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Development Tools
Here is a list of useful tools and applications that can help you in designing your game:
Project Management & Collaboration:
- Trello: Team management and project planning
- Pivotal Tracker: Per Project management, has a task point system and completion velocity tracking. Free for one user
- Base Camp: Project management and file sharing tool
- Google Hangout - To discuss designs with a distributed team
- Evernote: is great to easily write your game idea, code idea .. everything!
- Podio: low-code business solutions to customize work and communication
- RealtimeBoard: Digital whiteboard for collaboration and project management
- Padlet: a free online notice and storyboard tool
Diagram / Graph drawing:
- MS Visio: highly recommended!
- Lucidchart: Online program to draw graphs (technology trees or diagalogues)
- yEd Graph Editor: Free cross platform graph editor
- Dia: A free program to easily draw graphs (technology trees or diagalogues)
- FreeMind - Free Mind Mapping Software. If you don't know what mind mapping is I highly recommend you learn!
- DrawIO: Online program to draw diagrams, intergrated with cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive
Writing:
Image Editing:
- Photoshop: Probably the most wide-spread option in the game industry
- GIMP: Free alternative to photoshop, with plenty of features!
- Inkscape - To draw mock-ups of UI's in real-time using Google Hangout
- Paint.Net: Intended as a free replacement to the basic Paint program in Windows
- XnView: Free program batch process images for file conversion
- Krita Free painting program
- Paint tool saï Painting program (windows only, easy to use, great for color blending
3D Modelling:
- Anim8or: Free Very easy-to-use 3D modeling program.
- Blender: Free 3D modeling with lots of great features
- Sketchup: Free 3D modelling tool aimed at architecture. Can be very useful to quickly draw some level designs or layouts!
- 3ds Max: 3D software for modelling, rigging, animating and rendering
- Maya: 3D software for modelling, rigging, animating and rendering
Screen Capturing:
- ScreenPresso - For capturing screen shots, design ideas, gameplay, mockups, errors...
- Puush: Capture screenshots of active window or a selectable area, automatically copies link
- CloudShot: Screen capturing addon for dropbox
- ShareX: Screen capturing software with lots of features
File Sharing:
- Dropbox: get up to 50GB for free when also installing the app on your smartphone! Also automatically syncs local files between multiple devices (referral link, get 0,5GB extra!)
- OneDrive: get 15GB for free with your Microsoft account (referral link, get 0,5GB extra!)
- Google Drive: get 15GB for free with your Google account (but online created documents dont use this free space)
Misc:
- Articy: Draft: All-in-one game design tool
- Audacity - Free Audio Editing & Recording Software
- NormalMap Online: Online free normal mapping tool
- TeamCity: continuous integration solution
- TortoiseSVN: Free Source Control for Windows
- xnormal free, bakes normals maps/AO/curvatures/ etc ... from high poly
- lazynezumi plugin for lots of apps, smooth lines, perspective drawing tool.
Other Game Design Resources:
- ArtStation is the new cghub, if anyone needs inspiration/ideas
A nice blog for game design:
Youtube channel with many Game Design topics:
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