You've had plenty of the theoretical mumbo jumbo, but exactly what should that positive mental attitude be applied to? In this new 2-part series, I lift the lid on the tools and services that I use for both developing a game and then publishing it. They're not necessarily the "best" options that the industry has to offer (and they're certainly not the "only" ones), but they are the ones that have steered me through the past 6 years. If you're hoping to emulate my work, you might want to hit the ground running with these insights...

Programming
Discovering your ideal programming language is as essential to success as a golfer picking out his ideal club! I had to acquaint myself with them all before I settled on Blitz BASIC - the one I've been using prolifically for the past 4 years. Those that are quick to follow in my footsteps are usually perplexed by this recommendation, because it's not the "easiest" of programming languages. In fact, that's very much the point. If it were "easy", it would be doing most of the work for you - and thereby grossly limiting your creative input. This is the mistake newcomers make when they're drawn to the flame of products like KIick & Play. They hop from one childish substitute to the other, hoping to avoid the hard work that a truly great game requires. It's best to invest your time in something substantial, so that you at least have a career to look forward to at the end of the tunnel. That said, Blitz BASIC and co are simplified languages in themselves. An industry standard programmer needs to be aiming at the dizzy heights of C++. However, if you want to actually "enjoy" making games, I strongly advise that you tone programming down to a manageable task! Blitz isn't the only product that does that. You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned its infinitely "cooler" nemesis, Dark BASIC. Well, that slick marketing is about all it has going for it. Underneath the surface, it's a far less stable product that will cause more problems than it solves. Support its more overlooked counterpart and your compassion will be rewarded. Garage Games's Torque engine also promises to yield similar results - but from what I can gather, it's predisposed to generic game types and once again limits the developer's options. It'll be the first to open up X-Box programming to the public though, so it might be worth looking into...   

3D Modelling
If programming is the "mind" of game development then graphics are the "body" - and it's certainly true that one can't thrive without the other! If you want to bring your own worlds to life, you'll need to churn out 3D models just as productively. This is where it gets awkward for those that want my recommendations. Since my brother is an architect, I've always had my pick of the bunch for free! That being the case, I've been able to use the industry standard 3D Studio MAX from day one and can't honestly recommend anything else. That said, I have heard plenty on the grapevine and it seems a product called MilkShape is the tool of choice for those at the bottom of the ladder. At this juncture, you may be tempted to sniff out free tools - but it's worth noting that nothing worth using is ever truly "free". After all, it means that it literally has no value! As surely as childish products delay your progress, cheap products can do similar damage to your productivity. Try to invest in a quality product and you'll be better equipped to proceed. You don't always have to make what you need though. Thousands of websites and artists pride themselves on offering readymade models that are available to buy - or even download for free. The curiously titled Turbo Squid is a handy library for both, and can usually be trusted to find the odd structure that you're not able to make yourself. Content packs such as Dark BASIC's DarkMATTER are a similarly good source of models (designed especially for games no less), and once bought can be used freely without any embarrassing legal wrangles...   

Texturing
Ironically, 3D work actually requires a lot of 2D work - because you're always going to need to texture your models! At this point, you would normally hear a lot of cries for Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop. However, I've never found myself using either. Not because they're not good enough (indeed, the latter is industry standard), but because I received a product called Painter 5 free on the front of a magazine way back in the day - and I haven't looked back since! All you really need from such a product is a good "Airbrush" facility. That's what allows you to build up layers of increasingly light and dark colour to create the shades of a fabric or material. Polished off with good "Sharpening" and "Colour Adjustment" options, you're free to create anything you'll ever need. When it comes to games, one of the biggest headaches is creating textures that "tile" seamlessly. The concrete floor in my wrestling games, for instance, is one small 256x256 image that tiles across the whole arena. There are many dedicated tools to help you create and fine-tune these troublesome textures. The one floating around the Blitz community is a free program called Texture Studio, and you would do well to have something similar in your arsenal...

2D Graphics
My 2D projects may be behind me, but it doesn't mean that style of graphics need never be used again. In fact, you may be surprised to hear that just as much 2D work goes into even the most sophisticated of 3D games! After all, they're your logos, your menu boxes, and your in-game displays. Mine always begin life in the most humble program of them all - Microsoft Paint. I trust you won't have too much trouble getting hold of that! Here, you can experiment with fonts and shapes to create the basic shell of a graphic. Don't get too comfortable though, because the program will soon outlive its usefulness. Those basic templates will need to be taken into your preferred art package to be soaked in colourful patterns and polished with various special effects - which is especially true of logos. The only real advice I can offer at this juncture is to keep a log of your graphical journey (such as those found in the "Bonus Material" of my CD's), in case you need to go back and change a few things or recreate the graphic in a new way. Whatever you make, simply return to Paint and save it as an efficient PNG and you'll always have access to it in its purest form. One thing you definitely shouldn't use Paint for is JPG's! In my version at least, the lack of a "quality" option ensures that it always ruins them with a poor quality export. Stick to your main art package for that and you'll be able to exercise more control... 

Sound
A lot of people are curious as to why I credit myself with being responsible for "Sound FX" in my games. Surely I don't create and record every single millisecond of sound that a game requires? Indeed I don't! At least half of my sound effects come from royalty free libraries. Like models and textures, an entire industry is built around supplying game developers with sound effects. Simply run a search on the net and you'll find thousands of websites offering files to be downloaded for free or purchased (either individually or as part of a CD pack). If you want recommendations in that sea of possibilities, I suppose Sound Dogs offers the largest collection of files under one roof. You really will have to search high and low for specific sounds though. With that in mind, the credit in my games refers to 2 things - 1) the fact that I deem a sound effect appropriate and proceed to program it into the game in the most effective manner, and 2) the fact that I "engineer" and re-master practically every sound effect to serve that purpose. I seldom use any external media in the state that I found it. Not only will a sound be of questionable quality, but it may also be too long, too short, too quiet, too loud, etc.. To make it usable, you'll invariably have to run it through the mill of a dedicated sound package. Microsoft's own inbuilt Sound Recorder is perfectly adequate for trimming a file or adjusting its quality, but you'll need something more sophisticated for the real work. Personally, I use my music program (see below) to bless a sound with all the special effects that are available to a song! Anything that lets you mix sounds together, alter their speed, and add echo or gain is pretty much all you need to breath new life into a tired old effect...

Music
As with the sound effects, people also tend to be incredulous that I'm responsible for the music in my games. Surely I don't play every note on every instrument that can be heard? Again, I don't! I use what's called a "sequencer" to blend a host of readymade samples into one coherent tune. These simplified tools are to music what Blitz BASIC is to programming, so they're a godsend for those that have no musical expertise! There are many on the market, but you can't beat Magix Music Maker for ease of use. It's very reasonably priced too, and yet you'd have to be a musical impresario to outgrow its features. A sequencer is no good without "samples" though. Fortunately, thousands of them should come with the product as standard - and once again, an entire industry is built around providing more. Fortunately, this one isn't strictly confined to the Internet. eJay's CD packs can be found in stores and offer thousands of additional samples dedicated to every genre of music under the sun. Meanwhile, magazines dedicated to the art of computer music can be trusted to supply you with yet more royalty-free samples on their coverdiscs. As ever, all of the above doesn't mean it's "easy" though. It just means it's "easier" than it would otherwise be. Having to mix and match tens of thousands of potential samples can sometimes be harder than performing the damn things yourself, so creating a decent piece of music still requires that you have a keen ear for what does and doesn't work. Plus the creativity to know what you want to achieve in the first place...

Project Management
Under normal circumstances, I would probably have to dedicate half of this article to how I manage an entire office block full of workers. However, since I'm a one man show, I don't quite have that problem! As long as I'm in the same room as a laptop, games will be made. That said, it is worth mentioning a few things about organization - even if you are the only one that needs to be organized. In order to weave in and out of all of the above jobs without losing my mind, I tend to rely on all manner of "to do" lists. Primarily, a notebook sits at my side at all times - and is used to make a note of every tiny problem that has been affecting the task at hand. Upon exiting the game, I then scan through those dozens of problems and rectify them one by one. By the end of the day, several such pages have been crossed off, screwed up, and tossed in the bin - and there's a tangible feeling that progress is being made! In addition to these disposable lists, there's also a permanent "to do" list that looms on the wall above my head. These are the all-encompassing tasks that need to be accomplished - from the intro to the end credits - and it's even more satisfying to tick these off your list. Once the dozen or so key ingredients have been dealt with, the project is practically complete - and it's good to know how close you are to that finish line. You might also benefit from bringing just as much order to your working day. Upon becoming a "bedroom coder", it's tempting to flaunt rules and work whenever you feel like it. However, it wasn't long before I found myself conforming to a 9-to-5 routine like any other job - and I became all the more productive for it! I tend to ease myself into the day by sifting through e-mails and taking care of business, before dedicating the rest of the morning to graphical work. By the time the afternoon rolls around, I've got plenty of material to program with - and my brain is finally alert enough to deal with such a demanding task! I then ease myself out of the day by maintaining the website in the evening and addressing other harmless tasks, before switching off completely in time for a 9pm deadline (it's not healthy nor productive to work late into the night!). That may sound a little mechanical for someone that's supposed to be his own boss, but you'll find that a routine is like a bullet aimed instead of one randomly fired - and you'll be hitting the targets day after day...

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