Best Programs for Fan Projects

Yllisos Zanon · 2109

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Offline Yllisos Zanon

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on: May 28, 2014, 03:10:47 AM
I have not seen this topic question anywhere, or inside any posts.  The question...

What programs and/or software is used for making Fan Projects? 

I'm trying to get my computer properly upgraded and ready for these sort of things.  Greatly appreciate any help. 

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Offline Quickman

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Reply #1 on: June 01, 2014, 07:42:37 AM
It really depends on the project.  What kind of project do you wish to make?  Art projects can be done with plain old paper and pencil, with whatever image editor you choose to use.  For example, after scanning a pic, I'll just clean it up in Paint.NET.

If you plan to do digital art, most people use Photoshop.  I use Photoshop Elements, which came with my tablet, and it's mostly used for digital coloring.  Most of my work is done the old fashioned way.

Multimedia projects tend to be a bit more involved, and rather than just list a bunch of programs and resources, it'd be better if we knew what you mean by "fan projects."


Offline Suppercut ♡

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Reply #2 on: June 04, 2014, 03:51:52 PM
I've been practicing my sprite art all in GraphicsGale, it's a wonderful little program that's absolutely usable for free. Even if you need to make a GIF out of it, you can always use GIMP. Besides being the open-source equivalent of Photoshop, GIMP is also excellent at editing GIFs (albeit a little bit counter-intuitive, but once you get the hang of it you can set individual frames' delays and animate it as you see it in GraphicsGale).

If you're making a fangame, a good starting point is the old 8.1 version of Game Maker. Studio is garbage lemme tell ya what so don't get that. Game Maker will ease you into programming but still let you go wild whenever you want. You can straight up code the game yourself, benefiting from GM's hundreds of built-in functions, or use the drag and drop interface to pseudo-program your game.

Personally for game design I've switched to LOVE2D, which is a bit like Game Maker except you program your game from scratch in Lua. It's awfully advanced and requires a lot of backbone work before you can just jump right in throwing enemies and players about, but it really pays off in the end. Oh, and unlike Game Maker, it's free. Free free.

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Reply #3 on: June 05, 2014, 12:02:27 AM
To add to Suppercut's post about game design, if game design is a new thing for you, I suggest starting small and easy.  I started with modding Wolfenstein.  The shareware version is free and the editor is free, and there are communities that can help you.  Lots of people use the shareware version for simple and quick mods, and you can make a whole new game with just graphic changes.

So, consider modding existing engines, if you're new to game design.  You'll be less overwhelmed.


Offline Yllisos Zanon

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Reply #4 on: June 06, 2014, 01:11:24 AM
Sweet, as for Fan Projects, I did mean in all categories.  Fan Games, Fan Comics, Fan Anime...

I am currently studying for my GED, that is first.  But once that is done, I am going to need some leads and materials needed to such projects. 

For a brief idea, on the kind of projects I have in mind.  Visit my art section called, The Madness.  My recent update there is just the basics.

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Offline Quickman

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Reply #5 on: June 06, 2014, 02:20:37 AM
Okay, so you're looking for a game maker.  If you don't intend to change any of the programming, look into modding an existing engine.  This way, all you have to change is the art. 

And sprite art can all be done in MS Paint.  Seriously, a lot of people just use MS Paint for their sprite art and save it as PNG and then do whatever tweaks they need to do in another program.

Also, keep in mind that the program does not make the result.  It's the user.  Programs assist you in creating your project; they do not do the work for you.  This is a common misconception that I've seen from others, so I'm going to clear it up now.


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Reply #6 on: June 06, 2014, 07:19:53 AM
Also, keep in mind that the program does not make the result.  It's the user.  Programs assist you in creating your project; they do not do the work for you.  This is a common misconception that I've seen from others, so I'm going to clear it up now.

This, this and this. This is not a society in which no work can produce much success.

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