I'm curious to know what softwares you guys use to make your games. I'm not talking about coding, since there was a thread about this not long ago. I'm talking gfx, animations, sounds and anything else.
Personaly
For animations: In Paintshop Pro X, I make tilesets using the grids to separate every tiles. It's not an animation software, but I like to animate with multiple layers. Then I use the animated picture object to preview the result. I tried adobe flash, but I think it's crap. Vectors images are cools, but since you can't convert imported images to vector, it's kinda useless for me.
For music: Milky tracker
Also: I always keep a pile of paper near to scribble down sketches and to figure out some ultra complex expressions.
I do graphics mostly in MMF2 (occasionally when it's a big job I do it in TGF1 to avoid carpal tunnel) but a few things I make in GIMP. It's really grown on me. Animations are all by hand, and though I'm not the best with the original graphics, I take pride in my animations.
I sketch ideas out sometimes on paper or in Windows Journal, but usually everything's in my head. Use notepad for quick idea-keepage. What little music I write is usually in Noteworthy converted through iTunes, or just recorded via microphone.
For sound editing, windows' built-in tool and Wavepad, and a dab of Audacity for OGGing.
iTunes for background music (usually a must) and Chrome for the occasional quick break to check my email.
And a host of other tools that have filled my hard drive to its brim.
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I don't normally make graphics, but if I do quick pixel placeholder art I just use MMF2's built-in editor. I use Photoshop CS4 to edit anything else.
For sounds I mainly use Audacity or FL Studio if I need some VSTs.
I've always got notepad handy for typing down quick notes and I've got paper and pens lying around all over my desk if I need to scribble anything bigger.
Like OMC, I pretty much keep everything in my head, even when designing. I find it easier to just do something than to write it out before hand and stick to the plan.
Corel Painter X for painting stuff
Garageband and Logic Pro for music makings. Sketch in one, refine in the other.
Final Cut for vid-yo editing. Camtasia for recording.
Photoshop for other arty and designy stuff.
iTunes for music whilst I work or Quicktime on the Macbook playing back a South Park or 2 during bug fixing. VLC for OGGs if pineys sent any new tracks.
Cyberduck (OSX) or CoreFTP Lite (XP) for uploading stuffs.
Though I've not used it for a game project (as I avoid MIDI sound for games nowadays) I use Anvil Studio to sketch out music ideas for the band. Usually starts with a drum track first, then fill in the melody and rhythm line. For gaming nowadays I have access to a lot of public domain music, and edit that in WavePad.
I make all my graphics in MMF2, but for my last project I actually used Photoshop for the title screen graphics. I have a tough time wrapping my head around alpha channels, so gradients are easier to achieve in PS.
For SFX, I usually plunder the MMF2 libraries or dig up stuff on free websites (FireFox).
I'm still in the habit of developing the skeleton of the game and most of the graphcis in C&C/MMF Express, then loading it into MMF2 and doing the more advanced coding and effects there. I use PSP9 for larger graphics. I try to make music in Fruity Loops. I'm to the point now where I'd rather just pay someone to do it for me. Audacity for sound editing.
Quick question for those who use Flash - Having not really used flash much at all, what exactly do you do with it? Can you export the vector images and import them into MMF2? I'm still getting used to all the features of MMF2 dev after using 1.5 for so long...
Graphics Gale and photoshop for graphics, don't think I could ever go back to anything else.
I prefer to use SFXR and Audacity for music.
And construct for the games
Originally Posted by Chrisbo Quick question for those who use Flash - Having not really used flash much at all, what exactly do you do with it? Can you export the vector images and import them into MMF2? I'm still getting used to all the features of MMF2 dev after using 1.5 for so long...
You can export them as raster images or printscreen them, and then paste them into MMF2. As of now MMF2 does not support vector graphics in that sense, but I would not be entirely surprised if it appeared in the future.
I come up with more ideas than I make, sketch them down. Later when someones over at my house and going through my notebook, "oh hey this looks like a cool game to play!" I start making it. Then I get bored of that and make something totally different.
-Photoshop and paint for graphics.
-Modplug for music (mostly just editing others)
-Sounds are taken from all over the place, for the rare chance that any editing needs to take place I use Sony Acid Pro.
-Coding all mmf2 baby!
Multimedia Fusion 2, Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Audacity, Paint, Notepad, Fraps, Movie Maker, and of course you can't make games without listening to some music, so for music I use Winamp and the Zune Software.
SFX: sfxr, MATLAB
GFX: Paint, MMF2, Photoshop
Design: Notepad++, OpenOffice, MATLAB
Actual game: MMF2, Construct
Lua scripts: Notepad++, that thingy from the Lua site
Inspiration: Dwarf Fortress
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Graphics in MMF2s editor, usually. For fancy stuff, or if I'm sticking to a particular palette, Photoshop.
Audacity all the way for sounds. I recently downloaded Spear, but have only messed about in it a couple of times. And of course SFXR for retro-ness or placeholder sounds.
I've tried making music. I failed . I used PXTone and Musagi to realise this shortcoming.
There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who don't.
I sometimes use irfanview to do cheap dirty palette swaps of different objects or to create an image file if I want external images.
I use modplug tracker to create music although I rarely use my own cos it's all a bit suck. oh and I have used sound recorder and goldwave to record and clean up samples for my own music.
I have used sfxr to create sound effects before but i also use various emulators and even youtube videos.
Some strange little facts for you here. The smashed crate sound in Lil' pirate is actually a drum sound from Super mario bros 3. The enemy death sound is ripped from a youtube video of someone playing The Newzealand story.
PaintShop Pro 8 for graphics.
Notepad for writing complicated expressions, taking notes from wikipedia, planning etc
I have zero musical talent, so I don't even try.
When I'm on the computer, I normally listen to "The Beat 94.5" (www.thebeat.com/listen) - "The Kid Carson Show" and "5 O'Clock" Traffic Jam" are great
I use anything free that turns out to be decent and not too large of a file size.
But here's the stuff that I always use.
Graphics: GraphicsGale and TGF Pro's editor
Programming: TGF Pro to code and MMF2 Demo when fixing others code (Construct sometimes just to fool around with)
Sound Effects: SFXR (I haven't worked much at this)
Music: SFXR or Public Domain (I haven't worked much at this either)
Brainstorming and Story writing: text files and/or my trusty stack of notebooks or just anything typed or written in
Blood of the Ancient One, Seen only as Shadow, Faster than Lightning, Fierce as the Greatest Dragon, Nearly Invisible, Floating in a Dream, Entered through the Demon Door, Destroyer of Evil in a Realm with a Red Sky Scarred, Who could I be ?
Well, that's the bare minimum that I strive for at any rate. Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash, Illustrator, paint, Graphics Gale and any satisfactory free program for graphics. Usually only paint.
Music: MMF2 CD Libraries, Audacity, making my own with a guitar, and ripping/asking someone else.
Game Trailers: CamStudio.
For graphics, I try to get away with just using the picture editor in MMF. Since it's MMF 1.5 though, it's risky because it always crashes on me when I spend too much time in the picture editor. ;; When I need help with extra special graphics, I use Photoshop 7.0.
Audacity is perfect for my sound-mixing needs, and when I compose music, I use Noteworthy Composer 2. Depending on the game, I might deck out my songs with XG instruments, record it in Audacity, and then save it as an MP3.
Originally Posted by Strife For graphics, I try to get away with just using the picture editor in MMF. Since it's MMF 1.5 though, it's risky because it always crashes on me when I spend too much time in the picture editor. ;; When I need help with extra special graphics, I use Photoshop 7.0.
Audacity is perfect for my sound-mixing needs, and when I compose music, I use Noteworthy Composer 2. Depending on the game, I might deck out my songs with XG instruments, record it in Audacity, and then save it as an MP3.
Ahh I used to use Noteworthy. Very good program. Unfortunately I was crap at composing music most of the time I really need to spend some time with tracking software or something like Fruity Loops or something.
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Edited by Cecilectomy
Animations are all by hand, and though I'm not the best with the original graphics, I take pride in my animations.
. I used PXTone and Musagi to realise this shortcoming.
I really need to spend some time with tracking software or something like Fruity Loops or something.