Thread by @delaneykingrox

Okay, so I haven't done a #gamedev tip in a while, and I have a little relaxation time for the next hour or so and feel like doing something. Do you have any questions? DMs open if you are embarrassed to ask.

Lemme just give some quickies whilst I am waiting.

1. For 3d artists, set a toggle key to toggle on subdivision. This allows you to see if a mesh has accidental overlapping topo, holes or other errors. In Maya hit the 3 key. In Modo, the tab. In max assign the NURMS toggle

2. Every material assignment, vertex color hard edge, uv seam or smoothing group hard edge actually splits the mesh under the hood- upping your effective vertex count.

This is why UV count is better than "polycount" to measure a meshes overhead.

3. You can use normal map blending nodes in shaders to apply very large scenery geometry with an overall baked normal map and a tiled, masked medium detail normal or two using a mask.

This gives the illusion of a high res normal map but at a fraction of the memory.

4. Rather than instantiating and destroying lots of objects like bullets, which requires memory garbage collection, make a finite pool of objects and when one is "destroyed" just hide it and reset it to reuse later - it stays in the same block of memory.

So you shoot 20 bullets and the casings fall to the floor, casing 001 lingers until all 20 have been used and when 21 is needed, the casing vanishes, repositions itself at the gun and falls again.

This is 'object pooling' and I never see it taught in basic courses.

5. LODs (level of detail) don't just reduce the polygons calculated at a distance, they can also cut back on shader complexity, the number of skin weights per bone and the number of bones.

6. An NDA is a non-disclosure agreement. This basically allows the company to sue you for damages if you leak information. It is vital you keep your mouth shut as you can damage marketing effectiveness, allow competitors to beat you to release on a feature or start hype...

...that may result in disappointment and negative press. This can damage studios and can cause financial instability, job losses and generally ruin your chances of being part of a hit.

Also you don't want to be known as someone who leaks.

7. If your core gameplay isn't enjoyable, nothing you bolt on will save your project.
If your game is about shooting demons in the face, no amount of levels or narrative will save you if shooting demons in the face isn't satisfying (slowly turns and glares at Doom III)

8. The more diverse your game, the wider your merch opportunities will be.

This is because people must cathect your characters and they are more likely to do that when they resonate with their own experience or idols.

9. A short, great experience always beats a long, dull one.

10. Don't become a game developer if your only hobby / coping strategy is games.

11. Don't just spend money to make a great game. Spend money to make a great IP.

Mario isn't just a game, it is an IP.

Angry Birds isn't just a game, it is an IP.

Minecraft? Mortal Kombat?

Identifiable, marketable items, characters and music is an investment

There are a bajillion diablo lookalikes on mobiles. But they are not IPs, and so they do not sell things beyond the game.

Aim for IP

The classic example is a broomstick.

That asshole TERF cannot make money off of a 'broomstick'. She makes money off of a "nimbus 2000".

Make your junk named and distinct and you can sell people that junk.

So it isn't a "brass sword" make it "Doobops Mr. Slashy" and imagine it in a box at Zing or Walmart.

Question: how do you maintain version numbers?

Source control apps. I use tortoise CVS. Don't use GIT for art assets.

Question: good naming conventions? Check unreal conventions, they are available online.

I recommend reverse naming like so...

Barrel_steel_large
Barrel_steel_large_broken
Barrel_wood_small
Barrel_wood_small_B

Rather than

WoodenBarrel
BrokenWoodenBarrel
SmallWoodBarrel

See what I mean?

(Group) (noun) (variant)

(Character) (Player) (Blue)

Question: how can companies claim IP on stuff done in your spare time?

Because it is in your contract.

If you EVER see this clause, demand a change or walk away.

Question: how to ensure texel density?

Set a density in pixels per unit. So a 1 meter unit may have 512x512 as the density.

If you use maya, you can find density tools under "scale" in UV. This lets you type in a texture size and scale and voila- all your shells match.

Blender plug ins do this too.

Generally texel density is set using the average wall module component.

So, I may set my walls to snap to a 2 meter grid horizontally and 2 high, so I want my basic wall textures to match this.

However it can be cheated using overlayed tiled textures to give the appearance of higher texel density than it actually is.

My advice is create your textures at least twice as large as you think you need them and scale and compress them in engine, allowing you to up the resolution if memory allows.

Question: should I be gay and do crimes?

Answer: yes.

Question: matching materials to substance painter.

The problem is substance painter uses HDRI image based lighting and your engine probably doesn't. The shaders are also different.

The best way is to set up your output to instantly update in engine.

IP stands for intellectual property. So, Batman is an IP owned by DC comics. Assassins Creed is an IP owned by Ubisoft.

Okay one more and I am gonna go do some lines of coffee or, yunno, boil it in some water and drink it.

Anyone?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Question: i have a problem

Me: I shall hand you over to Devo.