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[KING KELZO]

Hey, everyone!  My name is Kelvin Blackman.  Let's see well the first memory I have of gaming was coming out of my room and seeing my older brother (who is now deceased) and my older cousin playing Super Mario World Yoshi's island on the Super Nintendo.  I had to have been maybe 2 and a half.  I remember it vividly. I was so intrigued with how the characters on the screen were moving.  I was amazed at how when I pressed a button, the character moved.  I also remember sucking, and how my older siblings were better than me and played longer because they didn't die as fast.  Lol but that feeling of intrigue stayed with me and when I turned 16, I knew what I wanted to do.  Make games!  And I was going to do it at any cost!  Now, I'm 22 at the time of me writing this, and I'm so close to publishing my first game.  Which I think is awesome.  (The game that is.  I think the game is awesome.  Lol)  I also became an artist, and a bit of a programmer, and a designer.  I'm working on a game called Legacy.  A 2D action platformer RPG with an open world.  Learn more about it here http://kelvinblackman.wix.com/theartist#!game-blogs/xyn6v

[Outlaw Game Tools]

My name is Jay and I'm probably one of the older game devs here -- my first published game was for the Apple IIgs in the late-80s. I did Apple II game dev until the mid-90s and then switched to multimedia publishing and then into telecommunications programming. From 2004 to 2010 I was self-employed, writing and selling marketing software.

Feeling burned out, I decided I really missed game dev so decided to dive back into that. Over the last few years I've created a few games, but got more into teaching game dev via online video courses. (You know the old story about the guys making money during gold rush were the store owners selling the picks and shovels? That's what I do, mostly.)

At the age of 51 I decided to go to college and get a degree so I could teach game dev at the college level. Now after 2 years I'm getting ready to drop out because I was ill-informed about how colleges do most hiring now (I had no clue there was such a thing as an adjunct professor) and the chances of doing what I dream of is diminishing.

So I'm sticking with making games and game dev courses. At least that's my plan for today.

 Jay

PS - My "name-dropping" claim to fame -- level design for a Dangerous Dave game in '92 for the Apple II.

[Gethimoutmyhead]

Hi everyone, I'm gethimoutmyhead, and I'm a wannabe game developer :p

I've been coding since the age of 12, on and off for 15 years. Despite 100s of tech demos, the only completed projects I have of note are
https://archive.org/details/SpyForHire - Spy For Hire, an ms dos qbasic sneaking game, which I was (and am) immensely proud of but was really quite awful haha

And

http://Http://Www.findthepolarbear.com - a html / JavaScript game I coded with my buddy. It's a puzzle game, kind of like a point and click but it doesn't exactly play like you expect a game to. I'm also immensely proud of it

I work a fulltime job, but I code sometimes when I get an idea. Am excited to join a forum for enthusiasts maybe it will inspire me to code cool stuff again.

[mesmith]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Mike. My day job consists of a lot of software test automation but I dabble in app development and game development on the side. I have always loved playing games and it has always been a dream to create one myself. I'm hoping to learn a lot from the community; as well as give back in some way. Maybe my testing experience can help those out that need a little more quality love. Let me know.

Seems like a very awesome and supportive community.

[Major_Minion]

Hiya!

I'm Ulrik, from Norway, and I've always loved games, both playing them and making them. I like creating stories, and I'm a dice fetishist - I love how you can use a random number to produce interesting and varied results for a game. When I was a child, I would simulate soccer tournaments using 6-sided dice, and to this day, I still DM for a Pathfinder role playing group where we collectively worship the 20-sided dice instead.

Needless to say, my main passion is role playing games. If you give me a character and allow me to customize his/her stats, I'm already sold. Add a good storyline and many and interesting options during the game's character development, and I'll definitely write a good review on Steam for the game. My two fondest RPG memories are:

Mirracle Warriors for the Sega 8 bit system

It was my first RPG, and featured some rather arcane language, which resulted in a life long adoration of old English. "Thou canst not enter unbidden!" was the message you'd get from a pouty NPC who felt you had not progressed far enough in the storyline to visit his house. Even though I grinded my party to absolute champions, I was never able to finish the game, because I missed the single hint that told you exactly which square on the map to stand on to enter the hidden lair of The Dark Lord. Bummer, but I'm sure she was very relieved.

Final Fantasy 8 for PC

It was the first Final Fantasy that made it to the computer, and I was thrilled by the story. It was the first video game that made me shed a tear as the protagonists were floating in space, seemingly doomed to death, with the game's beautiful theme music with vocals playing in the background.

I'm also fond of economic simulation/strategy games, like Theme Hospital, Pizza Tycoon, Airline Tycoon, Dungeon Keeper, Theme Park Tycoon, Transport Tycoon etc. A game that allows me to build has a good chance of interesting me.

My humor is morbid, and some of the moments I've enjoyed the most in front of the computer screen has included killing off my Sims, and a misplaced attack in Divinity Original Sin which initiated a battle that became the death of most of the NPCs there. Because the NPCs in the market had bought so much stuff from me throughout the game, and they dropped all of it as they died, the market looked like a gigantic rubbish heap. I laughed long and hard because I am a terrible person.

Anyway, I've joined the community because I'm working on a game of my own, and wanted to find a community with other game creators and hopefully learn from the processes that you are going through. I hope to make a devlog eventually, but I should finish my game design document first.

Nice to meet you!

[NebraGames]

Hi, we are Nebra Games, a small indie-game studio from Galicia (North Spain).

[GarBenjamin]

Hey, just found this "Introduce Yourself" forum. I've been visiting these forums for a log time but generally only checking out the dev logs and Creative forums.

My name is Gar. Been a hobbyist game dev for a long time now (since the TI-99/4a and C-64). Made a lot of little stuff for fun. Do lots of game dev related experiments for fun.

Was quite active on the Unity forums. They just did an overhaul on them a couple of days ago and now they are a real pain to use. So I immediately thought of this place and here I am. I'll probably bounce and forth between the two.

Well that's the story. I'll try to contribute useful stuff around here and share bits of what I am doing.

[alexanderperrin]

Heyo!

My name's Alex Perrin, and I'm an illustrator, game dev and designer from Melbourne, Australia. I've long been performing the solo act, but have recently started up 'official' shop running a design studio called 2pt! We do games and general interactive media design. On the side I still do small interactive works as a hobby. I have some work on display here: http://alexanderperrin.com.au/

I've spent a vast portion of my life engulfed in video game culture, finding a particular fondness for simulations and anything with cute details, such as the early SimCity games and Rollercoaster Tycoon. I've always found something appealing about the meticulous, mesmerising movements and dynamics, and strive for these qualities in my own works.

For a while now have paired up over-detailed simulation mechanics with a pencil-rendered technical style to create dynamic technical illustrations. I find them calming, and hope that others do too! Here's an example:



I hope to use the TIGForums to better understand what others are up to in the scene, as well as to better document my (currently poorly documented) work!

Hope to see you around,

Alex

[Garrett@Indaba]

Howdy y'all!

My name is Garrett and I love games and music. I work at a company that helps independent musicians find opportunities and further their careers and have come here to try and learn more about the indie game community and see if there's a way we can help musicians and game developers connect. If you have any ideas, suggestions, questions, or just want to say hi please reach out!

If anyone is interested the company is www.indabamusic.com and I handle a lot of our music licensing at www.indabasync.com.

[NowSayPillow]

Hey All, Geoff here; been lurking for a while and figured I'd introduce myself.

I became interested in programming (specifically "making games") when I was fairly young. We'd had a computer for a while and I spent every spare minute screwing around on it but the real clincher was my parents picking up a SNES.

Super Mario World and Zelda changed my life. I knew the moment I started playing them that one day I'd build a game. It's always been my dream to make a console game (I should probably make good on it, who knows how long they'll be around ).

I haven't quite achieved my goal of making games for a living but, when I get home from work I strap in and code my game until my eyes bleed.

You can checkout what I've been working on here; ratwood-game.com

I will release this game damned it. One day... One day...

[CyborgVillager]

Good evening, I've just joined this website after a couple of days of studying it. Anyhow lets get started with knowing me

First question of the post:

How did I get into games?
First time I ever played a game was N64,I remembered I played the legend of zelda (64 version),donkey kong, mario 64, bomberman, some sort of alien game where you played as either a dog with a gun on its back, a girl with a gun or a boy with blue armour VS ants (dont remember the name), and many others.  Afterwords I played the xbox playing starwars battlefront , halo's, couple of horror games here and there, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sims, etc.  Then I became familary with PC gaming and started playing empire total war, spore (all), Sim city,and minecraft (before I became introduced to Steam).  Now I just play indie games/sometimes star wars empire at war.

Other
Besides gaming, I am studying to have a major in cyber secruity/minor in web development. Currently attending college (2yrs) before I go work/gain experience in the field. I also take care of 5 tortioses, 3 cats, and 4 goldfish. I Like to study science/history (mostly space and human cultures) I'm a big fan of eating sushi btw, and a quiet type but likes to command (Have a taste for RTS/coop type of games but able to adapt to singleplayer) I'm also a chill dude, I really don't get that temper that easily and I can easily control any emotions that might stur up in any given moment. I'm mostly a "diplomat" but have a "command" attitude work, work, rest, work, work, play, work <-- my type of style

Etc
On my spare time, I just record my self playing games and post them on social media, since I'm playing the games I might as well record them for fun. (Gotta admit its quite cool seeing your self of how you progressed in playing games xD)

Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/user/gamerfanz90

I'm pretty sure I got a good short summary of myself, If I remember anything I'll most likely update this post/show what is updated as time goes by.

Anyhow, hope all of ya have a splendid day! 

~Cyborg

[ilianasstuff]

Hi all!

My name is Iliana and I've been making games for a loooong time. I used to work as a gameplay programmer at a big game studio, but 3 months ago I quit my job and started my own company Bits of Beards. It is just two of us for now but I hope we can make some cool games (hopefully the first one will come out this year).

Up until 3-4 months ago all I ever did was programming so I am very new to art. I am risking it all and doing all the game art for our new game myself (thankfully the other person is taking over UI design  ). You can check out my art progress on my twitter account: https://twitter.com/ilianasstuff

My favourite game is Mount & Blade. I have been trying to become the king of Swadia for 100 hours now.

Bonus gif:

[longneckgames]

Hey guys! been a guest lurker for about two years, just looking at devlogs and progress pics and what not. decided to finally take the plunge and get deeper into the site!

My brother (Nate) and I (Josh)share this account, we're both 30 somethings that grew up indoors playing video games on rainy days in Oregon. We grew up playing all the classics, and have delusional memories of getting further on Battletoads than we probably really did back then! We've been so inspired by a lot of the games and posts on these forums and the indie game scene in general!

more recently, we just finished Hyper Light Drifter and loved every second of it! Probably going to get some hours in on Inside this weekend! Also probably gonna pick up Momodora tonight!

looking forward to being a part of the community, and learning a thing or two from some of the fine folks on here! 

[Emir Lima]

Hello! My name is Emir Lima, and I'm from Brazil. I am a software engineer and currently working in a software company for clinical laboratories in the city of Fortaleza. I'm 26 years old, married and I live only with my wife. And I have only a few hours from weekends to work on my game.

I play video games since age 5. I started with Master System, specifically with WWF Wrestlemania Steel Cage Challenge:


Since then I never stopped playing and the games that marked my life were Chrono Trigger (the first game that thrilled me and with the best soundtrack of all time), Metal Warriors (the best local multiplayer and best theme: MECHS!) , Gunbound (my first online game and first addiction), Halo (the best online multiplayer), The King of Fighters 98 (this game has created an incredible rivalry with my brother and sparked our creativity to the first step that we would give to the journey of developing games), Dragon Ball Advance (it was the game that made me have a mindblow and create a whole amazing game in my imagination) and Aquaria (the game that made me believe that I could create my own games, even without having a multi-million dollar company from behind).

Between 2006 and 2009 I produced the Terry vs Kyo animation with my brother:




In 2010 I started studying programming and I joined a team to develop our own games and our first game (still in development) is Trajes Fatais, a classic 2D fighting game with high quality pixel art and simplified but deep controls.

Currently I seek finish my game with my team, sell it on Steam and start to live working only with my games full time, and someday develop the perfect game that's in my head from the beginning of it all.

[thestrangers]

We are The Strangers. Working on cross media projects, including a to-be-named platformer. The motivation and passion of this community is wonderful to see. Our experience ranges from web development to concept work to asset generation. Feel free to get in touch.

[Dungeon Of Zaar]

Hello everyone !

We are three french dev (two progammers and one artist), Noe, Clery and Vincent, currently working on our first project. We grew up playing video games and board games. As new guys on the field, we think we can learn a lot from more experienced people. It feels good to see such a nice community !

Have a good day !

[filiph]

Hi, I'm Filip.

My most recent face below. (One of these days I'll find out how to actually upload an avatar. The profile page on this forum just shows an empty <select> whatever I do.)



I currently work at Google but making games has been my passion since the nineties. More recently, I'm extremely interested in bringing what I call "open-world books" to life.



Imagine something like Fallout, Skyrim, or Mass Effect, but in prose. I'll share more in a separate post but basically,

• Instead of low level visualization by polygons in 3d, you have higher level prose.
• Instead of low level choices like left right forward backward shoot, you have higher level, more strategic choices.
• But it's still a simulation (not a predefined tree/onion path)

So you can have freedom, creative play, unique player experiences, exploration, emergent gameplay, all that. But it's a book.



How? AI. I'm letting AI do the low level work for the players, so it can only offer them the higher level choices, and then execute the chosen ones for them in a simulated world. (But of course it's not as easy as it sounds, and 90% of what you see in screenshots above is hand-written. But still. Pretty cool if I do say so myself. ) There's some more info on the official page I set up. And I made a prototype for Ludum Dare a year ago.

I've been frequenting interactive fiction forums but I realized egamebook has much more in common with indie gamedev than with IF.

Anyway, glad to be part of your community! I've posted before (sharing my resource for space games - a realistic 2d map of space) but never properly introduced myself. How rude of me! 

[gimymblert]

SO something like Versu? Are you familiar with teh work of Emily Short?

[filiph]

SO something like Versu? Are you familiar with teh work of Emily Short?

Versu is focused on characters and social interactions, afaik. Which is amazing and I love that. Chris Crawford (who has been doing something similar since the 90s) is one of my heroes. I'm personally striving for something that's maybe a little bit more general-purpose, in which you could do something like Versu, but also something like a boxing simulator (to give a really stupid example).

EDIT: But to be clear, I never had the chance to actually play a Versu game, so all I know about that game system is 2nd hand knowledge. Maybe it's more similar to what I try to build than I think?

[gimymblert]

I would say versu is invested in SOLVING freeform character interaction, but the author had made a system that is pretty much reactive to anything, you can't have a generic solution without freeform character, and her is as generic as possible since it does have complex social interactions.

She has extensive experience about text base game and text interface, and is IMHO the best living game designer right now, her breakdown of game structure are generally super spot on, because text game has the burden of normal game + text presentation, which is imho much more complex than spawning mesh everywhere with a nice shader. Chris crawford is a noob near her works.

It's important to know the text games aren't only turn base affair with description/reaction pair mazes. they tried to tackle real time, simulation, etc ... all through text interface, and because parsing text offer a bigger surface of actions than a paddle, they also had to deal with infinite permutation of action and intent from the player. Many lessons could be directly translated directly to "modern action adventure rpg" games but the two community seems to be separated by a big wall of misconception about each other.

That's why I'm always asking to any people who consider some type of game: do you know Emily Short's works? https://emshort.wordpress.com/