Using ready-made 3D assets can save time and money for some teams, but there are also a lot of pitfalls. Maksim Nikifarovich, lead artist at Belka Games, has opened up about the key challenges that game developers may face.

Counterplay Games has made its now-closed card battler Duelyst open source. This means everyone can now use its source code and assets to make their own projects based on it.

The infamous development of Duke Nukem Forever and the sad fate of 3D Realms have become the talk of the town in the games industry. However, not many people know about the game’s early 2D version from 1996 that was recently leaked online.

Scott Thunelius, programmer and 3D artist known for his work on Subnautica, has shared with us the key principles behind creating retro-style graphics. As an example, he used Warpips, a tug-of-war strategy game he made with his friends in the spare time.

Havok Physics for Unity has now officially become supported for production. Developers will be able to use the physics engine for free and implement its features in their games.

VFX editor Pixel Composer has been officially released. The tool for creating animated effects for pixel art is now available for purchase, with 100+ various nodes to experiment with.

Ryan Smith, tech art director of R&D at Gearbox, has opened up about how the studio is already using AI in its work. He encouraged other artists to learn these tools, because they can help in solving routine tasks.

Why do players consider some events and details in the game more significant than others? This is directly related to the so-called narrative weight. Andrei Medvedev, game designer at Friday’s Games, breaks down what this term means and why it is critical for game designers to be able to adjust the importance of certain elements.

The surge in popularity of ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other tools has people thinking that AI will soon replace artists and will help even smaller teams create games on the scale of Cyberpunk 2077 or RDR 2. However, many devs remain skeptical.

People are used to stories of great success, but it is equally important to learn from others’ mistakes. Matt Sharp, solo developer at Momiji Studios, has reflected on the not-so-successful launch of his largely unique RPG Video Game Fables.

GameMaker has introduced a new free education version of its engine. It allows schools to teach students game design and the basics of programming, using special materials and resources.

Greek studio beyondthosehills has shared with us some tips for creating abstract art style (and pitfalls to avoid). Here are some tips based on their experience with their minimalist puzzle game reky.

The Netherlands-based studio Grumpy Owl Games has shared with us some tips for designing a turn-based combat system. They also used their own tactical RPG Untamed Tactics as an example.

Tools for AI-generated assets are constantly evolving. Scenario co-founder Emmanuel de Maistre has shown what game developers can achieve by fine-tuning Stable Diffusion.

Game developers sometimes hide funny messages or find creative solutions to certain problems with their projects. All these things usually remain hidden from the player’s sight, but perhaps it is time to make confessions and reveal some secrets.

Tim Cain, who needs no introduction to any die-hard RPG fan, has recalled the development of the first Fallout, its RPG system, and the importance of creating reactive worlds. He also discussed how the games industry has changed since the 90s.

Dene Carter, a prominent game designer and programmer, has shared some tips with fellow developers. Using the first Fable as an example, he tried to explain why one shouldn’t be ashamed of copying the scope from other titles.

Assassin’s Creed III animation director Jonathan Cooper has recalled how the Ubisoft Montreal team created animation for the game. From rebuilt combat to ragdoll physics, the devs did a great job, making the project look impressive even after 10 years.

Former Bioware executive producer Mark Darrah has tried to explain what Alpha means in game development, using Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as an example. He listed the distinctive features of this stage of production, also saying how much time usually passes between Alpha and launch.