The Mammoth Academy is on AppSumo: Learn how to make video games with zero programming

I am pleased to annouce that AppSumo has run the Mammoth Academy on their site. As of today there is 5 days left to get 75% off. The course is only 99 dollars. 

http://www.appsumo.com/make-html5-facebook-chrome-store-games/

Here is what AppSumo had to say about the course:

Who doesn’t love a good casual computer game?

Games like Angry Birds, Bejeweled, and World of Goo have exploded in popularity for wider demographics in recent times.

Got an amazing idea for a game but ZERO programming knowledge?

We’re right there with ya...

See, I have this idea for an AppSumo game called “5 Minutes To Squash A Deal”.

You play a handsome and husky Sumo who travels around the world finding the offices of the people who offer AWESOME products or services for web geeks and business professionals.

When you find them you can either...

1) Kidnap the CEO
2) Deploy stealth ninjas (you have to find those first and get them to defect to Sumo Nation) to swap out prices
3) Or just negotiate (i.e., push them against a wall with 502 lbs. of happy gut force)

And then you score points when ever you SQUASSSSSH the hell out of a deal!

Sounds like a winner, right?

Anyway, hiring a team of game developers is a bit out of this Sumo’s price range, and digging around learning how to create a game is too frustrating for Sumos (we barely have the patience to wait for someone to seat us to eat).

That’s why we were soooo freakin’ happy when we found this course from John Bura of Mammoth Interactive.

John has been programming games since 1997 (damnnnn old school; FF VII for the WIN!).

And he has been teaching others how create games since 2002, so he’s something of a game veteran who can quickly teach you all the tips and tricks that took him years to learn.

Ok, before we get any more into it, there’s one little disclaimer...

This is a HUGE course (though damn well worth the price) that actually teaches you in a way your Sumo-noodle can understand.

I’m talking about 5 full lessons broken down into 348 videos. This is NOT for the weak of heart or frail fingers...

This is for those who are willing to put in the effort needed to create AWESOME games and reach the "Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps" hall of fame!

This is for those who have a seedling of an idea for a GREAT game but can’t afford to hire a team or have NO IDEA how to even begin to create a game.

What makes this course different from other game development courses is that other courses only concentrate on the basics of putting a game together.

This course teaches you all that, but ALSO teaches you sound and music creation (which actually adds 70% to the game experience).

Ready to learn an entire degree’s worth of game development for less than the price of a community college class? This course normally goes for $399, but we've squashed the deal down to ONLY $99!

Click BUY NOW and get access to this course (which is yours forever) and get your game development going!

Sincerely,
The “Mega-Man Of Eating” Chief Sumo


P.S. This course will also eventually give you access to bonus material, including:

• An introduction to Game Salad, the powerful engine that allows you to deploy to Apple's App Store and the Android Market
• How to make an interactive ebook from scratch
• How to compose and remix video game music in FL Studio

...as soon as they’ve finished the production of the videos (free extras for everyone! Hooray!).

Image compression in Construct 2 - Scirra.com

Image compression in Construct 2 - Scirra.com

Great read about image compression in construct 2

FL studio sale 35% off!

I love FL studio. It is by far the best digital audio workstation to use. If you like video games and video game music or if you are a program FL studio is for you. They are having a 35% off sale. With most software you have to buy the additional software upgrades but with FL studio you buy it once and get lifetime free updates.

I bought FL studio 6 and I got 7, 8, 9 and 10 for free.

If you have some extra cash this holiday season I suggest purchasing FL studio.

Mega Man Remixes

During the holidays I usually listen to a lot of music. One of the best soundtracks in video game history is the soundtrack to mega man 2. The rest of the series is also amazing. There are a few reasons why the soundtrack to mega man is so great.

• Well crafted songs
• Very melodic content
• Adaptability

The songs are so well crafted and they aren't just thrown together. I find that most music is an afterthought when it comes to video game production. I think that if there is anything timeless about video games its the sound track to the mega man series. 

One of the reasons why the music last is its rich melodic content. Have you ever caught yourself humming a melody in the shower or on the way to work. Strong melodies stick with us. The mega man melodies are very well crafted. What is even more surprising is that when you compose music for video games you have less design options and the music still shines. 

Because the melodies are so well crafted and they have a strong melodic content, the music can be adapted, remixed and covered. You can go to youtube and find a plethora of remixes to enjoy. Personally, this is one of my favorite parts of the soundtrack. I love listening to all the different versions of songs.

I find that if a developer is looking for a good business reason to put good music in their games they should look at the mega man franchise as an example. 

When people remember the music in your game they remember the good times they spent playing the game

If you are building a brand have good music. It will enhance everything that you do. 

One reason why video game design is not as good as film

I love seeing a big budget hollywood film. Everything is generally well thought out and the experience is gratifying. I seldom get that same experience from games and as I was watching a movie I finally figured it out. It's the music.

Big budget productions have big budget scores. Big budget games have mediocre scores. This shouldn't come to a surprise to anybody in the industry. In almost every game the sound is almost always tacked on at the end. Composers are generally not paid what they are worth and as a result the music is not as good as it could be. In contrast the film industry pays it composers well and the music is a much bigger part of the production. Imagine Inception without it sound track. Imagine that the soundtrack was just an afterthought. It wouldn't be as good as a movie.

I honestly think that some developers thing that if music is simply just playing it is good. They don't care about fidelity at all

Personally, music is the one place where the least amount of money and time is spent in development. It really shows.

More music

So you are probably wondering why I post so much music here. Isn't this blog supposed to be about game design? Well design concepts overlap and I find that since most other forms or art or media have been around for a longer period of time they have had time to explore ideas more throughly. But classical music in particular is very dense and is very well constructed. I urge any game designer to study classical composition from Bach to Stravinsky.

The reason why classical music is so amazing is that everything is placed with absolute precision. There are pieces that "work" and there are masterpieces. Games are the same way there are games that work and there are games that work better. Compared to classical music there are no games that are masterpieces. Portal comes close and maybe a few other games.

Anyway here is a great orchestral work for you to get inspired.

Another great chip tune rendition of classical music

I personally love the work of JS Bach. His music doesn't simply just "work" it transcends. I always recommend game designers to study music especially classical music. Enjoy this chiptune rendition of the prelude in G minor.