The Game Developer's Guidepost
Your guide to learning game development
Web Pages
- “Amit’s Game Programming Information”
- A curated list of links to information that is useful for game programmers.
- “AngelCode Reference Database”
- A curated list of links to helpful game development resources across the web.
- “Collision Detection and Response”
- An examination of how collision detection and response has been implemented over the course of video game history. Mostly in regards to 2D, though 3D is briefly discussed.
- “deWiTTERS Game Loop”
- A examination of the various ways to implement a main game loop, including the pros and cons. Note that the interpolation method discussed can give odd results when resolving collisions.
- “Fix Your Timestep”
- The famous article describing how (and why) to implement a fixed timestep in your game.
- The Game Programming Primer
- A broad overview of what people should know about coding games if they intend to pursue programming games professionally.
- The Game Engine Architecture Club
- A series of videos from DigiPen students presenting ideas regarding game engine design.
- “The guide to implementing 2D platformers”
- An examination how to implement a 2D platformer-style game.
- “Interpolation Tricks”
- Introduction to visual interpolation with animated examples.
- ITSP Camera Explained
- A video explination of the camera system used in Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.
- “Learning Modern 3D Graphics Programming (Arc Synthesis)”
- Tutorials on learning modern graphics programming using OpenGL. Example code is written for Windows.
- “The Lua Tutorial”
- A tutorial on how to integrate Lua scripting into a C++ application, a subject that is rarely delved into.
- “Linear algebra for game developers”
- An introduction to the various uses linear algebra has when developing 2D video games.
- “Math for Game Developers”
- Video lessons on mathematical equations and concepts that are important know when developing video games.
- “Math for Game Programmers 05 – Vector Cheat Sheet”
- A quick overview of useful tricks and common techniques involving vectors, primarily focused on 2D vectors.
- “Pygame physics simulation”
- An excellent tutorial on coding game physics. Uses the Pygame library.
- Reconstructing Cave Story
- Series of video tutorials on YouTube explaining how to program the video game Cave Story.
- “Robert Penner's Easing Functions”
- Overview of some industry standard easing functions for animation tweaning.
- “Sin & Cos: The Programmer’s Pals!”
- An excellent article describing how to use the sine and cosine trigonometric functions for use in game programming. Code snippets are provided to demonstrate real-world implementations.
- “Swept AABB Collision Detection and Response”
- A tutorial on how to implement collision detection and response in 2D that will prevent entities from “passing through” walls.
- “Swept AABB Collision Detection Using the Minkowski Difference”
- A tutorial on how to use the Minkowski Difference to prevent entities from “passing through” walls.
- “Trigonometry for Games”
- Explains the various uses for trigonometry in game programming, including example code.
- “A Verlet based approach for 2D game physics”
- This tutorial describes how to use verlet integration to simulate physics for 2D entities.
Web Sites
- 2DWillNeverDie.com
- A great website devoted to pixel art with an incredibly creative site design. It provides advice and links to tutorials on making pixel art.
- Flipcode Archives
- Archives of a website featuring tips and advice for video game programmers, usually with example source code.
- GameDev.net
- This is an excellent site to look for articles and tutorials aimed at anyone from beginners to professional developers.
- GamesFromScratch
- As the name implies, this website is devoted to providing tutorials on creating video games from scratch.
- Game Mechanic Explorer
- A website that provides interactive examples of game mechanics together with the source code that makes it work. Source code is written in JavaScript using the Phaser library.
- Game Programming Patterns
- A website that describes several useful programming techniques that make developing games easier. The text can be freely read or purchased as a physical book or ebook.
- Handmade Hero Network
- Home of the Handmade Hero project, the best resource on the Internet for learning how to program video games on a professional level. Includes hundreds of videos demonstrating how to program a game from scratch.
- Lazy Foo’ SDL Tutorials
- An good introduction to how to program video games in C++ using the SDL2 library.
- LearnOpenGL.com
- An excellent tutorial on how to use OpenGL 3.3 and above with C++. Includes a tutorial that covers how to apply OpenGL knowledge to create a simple Breakout-style game.
- Open.gl
- Tutorials that explain how to use OpenGL 3.2 and above in a C++ application.
- PixelProspector
- An great resource for independent game developers. It provides a collection of resources and tutorials for those looking to start developing video games.
- Tuts+
- An excellent tutorial website with numerous game development tutorials, some of which are free to view. Gamasutra posted an article on the best game development articles posted in 2013.
- RPGMaker.net
- This site is home to a thriving community surrounding the RPG Maker series of game development tools. If you’re looking for a good place to find information on these software applications, this is a good place to start.
- Sirlin on Game Design
- Thoughtful analysis of game design from the lead designer of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.