Update Post #3
Hey everyone!
I hope you all have had a nice October!
I do not know about you, but I’m looking forward to the upcoming holidays and taking time to spend time with friends and family as the year get closer to drawing to a close.
Things here at RandomMomentania have been busy in October. Unfortunately most of the work that has happened in October has either been non-tutorial related, or has been for future tutorials.
That said, I have a bunch of news to share with you all.
Godot: Real Time Chat Tutorial
In the last update post, I talked about making some shorter tutorials in a effort to get more tutorials out on a somewhat consistent basis.
One of these shorter tutorial series is the real time networking chat tutorial!
While certainly not the flashiest of projects, I think it’s a great introduction into networking with Godot.
The tutorial shows you how to make a real time chatting program entirely in Godot. Everything from sending messages over the internet to formatting BBCode, to inserting BBCode straight into the text field.
This tutorial also shows how Godot can be used to make projects that are not necessarily intended to be games, but rather utilities.
Patrons can view the tutorial right HERE! 🙂
I have another smaller tutorial series in the works, I just need to finish the tutorial series I’m working on right now. I think the next shorter tutorial series is going to be really cool and I can’t wait to share more about it soon!
DSCN Godot Plugin
While this is by no means a tutorial, a decent amount of work in October has gone into making a new Godot plugin.
You can see a sneak peek video I made before releasing the plugin below:
(At some point I really ought to make a update video, probably show how to use the plugin…)
The idea behind the plugin is to make it easier to add resources (scripts, models, textures, etc) into a exported Godot game. Initially the plugin was designed to work around this issue on the Godot GitHub repository, but since then it has evolved into what the plugin is today.
The plugin still needs a lot of work before it’s practical to use in games intended for production. I plan to try and continue to developer the plugin, and once the plugin is ready I plan to make a tutorial showing you how to make a mod friendly game in Godot using the DSCN plugin.
You can find the GitHub repository for the plugin right HERE. if you want to take a look. It will also be in the Godot asset library sometime in the future.
ProcJam 2018
This month ProcJam 2018 rolled around and I decided to give it a shot. I’ve been wanting to learn how to use the new nested prefab workflow in Unity, and just get up to date with Unity in general, so I thought this would be a perfect chance to do just that.
First, before I share what I made, go and check out all of the amazing entries made for this year’s jam. I had a ton of fun on my entry, and looking through the entries I can see there are tons of great entries into this year’s jam that I cannot wait to try!
In a effort to learn Unity again, I thought I would remake my most downloaded/viewed game: FNAF Purgatory. The original game has gotten thousands of downloads and views (over 3 thousand downloads on Itch.io alone!) and so I thought it would be a great chance to fix a bunch of issues the original game had and would be a great way to jump in to learning Unity again without necessarily having to reinvent the wheel.
You can find my Unity remake, FNAF:Final Purgatory, right here:
I plan to update the game some more so I can play around a bit more with Unity 2018 and the new workflows and functionality added since I last used Unity.
Give the game a try if you want and let me know what you think! I have lots planned to add to the game and I think it’s going to be a great way for me to learn Unity again.
Next Tutorial Series
As you have seen in the picture above, I have a new tutorial series in the works! The new series is going to show you how to make a vertical space arcade shooter (Wikipedia article)!
The tutorial is planned to be a full length tutorial series. I plan on showing how to make multiple player ships, multiple different types of enemies, a level select screen, and more! We will even do some custom shader work to add some visual flare to the game.
I’m really proud with how the project for this tutorial series is shaping up, and it’s almost to the point where I can start writing the tutorial.
So if this looks interesting to you, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon so you can access the tutorial series as soon as it comes out.
The plan is to get the tutorials for this series rolling out in November. If possible, I’ll try to get the entire series out in November, but it really depends on how busy the month is.
Other Stuff
Finally, I have some other, more minor things to share.
Minor Break From Making Tutorials
Starting November 5th I’ll be taking a short break to recover from some minor surgery. It is nothing major and I should be fully back in action within a week at the latest.
This should not effect the tutorial schedule, but it probably will mean I’ll be unable to get back to anyone for a short time after the 5th. I should definitely be back by the 12th and will do my best to catch up with anything I missed then.
No Free October Tutorials
Another thing to mention is that no free tutorials came out this month. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to pour into a free tutorial for October, instead the time that would have potentially been put into making a free tutorial went into making the DSCN plugin and the game for ProcJam 2018.
However, I have a couple projects that can be turned into short, free tutorials for November. I’m thinking of making a short tutorial showing how to use the SurfaceTool in Godot, as there are very few examples out right now showing how to use the SurfaceTool.
Some Questions For You
Before I end this update post, I have a few questions for you guys if you don’t mind giving your opinions.
- What do you guys think about some Unity tutorials?
Now that I’m trying to relearn Unity again, I’m debating making some Unity tutorials here on RandomMomentania.
I have some plans to try and make some a comparison article(s) comparing the 3D side of Godot and Unity. Right now I’m thinking of making the same relatively simple project in both engines, and then doing a detailed comparison between the two.
Another interesting idea that I could pursue with Unity is making some mobile game tutorials. Right now Godot’s iOS/Android support is a tad unstable for my needs, as I have limited access to a Mac computer, but with Unity I can test a lot of mobile functionality using the Unity Remote app.
But I’m curious to know what you all think about Unity tutorials here on RandomMomentania. Would you be interested in seeing Unity tutorials? And if so, what in particular would you be interested in seeing?
In case anyone is worried, I still plan to make tutorials using Godot and other open source programs! Unity tutorials would just be added sometimes, similar to how Blender/Gimp/Other tutorials pop up from time to time here on RandomMomentania.
- What is your opinion on video tutorials?
This is another question I have been tossing back and forth. Technically making video tutorials is one of the goals on my Patreon page, and while I would love if RandomMomentania could reach that level of support, I realize that for now that is probably a bit unrealistic.
That said, I have debated making some video tutorials as well, perhaps using the time I would spend on free tutorials making free video tutorials, at least initially. Free video tutorials might be a great way to help RandomMomentania grow, and I realize that some people like video tutorials more than written ones, so maybe it will help those people too.
Right now there are two things getting in the way of me taking a chance and making video tutorials:
The first is audio. I’m not terribly experienced with the audio editing process and the last thing I want to do is make a video that blows people’s ears out. While this is probably unlikely to happen, I have been hesitant to make video tutorials due to my lack of experience with audio editing.
The second thing that has been keeping me away from making video tutorials is my environment. I think I’ve mention this before, but where I work right now is not particularly quiet. Thankfully I have a decent dynamic mic so background noises are not generally picked up, but I’m not sure if the background noises will carry through or not.
So, what do you guys think? Do you guys mind tolerating my inexperience with making video tutorials?
Also, if any of you have any reading/tutorials/other on making video tutorials and the editing process, I would love to see it! I’m not terribly experienced with the production pipeline of making video tutorials, so if any of you know something that might be helpful please don’t hesitate to share! I would love to see it so I can try to make the best video tutorials I possibly can!
- What tutorials would you like to see?
Finally, what tutorials would you guys like to see?
I have gotten some suggestions, like making a 3D platformer tutorial in Godot, but I am curious to know what you guys would like to see.
Let me know what you guys want to see and I’ll do my best to make it happen!
(In case anyone is wondering: The 3D platformer tutorial is currently on the back burner as I am waiting for Godot 3.1 to be released so I can use the new animation system for nice and smooth animations)
Side Note: Depending on the complexities and the amount of time it takes, suggested tutorials may be free or for patrons only. I’ll do my best with the tutorial regardless and I cannot wait to hear what you guys want to see!
To summarize everything in this update:
- There is a real time chat tutorial in Godot out right now for patrons.
- I’m working on a new Godot plugin that will allow for easier modding support in Godot games. You can find the plugin on GitHub right now, though it needs more work before it is fully usable.
- I made a game for ProcJam 2018 to learn Unity 2018, which you can download and play if you want.
- A new Godot tutorial series, a 3D vertical space arcade shooter, is on the way and will be coming out starting in November!
- I will be taking a short break starting on November 5th.
- No free tutorials out in October, though there is a free tutorial planned for November.
- A bunch of questions:
- What do you guys think about Unity tutorials?
- What is your opinion on video tutorials?
- What tutorials would you like to see?
That is all I have to share for now! If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please let me know in the comments below!
(Also, if you are doing anything tonight, October 31st, please stay safe!)