The hottest Game Development Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The Origins S11 Preseason is LIVE!

The Lunacian • 414 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Virtual Economy Community Engagement
  1. The Origins S11 Preseason has started, allowing players to try new features like the Haunted House and Axie Delegation. Get ready for exciting gameplay and rewards!
  2. Players can earn extra rewards by entering the Haunted House battles and testing upgraded Runes. Winning can give you a chance for cool prizes!
  3. Three special tournaments are coming up, giving players a chance to test their skills. Be prepared to compete for prizes in the Preseason Era Cups!

Forecasting, Game QA, and Personalized Embodied Agents

ppdispatch • 8 implied HN points • 30 May 25
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Game Development Forecasting Automation
  1. A new type of learning called outcome-based reinforcement learning is helping smaller language models make accurate predictions, even better than some big models.
  2. Researchers are looking at how AI agents remember information to provide personalized help, but they still struggle with remembering complex user preferences.
  3. A new benchmark for video game testing helps measure how well AI models can find bugs and glitches in games, making the testing process better and more efficient.

Formabble Prepares to Go Open Source

Formabble’s Substack • 2 HN points • 01 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Open Source Artificial Intelligence Networking Software Engineering
  1. Formabble is going open source soon, which will make it more accessible for developers. This shift aims to encourage transparency and collaboration in game development.
  2. The platform uses AI to help developers create games more easily. Its features include automating coding tasks and offering intelligent suggestions, making game design simpler and more creative.
  3. Formabble's new design promotes better teamwork, especially for multiplayer games. It allows players to sync their game data in real-time and even continue playing offline, improving the overall gaming experience.

Under the microscope: MDK (PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Video Games Cheat Codes Game Development Programming
  1. MDK has hidden cheat codes that many players might not know about, adding more fun to the gameplay.
  2. Some codes need to be unlocked with other specific codes to work, which can change game mechanics and visuals significantly.
  3. Finding these codes involves programming and testing various button combinations, which can be a fun challenge for enthusiasts.

Burning Rangers: the 1997-12-20 build

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Video Games Game Development Software Engineering
  1. There's a playable demo of the game 'Burning Rangers' from a 1997 build. It has many unique features and glitches not found in the final version.
  2. Players can change game settings to skip certain demo parts and play missions normally. This allows for a more complete gaming experience of the prototype.
  3. The demo has several bugs and issues during gameplay, like broken swimming mechanics and crashes, which make it feel very different from the final game.
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Extending the demos: Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 28 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Video Games Game Development Digital Preservation
  1. The demo of Metropolis Street Racer from the Dream On Volume 7 disc was initially not playable, but a patch was created to enable gameplay and access an early version of the game.
  2. There are also patches for the E3 demo and the Opel Challenge demo, allowing players to unlock full menus and features not originally available in those demos.
  3. Exploring these demo versions gives a unique insight into the game's development, showing how it changed before its final release.

Is the latest game subscription 'moral panic' justified?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 373 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Subscriptions Market Trends Game Development Digital Platforms
  1. There is debate about whether the 'moral panic' around the latest game subscription services is justified.
  2. Subscription services like Game Pass are seen as gatekeeping and may impact the creation of creative first-party games.
  3. The market for games is evolving, with a mix of direct-to-market games, subscription services, and the importance of gamers owning their catalogs.

What Palworld's success tells us about 2024's game biz

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 314 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Market Analysis Game Development eBooks Industry Trends
  1. Palworld's success shows that players enjoy familiar game mechanics with a touch of novelty on top.
  2. Palworld's unique gameplay loop and intricate mechanics contribute to its success in the gaming market.
  3. Understanding the creator's vision and the development process of a game like Palworld can provide insights into its success.

Which Steam games 'won' revenue again in 2023?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 255 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Game Development App Store Virtual reality
  1. Steam ranked top games by gross revenue in 2023 based on 'Platinum', 'Gold', 'Silver', and 'Bronze' tiers
  2. Around 35% of the top revenue games in 2023 were new releases; games generally needed at least $20 million gross to make the rankings
  3. Deep Rock Galactic saw increased sales in 2023, success with cosmetic DLC, and plans for spinoff games

PC game discovery in China: how does it work?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 196 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Social media Market Trends Game Development Influencer Marketing
  1. In China, PC games are discovered through popular themes and genres like prison break planning and Wuxia-style RPGs.
  2. Key Chinese services for game discovery include platforms like Bilibili and Douyin, similar to YouTube and TikTok.
  3. Game developers can boost player engagement by giving away in-game cosmetics through personalized codes.

Stable Point Aware 3D, Cosmos, Autonomous game characters and Digits by Nvidia, Qwen Chat, Hailuo's Subject Reference, rStar-Math, Text-to-Video gen with Transparency, Cohere's North, STAR, & more

AI Brews • 12 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Game Development Open Source Data science
  1. Stability AI has released a new tool called Stable Point Aware 3D, which lets you edit 3D objects from just one image really quickly. It's free to use for everyone.
  2. Microsoft has made its Phi-4 model open-source and introduced rStar-Math, a new technique that improves math solving in smaller language models.
  3. Qwen Chat is a new web app allowing users to interact with various Qwen models, making it easy to compare their capabilities all in one place.

Why do some great PC/console games fail to 'go big'?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 294 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Gaming Data Analysis Tech news Game Development Digital Platforms
  1. Some great PC/console games may struggle to become popular despite positive ratings and marketing efforts.
  2. The genre of a game, such as 'Metroidvania', can impact its success due to market saturation and competition from existing popular titles.
  3. Publishers should focus on understanding player behavior, adapting marketing strategies, and fostering organic excitement to improve game reach and success.

Under the microscope: Off-World Interceptor (3DO, Saturn, PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Video Games Cheat Codes Game Development Game Mechanics
  1. New cheat codes for the game _Off-World Interceptor_ were found, which had been hidden for 30 years. These codes work across multiple platforms like 3DO, Saturn, and PlayStation.
  2. The cheat codes can kickstart various features in the game, such as level selection, invincibility, and unlimited time. Players can enter these codes at the Options screen for added fun.
  3. The author used a tool called Ghidra to analyze the game’s memory and discover these codes. This shows that there’s still fun to be had from old games with a bit of technical know-how.

Who's top of Steam Next Fest for October 2023?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 255 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Games Indie games Game Development Acquisitions
  1. The top games at Steam Next Fest for October 2023 were a diverse mix of genres and styles, with a focus on deep building and crafting mechanics.
  2. There is a discussion about the existence of an 'indie games bubble,' highlighting challenges in funding new games and market saturation.
  3. Game discovery news includes updates on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony testing PC trophies for PSN, and Epic Games Store's new features.

Under the microscope: Skeleton Warriors (Saturn, PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 14 implied HN points • 08 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Video Games Game Development Cryptography Programming Mathematics
  1. The article talks about finding cheat codes for the game Skeleton Warriors on the Saturn and PlayStation consoles. It highlights how some of these codes were previously unknown and required research and coding to uncover.
  2. The author used a combination of brute force methods and mathematical approaches to determine the missing cheat codes. They collaborated with a cryptographer to solve complex hashing problems involved in the game.
  3. Mick West, a cofounder of Neversoft, contributed to the findings by sharing source code and insights about how the cheats work in the game. This shows a connection between game development and player discovery.

GM Shaders Guest: GI

GM Shaders Mini Tuts • 137 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Game Development Shaders
  1. Global Illumination in 2D can be achieved using Radiosity based GI for real-time per-pixel lighting in video games.
  2. Raymarching is a technique that accelerates scene rendering by approximating the distance to the nearest surface, often using Image-Based Distance Fields.
  3. Using Blue Noise and implementing implicit ray bouncing can enhance the quality of Global Illumination in games by providing uniform noise and consistent lighting across frames.

GM Shaders Guest: Gaming Engineer

GM Shaders Mini Tuts • 137 implied HN points • 18 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Gaming Graphics Game Development Shaders 3D Modeling
  1. Noah Pauw discusses creating advanced 3D graphics in GameMaker using shaders for real-time lighting and PBR materials.
  2. Game Maker is favored by Noah despite advice to switch to Unity or Unreal for photorealistic 3D games.
  3. Noah shares insights on using Blender for 3D modeling, creating lighting shaders, implementing PBR materials, and drawing 3D environments in Game Maker.

GM Shaders: WebGPU

GM Shaders Mini Tuts • 58 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Graphics Programming Web Coding Game Development
  1. WebGPU is the new standard for accelerated graphics and compute, set to replace WebGL. It offers more features, deeper low-level access, and enhanced security, making it exciting for developers.
  2. WebGPU provides cross-platform support, allowing for better control over GPU resources, and introduces compute shaders for handling diverse data types efficiently.
  3. WGSL, the shading language of WebGPU, is stricter than GLSL with similarities to Rust or Swift. It offers optimizations and consistent results across different hardware configurations.

Ex-Riot developers are making “Breath of the Wild with friends”

Updater, Shannon Liao's gaming newsletter • 117 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Video Games Venture Capital Game Development Animation
  1. Former Riot developers are creating an open-world game similar to 'Breath of the Wild' with a focus on playing with friends
  2. The game studio secured $55 million in funding and aims to create a world characterized by optimism and worth fighting for
  3. The developers emphasize creating a rich player experience and aspire to build a media universe around the game, including an animated TV show

#9 - Creating an intuitive in-game menu

A Good Interface • 59 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
🕹 Technology UI Design User Experience Game Development Visual Design Gaming
  1. Understanding player expectations is crucial for designing intuitive in-game menus. Players have certain expectations for content and structure, deviating from which can lead to frustration.
  2. Menu navigation and flow are essential in creating a user-friendly experience. Design clear paths, group similar items, and prioritize important actions for quick and easy navigation.
  3. Consistency in iconography, terminology, and design elements, as well as testing with real players, feedback, and iteration, are key to crafting a well-crafted in-game menu that enhances the player experience.

Getting Started With Unreal Engine 5 For Developers, Part 1: Building Blocks

Load-bearing Tomato • 16 implied HN points • 21 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Software Engineering Programming Languages Digital Art
  1. In Unreal Engine 5, Actors and Components are the main building blocks. Actors are objects in the game world, while Components add specific features to those Actors.
  2. Inheritance is a key concept in creating different types of objects. You can create child classes for specific behaviors while still sharing common features from a parent class.
  3. Functions and Events help organize code. Use Functions for reusable code and Events for actions triggered by certain events in your game.

First Person Shooter Raycaster Game Demo w/DragonRuby

Brian Knapp’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Demo YouTube
  1. The project involved creating a 3D raycaster game demo in DragonRuby, resembling the style of Wolfenstein 3D.
  2. There were challenges with the coordinate systems and math that needed adjustments, like inverting the coordinate system to match the DragonRuby platform.
  3. Despite some hurdles, the project demonstrated the potential to create a cool demo with minimal code in a game development project.

Lets compile Linux DOOM

Deus In Machina • 36 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Software Development Open Source Programming Languages Operating Systems
  1. Compiling the Linux DOOM source code requires setting up the source code from the id-software repository and navigating through different build methods like Make and CMake.
  2. Encountering and solving errors in the compilation process involves making adjustments to data types, structure pointers, and handling variables like errno to ensure successful building of the DOOM executable.
  3. To address color depth issues and display errors while running the DOOM game on modern systems, utilizing tools like Xephyr, setting specific environmental variables, and modifying code sections related to color maps and display resolutions becomes critical.

How Sound Works In Games

Load-bearing Tomato • 5 implied HN points • 06 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Audio engineering Sound design Software Engineering
  1. Sound in games is made to work in real-time, which means it can't be exactly like in real life. Instead, game developers use simplified calculations to make it feel realistic without needing huge amounts of computer power.
  2. To create sound effects in games, developers use Emitters to play sounds and Listeners to receive them. This setup helps in determining how loud a sound is based on the distance and direction from where it is coming.
  3. Using Rooms and Portals helps organize sounds in the game environment. This makes it easier for the game to decide what sounds the player can hear and adjust them accordingly, leading to a more immersive experience.

Design a Tic-Tac-Toe Game [with Code]

The ZenMode • 42 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Design Programming System Design Game Development Web Development
  1. Designing a Tic-Tac-Toe game involves creating a user interface with components like a game board, player information, game status, and start/restart buttons.
  2. Implementing game logic requires components like game state, move validation, win condition detection, tie condition detection, and player management.
  3. For scalability, maintainability, and extensibility, consider using components like load balancer, cloud-based infrastructure, modular architecture, clean code, and automated testing.

"We Only Hire Seniors", And Other Mistakes

Load-bearing Tomato • 7 implied HN points • 16 May 24
💼 Business Management Workplace culture Human Resources Organizational Structure Game Development
  1. Hiring only seniors can create problems because it limits decision-making and leads to too many meetings. New or junior employees can help speed things up by handling tasks while seniors make bigger decisions.
  2. Having a mix of experience levels in a team is crucial for growth. If companies only hire seniors, they won't have new talent coming up, which can lead to challenges in the future.
  3. Good management is important in game development. Issues often come from poor organization rather than from the skill level of individual team members.

Premature Optimization and Rapid Prototyping

Load-bearing Tomato • 8 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Software Engineering Prototyping Coding Practices System Design
  1. Games need to start with quick experiments to see what works, this is called rapid prototyping. Flexibility is important so designers can try new ideas without being held back.
  2. Code doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough for what the game requires. Sometimes a simpler solution works best and saves time.
  3. It's crucial to know when to optimize code. If the game is running well and meeting its needs, there might not be a need to improve it right away.