Mid-August Updates
It's the okay-iest of updates.
Ok ok… It’s been a while. And although it seems like I’ve been slacking off on my side projects, I haven’t!
To recap, here are my ongoing projects
Something something Golang (I want to learn Go)
Barra-AI, my first browser extension
Learning how to make games, namely using the Unreal Engine.
Ok, starting from the bottom. Let’s keep this short and sweet:
Mega Man Clone
This is the “game” I’m making by following Cobra Code’s Udemy tutorials. Lots of updates here:
2D Camera
I’ve learned to set the tile map and use an orthogonal camera. So we are moving past the days of 2D/3D hybrid gameplay you can see here:
To a more traditional setup.
Ops, I forgot to add the floor there!
You probably noticed that the colors are sharper and that there’s a little UI now. You definitely noticed that the map is still largely incomplete.
The video quality is abysmal. One day I will learn how to make great-looking videos, but it will not be this day.
Enemies
I’ve added enemies! Four of them. Each one has a different mechanism. It’s super interesting and I can't do them justice by explaining everything here—I'll save the details for a future post.
Sounds
We have sounds! But I have no clue how to record them and share them with you. I spent 30 minutes wrestling with OBS before I finally gave up.
┻━┻ ︵ ＼( °□° )／ ︵ ┻━┻
The renaissance developer
The Unreal Engine programming is just part of the puzzle. To make a game, one also needs skills in game design, 2D and 3D art, audio, and music. Perhaps more!
So what should we learn first? It may be easier to make a good game with great art that’s held together with bubblegum code than the other way around.
Another thing I learned from these tutorials is that everything in a 2D game starts with pixel art. Unlike in 3D games, where you can use generic models and focus on mechanics, in 2D games the visual style directly impacts gameplay, like character readability, hitboxes, and level design. You can't just plug in placeholders and expect the same results. As soon as you get rid of the placeholders, the gameplay will fall apart.
That’s what I’ll be learning once I finish these tutorials: pixel art!
Barra AI
A new version is out! I’ve added support for GPT-4o Mini.
I’ve also replaced all emojis from the store listing with Kaomoji. It’s a very hipster application now.
Something something Golang
Ok, I have no idea what project I’m going to build to learn Golang. I’ve asked you for ideas, and you’ve delivered none! So, obviously, a failure on our part.
Here’s what I know:
It’ll probably be a Chrome Extension to solidify what I learned from building Barra AI.
Since it’s a Chrome Extension, I’ll probably need auth and a database.
So whatever I’m building will likely need an API server with auth and database capabilities.
I’ve set to work. I’ve started a basic frontend setup (and guess what? it’s open-source! GitHub - MrCordeiro/react-crx-template). Next up, I’m starting the work on the Go side.
That’s it on my end. What are you building?