A list of resources for game dev that will be maintained

Resources

We’ve been talking with some folks interested in bringing their own stories to life, so here’s a list of resources provided to them that we plan on maintaining throughout the future. (There was probably a similar list or three created in the past, but this time we are tagging the list with “MAINTAIN” to increase the chances of updating this actual list!) If we ever get around to creating one of those “So you want to make X” posts, it will be referred to from there as well.

All of the following resources were discovered independent of the authors/creators.

While your game will include original assets created by you or someone else, 
it's helpful to have references and inspiration pieces.

We use both Google and DuckDuckGo search engines to return different
types of results. Google will return "safe" results, with many being 
similar and bland (but high quality images). DuckDuckGo is more
"dangerous" and diverse with results, but quality can sometimes 
be low.

Interactive fiction writing tips

Note that while there is a lot of ChoiceScript described, takeaways from these posts are not exclusive to ChoiceScript.

Music

Some useful keywords for searching:
Emotions: sad, dark, epic, exciting, adventurous, peaceful, nostalgic
Genres: vaporwave, classical, folk, metal, epic orchestral

Sound effects

We edit all the SFX we download since rarely do they fit out of the box
Here's where you have to be really creative with how you search for material, 
as oftentimes what you want will be listed/created/tagged completely differently 
from expectations. Classic example is using squash/pumpkin squishing to mimic 
the sound of blood and guts or a sword-flesh wound

Background art

Modifying real photos with filters is a powerful technique 
and is fairly common in commercial games.
Google image search instructions to find Usage Rights filter

Setting usage rights filter while searching for images on Google

Character Art

Pose and image composition references

Example searches: 
- looking over shoulder
- confident person
- yelling at someone
- leaning against a wall

User interface references

We make our own GUIs, so it's mostly searching for references and inspiration

Questions or Comments?

Feel free to send in any SCU or AG-related questions! Our Ask Box is always open.

Thanks so much for all of your amazing support, and stay safe out there!