Throughout the development of your own indie game you’ll need to rely on a number of software packages to get the job done. As an indie you’re probably having to work to a shoestring budget and won’t always have access to the software you’d ideally want. Compromises will likely have to be made. Let’s face it, there’s really no point spending a fortune making a game that might never actually recoup its costs.
Thanks to my primary line of work, I’m fortunate enough to have access to some of the best tools that money can buy. But what if I had been forced to purchase all the software I required from scratch? What would I have gone for? Well let’s start by taking a look at the software I’ve been using for Dare the Monkey and then in a series of future posts I’ll talk in more detail about how each one is being used within my workflow. I’ll also offer an alternative to each that won’t break the bank.
To get the ball rolling, here’s the software I’ve been using:
Autodesk Maya
All my 3D modelling needs are handled in Maya.
Pixologic zBrush
My low resolution box models are then detailed and rendered from zBrush.
Adobe Photoshop
Each asset is rendered in separate passes which are then composited together in Photoshop, colour adjusted and then rescaled.
Buildbox
It may be expensive but Buildbox is a very slick and easy to use game engine toolset. I’ve used Buildbox extensively for rapid prototyping and have now moved on to using it for the construction of my final game levels.
I’ll follow this post up soon by taking a closer look at Maya and also suggest a more cost effective alternative for those on a budget.