Dear Esther started as a narrative-driven Source Engine mod made as part of a research project, and turned into a standalone cult hit that made back its Indie Fund investment within six hours of its release. In this postmortem from thechineseroom, writer and project lead Dan Pinchbeck explains how the team created a powerful game that took the “S” out of “FPS.”
How do you choose the right artificial intelligence architecture for your game? Even if you do your homework, it’s not always easy to know which architecture best fits your game genre, design, and development workflow until you dive in. AI consultant Dave Mark walks you through the most prevalent AI structures to help find the one that best complements your game.
Get better game analytics, and you’ll be better able to understand what makes your players tick. Heatmaps are only the tip of the iceberg, though. You can use telemetry data, geographic information systems, and trajectory analyses to fine-tune your game even further, and with greater control.