Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with development and game

But I love brussels sprouts!

Flannery Culp — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:21:54 -0800

What is this life-simulation game I played in the early days of the web? Back in the late 90s I played a simulation game that had you start as an infant and progress developmentally based on a series of questions, i.e. your choices as a baby determined what type of toddler you would grow into (temperamentally, intellectually, etc) and so on.

Two specific things I remember:

One of the first questions is: you are a baby in a crib, and you spy something colorful from the corner of your eye. Do you turn to look at it? This choice has huge ramifications for you.
Around middle childhood, your character is served brussels sprouts for dinner and must choose whether to eat them. I said yes. The game told me I was dangerously compliant, and later it would not let me progress to adulthood.

It was text-based, but I definitely played it in Mosaic or Netscape rather than Lynx.

Any ideas?

Yet another iPhone/iPad app question

gadget_gal — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:31:57 -0800

Point and Click Games for Ipad/iPhone. Hello, yet another app dream. I want to create a fabulous point and click game that is addictive and is playable on the iPhone and iPad. I have the concept and idea down for the game. Now it's time to sit down and start prototyping. Only i have no clue where to start. I used to be a programmer. Can code proficiently in C/C++ and Java. I assume I will be able to pick up new languages such as objective C if needed. Eg. of the games i like are 1. machinarium. 2. Please google "versus flash game tvigle"

1. Help me plan my prototype.
2. I can do rough photoshopping to get my idea across.
3. Any tutorials?
4. Any open source games to start off on?
5. How should i think about architecture such as server/client.
6. Who should i follow/read to learn more about this space.

What can I add to my math degree to improve my job prospects?

ZeroDivides — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:16:35 -0800

I have a B.S. in Math, but I haven't been able to find a job in my field. What can I add to my undergrad degree to be more competitive in the job market? I searched for math-related jobs for many months before finally giving up and taking work in the field that got me through college in the first place (high volume printing). It seems like almost everything math-related requires a master's degree or a PhD. While in school, I really enjoyed mathematical modeling, but now I understand that my grasp of it is probably not firm enough to be useful to most employers.

Since then I have worked for an online game company in my spare time, as a developer. This is about 20 hours a week and in addition to whatever else I have going on at the time. Unfortunately this is an old game and isn't well known, and the skills I have acquired there are sort of specific to that game. The language I work in is proprietary and the format isn't modern or cool. I really love the game and enjoy the work tremendously. It's basically a volunteer position, though, since the pay is very little.

I'll have the opportunity over the next few years of getting a master's degree online at very little expense. Unfortunately, it has to be online because I'm living abroad for the next few years I don't speak the local language well enough to go to school here (shameful, but I'm working on it).

What sort of degree would be best for me if I want to try to continue with game development? What about generic computer programming? These seem a little more approachable than mathematical modeling, but maybe I am mistaken about that? Is there anything else I should be doing, or taking into account? I mainly just want to position myself so that I can finally nail down a challenging job that will get me above the poverty line, and I think I could be happy doing any of those things.

Good General CS Books, Game Dev Books?

DMan — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:01:56 -0800

What books would you all recommend for a Computer Science student interested in making games? A good friend of mine is a CS student and is extremely interested in working in the game industry someday. I happen to have a little experience making games from an internship I've been at this summer, so when I come home, me and him intend to collaborate on a simple game (in Python using the Pygame library for now).

So I'd like to get him a book or two to help him get started with game development. Also, I'd be interested in any really good "general CS" books; I sort of feel like CS hasn't quite "clicked" for him yet, so I'd love to find something that kind of ties the field together and presents a good case for how the concepts we learn in class fit into the real world, and maybe a bit on some of the more interesting problems associated with it. I don't know if that exists, but if it does, I'm confident someone here will know what it is.

Thanks all!

How to start in app development?

Cogentesque — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:59:41 -0800

I want to get into game development for android. Where do I hang out online, who do I talk to, what do I need to know, and what do I read? So I have, eversince the original iPhones were just about out - always wanted to make a game for this kind of smartphone platform. I really enjoy computer games, paper games, roleplaying games and have been involved in the creation of a few d&d style systems (only local fun stuff, nothing too fancy yet).

I have always been into, and loved games and really enjoyed all aspects of them. So the appstore hits, the android store now follows suit, steam is doing a good job of bringing indy(ish) games to the masses.

The dream: to "Make a computer game" yet I've never actually done it. I have gone as far as to make rules and cards for a paper version of a rpg / browser text-based mmo style game based on the "Caveman and Dinosaurs" setting. Having been a super avid dungeon master most my life, I really think that it would be an awesomely fun little game to play, if it came together.

My problem
By day I am a web designer and marketing kind of guy and so I do have knowledge of css, html, a bit of jquery and super rudimentary (as in, not really) java knowledge. I want this game to come out and be built and I have no idea how. For me personally, it would be firstly: a nice game to play, a fun way to spend time, and I would really enjoy helping out the hopeful game-players. And why the hell not - if it goes well - make a little money to buy a round of drinks with.

I assume that first of all I will need to learn how to program. Program what and how is what I need to know. Where do I need to hangout online with other similar guys, perhaps looking for coders / artists, and do I need to do generally, and what do I need to read to reach my goal.

Thank you so much for any response you guys, it has always a big dream of mine and any help or good-luck wishes will be very warmly recieved.

SDL Sound Crackling

jammnrose — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:41:51 -0800

Why is there a sound crackle with SDL in some (mainly open-source) games? Full details inside. I am a developer of an open-source game called Neverball and we have a sound problem (crackling in the music, .ogg's). We think this problem stems from SDL, but have no idea what causes it or how to fix it. The SDL version we are using has changed since the last stable release of the game, but no one has seen anything that would cause issues.
Increasing the sound buffer like 500% fixes it, but this isn't practical (previous stable version was fine with current buffer). Another thing that fixes it is setting the volume in-game to 100%, but that is odd as well.
We know that some other games that use SDL have this issue as well (can't think of any ATM).
Please help!

What game studios are based in the greater Seattle area?

Riemann — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:11:41 -0800

What game studios are based in the greater Seattle area? By this I mean not necessarily the corporate headquarters or publishing office but the actual development offices. This would definitely include the east side (eg: Bellevue, Redmond).

If anyone has any interesting anecdotes or links of that kind about these studios I would be interested in those as well.

I am mostly just curious and thus far my google-fu on the subject has been weak. So do I appeal to the all-knowing hive mind.

An easy way to do 8-bit art?

drezdn — Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:36:15 -0800

I was interested in making a flash animation that looks like an 8 bit nintendo game, and was wondering if there's an easy way to do 8 bit art?