Video Archives - Oxmond Technology

DarkSwarm Dev Log: 6 Month of Game Development in Unreal Engine 5.1

Oxmond Technology — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:20:12 +0000

This is a devlog of DarkSwarm – our current project

A half year ago I started a new game company with one of my old friends
This post is about the result of the first six months of hard work.

We started our company in 2023, and currently, we are only working on Darkswarm, a top-down alien shooter. The game supports 1-4 players and can be played both online and as local co-op. But more on that later.

As some of you may know, I’ve been working with all aspects of game development for over 20 years. Back in the days, I primarily worked with Macromedia Flash, then later switched over to Unity. For DarkSwarm, we are exclusively using Unreal Engine 5, so it’s been quite a learning experience for me as I had to learn Blueprint and brush up on my C++.

So to get a demo up and running quickly, we started by using some pre-built templates from the Unreal Marketplace. Among them were the Top Down Kit: Shooter and Advanced Locomotion System – ALS. With these two systems, we were able to quickly create something visually that we could present.

On the business side, we were fortunate enough to be signed by Ghost Ship Publishing, the developers b ehind Deep Rock Galactic. Woohoo! Ghost Ship wanted to make a major announcement, so we were supposed to have a demo video ready by March 1st. The problem was, at that point, we didn’t really have any gameplay we could showcase.
“Necessity teaches the naked woman to spin,” as they say. We quickly put together some elements for a small mission, at least to make it look like we had a demo game. It was pure ‘Fake it till you make it!’

At that time, hardly anything in the game was functional and we were having major issues maintaining a decent frame rate, having added too many unoptimized assets and effects to the game too quickly. Coding bugs were all over the place, but that was relatively easily fixed as we simply cut them out of the video. Finally, we managed to put together a decent video and were ready for the announcement day.

To our big surprise, it was a relatively big hit. The video has been viewed over 400,000 times and, as of speaking, over 28,000 people have wishlisted Darkswarm on Steam. In April, we hired our first employees for our company, and we’ve gone from being a 2-man team to a solid 7-man development squad. We anticipate growing to 9 employees over the summer.

About Darkswarm

DarkSwarm takes place in a dystopian sci-fi universe where strange creatures mysteriously appear. You and your friends will be a badass team sent into a space to “clean up.”

You can choose to play as either Assault, Hacker, Engineer, or Medic. Each class has customized weapons and abilities.

In the mission we’re currently working on, the goal is to power an atomic reactor on an abandoned space station.To start the reactor, the team needs to bring a reactor core to the power plant. It sounds like a simple mission, but who knows what lurks in the dark corridors. I can hint that if you find a minigun during the mission, just pick it up. It might come in handy later.

All of our missions are procedurally generated, meaning if you choose to play the same mission again, the level will look completely different the next time. We’re developing the entire game based on the “co-op first” concept, meaning it should be fun and entertaining to work together on a common task.

In the first half-year, we have focused on local co-op, and in the next half, we will prioritize getting the network code to work. We are also trying to upgrade the project from Unreal 5.1 to 5.2, which hasn’t been as smooth as we had anticipated. At least twice a week, we run 4-player tests with the entire team, constantly fine-tuning the balance between the different classes, weapons, abilities, and adjusting the difficulty level.

Many of our followers compare us to classics like Alien Swarm & GTFO and while our gameplay in many ways is different and more modern, there’s no doubt that if you like classic alien shooters, you’ll definitely enjoy smashing monsters with your friends in DarkSwarm. All things considered, I think we’ve come a long way. Especially considering our team has only had 10 weeks to deliver. I can’t wait to show you our progress in the next dev log.

We’re very happy with the results so far and we’re really looking forward to releasing the first demos to our community. Our plan is to release the game as Steam Early Access in December 2024, and we’ll definitely let you know when we’re about ready. Depending on how that goes, we may consider porting it to consoles afterward. But that’s a bit down the line. First thing is to fix all the bugs in the game

If you want to see more screenshots and videos, make sure to wishlist us on our Steam page, where we also post regular updates:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2303200/DarkSwarm/

I might also post a dev log here from time to time, but I can’t promise how often that’ll be.
Remember, we’re very open to input, ideas, and feedback from our community, so don’t hesitate to leave comments below.

You’re also very welcome to follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. but we’ll break the news first on our Steam page.

See you soon – and may your ammo feed never jam.

The post DarkSwarm Dev Log: 6 Month of Game Development in Unreal Engine 5.1 appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

iTween Animation Examples

Oxmond Technology — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:58:13 +0000

Using iTween animations in your Unity game
Need to script an animation in Unity, but can not remember exactly how? Look no further. Here is an overview of the most used iTween animation features.

So was is iTween exactly?
iTween is a great script animation framework which you can download for free from the Unity Asset Store
With iTween you can move, rotate, fade, scale, control variables, colors and more!

If you are new to Unity/iTween or scripting I strongly recommend that you watch the video tutorial first – otherwise, just have fun with the examples. You’ll find iTween download links etc. at the bottom of this page.

Basic MOVE animation:

// Move the gameobject to x-position 5.0 in 1 second 
iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 5, "time", 1, "islocal", true));

Basic SCALE animation:

// Scale the gameobject to 2.0 in 1 second 
iTween.ScaleTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 2, "y", 2, "time", 1));

Basic FADE animation:

// Fade the gameobject to half transparent in 1 second 
iTween.FadeTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("alpha", 0.5, "time", 1));

Basic ROTATE animation:

// Rotage the gameobject 45 degrees in 2 seconds 
iTween.RotateTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("z", 45, "time", 2));

Using EASE IN/EASE OUT:

// Move gameobject using EASE OUT animation
iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 3, "time", 2,"easetype", iTween.EaseType.easeOutElastic));

Get a list of all the easeTypes in the Inspector:

// Make a public variable to select the easeType from the inspector:
public iTween.EaseType easeType;

// Using the variable:
iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 3, "time", 2,"easetype", easeType));

Calling a function after the animation using ONCOMPLETE:
(Don’t forget the “oncompletetarget” parameter. Otherwise it won’t work)

void OnCompleteExample() {
   // Move the gameobject and call another function when done:
   iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 5, "time", 2 ,"oncomplete", "ActionAfterTweenComplete", "oncompletetarget", gameObject));
}

void ActionAfterTweenComplete()    {
   print("Tween is DONE!");
}

Animation DELAY:

// Animate the gameobject after 3 seconds:
print("Waiting 3 seconds...");
iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("x", 5, "time", 1, "delay", 3, "islocal", true));

Create animation LOOPS:

// Animate the gameobject up and down in an endless loop:
iTween.MoveTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("y", 3, "time", 1.4, "looptype", "pingpong", "easetype", iTween.EaseType.easeInOutQuad));

Tween a VARIABLE:

void TweenVariableExample()  {
   // Count to 100 over 3 seconds:
   iTween.ValueTo(gameObject, iTween.Hash("from", 1, "to", 100, "time", 2, "onupdatetarget", gameObject, "onupdate", "UpdateCounter"));
}

void UpdateCounter(int newValue) {
   print(newValue);
}

Fade/animate COLORS:

// Will fade the gameObject to RED:
private void TweenToColorToRed()
{
     iTween.ColorTo(myGameObject, Color.red, 1.0f);
}

// Will fade the gameboject to pink hex color:
private void TweenToColorToPinkHex()
{
     Color myColor;
     ColorUtility.TryParseHtmlString("#fc00c4", out myColor);
     iTween.ColorTo(BG, myColor, 1.0f);
}

STOP tweens/animations:

// Stop and destroy all tweens on a GAMEOBJECT:
iTween.Stop(gameObject);

// Stop and destroy all tweens in current SCENE:
iTween.Stop();

Links:

🤓 Stay sharp! Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials!
https://bit.ly/SubscribeOxmondTutorials

✅ Download iTween (yes, it’s free):
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/animation/itween-84?aid=1100l4p9k

✅ Download 2D Game Starter Assets from the video tutorial above:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/environments/2d-game-starter-assets-24626?aid=1100l4p9k

🎱 More Free Assets from the Unity Assets Store:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

Some links might be affiliate links. This means that if you buy something via these links we might get a small payment too.
Thanks for the support, it is truly appreciated so we can keep on making high quality content 😎👍

The post iTween Animation Examples appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

How to Mask Graphics in Unity. 2D Sprite Mask Tutorial Unity 2020

Oxmond Technology — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:09:03 +0000

How to mask graphics in Unity? In this tutorial we will have a look at how we can create and use sprite masks.

🧡 Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials. Stay tuned!
https://bit.ly/SubscribeOxmondTutorials

✅ Download Sunny Land from the Unity Assets Store:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/characters/sunny-land-103349?aid=1100l4p9k

📄 Get the Player script here:
https://oxmond.com/how-to-move-and-flip-a-2d-sprite-with-the-arrow-keys-unity-2018-tutorial-for-beginners/

🎱 More Free Assets from the Unity Assets Store:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

😷👕 Need a face mask / developer T-shirt? Drop by our merchandise shop and get a 20% DISCOUNT on your first purchase by using the discount code YOUTUBE. Just follow this link: 
https://shop.oxmond.com/discount/YOUTUBE

Some links might be affiliate links. Any support is truly appreciated so we can keep on making high quality content 🙂

#gamedevelopment #unitytutorial #videogametutorial

The post How to Mask Graphics in Unity. 2D Sprite Mask Tutorial Unity 2020 appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

How to Write Time Delays In Your Code! [Beginner Tutorial – Unity 2020]

Oxmond Technology — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:52:31 +0000

How to execute code with a delay? In this tutorial we will take a look at how we can delay script or functions in Unity.

🧡 Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials. Stay tuned!
https://bit.ly/SubscribeOxmondTutorials

✅ Free Assets from the Unity Assets Store:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

😷👕 Need a face mask / developer T-shirt? Drop by our shop and get a 20% DISCOUNT on your first purchase by using the discount code OXMONDSALE. Click here:
https://shop.oxmond.com/discount/OXMONDSALE

Some links might be affiliate links. Any support is truly appreciated so we can keep on making high quality content

The Button script:

/*
   .-------.                             .--.    .-------.     .--.            .--.     .--.        
   |       |--.--.--------.-----.-----.--|  |    |_     _|--.--|  |_.-----.----|__|---.-|  |-----.
   |   -   |_   _|        |  _  |     |  _  |      |   | |  |  |   _|  _  |   _|  |  _  |  |__ --|
   |_______|__.__|__|__|__|_____|__|__|_____|      |___| |_____|____|_____|__| |__|___._|__|_____|
   © 2018-2020 OXMOND / www.oxmond.com 
*/

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;

public class Button : MonoBehaviour
{

    public GameObject textBtnIsClicked;
    public GameObject textDelayedAction;

    private void OnMouseUp()
    {
        textBtnIsClicked.SetActive(true);
        Invoke("Action", 2.0f);
    }

    private void Action()
    {
        textDelayedAction.SetActive(true);
    }

}

The post How to Write Time Delays In Your Code! [Beginner Tutorial – Unity 2020] appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

How To Make An Object Glow in Unity 2020! [Beginner Tutorial – Unity 2020]

Oxmond Technology — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 09:40:45 +0000

In this tutorial we’ll create the awesome glow effect (also called bloom effect) on a Gameobject in Unity 2020. Using only a few easy steps.

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✅ Download the Oxmond “X” logo bitmap here:
https://oxmond.com/download/tutorials/unity/oxmond_x_bw.png

Some links might be affiliate links. Any support is truly appreciated so we can keep on making high quality content 🙂

The post How To Make An Object Glow in Unity 2020! [Beginner Tutorial – Unity 2020] appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

Unity Hotkeys – the most common keyboard shortcuts

Oxmond Technology — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 12:51:00 +0000

Download the shortcut list as a pdf here

THE DEFAULT SHORTCUTS:

Tools

Hand tool
Move tool
Rotate tool
Scale tool
Rect tool
Unified tool

Toggle Pivot/Center
Toggle Global/Local
Vertex snap
Grid snap

Scene Navigation

Orbit
Drag
Zoom (or use the the scroll wheel)

Scene file management

New scene
Open scene
Save Scene
Save as

Edit

Create empty GameObject
Duplicate
Undo
Redo (shift+cmd+Z on Mac)
Cut
Copy
Paste
Select all
Invert selection
Deselect all
Find object
Move object to view
Delete

Play/pause

Play (toggle)
Pause (toggle)
Step

Quick views

Frame selection (center view on selected object)
Locks the scene view camera to selected object
Maximize/minimize window

Build the game:

Build and Run
Build settings

Animation window only:

Play (toggle)
Next frame
Previous frame
Next keyframe
Previous keyframe
First keyframe
Last keyframe
Select key

THE SHORTCUTS MANAGER

You can also create your own shortcuts. Open the Shortcuts Manager from Unity’s main menu:

On Windows and Linux, select Edit > Shortcuts.
On macOS, select Unity > Shortcuts.

DOWNLOAD THE OXMOND SHORTCUT LIST

Print on any printer. Available in 3 different styles:

1. Color

2. Grey

3. B/W (Black and White)

Download the shortcut list as a pdf here

The post Unity Hotkeys – the most common keyboard shortcuts appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

Glowing Orb Visual Effects VFX

Oxmond Technology — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 18:50:42 +0000

Special effect tutorial! How to create a glowing orb using Unity’s particle effects! In this tutorial we build a blue electric sphere visual effect by combining different types of particles.

❤️ Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials YouTube Channel. New tutorials every day! Stay tuned!
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🔔 – and don’t forget hit that little bell to turn on notifications!

✅ Download the bitmaps for this tutorial:
https://oxmond.com/download/tutorials/unity/glowing_orb_bitmaps.zip

✅ Download free assets from the Unity Assets Store for your game:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

The post Glowing Orb Visual Effects VFX appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

How to use real time Post-Processing in Unity

Oxmond Technology — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:15:57 +0000

✅ How to install and use the awesome Unity Post Processing package. This is a must. See this tutorial before making any 3D games

✅ Download the free Elf Character from the tutorial:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/characters/humanoids/character-elf-114445?aid=1100l4p9k

🧡 Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials. Stay tuned!
https://bit.ly/SubscribeOxmondTutorials

✅ Download free assets from the Unity Assets Store for your game:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

The post How to use real time Post-Processing in Unity appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

How to read JSON data from a web service in C#

Oxmond Technology — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 13:05:52 +0000

How to read a JSON data from a web service in Unity. This Tutorial is about reading JSON data. We will build a little application build on a JSON webservice.

✅ Download the free SimpleJSON parser:
https://github.com/HenrikPoulsen/SimpleJSON

✅ The free geoplugin webservice:
http://www.geoplugin.net/json.gp?ip=213.22.22.98

❤️ Subscribe to Oxmond Tutorials. New tutorials every day! Stay tuned!
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🔔 Remember to hit that little bell to turn on notifications!

✅ Download free assets from the Unity Assets Store for your game:
https://assetstore.unity.com/lists/top-free-packages-13201?aid=1100l4p9k

The LoadJSON script:

/*

   .-------.                             .--.    .-------.     .--.            .--.     .--.        
   |       |--.--.--------.-----.-----.--|  |    |_     _|--.--|  |_.-----.----|__|---.-|  |-----.
   |   -   |_   _|        |  _  |     |  _  |      |   | |  |  |   _|  _  |   _|  |  _  |  |__ --|
   |_______|__.__|__|__|__|_____|__|__|_____|      |___| |_____|____|_____|__| |__|___._|__|_____|
   © 2019 OXMOND / www.oxmond.com 

*/

using System.Collections;
using UnityEngine;
using SimpleJSON;
using UnityEngine.Networking;
using TMPro;

public class LoadJSON : MonoBehaviour
{

    public TMP_InputField inputTxt;
    public TMP_Text countryTxt;
    public TMP_Text continentTxt;

    public void GetJsonData()
    {
        StartCoroutine(RequestWebService());
    }

    IEnumerator RequestWebService()
    {
        string getDataUrl = "http://www.geoplugin.net/json.gp?ip=" + inputTxt.text;
        print(getDataUrl);

        using (UnityWebRequest webData = UnityWebRequest.Get(getDataUrl))
        {

            yield return webData.SendWebRequest();
            if (webData.isNetworkError || webData.isHttpError)
            {
                print("---------------- ERROR ----------------");
                print(webData.error);
            }
            else
            {
                if (webData.isDone)
                {
                    JSONNode jsonData = JSON.Parse(System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(webData.downloadHandler.data));

                    if (jsonData == null)
                    {
                        print("---------------- NO DATA ----------------");
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        print("---------------- JSON DATA ----------------");
                        print("jsonData.Count:" + jsonData.Count);
                        countryTxt.text = jsonData["geoplugin_countryName"];
                        continentTxt.text = jsonData["geoplugin_continentName"];
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

The post How to read JSON data from a web service in C# appeared first on Oxmond Technology.

Git Integration! Setting Up Unity with Git, SourceTree & Bitbucket

Oxmond Technology — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 12:58:33 +0000

Improve your workflow! Use Git for you Unity project! In this tutorial we set up a new Unity project with Git, Sourcetree and BitBucket.

✅ Download the Sourcetree client:
https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/

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