#indeartist

[musicbykg]

Global Money World added my song “Another Night in Berlin” to their playlist! ♥ You can listen here:  open.spotify.com/playlist/3RT56ciZhJC8NdtsP2Zk2T

[officialkaviar]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kaviar (@officialkaviar)

Leigh is also a great bartender! follow @fashionableeatz to get more flavor on your page! #kaviarexperience #instagood #TheCrew #indeArtist #newmusic2020 (at Sherman Oaks, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAqzmppDUbz/?igshid=ja774exkz7cp

[theconcernedpotato]

Update your game already!

Its been awhile since i did a proper update, so i think its about time i do some actual work while i have time and not only write, but show how the project is going.

i wont lie, with the change in scenery, work has taken a hit. I normally tend to get most my work done between 10 pm and 4 am, but such time doesn’t work well with a partner that keeps busy during the day. and the lack of such amazing creative people working next to me, motivation took a hit.

Not sure where to start, so lets start with the more interesting. 

Particles. Since I didn’t have anything in mind when i started, but knew i would be looking into collision detection at some point, i decided to start there. 

The game was not to be a realistic looking game so i went back to the beginning themes and what the game was about. I had got much inspiration from cartoons like bugs bunny and road runner, and the way they dealt with characters hurting themselves or setting off bombs have this amusing feel to it. this was something i wanted. 

Finding tutorials on YouTube, i set to work.           

Although i have yet to put any explosions in the game currently, the cartoon style got me and i would try to base all other effects along the same line. 

After playing around creating a few different yet similar types, i wish to see them in action.

For this i needed to start work on the collision detection. The idea was -  depending on how hard you hit a surface and where, the type of particles, noise and at what volume would change.

Rather then having everything tied to the character who would collide with everything, i decided to have the ground calculate where it was hit (the white flooring/walls would now detect everything). The thought was that if Stan hit and slid down a wall, the impact dust/smoke would spawn at the point of impact rather then on Stan who might  have moved on from that spot. The result i think worked out quite well.

Once dealing with the actual point of collision and how i would spawn the effects in, i set to work on detecting how hard Stan would hit a surface. This actually wasn’t an issue and was more of a copy and paste with a little modification since the wizard ( https://oiral.tumblr.com/) helped with, and implemented such a thing back near the start of the project (since future mechanics i want would need it). 

Once a few of the effects were done, i tied sound to it all. The sound of Stan hitting a wall at high speed then falling from a height to go splat was very amusing (more then it should have been. So much so i sat back watching and listening to him hit objects for far too long before getting back to work).

One of the criticisms i had when testing was the need to feel more like a stunt man. With that in mind one of a few ideas that came to me and hope to do was having stunts to have more impact and weight. a sense of actual danger. Having Stan hit the ground or wall at high speed would have An ambulance race across the screen when having to repeat a failed attempt.

Although amusing at first, because of the trial and error nature of the game, this might get annoying fast, so i still need to tone it down and call it every other time rather then every time. plus need a siren sound effect.. 

Talking about sound, Greg reached out after reading my last post and looped the track, so guess that takes care of that job (anything i don’t have to do is awesome!). 

 The import of some world assets was great and really brings the game to life. Stan has yet to be done yet but he is coming.

(no lighting or post have been done)

With trying to get the feel for being a stunt man, i tried to think how someone like that gets started. In my head they probably have always done crazy things like jump from the roofs of builds etc. (no i haven't researched that haha just a guess).

i had done a tutorial that would walk you through placement of items and the gameplay, but it wasn’t well implemented or well received. Oddly, even though i had the play button flashing to indicate to push it, people completely glossed over that fact (could be the play testers, but il take it on myself that maybe it way not clear).

To date the above gif is all i have done in re-inventing the tutorial. By removing all buttons but the play button, this would see no confusion in what needs to be pushed. This was to be one of a set of small  tutorials that would walk the players though the play style of the game. In a brain storming meeting with my partner, this didnt seem the best way to go about it, so this too will be replace with something a little more better suited and the above will become part of the earlier levels as to how Stan becomes a stuntman. 

       So i was going to leave the assets all 3D since they are all very low poly, but due to performance testing, i plan on changing all assets into 2D sprites. Because i want it playable on most phone and all are different, getting the best  performance is of the most importance. 

So as you may see, turning the world into sprites made a huge difference. The aim was to get Batches and SetPass calls down as far as i could. 

Running two tests for each, i set one at monitor screen size and the other at phone screen size just to see if that helped at all too. From what i took away was models into 4K sprites were the way to go (will drop the size even more too), dropped both Batches and SetPass calls by roughly 3/4, and this was without any optimization in any other way then switching out assets or Occlusion culling (as i did on the top left, which would see even better results. Occlusion culling = not seen, not calculated). The screen size saw most notably a spike in FPS and less strain on the CPU (not fully sure if this would truly transfer over to the phone yet since phones although small, actually are high res, but interesting to know anyways). 

On the subject of performance, something it seems i will need to do is object pooling.. because the game is trial and error, it has people creating and destroying items constantly.. which is a major hit to the game performance.. this means a complete over haul of what systems are there currently. Not as hard as i thought it would be, but will take some time before i can get to it..

For those that are unsure what that meant, the way i understood it when learning about it was - the current system works like this - 

        I create items, and if i don’t want or need them, i throw the items in the bin, then when i need another item, i create another.  As you might notice this is not really the best system, as the rubbish collection will become a problem, and its a bit of work to always create a new item from scratch.

         Object pooling is more like - I create a new item,  and if i don’t want or need them, i place them in a store room. Then when i need another item, i go pick that item up off the shelf.   

The UI placement is getting an over haul for the next play test too, to see if it works better then the last. Also UI placeholders replaced with actual assets. Although these are still not final as they may not fit the game once it all comes together. 

Test of the new layout and look. ignore the font.. 

i also did a small intro screen for when booting up Stan, needs quite a bit of polish still, but as a first pass i think i can live with it for now.

Now there is probably a lot i have missed and forgotten, but my partner has presented me with a glass of red, so i will leave it there, and hopefully get better with updates and actually working on this. Till next time, Thanks for reading. 

[redheadpromotions-blog]

JOIN & SELL YOUR MUSIC ONLINE. Share your music and grow your fan base. We Don't Put Limits On Your Music - Keep 100% Of Your Rights & Royalties! Sign Up now: https://redheadpromotions.com/join-redhead/

"Guaranteed listens. Reach millions of fans."

[hunnit5rockstar]

1942 FLOWS REMIX 🎛🎚| ⚜️LINK IN THE BIO⚜️ | CC: @hunnit5mook @hunnit5_eagle | DIR. 🎥@shot_by_hendrix #Hunnit5 #freestyle #1942flows #Freemeekmill #freemeekmill #Hunnit5 ♨️💯5️⃣#JDM 🎶💲my niggas #2Dope💉💊 know where to find the link #warsqad4life #trapmusic #hooliganexpress #dmv #hiphopmusic #indenation #indeartist #newmusic #NEWHIPHOP #newyork #atl #audiomack #spinrilla #trapmusic #atl #dmv #linkinbio #tagsquirrelcampaign (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnjy6LvnPLK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1aiyfnx6q3m17

[smirkyface]

Manhattan 3,Raviner and Nightfly at Hexagon last night. Really good lineup. #manhattan3 #raviner #nightfly #punk #originalmusic #alternativemusic #indeartist #houseofsmirk @visitknoxville (at Hexagon Brewing Co.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR-IcYErpE7/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mark45xxx]

Just some of my work hire me at https://www.fiverr.com/markbradley to create something just for you Buy my art at the link in my bio http://1-mark-bradley.artistwebsites.com/ #freelanceartist #painting🎨 #indeartist #fiverrgig #fiverrseller #drawing https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzn6D2HlIJ/?igshid=1baruheb35qgi

[eyesofeve]

Sunday 5/24/20 At 7.P.M EST. @FoMerLot Ent. With Co-Host @EyesOfEveEnt & Guest Artist @Cato313 A.K.A Cato Bandz Call In ☎️ (563)999-3735 Chat Online Link In Bio #MusicHour #MusicWithUs #Support #IndeArtist #IndieMusic #StaySafe (at FoMerlot Entertainment) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAXxMs2Ddkn/?igshid=s11zwqtm2nlt

[evilenterprise]

The First 48 🎧💀🤘🏻 Available on all major platforms @evilenterprise EvilRap.com 🏴‍☠️ #newmusic #music #artist #hiphop #rapmusic #indeartist #independentartist #cholostyle #trapmusic #dj #djlife #youtube #spotify #applemusic #high #blunt #smoke #trill #producer https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrYPBdlcyk/?igshid=1pwzuhtxb98yg

[zantherapper]

I'm not used to recording myself rap, but today I decided to share this with you all. Some of you don't know what I have been through but maybe through music you can feel it. Even better if you can relate to the struggles of coming from the bottom. #Freestyle #Rap #indeartist #Music #HipHop #itslit #calivibes #positivevibes #hollywood #beverlyhills #ZanDonWon #entrepreneur #CaliLife #HighTimes #Hustler #Money #Rolex #cubanlink #Gold #icedout #Alabama #mississippi #goregia #Florida #lousinana (at Hollywood)

[officialkaviar]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kaviar (@officialkaviar)

Did you guess right yesterday? Cant wait for yall to hear this! But in the meantime his a snippet! #kaviarexperience #cometothewestside #instagood #newmusic #newmusicfriday #wearitout #laartist #indeArtist #BaytoLA (at North Hollywood, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGWbNeF9Ci/?igshid=1hxayl4oxdzoc

[theconcernedpotato]

Information overload

So today marks the first round of closed alpha tests. i am finally there. The feed back i got already was mostly good, some good points that were made along with some being completely irreverent. But i Get more into that later on within this blog. 

A ton of work has been done just in this last week, which generally means going to bed at four/five in the morning and up at seven for another round, all week long, so here it goes.

  Knocking out a basic Figma ui/ux flow, i set to work trying to get that within the game. For the most part it stayed quite close to what i had within Figma.

After having to steer at a screen for so long, i darkened up the whole game so it was easier on my eyes. 

So the basic Home screen remain the same with only getting an icon swap since everyone understands what a play button is. (Which by the way, everything you see including icons are all placeholders). Here you will see Stan within his house/caravan with all items you have won displayed around his home. With future updates having items you can buy (using in game money made from your stunts) to customize your home and stunt items. 

Both the Movie selection and stunt selection remain untouched from prototyping.

The game screen again mainly remained the same, with small changes here and there. icons would get a a face lift with trying to keep to things people could identify and understand without words. 

The item selection on the right is no longer retractable, although i may add that back for anyone that wants to navigate the level with a much larger screen visible, i mean whats the harm, use it or not?

The pause button has been removed completely since it was just irreverent in a game like this. 

The stunts budget and how much you currently have spent added  and also a working bin

You may have noticed a new button.. Was meant to be highlighted and was within the giff tool but oh well. At the push of this button it it takes your finish point, then once released, returns you to your previous point. 

Also you may have notice an increase in select-able items. i wont show case the crash mat since its just that. Stops Stan going splat. Currently you dont need it since i have yet to place in a payment system, but future updates will see you using them else Stan’s med bills will come directly out of his pay (med insurance can become expensive 😷😰).

The second item is a high powered fan. Self -explanatory really. Been having quite a bit of fun with this item.

The option menu remains a sore point. As it is I think the current one lacks the looks the mock up one did. Unfortunately its not clear the back arrow takes you back to the stunt screen rather then the game. Hopefully i will find a pretty solution.  

So once you finish the stunt, the man in charge looks over the sheet (figuratively speaking) and you are evaluated on how well it went. Now it may not have been clear but all those white dots are camera shots your producer really wanted to get for the movie. So you are evaluated on how many of those shots you got and how well you managed to keep under budget. 

At the end of the day there isn’t really a lose condition. As long as you get to the end point, you’ve completed the level, so its very possible to be way over budget and not get a single asked for shots, cause at the end of the day, no footage is wasted.

Once all the stunts in the movie are complete its released out into the world to be judged, much like this game will D: 

For reasons i wanted to go with having a rotten tomatoes score system within my game, mostly because i think it gives a better over all idea on how you went. You can totally boom the egg score but might kill on the Audience. leaving many options for rewards and different out comes depending on your own play style. 

I decided to condense the reward screen and movie screen in one. Just made sense, plus i was rushed off my feet, so anything that saves me work (like making, setting up or coding another screen is a win in my book).

So what didn’t make it to alpha.. mainly the in game shop. Not only was I crazy rushed off my feet, but i had no items for people to buy for Stan, nor did i have his payment for doing the stunts set up.

This will differently be rectified come the second round of testing (third i guess since you guys weren’t in on the first).

Now i know I’ve been pretty bad at this blog thing on this project, mainly because so much is going on with in-work and out that it's kind of been pushed to the far side of the brain. 

 A few notes that I failed to mention, in my prior posts is i have been corresponding with a musician over discord, who I only no as Greg. 

Things started with a bang, with me having all these grand ideas of themed music for each stunt, and other areas of the game like within Stan’s home. Even ideas of tracks being able to be purchased if you wanted something different to listen to. What I didn't account for was this would increase the file size dramatically and being on mobile, contrary to what you have herd, size is everything.. 

Currently I have placeholder music within the game, one tract that plays throughout the entire game. Passing the bad news to Greg, he came back with a single track will hopefully find a home within my this game. 

Now lets take about development. What a week, had its ups and downs and even learnt some new dance moves this week- I call it pushing alpha. 

 Five forward, seven back, three forward, two back, two forward. Kind of sums up the state of affairs this week, but at least it's moving. 

 Friday I was on fire! Unfortunately in my sleepy slumber I forgot to check off or write down where I was at.. this bit me in the ass I decided to take my little's out into the world for the day, mostly because i needed to step away from work. This landed me laying on the beach half the day looking up at the sky. Later with mind cleared, tea done and little's down, i jumped back into it. 

Unfortunately a large part of Saturday night saw me retracing every job I had done Friday night to see if it was done, set up for, or half completed.. once thinking I knew where I was, I was off again making progress. 

Before getting into the crazy stuff, i looked at the levels i had chucked together. Although not final levels as i had yet to design any, what i did through together needed reordering. turns out the second was way harder then the first four..

Along the way I started working on a job that gathered all the information of each level, then using that information, turned it into a usable score which would tell you how the movie was receive at the end of the last stunt. (Egg and Aud score) but It seemed I had actually wrote such a code the night before, but completely different to the one I had just done. Now I will fully admit I was on that next level shit and may have been possessed by the coding God when I wrote it, because as it stands, I have no idea how it works, but it does, so it's probably best I don't touch it and keep fully away from the Alien code. 

So with my eyes glowing red probably from Rad poisoning being on the computer for the last eight hours straight  #justjokingbutprobilynot, and Saturday resulting in nothing but net.. i went and did something stupid again. Last minute I break my game completely.. Half four and the kids will be up in a fe hours a head to bed in such a foul mood.

 Up a few hours later to make breakfast, as the little’s ate i jump back on. i in my state renamed one script somehow which saw the whole game destroyed.. on the plus side i found it, plus see that it needs to be more robust if one naming convention can do that.   

Wasn’t the first time. earlier in the week i spent two day looking for a bug that stopped play after you finished the first level, one that wasn't throwing up any warnings or stopping any other function. I had paused time at the end of the level and hadn’t turned it back on.. To be fair I’ve had about two hours of sleep every night for the last week. Don’t do it, its not good nor does it help in the long term. seems all these little mistakes caused from being over tied has pushed back the project rather then moved it forward.

Sunday nights I was up hitting all those notes till 5:20 this morning yet again, then up an hour later. Play test day.

So all that work came falling down in a heap on the floor in my time of need. Now i didn't ask for much but i figured when you put work in to something it should pay off.. Built out the game for the test phone i had and boom, I’m holding a seven week turd in my hands. Functions that worked before no longer did for some reason. Panning the camera, so placing items where you wanted them couldn't happen. the bin also no longer worked, nor the restart button. 

Deciding not to shit myself in front of a room full of people really to test the game (along with other dev games), coffee was needed.

So the game works well enough on the computer still which is good. Although not for the computer, i did at least have the functionality in there that aloud it to be tested to an extent, so i built out a computer version. Which is where some of the irreverent feed back comes in.. UI too big,  no exit button, no zoom in or out.. 

I wont go into it fully, as it made me realize a few thing like why not add functionality for the computer? Controls at least at the moment since a computer version will need more items and options etc. But as it stands, as annoyed as i am with a broken mobile game, its coming together. 

Hoping to fix those Mobile issues, and add some computer functionality, then push it out to the world on Wednesday. Till next time, Fingers crossed!

[eqube-blog1]

New single dropping very soon. Follow me on Spotify for some 🔥 music! Link in bio. 💜 . . . #happy #afrobeats #piano #indeartist #production #producer #dj #typebeat #banger #uplifting #flstudio #instrumental #ableton #newmusic #creative #newbeat #mondaymotivation #logo #dancehall #groove #equbemusic #beats #work #tropical #beatmaker #lovevibes #partyvibes #linkinbio #newgoals https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7gKzrHrIt/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zyjv6b5uzdwu

[hunnit5rockstar]

#Repost @hunnit5rockstar (@get_repost) ・・・ JDM type shit‼️ get it how you live nigga‼️ ☠️ Rockstar 💥🔥Lit ☄️💥🔥Feat. @money200jdmg 🏦💵💸 mixed by 📀💽@Coolie_High_Chize produced by @T53Beats ⚡️It's Another #TraeRashaadKing Films 🎬🎬 • on #YOUTUBE NOW‼️ #Baltimore #2Dope #IMRSL #JDM #Hunnit5 #dopemusic #doubletap #baltimore #dopehood #livemixtapes #spinrilla #YOUTUBE #indenation #92qjams #hooliganexpress #hot97whosnext #hotmusic @squirrelwyde #indeartist #DJs #DMV @thehooliganexpress #tagsquirrelcampaign #comment

[aliasmusicgroup]

This is stuff u should know that’s if you want to make it out here in this music industry which link should u have in yo bio ????? Theirs no wrong answer but theirs a smarter one #hiphop #musicindustry #rapper #artist #mainstream #indeartist #rapmogul #ceos #coo #rapblog #spotify #soundcloud #instagramhub #itunes #youtube #youtuber #whatuknow

[eyesofeve]

Saturday 5/9/20 at 7pm est @Fomerlot Ent. Brings back @ShatonsLyric LIve With Co-Host @Eyes_OF_EVe_Ent Call In ☎️ 563-999-3735 Or Chat Online Link in Bio #Support #IndeArtist #MusicHour #StaySafe #Live #GoodMusic (at FoMerlot Entertainment) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_xmUwAFJmH/?igshid=16wzhr4pfesdc