apples comparison of workflow in the various different 3D game engines. If there is a specific engine you would like to see covered ( and it supports the required functionality of course! ) please do let me know!
2017-06-29 17:05:15 +0000 UTC View PostHello every, thanks once again for your support. Just a quick note that the project files for the ongoing Haxe and HaxeFlixel tutorial series are now available on the Dropbox site. The code, projects (Visual Studio Code format) and all assets used are included.
2017-03-27 16:27:20 +0000 UTC View PostFirst off, to all of you I once again want to say a heart felt thank you, your support is massively appreciated.
Now that summer is finally over I have a great deal less distractions, so you should see a ton more updates on GameFromScratch.com and on the YouTube channel. I am nearing the end of the Defold game engine tutorial series and am ready to start another one.
Is there any particular technology or application you'd like to see a multi-part tutorial/video series covering? Let me know and I'll see what I can do!
Cheers
Mike
2016-09-09 22:43:09 +0000 UTC View PostFinding a way to help thank backers while continuing on like normal at GameFromScratch has been a tricky prospect. This is especially true because the Patreon tools are quite awful for such tasks. This has always sat wrong with me, as I've felt there should be an advantage beyond simply my thanks (thanks! by the way ) and a few exclusive posts here. I think I have found an ideal solution... Dropbox. I recently upgraded to Dropbox Pro, so I will be able to provide links to protected folders to you guys.
What exactly does this mean? Very soon I will publish a link that will give you access to raw project files I used for previous tutorial series. You will also have access to all new tutorial series, basically the same files I use to create the tutorial, you will be able to download, assets and all. I will also be making a collection of "home made" assets available. They may not be great, but they will be ready to drop into your game. Going forward too, if I use Blender to create a sprite sheet, you will get access to not only the tutorial, the sprite sheet, but also the Blender files I used to create it.
On occasion I use resources I do not have a license to redistribute, so those sadly cannot be included.
Stay tuned for more details. It will probably be a bit sloppy at first, as many of these projects were never intended to be shared. Going forward though, everything will be structured in a way that is well organized and ready to go.
2016-05-02 18:24:40 +0000 UTC View PostUp until this point there hasn't really been much of an advantage to being a Gamefromscratch Patreon, other of course than my eternal gratitude! This however is going to be changing shortly.
First off, I am launching a new series on Game Development for Complete Beginners (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYYsedq2Ng4), this is a series that intends to teach game programming from the very beginning, assuming no prior programming experience. We will be using the Lua programming language and the Love game engine. While I am creating the video series, I am also compiling a book on the subject and that book will be available to all of you.
More than just a getting started tutorial, it will cover the basics of programming then how to create a game in Love, but it will go beyond that. I also intend it as a hand quick reference on programming languages and tools available. There will be sections on programming langauges, which in turn will contain details on the most popular tools, libraries and books available. There will also be a section on art, profiling the most popular 2D and 3D content creation tools as well. Basically I will be taking this post (http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2011/08/04/I-want-to-be-a-game-developer.aspx) and this post (http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2013/06/11/Creating-art-for-your-game-when-you-are-a-programmer.aspx), making them up to date, expanding upon each subject greatly and making a book about them. If things turn out as I envision, the book will be useful to everyone, not just beginners.
So expect VERY early drafts of that book to appear shortly.
Additionally I have started creating a great deal more art assets, both for my own use and future tutorial series. I am going to be making the raw assets available here. So while I might use a sprite sheet in a tutorial on GameFromScratch, I will make the actual Blend files, source texture maps, etc, all available here. While not the greatest artist in the universe, it should give you access to some material that is game ready and at the very least, useful for testing and learning how (or how not to!) do things. I am trying to figure out the best way to make these available to just Patreons... perhaps dropbox? Initially I will probably distribute them through the primitive tools here on Patreon until I figure out a more elegant solution. If there is something specific you'd like to see generated, let me know and maybe I can do something about it. Again... I'm not the worlds greatest artist by any stretch of the imagination! ;)
So, stay tuned for more interesting content here on Patreon. Plus, once again, thank you very much for your support, it's appreciated!
Cheers,
Mike
2016-01-21 16:25:37 +0000 UTC View PostHello All,
Once again, thanks a million for all your support! I just wanted to let you know about a new tutorial series I just launched.
Paradox Game Engine Tutorial Series
Right now it is obviously fairly young, weighing in a 4 video/2 text posts, but expect it to grow over time. If you've never heard of it, Paradox is a C# based cross platform game engine with source code available via GPL on GitHub. This series will hopefully cover all aspects of using Paradox Studio.
As a special thanks to Patreon supporters, I will be making project available as a series of zips as I create them, so expect more posts soon. At this point, I haven't created projects of a scope yet that are worth sharing. If there are specific topics you would like to see covered, please don't hesitate to email me at mike@gamefromscratch.com.
Cheers!
Mike
2015-08-11 20:38:30 +0000 UTC View Post
First off, I'd like to say thanks again to all of you, your support is greatly appreciated.
This makes me happy to announce two new projects that will be made available to all Patreons.
I Want To Be A Game Developer
First, I am updating I Want To Be A Game Developer... Now What? ( http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2011/08/04/I-want-to-be-a-game-developer.aspx ). However the topic is so large at this point I am actually going to write it in book form. You will all get that book completely free, both in versions as I develop it, and the final e-book form when it is finished.
The entire idea is to present a single logical starting point to answer the question "I want to be a game developer... now what?". It will contain getting started advice, language suggestions, engine suggestions, paths for those interested in art, audio or game design, with tool recommendations, links to learning materials, etc. Basically everything you need to know to make the daunting world of game development a little more accessible.
I have no idea where this project will end. It could be a long form blog post, a short book or an epic volume when I am complete. One thing I intend to do is do them in chronological form. This means in 2016, I will update it to now include all the new technologies that have appeared that year, all the language changes, new books, etc. It is possible the book will ultimately go nowhere, in which case you will instead of exclusive access to the musings of a madman! ;)
Hello World Game Assets
This is another project I am planning to embark on. In writing GameFromScratch, I am called upon to create samples after sample in various different game engines. One of the challenges I constantly face is dredging up all of the assets I need to demonstrate an engine. What I am going to do is implement a simple game ( a level really ), in both 2D or used to generate 3D. I will of course make these resources available with the tutorials as I write them. For Patreons however, you will have access to the raw materials pretty much as I work on them.
Now let's set some realistic expectations here though... I am only a hobby artist and as far as musical abilities go... HA! So while you may have access to all the resources I use to create these examples, it doesn't mean they will be good! I do know however the programmers struggle constantly to come up with game ready assets and placeholder materials, so hopefully this resource will prove useful for you! You will have access to game materials both in their raw and rendered forms.
Now I haven't actually figured out *how* I am going to do this yet. The easiest route is probably a shared dropbox link. I will let you all know shortly.
Of course your feedback is also of critical importance, so if there is something you would really like to see, let me know and I will do my best!
Cheers and Thanks Again!,
Mike
GameFromScratch.com
