Cartography Shop – free modeling tool
While 3D modeling tool Blender is an all-purpose program to create any model you can dream of and use it in any form of media (games or animation movies etc.) a different modeling tool is Cartography Shop.
Cartography shop is specifically built for creating architecture and levels in 3D games and while the tool isn't exactly new it has now been released for free download and use.
Some of its listed features:
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Automatic UV mapping
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Extremely fast object manipulation and drawing
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Lightmap calculator and exporter
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Select and texture objects or object faces
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Export .X, Save native .CSM files, or export to your own file format
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Stretch, position, mirror, flip, and rotate meshes
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Configurable entity system
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Automatically load textures right out of your game directory by setting a prefix to be used with texture names
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Adjustable viewports
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Accurate grid snap - no cracks or gaps in your maps!
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Compatible with virtually any game engine
Notice that .x file exporting can be used for creating new entity models for FPS Creator through many importers.
License music for your games
The joy of music
What can you do if you are not a composer and need music for your game? You can always ask for help in online forums or maybe you know someone who can do it. There is also the option of licensing music from stock libraries.
When I needed music for my hobby game in development Sands of Myth I used the website Shockwave-Sound. This is a site that has loads of stock music and sound effects. Everything can be licensed as individually or as part of a larger collection where a discounted price may apply.
Create games in your web browser
What if you want to make a game really fast that you can share with your friends or family? Simple, just use one of the many new online game development tools that will allow you to create games directly in your web browser.
In the last few years a wide range of gaming websites have begun offering their users the option of creating their own games. To create a game you must use their development tool and often you have everything you need inside the web based editor - no additional graphics or coding is required. Some of them will let you add your own content to create more personal games. This could be as simple as adding a mug shot of yourself or even your friends.
Take a look a the following listed websites below. Some of the sites offer very simple games and only support creation of basic shooters while others are more flexible and can create most types of games. Nearly all of the sites are for 2D games but some support simple 3D games.
Make your own role playing games with RPG Maker
If you like the classic style role playing games of first Nintendo consoles you may have a dream of making one of these games yourself. RPG Maker is a tool that will allow you to do just that.
What is great about the tool is that you don't need any coding experience to make a game and it comes with a good deal of graphic content for you to start developing right away.
Blender – free 3d modeling tool
If you are making 3d games you might want to make your own models for the game. The first step in creating these models is to use a 3d modeling tool.
Blender is a free tool that does just this. It is available for a wide range of operating systems, frequently updated and has a large online community supporting it.
Audacity – free audio editor
A game must have sound so if you don't have one you should get an audio editor. There are professional and expensive programs that can handle this but fortunatly there is also a great free program called Audacity.
Audio editing in Audacity.
Audacity has loads of features and allows you to record and edit multitrack audio. It comes with several filters and ways to tweak your sounds for the best effect in the game. It is available for many operating systems and has several plug-ins too. Notice that one of these plug-ins will allow you to save audio in MP3 format.
