Fundamentals that make great video games

Playing video games is enjoyable, stimulating, and sometimes addictive. Whether it’s to unleash our creativity, to extend the experience of a game that has marked us, or to pursue a professional career, video game development can be a very interesting and absorbing hobby. Although, passion for playing games doesn’t necessarily translate into passion for creating them.

Thanks to all the resources we have today (Internet, open source software, and various platforms for publishing games), the time couldn’t be better to start in this world. Just like in the golden age of video games, a few people can perfectly take on the task of creating a game, publishing it, and reaching thousands of people.

Although it would be ridiculous to think that a very small team or a single developer could make a game like Minecraft or Counter Strike: GO without involving a plethora of creators. The reality is that the new graphic engines and development environments make the task much easier for the amateur developer and with just a minimal expenditure, it is possible to launch our childhood dreams with few resources.

Perfect Design

Video game design is confused with just the graphic design portion of development. The design of a game includes the game at a conceptual level: mechanics, UI, UX, story, settings, characters, etc. Most of the decisions that have to be made about a game go through here. Ideally, the design starts from a basic idea of the game, and breaks it down little by little until it reaches the most specific levels.

A good designer has to not only play games, but understand how they work and how all aspects of them are related. He has to be able to do quick research, prototype to test his ideas, and most of all he has to be able to communicate the idea to the rest of the team, usually through so-called design documents.

To start getting into video game design, we just need to start writing and putting down on paper everything we have in our heads, either by hand or in a word processor. This helps to have clear ideas and focus the development.

And if we want to go deeper into the design method, there are many books and many articles on the Internet that can be consulted to learn the basics. We simply have to take into account that almost everything is applicable in design, and that many times it is better to look for an existing formula that works than to try to innovate without needing to, it is usually the need that forces innovation.

TECH

Technology means everything we need to make the game a reality, such as the game logic itself, artificial intelligence, the graphic engine and development tools. Depending on the game, some techniques will be needed, but mainly it is about programming and software development, since a video game is a program that works in a machine. It will probably also require knowledge of mathematics and physics and even other techniques, such as electronics.

**Engines:
**

There are many game engines to experiment with, some free, others paid with trial versions… A good option is the Unity engine, which has a free version (the full version is paid), and it is a professional engine used by many companies nowadays. The way of working with Unity is a bit peculiar with respect to other engines, but it can be very educational to learn the basics of video game development, thanks to its editor and its great community with many tutorials and examples.

**Programming:
**

If we have never programmed before, Python is a good way to start. It is a modern language, relatively simple and with a syntax similar to the most used programming languages. It can be used to program on Windows, it is used in the Unity engine and it is the basis of the XNA framework (already in the process of extinction but it is still a good platform to learn how to program video games and with which you can do things as impressive as Fez).

ART

Art covers the visual and aesthetic part of the game. I include here aspects like music and sound, which are not visual, but work on the same level. The graphic designers make conceptual illustrations to sketch the visual aspect of characters or scenarios, as well as modeling and animation of characters and levels, logos, or any graphic design task that is required, and the musicians, for example, music and sound composition to set the mood of the game.

The idea is to give the game the look that best suits the design, using tools such as 3D Studio Max, PhotoShop, Flash, even pencil and paper, or Pro Tools and Audacity, for sound.

#games #gaming #videogames #design

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How to Hire Video Game Developers For Video Game Development Company?

The gaming industry has taken a boom in the last few years. If we talk about numbers, according to NewZoo, the worth of the video gaming industry was $159.3 Billion in 2020. Video games are not just something for fun now, players and users expect much more from video game developers. Creating such products that just do not satisfy the player’s needs and exceed their expectations is what video game development company are thriving for.

Though kickstarting a new game-making studio is not an easy task. This business requires a team with a huge passion to create games and earn money from these video games. The idea of the approach is to create such unique games that will reach millions of people in the world and gain popularity. This growth demands more professionals in this field.

This just can not be obtained by finding someone with a good CV, the whole process includes a deep dig down to grab the right talent. Read on to learn more about Mobile game developers and the process of hiring video game developers.

Read Complete Blog Here -  https://theninehertz.com/blog/how-to-hire-video-game-developers-video-game-development


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Video-Game Piracy Group 'Team Xecuter' Leaders in Custody

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has nabbed two alleged leaders of a global, notorious video-game piracy group called Team Xecuter.

The two leaders in custody, Max Louarn (48, a French national of Avignon) and Gary Bowser (51, a Canadian national from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), allegedly led the criminal enterprise’s efforts to hack popular video-game consoles so they could be used to play pirated copies of video games. The DoJ also charged Team Xecuter member Yuanning Chen, 35, a Chinese national of Shenzhen, China.

Video-game manufacturers govern the use of major consoles to play copyrighted video-game titles with end-user licensing agreements, which prevents anyone from duplicating, modifying and selling the software. In addition, console manufacturers and game developers implement various technical measures – from specific game cartridge designs to cryptographic keys on the software – to prevent the use of unauthorized firmware that could be used to play pirated video games.

Team Xecuter, which says in underground advertisements that it’s been around since 2001, has bypassed these measures by developing and selling illegal “circumvention” devices. One example is a USB device that the group sold starting in 2018 called the SX Pro, which allows the Nintendo Switch console to run pirated games.

Beyond the Nintendo Switch, the cybercrime group also targeted popular consoles such as the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition, the Sony PlayStation Classic and Microsoft Xbox.

“These defendants were allegedly leaders of a notorious international criminal group that reaped illegal profits for years by pirating video game technology of U.S. companies,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in a Friday announcement. “These arrests show that the department will hold accountable hackers who seek to commandeer and exploit the intellectual property of American companies for financial gain, no matter where they may be located.”

According to court documents, the Team Xecuter group is comprised of more than a dozen individual members worldwide. That includes: Developers who exploit vulnerabilities in video-game consoles and design the circumvention devices; website designers who create the various websites promoting and advertising these devices; suppliers who manufacture the devices; and resellers who distribute the devices.

According to the DoJ, the group has continuously evaded law-enforcement efforts by using a wide variety of brand names, websites and distribution channels. Between June 2013 through August 2020, for instance, Team Xecuter used a variety of product names for its devices, such as the Gateway 3DS, the Stargate, the TrueBlue Mini, the Classic2Magic and the SX line of devices (that includes the SX OS, as well as the SX Pro, the SX Lite and the SX Core). The group also allegedly masked its illegal activity by pretending to support gaming enthusiasts who wanted to design their own video games for non-commercial use.

The DoJ also said that behind the scenes, Team Xecuter was supporting online libraries of pirated video games for its customers, and several of the devices also came preloaded with numerous pirated games. Ironically, the group also used a licensing scheme to protect its circumvention software from being pirated, the department said.

“According to the indictment, Team Xecuter was so brazen that it even required customers to purchase a ‘license’ to unlock the full features of its custom firmware, the SX OS, in order to enable the ability to play pirated video games,” according to the DoJ.

The video-game and enthusiast markets are lucrative industries for cybercriminals. A recent report highlighted that credential-theft targeting hardcore gamers has hit an all-time high as scams, illicit markets and account takeovers have become a booming business. Meanwhile, hackers are scoring more than a million dollars annually selling compromised accounts for the popular Fortnite video game in underground forums.

Video-game companies are cracking down on these security challenges, and in particular the issue of piracy – with Nintendo filing two lawsuits against Nintendo Switch piracy resellers that were part of Team Xecuter, as well as against UberChips, a website that sold Team Xecuter’s hardware. Last week, UberChips agreed to a $2 million settlement with Nintendo.

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How to Create a Successful Gaming App?

How to create a game app is a comprehensive guide, explaining the entire process of creating and publishing games for iOS and Android. Covering all the essential information a budding game developer needs to know.

Read More - https://www.brsoftech.com/blog/how-to-create-a-game-app/

#game-engine  #game-development  #game  #games  #gaming 

How much does it cost to make a video meeting app like Zoom & Google Meet?

The year 2020 has started with the outbreak of corona virus spread worldwide &now as predictions stand, it has had a drastic effect on our daily lives.

Zoom & Google Meets both are the most famous and secure video meetings app that are so much helpful for businesses during the covid-19 pandemic.

Benefits of Video Meeting Apps Like Zoom & Google Meet

· New Business Opportunity

· Sales Growth

· Customer Support

· Increase Teamwork Productivity

· Security

Cost Estimation to Develop a Video Conferencing App like Zoom & Google Meet

Factors like app features, complexity, location of app development, the size of the app development team, the number of hours needed for making an app, and the development platform are a few that impacts the cost of app development for a video meetings app.

The cost estimation of building a video meetings app depends on what type of personalized solution you wish to have. A video conferencing app like Zoom & Google Meet, where the team of development works on everything from the beginning may cost you nearly $30,000 to $60,000 or more, based on the services and features you select.

How to Develop a Video Meetings App like Zoom & Google Meet

1. A Rock-Solid Idea & Market Study

2. Alluring Video meeting App Designs

3. Back-end Development

4. Technology Stack

5. Testing your App

Must-Have Features to Build a Video Meetings App like Zoom& Google Meet

· User Profile Management

· App Onboarding

· Video and Voice Calls

· End-to-End Encryption

· Text Chat

· Group Calls

· Screen Sharing

· Push Notifications

· NoiseBlock

· Virtual Background

· In-app Purchases

· Stickers & Emojis

Best Company to make video meetings apps like Zoom & Google Meet

Looking for an app development agency that has a development team having skills in building some highly scalable & amazing mobile apps for clients? AppClues Infotech is one of the well-known mobile app development company based in USA that helps to build top-notch video meeting app for your business.

They have a team of top-notch designers & quality coders that are capable to make any complex app development project on multiple platforms like Android, iOS& Cross-Platform. Being the versatile mobile app development company in USA, they are using advanced technology & the latest programming languages like Kotlin, Python, Swift, Java, Objective-C, etc.

If you have any project ideas, talk with the AppClues Infotech team to get the finest output of your dream project.

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Game Development with .NET

We’ve launched a new Game Development with .NET section on our site. It’s designed for current .NET developers to explore all the choices available to them when developing games. It’s also designed for new developers trying to learn how to use .NET by making games. We’ve also launched a new game development Learn portal for .NET filled with tutorials, videos, and documentation provided by Microsoft and others in the .NET game development community. Finally, we launched a step-by-step Unity get-started tutorial that will get you started with Unity and writing C## scripts for it in no time. We are excited to show you what .NET has to offer to you when making games. .NET is also part of Microsoft Game Stack, a comprehensive suite of tools and services just for game development.

.NET for game developers

.NET is cross-platform. With .NET you can target over 25+ different platforms with a single code base. You can make games for, but not limited to, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and mixed reality devices.

C## is the most popular programming language in game development. The wider .NET community is also big. There is no lack of expertise and support you can find from individuals and user groups, locally or online.

.NET does not just cover building your game. You can also use it to build your game’s website with ASP.NET, your mobile app using Xamarin, and even do remote rendering with Microsoft Azure. Your skills will transfer across the entire game development pipeline.

Available game engines

The first step to developing games in .NET is to choose a game engine. You can think of engines as the frameworks and tools you use for developing your game. There are many game engines that use .NET and they differ widely. Some of the engines are commercial and some are completely royalty free and open source. I am excited to see some of them planning to adopt .NET 5 soon. Just choose the engine that better works for you and your game. Would you like to read a blog post to help you learn about .NET game engines, and which one would be best for you?

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