Oddur Magnusson (🌱)

As a freelance rigger, I need to make sure my builds have a lot of flexibility. So I've recently reworked my lid modules to add variable joint counts. By utilizing a curve-based output I can changed the amount of joints used based on the needs of the project. Higher joint counts for fidelity and control, lower counts for simplicity and optimization. Or I can test and iterate to find a happy middle ground. So animators using my rigs on film or game projects can enjoy the same features, such as: - Automated lid follow with eye movement - Main controls to position the lids through translation and sculpt the curvature with rotation/scale  - Secondary controls for finer detail (If there are enough joints to support it) - Manual or automated blinking. Animate controls, or activate the automated meet point between your posed lids for a perfect seal I've been using iterations of this system over my last few projects, both commercials and games. The core elements of this system have been floating around in my head since 2018, so it's been great to finally put it to the test. 

1.528

27 Kommentare

Core Loop in Top Casual Games Together with Playliner (by SensorTower), we analyzed the main gameplay loop of several games: - Homescapes - Monopoly GO - Royal Match - Match Factory - Coin Master - Travel Town The most interesting observation is that the live ops of top games are deeply integrated into the gameplay loop, becoming an essential part of it rather than a separate activity. ---- More mobile game references at: https://playliner.com

414

5 Kommentare

Creating a new IP on a “triple A” scale for under $30 million might sound impossible, but Cronos: The New Dawn from Bloober Team proves otherwise. The game cost less than $30 million to make, thanks in part to Poland’s lower development costs and Bloober’s refined production pipelines. Some might call it a regional advantage, others a skill issue. Either way, the result is a major new release built on efficiency. Several factors explain how a studio like Bloober can deliver a large-scale, ambitious game without reaching the massive budgets seen in the U.S. or Western Europe. First, Poland has a lower cost of living compared to major game development hubs such as California, London, or Montreal. This immediately reduces the baseline cost of production. Second, Bloober has built up deep expertise and production pipelines over years of development. With titles like Layers of Fear, The Medium, and the ongoing Silent Hill 2 remake, the studio has refined workflows, asset pipelines, and in-house tools. That efficiency means less wasted time and fewer resources spent reinventing the wheel for each project. Third, Polish studios often benefit from favorable tax incentives and government programs designed to support the country’s growing video game sector. Grants and subsidies help reduce risk and keep budgets lean, even on ambitious projects. Fourth, Bloober has developed a reputation for focusing on tightly scoped experiences. Rather than sprawling open-worlds with endless side content, the studio delivers narrative-driven games with carefully designed environments. This creative discipline means production resources can be concentrated, reducing the need for ballooning teams or endless content creation. Finally, Bloober’s strategy has always emphasized specialization. By focusing on psychological horror and atmospheric storytelling, the studio can reuse its technical expertise, motion capture setups, and even some core design philosophies across projects. That specialization keeps development costs down while still producing games that feel fresh and unique. All of this adds up to a situation where Cronos: The New Dawn can be built for under $30 million, a fraction of what AAA publishers often spend, yet still position itself as a premium release targeting console players. Can't wait to play.

250

20 Kommentare

Two formalized resources: Amir Likes Me and Complete Job Search Playbook Folks, all the time we are tinkering with new resources for Amir Satvat's Games Community. Sometimes what we add is brand new. In other cases, we have run extensive trials and, based on consistent and strong feedback, decide to formalize them. Today is one of those times. The first is Amir Likes Me. Once a month, you can let me know about a job search post that is at least partially for a role in games. I will add a supportive comment to help boost its visibility. Over the lifetime of our community, I have done about 200 of these. The feedback has been uniformly positive, so I am formalizing it as a resource. This is not a miracle fix, but it is one more way to get more eyes on your post and more connections. It is now on our homepage with a Google form for tracking. I am also adding statistics for this to our bi-weekly community updates so you can see the data on its impact. I will start the tracking at 200, per the data above. Link: https://lnkd.in/gUUuRSjd The second is the Complete Job Search Playbook. This PDF checklist, distilled from a LinkedIn post that received very positive feedback, outlines everything I would consider before calling a job search complete. I know the list is long and that not every candidate can do everything on it for many reasons. This is respected and that is not the goal. It is meant to be a short, printable document you can use to check off actions over any period of time and find new ideas you may not have tried, whether that is just one of them or all of them. Link: https://lnkd.in/gF_gj4rS Neither of these will be numbered resources, but both are now in our resource library, which is linked from our homepage. I hope many of you will use Amir Likes Me to boost your search posts and the checklist to expand your job search activities. Link to Overall Resource Library: https://lnkd.in/eE9EXB5M A big thank you to Desirée R., who helped with UX, resource planning, branding, and design. She did an excellent job. I appreciate your engagement and amplification of this post so we can get this help into the hands of as many games jobseekers as possible. Thank you games community for the continued privilege of serving you.

164

15 Kommentare

Quick trick to cut the bandwidth usage of your online game by 87% when sending status effects ("Poisoned, stunned, etc.."): Store all status effects in a bitmask instead of using a boolean for each of them. "bool stunned", "bool slowed", "bool poisoned" -> take 1 byte each. "byte statusEffects" -> takes 1 byte in total [0000 0000], each bit represents a specific status effect (up to 8) If the value of the bit is "1", you are affected by that state. For example: "Poisoned" is the right-most bit -> its integer value is "1" "Slowed" is the bit before it-> its integer value is "2" You're Poisoned and Slowed? then your statusEffects' value is 3 => [0000 0011] in binary Want to know if you're Poisoned? Just use a bitwise AND with the value of the status: If (statusEffects & 1) == 1 --> you're slowed If (statusEffects & 2) == 1 --> you're poisoned If your game has up to 8 status effects, this trick will save you up to 7 bytes on each character/npc instance, which makes a lot of difference at scale (you pay 87% less for bandwidth, and encoding/decoding packages requires less CPU!) #JustDevIt  #gamedevelopment #multiplayer #netcode #optimization

98

36 Kommentare

building apps is so different (and fun too) compared to games: Apps: 🌟 you want the user to get their stuff done ASAP 🌟 success = reducing friction and steps to completion 🌟 users judge you on efficiency and reliability 🌟 monetization often comes from subscriptions or one-time purchases 🌟 users want to forget they're using your app (but come back for solutions) 🌟 apps require a horizontal approach - you focus on different set of features Games: 🌝 you want the player to stay for as long as possible 🌝 success = engagement, retention, and emotional investment 🌝 players judge you on fun, challenge, and surprise 🌝 monetization comes from time spent and in-game purchases 🌝 players want to be immersed and entertained 🌝 games require a vertical product approach - you go deep on content i am building a couple of IOS apps in the coming weeks, focusing on pure IAPs: 1) no ads - so no dealing of constant optimization of ad networks and SDKs 2) leverage my video creation skills to drive downloads via tiktok my view-to-download conversion on tiktok (for games) is a solid 1.5-2% and i hope it can be replicated to app videos too! apps generally have a higher ARPU, which means even videos with low views could make good $$$! #videogames #apps

41

6 Kommentare

Can you built a Unity game WITHOUT opening the Unity Editor? Yes, it’s possible. In my latest experiment, I used Cursor AI + GitHub to build a full-fledged Tic-Tac-Toe game — and the best part? I didn’t even open the Unity game engine until the final stage! Here’s what I did: ✅ Created a GitHub repo ✅ Connected it with Cursor AI ✅ Gave a few well-crafted prompts ✅ Watched as the AI handled scripting, scene setup, and logic — all from VS Code 🎮 From generating HTML versions to refining a Unity-native build, this process was a mix of automation, iteration, and a little manual intervention. But it proved one thing loud and clear: AI is not just assisting, it’s evolving the way we build games. ✨ I also created additional public repos including: An Object Pooling system A Procedural Story Generator 👨‍💻 Check out the full breakdown and live demo in my new video: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dHvkBv-h If you're a Unity developer (or even just curious), this is a must-watch. #GameDevelopment #Unity3D #CursorAI #AItools #GitHub #CodingWithAI #IndieDev #GameDevTools #LinkedInGaming #NikhilMalankar

75

6 Kommentare

Just to be clear, I welcome the European Commission's approach of minimising regulatory fragmentation in the European digital single market area and carefully balancing European competitiveness against high European standards on consumer protection. "The EGDF report also highlights the fragmented nature of state support for game developers, with countries such as France and Belgium offering extensive funding schemes, while others provide little or none. Kaleva also raised concerns over incoming EU consumer protection rules, though he welcomed the European Commission’s approach to the planned Digital Fairness Act." https://lnkd.in/evyQaUum

23

What is a Game Producer? It’s one of the most common questions I'm asked. Ask 10 studios what a producer does, and you’ll hear 10 different answers: program manager, scrum master, firefighter, team mom, cat wrangler. The truth is - a Game Producer is all of those things, and more! At its core, the producer role exists to bring clarity to a project. ➖ Clarity of plan - what are we building, when is it due, and why are we building it? ➖ Clarity of pipeline - is the work flowing, where are the bottlenecks and how do we fix them? ➖ Clarity of people - who owns what, who's doing what, and do they have the support they need? ➖ Clarity of proof - are we on track, what evidence do we have? That clarity helps to make better decisions, lets teams move faster and focus on what really matters: making great games. But clarity doesn’t come from templates or tools alone. It comes from trust and trust is earned. ✅ Trust across disciplines that you’ll listen, understand their needs and translate that to other disciplines. ✅ Trust from the team that you’ll shield them when needed, and push them when it matters. ✅ Trust from leadership that you can deliver what you’ve committed. Good producers work for their teams, they try to navigate around roadblocks and support both people and project. That balance is what separates a task-tracking coordinator, a paper pusher, from a true game production leader. I’ve seen producers rescue launches, re-align studios, and calm chaos in ways that made the difference between a failed project and a global hit! So - what is a Game Producer? A translator. A planner. A protector. A challenger. The person in the room who doesn’t make the game, but makes sure the game gets made. If you’re curious about how to step into that role, how to transition from outside the games industry, or how to sharpen the skills you already use, my Game Production course is built exactly for that. We dig into the frameworks, the signals, and the lived experience that help you grow from “smart teammate” to “trusted lead.” Next cohort starts Sept 30th. You can pick up the learnings here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gec77gcq

56

6 Kommentare