Moonstuck is Literally Impossible, Stop Now

When I posted this game, the dev joked to me that I’d done a really great job, which if you watch this video, you’ll realize is hilarious. The game is literally impossible. What? Why am I writing about that? It’s free, otherwise, there’d be an uproar on Steam. Gameplay Moonstuck is a 2D platformer from CozyGames and Black County Games available on Steam just released today. It utilizes a very difficult mechanic involving… Read the rest

Tech Time: Get Copyright Free Music For Your Projects

There is an internet vast and full of stuff for putting together specific stuff with other stuff to make intended stuff. Having tested so many games for this site, I thought, “surely, all these fun audiovisual orchestrations must be tapped into some incredibly useful free music material source.” Well… they are. When I went to learn what was involved in making my visual novel, this surprisingly was not so simple. Do not get… Read the rest

The Truth About Writing Characters You Love

Writing characters to seem real is essentially the sport of writing in a nutshell. Yet whether you are writing a book, engaging in some tabletop roleplaying, or creating a homunculus in your basement, there are some strategies. In fact, the title of this article was inspired by a very famous author I saw on television talking about how little time he spent developing story parts that it all actually sounded kind of–well–easy. The… Read the rest

The Ultimate Truth on World Building

This article is a how-to on world building in writing. This article is equally accessible to creative writers, visual novel devs, and game devs. The devs are, of course, in the worldbuilding phase, but perhaps there is even another application I’ve overlooked, screenplay writing maybe. If you don’t even know what I’m talking about? Don’t worry! This is a general concept here. So, with that, let’s get you started. “Guys, where ARE we?”… Read the rest

Dev Tech: GoDot Tilemap Tips You Need Now

Let’s talk about Godot tilemaps. Have you ever played a 2D platformer or Metroidvania and wanted to know how it is made? Maybe you are already making one. I’m back for another insight into the cryptic, enigmatic, secretive, open-source world of indie game development. Tongue-in-cheek there. But I am reaching out to you devs out there to talk about some very useful primary knowledge in Godot TileMaps! Particularly beginners. Before You Start This… Read the rest

Make Dialogue Sound Effects With Tyranobuilder

Welcome back to another article in my how-to series for gamers and game makers. Today I’ll be talking about making a dialogue blip sound effect in Tyranobuilder free! Sometimes known as dialogue blip. You might be able to use this in Ren’Py or VN Maker, or even other dev projects. Tyranobuilder is where I’ve staked my claim though right now. The sound effect is universally compatible though, just change the part where you… Read the rest

Visual Novel Background Creation Can Be Easy and Free

Welcome, inspired readers, writers, and ambitious game devs to a new tutorial to assist in your personal game dev projects and how to make free visual novel background images at no cost. I’ve been truly inspired by how many people visited my character generator tutorial, that I’m back for another. I mostly cover indie game highlights with several visual novel reviews. But I am also developing a visual novel in Tyranobuilder, which you… Read the rest

The Character Creator is a Free Tool For World Building

I talked earlier today about using character creators for game creation, particularly for a visual novel. I went on a hunt, first on Itch.IO, but then on Google. It took me less than a minute to find a free 2D character creator to work as a visual novel character maker. Here is a video of it in use. I trimmed the video so you didn’t have to do a click-play to a full… Read the rest

#indiegamedev AWESOME! #2 I Made A Game!

I made a game! In Issue #1 of #indiegamedev AWESOME, I said that my game-making skills were uncertain, to say the least. Well, I want to revise that, I have it in me and so do you! There was a very prominent alert in my brain that said “Mr. Dave Pizza, you have to make a game.” I felt like Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams. Now, let’s not ever talk about that… Read the rest

#indiegamedev AWESOME #1: Getting Started

Welcome to this fabulous new journey you’ve been initiated into in my new section dedicated to indie game development, #indiegamedev Awesome! You might remember me from articles such as Never Heard of That or Been There Done That. Okay, those aren’t real articles, and I’m not Troy McClure, but I’m going to give this my best shot. This is a weird subject for me. The whole indie game development topic, not just this… Read the rest