Well, it’s two years passed since I started this project. Last time I updated it around one year ago – you can check my prev notices about it here. But you will ask me – “and what? you developed your game – cool, now what?”. And here I will explain to you that it was totally disaster for me and why. Running ahead – game is done:
Download – here.
Wrong engine.
Yeap, I selected wrong engine. And I really don’t understand now – how it can be like so. I selected LibGDX – as it was on Java (in what I have some experience), and because it was marked like “for beginners”, and as cross-platform engine. I began develop my game on PC, and it was really strong (“stupid” as I see) idea in my head – that once it will be ok on PC – it will be ok on mobile. Well, I finished PC version, compiled it for mobile and uploaded to my Huawei Honor 3. Start on mobile – and it’s just main menu screen – and nothing that I can do. I thought that this is some kind of error – begin to debug – but there was actually no error. It was something around 0 (zero!) FPS in main menu. Just to draw UI – it required all my phone capabilities!
What to do? Sure, there should be some “thing” that was codded wrong. I removed almost everything from game to test – and it was able to grow-up FPS to 5-6 in menu (to draw only UI elements), and to 1 (one!) FPS in actually game – where there was nothing at all but player robot!
In this moment I realized that I can’t release “this” as a game for mobile. There was another thing that disturbed me – this app on PC required to be Java installed, with certain version. So, need to go to other engine.
Searching…
Googled for cross-platform engines one more time. Unity and Unreal engines was first of the row. Ok, let’s try them out 😉 Desidion here was harder – because I had some knowlendge about C++ (for Unreal), and nothing about C# (for Unity). So, decided just give a try for each other.
Unreal go first 😉
Selected Unreal first – just because:
- I thought that C++ will be “faster” then C# (actually – it’s faster, but this is really does not matter for you if you are beginner).
- I liked Unreal games in my childhood (remember when Unreal was not only engine ?))
Installed, first run, some tutorials, test scenes, bluescripts, etc…… Can’t find right way. Tried some things to make 2D gaming – really hard to understand how to implement (it’s me or .?…..). “Well, let’s try Unity, and check” – I thought 😉
Unity on stage
Sure, Unity was more suitable for me. Some part of it was already designed to make 2D games – that was required. I understand that this is always 3D OpenGL render in any case, but you need to know something about it – to be able to switch camera in right mode, to find what phys elements you need to use (don’t need to use full 3D phys – if there are only 2D – right?). So, Unity was selected as an engine for my next iteration.
Spend a whole year – just for simple 2D game? Really?!!!
Well, you are right – it should be faster. But…. First of all – it required to learn something (C# is not really complicated – but it’s new for me), learn some basics of Unity and it’s possibilities, make some test small tutorials – you know, some standard “Hello World” – but in several parts of engine.
It required try to understand – what it’s need to be done for now. I really wanted to make mobile app – so I tested each time I add something new to game – on my phone, and try to make it as smooth as I can.
And if you are developer – you can understand me: once you think that you now something – it give you new challenge 😉 Once you understand how to draw simple things with simple physics – you begin to learn particles. Particles done – animations. Then lights, AI, map generation, and more, and more……
And it’s 2 years of development passed, game released on Google Play – and nothing! Really – nothing, 1-2 downloads (my girlfriend uploaded it and commented – thank you*)), no search results, no analytics (it’s always zero everywhere):
For now – I will try to increase this number and continue publishing updates of it, or “how to make installs more then 1” 😉 Stay connected, subscribe, download app, try it – and leave comments on google play!
P.s. It’s tottaly free game, without any AD. Made just for you 😉