GXDev Tools and Resources
Below you’ll find some great tools to help you get started and/or prepare for GXdev.
These are all some really helpful resources that we’ve found useful for getting going! 🙂
Sorting Hat
Sorting Hat is an awesome interactive guide that can help beginner game devs figure out what sort of tools you might need and what to consider on your way to making your game. It will you a few questions and help guide you into creating your first project!
Game Makers / Engines
Twine
Tools Available on Mac, PC, Web
Twine is a tool created by Chris Klimas for making interactive fiction in the form of web pages. It provides a visual representation of the hypertext structure, using a “node map
Ren’Py
Tools Available on Mac, PC, Linux
The Ren’Py Visual Novel Engine is a free software engine which facilitates the creation of visual novels, a form of computer-mediated storytelling. Ren’Py is a portmanteau of ren’ai, a type of game made using Ren’Py; and Python, the programming language that Ren’Py runs on. Ren’Py has proved attractive to English-language hobbyists; over 700 games use the Ren’Py engine, nearly all in English
Stencyl
Tools Available on Mac, PC, Linux
Stencyl is a game creation platform that allows users to create 2D video games for computers, mobile devices, and the web. The software is available for free, with select publishing options available for purchase.
SpriteBuilder
Tools Available on Mac, PC, Linux
Whether you’re an expert developer or just getting started, SpriteBuilder will help you build top-quality games in a fraction of the time. Open source and free. If you’re looking to make a really cool mobile game during GXdev, give SpriteBuilder a try!
Resources
Pixel Prospector
Pixel Prospector is an a great place to find tons of resources for making indie games. Loads of free or open source art, music, software, etc. Definitely a great link to keep track of.
Resources for Jammers
Handy list of resources and tools put together by Global Game Jam ’14 organizers from around the world.
Tobii EyeX
Tools Available on PC
Tobii has been so awesome as to bring some really cool eye tracker kits, called “EyeX”, to GXdev. They’ll be available to loan at GXdev, and the winner of the best use of their technology will win a really cool award and prizes! Check out how to get started at http://developer.tobii.com/ or chat with one of the friendly Tobii reps at GXdev.
PubNub
Tools Available on Web, for Mobile Apps & Games
The PubNub Realtime Network powers thousands of apps, streaming more than 3 million messages a second to over 200 million devices a month. Add realtime data stream communications to any app across mobile, browser, desktop and server without worrying about infrastructure. They’re also our very generous hosts for GXdev! 🙂
Firebase
Tools Available on Web, for Mobile Apps & Games
Firebase helps you build real-time, collaborative apps in a fraction of the time with their API. Firebase lets you create fully interactive apps with just frontend code.
GitHub
GitHub is a tool for managing your source code and assets online. It allows everyone on your team to contribute without getting in each other’s way. Built on the version control system called “git”, GitHub helps you keep track of all the changes you and your team make to a project, backs them up on the cloud, and lets you undo or redo on the fly. If you’ve ever broken a piece of software or lost hours worth of work on digital art, then you might understand how useful this tool is!
Submissions
GXDev itch.io
If you’re making a game for GXdev, whether at the event or online, use this link to submit your game and join in the fun! You have until Jan 18 to submit your game.