“So, you want to make a game engine?”

Mark LaCroix

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The charming little Playdate handheld game console is expected to release in late 2021. Its SDK and hardware are currently part of a developer preview program, where a small community is testing and building new ideas for the unique capabilities (and limitation) of the device. With a friendly, intuitive API, the SDK has much of what any developer, from hobbyist to professional, needs to create a game for Playdate, but when making his game for it, Mark LaCroix realized there were still a few things missing that all games might need, and so, for some reason, he decided to write a game engine for it.

Noble Engine will soon be available as an open-source project for anyone developing a game for Playdate. Hear how the project began and where it’s going, as well as some of the trials and tribulations of writing (and documenting!) a game engine in an unfamiliar programming language for an unreleased game console.

Mark LaCroix is an indie developer whose company Noble Robot develops PC and console games. He is currently working on the next project from the makers of Hypnospace Outlaw, and is a co-host of the weekly indiedev podcast “Nice Games Club.

@Mark_Lacroix - Noble Engine

Game Design Though Modding

Alex Hallee

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Hacking has been a part of the video game scene since the very beginning, even being credited for the creation of gaming classics like Counter-Strike and Dota 2. Being a big fan of expanding my skill sets and wanting to make improvements to a game I already loved, I decided to start from scratch and join the modding scene less than a year and a half ago. In this talk, I plan to share my progress and overall journey of learning how to hack “Super Mario Sunshine” and how it’s helped me improve as a game designer.

Alex Hallee is a recent Computer Science graduate from University of Wisconsin Stout with a focus in Game Design and Development. Throughout his college education, he’s made multiple games including a Lovecraftian themed point-and-click web game, a llama-heavy mobile infinite runner, and a physics based party game about beating other grocery store employees at minigames. Alex is currently doing freelance programming work.

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