News! Tech! Tools! Talks! Games! And Stuff Worth Sharing!

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 12 Dec 2022, 01:39

Oh seems like the latest version of free audio editing tool, Audacity, is finally catching a bit up to modern software standards.

Audacity 3.2


https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 12 Dec 2022, 09:24

EPISODE 25: PLAYTEST OR FAIL! With guest Jonathan Bonillas from Nordisk Games
Today we talk about playtesting and user experience with Jonathan Bonillas, User Research Manager at Nordisk Games. He worked on 60+ games, and has extensive experience with conducting user tests and providing that data to developers and publishers.

https://www.idsu.dk/podcast/episode-25

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 12 Dec 2022, 09:57

Stable Diffusion 2.1 demo is also out.

Only did a few tests..But compared to the stuff I tired out in Midjourney v4. It's lagging behind. Other things on the interwebs looks pretty cool though.

But free is free and it's always fun to see what the different AI systems does differently. Obviously a lot of artists are not happy about these new AI tools. Which indeed is a threat to their livelihood depending on the situation and trained on their collective work.

https://huggingface.co/spaces/stability ... -diffusion

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 12 Dec 2022, 13:04

Oh yeah there is also the latest AI in OpenAI ChatGPT. I'm sure you are already familiar with it.

Writing scripts in Blender now. Simple but it seems to be actually working.

It's certainly a new world we are entering. AI at this level and beyond are the biggest thing to happen since the birth of computing and the internet. And will affect our lives from now and to the end in only increasing ways.

Also.. I'm sure the big corpos will pretty much own the space. So there is that. At least OpenAI is open source.



It's remarkable what it already can do... and not slowing down.
https://chat.openai.com/

Locally or VR sculpting extraordinary Martin Nebelong did this little thing.

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 12 Dec 2022, 22:23

Just a quick free software recommendation. It's not new or anything. But if you are looking for an excellent video editing tool for trailers or what not. I can highly recommend DaVinci Resolve 18. Haven't touched video editing in ages but I think it does what you would expect from the likes of Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas etc.
It IS a professional tool that just happens to be completely free in it's basic version no BS.

Did a small test in it for my project. It was just super intuitive and smooth to work with, didn't watch a single tutorial.



Go grab it here for your software arsenal
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... nciresolve

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 13 Dec 2022, 01:42

So Epic is working on a new metaverse programming language called 'verse'.

It probably sounds great in theory?! (Not a real programmer here.. so I don't really know) ;)
But let's see where that goes and if it will ever gain widespread adoption that could actually justify it's existence. I don't mind their initative at all.. all good in the sense of trying a new approach.
The whole fluffy poorly defined metaverse train everybody is already tired of seems to be going nowhere at the moment. Unless you start defining pretty much any social online space (VRChat, Roblox etc. that actually works. Almost not including Meta's broken Horizon Worlds ;) ) as part of the metaverse. But these things already has their own integrations.
So anything online social thing would be have to be written to support verse from the getgo. AND would have to out compete existing solutions to a certain self-supporting degree. Quite the tall order..... So yeah.. not overly optimistic here. Maybe it will be useful for a certain few cases in 3-5 years and out. If Epic can launch their own >successful< metaverse thing (or take Fortnite in that direction) I can see at least see one use case in the shorter run. ;) It is clear they are working on something in this direction, but how it lands.. only time will tell.

Beyond Functional Programming: The Verse Programming Language (Simon Peyton Jones)

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 13 Dec 2022, 17:47

Ghost of a Tale is currently free on GOG for a limited time
https://www.gog.com/en/game/ghost_of_a_tale

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 13 Dec 2022, 18:05

Restoring the Forest: Capturing the Themes of 'Kena' Through VFX

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 14 Dec 2022, 12:25

First it came for the 2D artist.. then it came for the 3D artists. ;)

Looks pretty damn good for prompts in these early times! There are also a few other AI 3D model generators out there Google and Nvidia is working on.

There is a waiting list to join Lumenlabs Imagine 3D if you are interested.

The GLB output from Imagine 3D is in theory usable for games. Just obviously not perfect out of the box game assets.
Grabbed a random model and it uses four different materials for something that should just have had one and diffuse maps only. The mesh is also a very triangle mushy soft blob of semi hipoly proportions and needs welding. But it's a start and if it works it works! And could be used practically in certain instances. With a bit of retopology, UV islands and baking it starts to look better.

Still early days! It will probably look absolutely amazing in not too long. Characters might even come AI rigged and AI animated out of the box soon. (These things are already happening in other projects)



Nvidia working on something


Dreamfusion
https://dreamfusion3d.github.io/


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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 14 Dec 2022, 14:40

The physics/AI based animation tool Cascadeur has reached it's first real release version.

Free for small projects! (Slightly limited)



https://cascadeur.com/

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 15 Dec 2022, 00:41

PortaPlays Broken Lines is now out on all major console platforms.


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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 15 Dec 2022, 23:29

A few DK games in Hitman 1+2 and ECHO (from the now bankrupt Ultra Ultra) in the current Best of Stealth Bundle at Humble Bundle.

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/best ... ore-bundle

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 16 Dec 2022, 01:09

DK ('ish.. partly I think?!) release!

Image

Image


'Zak the Maniac - An Interactive Music Video' (I call it game) ;)
A promotional cross over game for the band Error 47's album. Where Zak Mckracken visits Maniac Mansion 35 years later.
(Loved these games as a kid)

Ron Gilbert worked on both of the original games.. now mostly famous for his work on the Monkey Island series.

Loved playing this one through. The first door puzzle was almost turning me off when working on limited time. But after that it was pretty smooth sailing.
There are some bugs and jankiness here and there and it would have been nice with even more references to the old games and what happened meanwhile.

But overall I totally enjoyed it a lot! But I am also high on nostalgia here. That may not be the case for you.

Also this is a DAMN good way to do a "sequel" to a beloved retro franchise. So happy it's not 're-imagined' graphics but is mostly true to the original games. Doing transparency IS illegal though.. but I'll let it pass.. just in this case. ;)

Grab 'Zak the Maniac' here:
https://error47band.itch.io/maniaczak

Their retro PC DOS page on Bandcamp
https://error47.bandcamp.com/




Completely unrelated! Some nerds did a 30th Anniversary Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders Theme Music Flamenco video. C64 style.. very cute! :D


Maniac Mansion: The Most Influential Game with Disembodied Tentacles


Meteor Mess....... and this how you do NOT do a remake... jeeez.. flippin kill me.


Maniac Mansion Deluxe. An unofficial 1:1 remake of the original in VGA style.
https://archive.org/details/Maniac_Mansion_Deluxe

YAS! Original Zak McKracken theme on PC Speaker... rocking!

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 17 Dec 2022, 11:02

John Carmack leaves Meta!

Here are his goodbye notes
https://uploadvr.com/john-carmack-exits-meta

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 17 Dec 2022, 11:08

DK release from solodev White Cat Games.

Eye of D'akess



Out on itch and steam

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 17 Dec 2022, 14:59

15 days of free games on the Epic Store!
Today is: Horizon Chase Turbo

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 17 Dec 2022, 23:38

Dream 3D - New Blender 3D Tool For All!


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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 18 Dec 2022, 11:22

A few tips from Lasse and his Mage og Monster indie success


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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 18 Dec 2022, 11:26

Ok ok.. Kojima Productions probably just took the crown in fancy scifi like office space.


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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 18 Dec 2022, 14:38

HOW TO MARKET DURING THE STEAM NEXT FEST: OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FEBRUARY 2022 EDITION

https://howtomarketagame.com/2022/03/03 ... 2-edition/

Also available in this tweet
https://twitter.com/AdventureMtn/status ... rXPL8IBgqw

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 19 Dec 2022, 13:13

RIP and a final goodbye to Build A World!

A technological impressive (for the time.. still even), self-published, Minecraft-like, world building game/simulation with a focus on a more contemporary realistic setting.

Sadly it never really got of the ground from a player base perspective. It was a tough genre to compete in with Minecraft still reigning supreme. Even with BAW's unique take.

Build A World was helmed by Søren Grønbech (Sodan) of vintage fame from the C64 and Amiga days.
The game has been going on for the last 10 years+. With some posts here on the site in the early days of development 2013-2014'ish.

After having been trying to find commercial footing for the project for a while in the early years. They decided to refocus their efforts on an educational version, with Build A World EDU. But in the end this didn't do the trick either. And on all accounts I consider the project graveyarded by now.
Adding: Talked to Søren.. and yes the company will also be closing down.

Cheers to the devs for trying to hang in there all these years! And good luck to all involved! :)

9 years old video of the project


Finally the earthquake happened I guess. :cry:


You can go history digging and see the progress of the project through the ages here.
https://www.youtube.com/@officialbuilda ... 652/videos

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 19 Dec 2022, 22:17

Not hard to guess! But the suit outperforms video A.I.

But if you don't really care all about super quality I guess the video could be used just fine for cheapo prototyping or maybe even intentional jankiness.
Also clearly the Smart Suit 2 performs 'decently', but there is still a long way to go to reach perfection in all cases.

I could see a future where physics and AI works in conjunction with an even better suit/tracker capture for affordable near-perfect motion capture. The software alone could go really far.
Eventually pure video capture might even get there with enough work on A.I.

Rokoko Smart Suit 2 vs Rokoko Video A.I.

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 21 Dec 2022, 20:11

LEGO Builder's Journey from Copenhagen is free for a very limited time on the Epic store

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/leg ... rs-journey

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 23 Dec 2022, 12:06

DK Indie release (Mainly I think)


Reclaim: The Lost Caverns

Reclaim is a retro-style 2D platformer dungeon-crawler set in a dark and ominous world. Players take on the role of a brave adventurer on a quest to reclaim an ancient artifact from the depths of a sprawling dungeon.

As they explore the treacherous underground labyrinth, players will encounter all manner of dangers, including traps, puzzles, and fierce monsters. They must use their agility, quick reflexes, and combat skills to overcome these challenges and make their way deeper into the dungeon.

With its classic pixel art style and challenging gameplay, Reclaim is a nostalgicically fun and thrilling adventure for fans of old-school dungeon crawlers and platformers.


Made by NTh1nk, T0ogle, FlamingoJames and Saidyt




Web playable
https://nth1nk.itch.io/reclaim

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Unread post by jonaz.dk » 24 Dec 2022, 19:17

So many people online... remember to go celebrate some Christmas time! ;) Or more originally Yuletide.

Glædelig jul! <3

And some music to go along!


Merry Christmas everyone!
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