Is there anything a person with no coding experience can do to help you awesome people with your projects? I see everyone working hard and wish I could help take some burden off you guys in any way.
Candice, that you? Jordan Vgcollector here :p I guess a good way to get started would be to tell the others what skills you do have? Are you skilled in graphic design, artwork, layout etc??
Quaze wrote:
Candice, that you? Jordan Vgcollector here :p I guess a good way to get started would be to tell the others what skills you do have? Are you skilled in graphic design, artwork, layout etc??
That’s meeee 🙂 Good to see you here Jordan 🙂
I’m capable of some graphic work. I tinker a lot in photoshop and the like. I’ve made labels, done books, my drawing is alright and I have more free time than I care to admit lol.
There are actually a number of ways some someone without coding skills can contribute.
1. Art: Quaze already mentioned it. Personally, I love looking at fan-art. There isn’t much for homebrew games though. I also had this idea of including fan-art as an unlockbale into my next game.
2. Graphics: If you already have artistic skills, you could try to learn pixel-art. For me it’s a constant problem to find good assets to use in a game. I can draw them myself but I rather spent my time on other things.
3. Music: If you know how to make music, that’s an important skill as well. Most Midis convert pretty good to the VB. For myself it is next to impossible to compose music.
4. Testing: It’s very easy to overlook bugs if you are the one developing. I have a group of people I like to sent my roms for testing. It’s usually more about finding bugs then about giving Feedback. Also don’t share stuff with others.
5. Giving Feedback: When I publish demo, it’s always good to hear someones else opinion. It’s always important to know how to phrase things though. It is easy to ask for features and stuff but you should be aware that you are asking someone (who is already burned out) to possibly spent plenty of time on a project he already spent some 100 hours on.
6. Reviews: When I publish something I read/watch every discussion and every Review I can find. Same as before, just be nice.
7. Show your stuff: It’s always cool to see one of my games in a game room.
That’s a great summary by thunderstruck, I just want to add a few more points.
8. Writing: if you’re good at writing, then you could help out homebrewers with game story, dialogues, manual text and such.
9. Translations: some homebrews are multilanguage and usually depend on volunteer translators to add more languages.
10. Spread the word, find new fans: you’re already doing a great job in this regard, Candice! By taking your VB (and VG) to expos and letting people try Hyper Fighting as an exceptional sample of VB homebrew, you’re doing a great service to the scene.
11. Money: if you’re not able to help in any of the above ways, monetary donations always help. For the right amount of money, some homebrewers are able and willing to work less on “real” jobs in favor of programming for the VB. Just remember what M.K. and Mr. Anon pulled of when Ben decided to fund a new VB game… In that vein, Jorgeche and me are currently preparing a crowdfunding campaign on Patreon. We hope to raise enough monthly donations to be able to work less on our day jobs and instead spend that time on working on the VUEngine and making Virtual Boy games. It would be incredible if we could find enough support to turn our passion into a part time of even full time job and being able to release regular new CIB Virtual Boy games. :vb:
thunderstruck wrote:3. Music: If you know how to make music, that’s an important skill as well. Most Midis convert pretty good to the VB. For myself it is next to impossible to compose music.
I didn’t realize this. I’m gonna have to play around with it. I love making music, haven’t done much with MIDI but I know my keyboard supports it.
KR155E wrote:
In that vein, Jorgeche and me are currently preparing a crowdfunding campaign on Patreon. We hope to raise enough monthly donations to be able to work less on our day jobs and instead spend that time on working on the VUEngine and making Virtual Boy games. It would be incredible if we could find enough support to turn our passion into a part time of even full time job and being able to release regular new CIB Virtual Boy games. :vb:
5. Giving Feedback: When I publish demo, it’s always good to hear someones else opinion. It’s always important to know how to phrase things though. It is easy to ask for features and stuff but you should be aware that you are asking someone (who is already burned out) to possibly spent plenty of time on a project he already spent some 100 hours on.
Snatcher is awesome so far and I’m always looking forward to you adding more to it. Thanks for taking the time to port it over!!
Great! Thanks for the feedback and suggestions guys. I’m not Picasso but I can be competent when I need to be with art and drawing lol. I’m always game to help there. Learning pixel art is on my list of things to learn. I love the look of pixel art.
Music-wise, I suck. I can only do piano and even then, I can only recreate songs after hearing them. I never had any professional teachings.
Testing I could easily do since I am often at home since my health keeps me from really working. If I could help any of you with testing for bugs and stuff, I’m your lady.
Reviewing and giving feedback are things I do even for non-VB stuff. I post stuff on my YouTube channel increasingly more often. I actually wanted to do a series specifically on VB stuff and games (including the homebrew) so that you get someone’s opinion that doesn’t consist of lines like, “This is a headache machine…” or the generic “These are all awful”
Showing my stuff also falls into the whole YouTube thing as well. I always sing high praises of our console and everything that goes with it. I also share my love for the VB and you guys on various facebook groups and forums.
In regards to writing, I went to school and majored in journalism and LOVE writing as much as I love gaming. I’d be more than happy to help in that area if needed.
KR155E wrote:
If you’re not able to help in any of the above ways, monetary donations always help. For the right amount of money, some homebrewers are able and willing to work less on “real” jobs in favor of programming for the VB. Just remember what M.K. and Mr. Anon pulled of when Ben decided to fund a new VB game… In that vein, Jorgeche and me are currently preparing a crowdfunding campaign on Patreon. We hope to raise enough monthly donations to be able to work less on our day jobs and instead spend that time on working on the VUEngine and making Virtual Boy games. It would be incredible if we could find enough support to turn our passion into a part time of even full time job and being able to release regular new CIB Virtual Boy games. :vb:
I don’t have a proper job but you can bet your bottom dollar I will be giving what I can to you guys. This community is the best one amongst all the other gaming communities out there. Everyone has been so friendly, kind, and helpful. It’s the very least I could do.
adler_0 schrieb:
Snatcher is awesome so far and I’m always looking forward to you adding more to it. Thanks for taking the time to port it over!!
Thanks man. I had allot of health problems this year. That’s why I couldn’t do much programming. But it’s on my list for next year. I will need to rewrite allot of stuff though.
speedyink schrieb:
I didn’t realize this. I’m gonna have to play around with it. I love making music, haven’t done much with MIDI but I know my keyboard supports it.
Cool. Tell when you want to test on the VB. I can pt something together for you.
KR155E wrote:
In that vein, Jorgeche and me are currently preparing a crowdfunding campaign on Patreon. We hope to raise enough monthly donations to be able to work less on our day jobs and instead spend that time on working on the VUEngine and making Virtual Boy games. It would be incredible if we could find enough support to turn our passion into a part time of even full time job and being able to release regular new CIB Virtual Boy games. :vb:
I heard rumors about that. Just tell me if you need help (other then my money).
I agree with everybody, here. Something slightly off topic, and in reference to some responses; I’m a talented cartoonist and pixel artist. I’d love to help somebody out with designing graphics. I usually work on my own projects, alone. Nothing really with the Virtual Boy; I only play the system. Normally, I design graphics with a limited color pallet (NES).
LeusteanVB schrieb:
I agree with everybody, here. Something slightly off topic, and in reference to some responses; I’m a talented cartoonist and pixel artist. I’d love to help somebody out with designing graphics. I usually work on my own projects, alone. Nothing really with the Virtual Boy; I only play the system. Normally, I design graphics with a limited color pallet (NES).
I was actually gonna ask if someone wants to help me out. I just need some basic stuff, nothing too crazy. Right now I’m using placeholder graphics which is fine. But I would like to have some polished ones before I publish a demo. Sent me a PM with your email if you are interested.
If you want to learn pixel art, just keep in mind the limitations of the medium. Obviously only 3 shades of red, plus black. But you should also make sure to use really low resolutions. Small multiples of 8×8 pixels. Even ALttP on the SNES uses a 16×16 sprite for Link, AFAIK. Exactly the same as Zelda 1 on the NES. It uses colors to make it look more detailed, but VB cannot do that. Also need to keep readability in mind for VB art; you will probably want to make sure to use a very defined outline unless you can be positive of the background color at all times. It is contrast that makes things visible. Luckily, the VB actually has an excellent resolution, so you can make slightly bigger sprites.
I heard rumors about that. Just tell me if you need help (other then my money).
Thanks for the offer, Thunder! We’re actually pretty much done with everything, just need to clarify the legal aspects in terms of taxes. If you (or anyone else) happens to be an expert in German tax law in regards to crowdfunding, please contact me. 😉
Knightcrawler wrote:
If you want to learn pixel art, just keep in mind the limitations of the medium. Obviously only 3 shades of red, plus black. But you should also make sure to use really low resolutions. Small multiples of 8×8 pixels. Even ALttP on the SNES uses a 16×16 sprite for Link, AFAIK. Exactly the same as Zelda 1 on the NES. It uses colors to make it look more detailed, but VB cannot do that. Also need to keep readability in mind for VB art; you will probably want to make sure to use a very defined outline unless you can be positive of the background color at all times. It is contrast that makes things visible. Luckily, the VB actually has an excellent resolution, so you can make slightly bigger sprites.
I heard rumors about that. Just tell me if you need help (other then my money).
Thanks for the offer, Thunder! We’re actually pretty much done with everything, just need to clarify the legal aspects in terms of taxes. If you (or anyone else) happens to be an expert in German tax law in regards to crowdfunding, please contact me. 😉
That’s the one thing I’m not expert in. I was actually meaning that if you happen to need the source code of any of my projects, happen to have a problem I can assist on or need support in some other way I will be happy to help.
8. Writing: if you’re good at writing, then you could help out homebrewers with game story, dialogues, manual text and such.
my free time is limited by the work schedule, however, i’ve been wanting to write something epic for the VB for sometime (or perhaps even something smaller like some dialogue!).
i’ve previously worked on a few DS homebrew projects. i have years of professional/freelance copywriting/copy editing experience and a few works of unpublished fiction under my pen.
if anyone has a small writing project they need help with, let me know. i’d like to budget some time for this specific homebrew scene.
Wow I didn’t think my lil question thread would be so popular with others. Glad more people asked how they can help too. Seems like a great place to come and pick people out who’s help you may need for a specific task.
That’s the one thing I’m not expert in. I was actually meaning that if you happen to need the source code of any of my projects, happen to have a problem I can assist on or need support in some other way I will be happy to help.
I realized my response may have sounded a bit uppish. That’s not how it was meant and I apologize if it came over like that! ❤
Anyway, I am grateful for your offer and I am sure we’ll happily get back to it! Amongst other things, but especially on the sound front, there’s a lot we can learn from your work. 🙂
That’s the one thing I’m not expert in. I was actually meaning that if you happen to need the source code of any of my projects, happen to have a problem I can assist on or need support in some other way I will be happy to help.
I realized my response may have sounded a bit uppish. That’s not how it was meant and I apologize if it came over like that! ❤
Anyway, I am grateful for your offer and I am sure we’ll happily get back to it! Amongst other things, but especially on the sound front, there’s a lot we can learn from your work. 🙂
Heh, I didn’t take it that way. I’m just thinking about doing more open source stuff for a while now. I just takes some time to get everything into a proper state.
Heh, I didn’t take it that way. I’m just thinking about doing more open source stuff for a while now. I just takes some time to get everything into a proper state.
That’s really cool, looking forward to it! That will help a lot with collaborating.
