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  1. Admin

    Leadwerks 3.3 Released

    By Admin,

    Leadwerks 3.3 is now available. This update adds usability improvements and a few new features.
     
    Two new entity classes that extend the model class are present. Sprites are a quad that can face the camera, a specific direction, or can rotate around one axis. These are useful for lighting effects and the axis rotation is great for making laser beams or tracer rounds.
     
    The Lensflare class extends the sprite class and adds a simple glow effect for lighting.
     
    The editor now support shift-drag to select in the main window viewports.
     
    On Windows, the main window now uses resizable splitters so you can adjust the size of the side panel and program log, or click the separator to show/hide them. You can also right-click on a file or folder in the Asset Browser and select the Properties menu item to bring up the Windows file properties dialog.
     
    The Leadwerks Workshop, our system for publishing user-made game assets, has been streamlined to make the process of installing and removing items easier.
     
    Encryption has been added for your published games to protect your game files from tampering. This works with both Lua and C++ games.
     
    You can pick up Leadwerks 3 at a discount during the Steam Exploration Sale.
  2. Admin

    Ultra Engine SDK Now Available

    By Admin,


    Articles
    I'm pleased to announce that Ultra Engine SDK Early Access is now available. Four years ago, I set out to solve the performance problems I was seeing while working on virtual reality projects at NASA. Ultra Engine is the product of a lot of intense research and development during which I invented a new architecture designed for the way modern graphics hardware works. The results exceeded my wildest expectations, providing Ultra Engine with order-of-magnitude faster rendering performance than Leadwerks or Unity.

    Cyber Samurai by Khoa Minh
    The initial release is a C++ programming SDK for WIndows that provides access to the all new Ultra Engine API. Similar to Leadwerks, but utilizing modern C++ features like smart pointers, the new API features native support for loading all proprietary Leadwerks formats, so you can easily pull your existing 3D content into the new engine with updated graphics and performance.
    In addition to being really fast, Ultra Engine provides a ton of new possibilities:
    The Khronos glTF file format is supported natively, providing an easy way to load thousands of game-ready 3D models. An entity component system provides a formal structure for adding modular game components, and even supports loading and saving of game states. A layer-less terrain system supports up to 256 different materials per terrain. The animation system has a lot of new possibilities you've never seen before, in addition to being incredibly fast. The engine even features documented support for the mythical brush entity, for constructive solid geometry and real-time slicing and dicing. The pathfinding system provides precise creation and control of navigation meshes. Plugins system with plugins for FreeImage, KTX2, and fast BC7 compression. Features that were not very well documented in Leadwerks are clearly laid out with examples, like render-to-texture. Here's a video that goes through some of the new capabilities:
    Continued Development
    We're just getting started! There's a lot more great technology on the way. Here are some of the main features in development:
    New visual editor with customizable extensions VR support Linux and Mac versions C# programming support Lua programming support Advanced global illumination and reflections Box2D physics Newton Dynamics 4 physics Ultra Engine will be licensed at $9.99 a month, with a 20% discount for early adopters. If you would like to join the Ultra Engine journey towards a better tomorrow with maximum efficiency, activate your plan and get started using your new secret weapon.
    See you on the forum!
  3. Admin
    The results of the Leadwerks Summer Games Tournament are in! I think you will agree, this tournament produced some very fun playable games. Each author will receive a Leadwerks sticker via mail if this is their first entry, and a T-shirt if it is their second!
     
    So without further ado, let's look at the games, in no particular order:
     
    Slafstraf 2
    By Slafstraf
    An ominous industrial setting with plenty of interesting puzzles shows the progress the author has made since the original Slafstraf. Play it in the dark late at night for maximum effect!
     

     
    The Hankinator's Phantasmagoria
    By TheHankinator
    The Hankinator is back, this time with a creepy sci-fi scenario he says was inspired by watching trailers for "Alien: Isolation". With a shocker of an opening and terrifying stealth gameplay, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat.
     

     
    Castle Defender
    By Haydenmango
    Defend the castle! Grab the attackers with your mouse and fling them into the far reaches of the realm before they breach the inner wall! The fate of the kingdom rests in your index finger!
     

     
    Cuber
    By SGB
    Defend against the waves of incoming enemies by building your cube base before they arrive. A wide variety of enemies and an interesting building mechanic make Cuber worth playing, so give it a try!
     

     
    The Mower
    By hirte
    This classic arcade-style game starts out with a deceptively simple premise: Clear the yard of grass with your riding lawn mower. Oh did we mention that if any cows cross the wire connecting you to the generator, you lose a life? Go ahead, see how far you get...
     

     
    Marble Run
    By snowman0674
    Based on the marble game template, this title leads you through a series of progressively harder maps. Good luck with the half-pipe!
     

     
    Beach Roll
    By Megalocerous
    This marble game puts you in a tropical beach setting with a series of interesting courses to get through. Just wait until you see the new bouncy umbrella game mechanic the author added!
     

     
    A.F.T.E.R.
    By 2ima #bad_connection
    At this time, the game is only a simple scene with an empty field, but kudos for making a menu system and getting something out! We look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
     
    U-Rev
    By mdgunn
    The third marble game in our list, U-Rev takes a high-tech spin on the genre! Interesting level design and a challenging course make this worth playing.
     

     
    Summer Maze Game
    By fraisgamer
    Find your way through the maze to your summer relaxation spot! The scenery and level design will make your trip an enjoyable one, making this the perfect way to finish out our list.
     

     
    Congratulations to everyone who submitted a game. If you have Leadwerks Game Launcher you can play all these games right now. Got any favorites? Which ones did you most enjoy, and why?
  4. Admin
    Leadwerks Game Engine 3.6 is now available on Steam. This free update brings an array of new features along with the release of Leadwerks Game Launcher.

    New Features
    Deferred DecalsLeadwerks now supports decals using an advanced deferred rendering technique. Decals are useful both for bullet marks and character blood, and as a decoration tool for adding detail to maps. Leadwerks decals even work with animated characters, so you can show damage when enemies are hit.
     

     
    Terrain Vertical and Triplanar Texture Mapping
    Leadwerks terrain just got better with new texture mapping options. Use these to make terrain textures on steep cliffs align horizontally, giving a realistic striated look to your terrain.
     

     
    Camera Render Targets
    Camera render targets can be set in the editor, making it easier than ever to render to a texture. Set a camera render target then apply that texture to a material painted on an object. You can use render targets for security camera systems, rear-view mirrors, portals, or other visual effects.
     

     
    Particle Collisions
    Particles with a collision type set will now collide with the map, making bullet debris and other objects appear more realistically
     
    In-Game Steam Screenshots
    You can now press F12 while running your game from the editor, and a screenshot will be saved in your Steam screenshots library. This makes it easier than ever to show your game off in the Leadwerks Community Hub.

    Leadwerks Game Launcher
    Leadwerks 3.6 coincides with the release of Leadwerks Game Launcher, a new way to share games. Leadwerks Game Launcher allows free self-publishing to Steam Workshop so anyone with a Steam account can play your game for free. Use Leadwerks Game Launcher as an incubator for your latest ideas and build a fan base before going to Kickstarter or Greenlight. 

  5. Admin
    With the Summer Games 2016 Tournament completed, it's time to review the entries. This tournament brought a new level of quality, with several small games that could be considered Greenlight-ready, made in just four weeks!
     


     
    Sound Game
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=732192584
     
    Test your spatial reasoning skills in this unique and challenging game. Navigate with your map and lit up clues to get to the end of the maze.
     

     
    Soundscape
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=732248859
     
    Solve the mystery in this atmospheric puzzle adventure.
     

     
    Astrotrack
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=733382938
     
    Race through this futuristic yet retro world with a rockin' 8-bit soundtrack.
     

     
    Log Riders
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=734499057
     
    Jump from log to log in this fun physics-driven game.
     

     
    Realm of the Lamb
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=735323135
     
    Explore the afterworld in this atmospheric adventure. A great example of storytelling and pacing.
     

     
    Little Dagon
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=735476592
     
    Run. Glide. Shoot fireballs. Any way you do it, you're going to have a blast in this polished and fun game.
     

     
    Leadblocks Jump n' Run
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=743969073
     
    Slafstraf is back, not with horror, but with a psychadelic first-person jumping experience. Test your skills with this challenging and (presumably) LSD-driven adventure.
     

     
    Anesthetic
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=747490351
     
    Blast through hordes of enemies in this frantic fast-paced action title. Steam Leaderboards let you see how well you're doing compared to other players.
     

     
    Spookemon Go!
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=747753330
     
    Race an RC car around your beach house and collect all the Spookemons. You've got to catch them all!
     

     
    Robo Platformer
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=747899296
     
    Jump your robot from platform to platform in this challenging third-person game.
     

     
    FPS Nightmare
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=748730998
     
    Fight for your very soul. We couldn't have said it any better.
     

     
    The Hankinator's House of Darkness
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=749141006
     
    A blend of action and puzzle-solving with excellent game mechanics makes this a must-play!
     

     
    Dino Land
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/dino-land-r113
     
    Collect photos of dinosaurs in this unique adventure! Also features completely awesome water. Did we mention there's dinosaurs?
     

     
    TinyGom
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/tinygom-r110
     
    Race a tiny remote-control car through a fun and active setting.
     

     
    Pew Pew Bang Bang
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/pew-pew-bang-bang-r111
     
    Red vs. Blue team-based battles. What more do you need to know? Go play it!
     

     
    Run! Jump! Crawl!
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/run-jump-climb-r114
     
    A classic side-scroller with satisfying graphics and a fun vibe. Try it out!
     

     
    Crawler's Den
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/crawlers-den-r115
     
    Replay the Leadwerks AI and Events map with this reimagined implementation done in pure C++. There's also an interesting blog about the development experience.
     

     
    Grimlight
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/grimlight-r116
     
    Sneak through the corridor and avoid the enemies. Excellent map design makes this a great entry to check out.
     

     
    World Factions
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/world-factions-pre-alpha-r118
     
    An MMO RPG game where the online is similar to Minecraft in that players can host their own server.
     

  6. Admin
    Leadwerks Software today announced the release of version 4.4 of their topselling game engine on Steam.  This version adds a new GUI system, support for inverse kinematics, and enhanced visuals.  The free update goes out today to over 20,000 paid users on Steam.
    Leadwerks Game Engine 4.4 sees the introduction of Leadwerks GUI, a system for creating resolution-independent in-game menus.  Custom GUI elements can be created with Lua script, or an item can be selected from a number of pre-built GUI scripts including buttons, tabbed panels, slider controls, and more.  Leadwerks GUI is designed for the future, with support for 4K and 8K displays, as well as VR menus of any resolution.

    Inverse kinematics are now supported, with two new joints that provide fine control over the orientation of physics bodies.  These can be used to control the end effector in an IK setup, or for precise control of moving objects.  The Leadwerks physics system has been updated to the latest Newton Dynamics 3.14.

    Post-processing effects have been updated to enhance visual quality.  Bloom, HDR iris adjustment, SSAO, and fog have all been updated for improved graphics.  A new shader has been added to the vegetation system that scattering millions of rocks across a landscape to make terrain more detailed and realistic.

    The Leadwerks learning materials have been converted into an all-new documentation system.  This allows easier searching and browsing of tutorials, API documentation, and examples.  A new series of tutorials has been added to teach the basics of C++ programming, in addition to the existing lessons on Lua scripting.
    Leadwerks Game Engine can be purchased at a discount during the Steam summer sale.  All Leadwerks games have Steamworks support integrated out-of-the-box and are ready to publish through Steam Direct.
  7. Admin
    Following completion of a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring Leadwerks’ game development software to Linux, Leadwerks and Canonical have joined forces to make Leadwerks Game Engine available in the Ubuntu Software Center. This provides Ubuntu users with a powerful tool for rapid game development.
     
    Bringing Leadwerks Game Engine to Ubuntu also means that existing games can be more easily deployed for Ubuntu. The lineup of featured games on the Leadwerks website covers a diverse range of genres including strategy, action, and simulations. Michael Juliano, developer of the space combat simulation game Rogue System, says that he is now planning on Ubuntu support in his upcoming title due to the ease of deployment Leadwerks provides. “One of the reasons we chose Leadwerks was due to its strong support for Linux”, said Michael. “We’re definitely interested in bringing Rogue System to Ubuntu.”
     

     
    Jono Bacon, community manager for Ubuntu, said that ”Canonical is delighted to be working with Josh at Leadwerks to help further Ubuntu and Linux and in general as a next generation platform not just for consuming games, but building a powerful community of games developers and content creators”. With 25 million users, Ubuntu is widely used by game developers and players alike who enjoy it’s open nature and long term vision of convergence.
     
    Leadwerks Game Engine is a powerful and easy to use development tool for building 3D games. The software has recently grown in popularity due to its rapid development capabilities, royalty-free license, and strong support for C++ and Lua programming. Thanks to the quality of modern Linux graphics drivers from ATI and Nvidia, Leadwerks is able to deliver high-end 3D visuals on Ubuntu. An advanced deferred renderer provides realistic light and shadows on any machine supporting OpenGL 4.
     
    About Leadwerks Software
    Leadwerks Software was founded in 2006 to build powerful game development tools that are easy to use. The company launched Leadwerks 3, their first multi-platform product, in April 2013 at the GDC expo. Last summer, the company conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring Leadwerks to the Linux operating system, reaching over 200% of their goal in just six weeks. A concurrent Greenlight campaign for Steam was also successful, making Leadwerks the first 3D game engine approved for distribution on Steam.
     
    About Canonical
    Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu and the leading provider of services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise. With global teams of developers, support staff and engineering centres, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help partners and customers make the most of Ubuntu. Canonical is a privately held company.
     
    Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. It is the most widely used Linux on the top 1000 websites by traffic, the reference platform for OpenStack deployments, the most popular guest OS on public clouds, and ships on PCs from Dell, Lenovo, HP and other brands. Since its launch in 2004, it has become the preferred choice for open desktop and scale-out computing, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and consumers.
  8. Admin
    In collaboration with Arteria3D, we are pleased to announce the release of the SciFi Interior Construction Kit for Leadwerks Game Engine on Steam. This DLC provides all the props and textures you need to create your own high-tech sci-fi game environments. All content is ready to use with Leadwerks Game Engine, with no tweaking or adjusting required. Objects are designed to be easily aligned so you can build your scene quickly and revise it as often as you like. The included objects can be reused in many different ways to create a variety of science-fiction themed environments.
     


     
    Distributed through our Workshop game content system, the DLC contents appear immediately ready-to-use in Leadwerks upon purchase.

    Package Contents
    25 environment models including panels, pipes, supports, machinery, with predefined physics shapes for each object.
    56 materials with 1024x1024 textures, including model skins, with diffuse, normal, and specular maps for each.
    Example scenes to demonstrate usage and provide ideas.

     
    Get the SciFi Interior Construction Kit now for just $9.99 on Steam, with a 10% launch discount during the first week of release.
     

     

  9. Admin
    Leadwerks Software today announced their top-selling game development system on Steam, Leadwerks Game Engine, has gained a user base of over 10,000 paid customers. Although the game development space has seen a dramatic drop in prices and the entry of many free competitors, Leadwerks Game Engine continues to gain popularity by teaching complete beginners how to make games with no previous knowledge required, and providing a pathway to publish directly to Steam Workshop.
     
    Leadwerks’ ease of use is made possible by a layered development system that gradually eases beginners into game development. At its simplest, Leadwerks Editor is a drag-and-drop system with a visual interface for creating game interactions. Users can drill down to the Lua script level to modify behavior and create new game mechanics. Experts can get even more advanced and access the Leadwerks API directly in C++ with the Standard Edition DLC. This layered development system means that Leadwerks provides a smooth learning curve that grows with the user as they learn more.
     
    Leadwerks Game Launcher is the company’s portal for user-made games, and is currently available for free on Steam as an early access title with over 40 free games. Developers can publish their games directly to Steam Workshop with the game launcher or as a standalone. This lets developers share their games with the entire Steam community, with no waiting period and no approval process. The Game Launcher features a variety of experimental titles, delivering fun bite-sized experiences similar to the iOS App Store, but playable on a PC or Steam Machine.
     

    “The Borrower” can be played on Windows or SteamOS for free with Leadwerks Game Launcher.
     
    With Leadwerks Game Launcher on SteamOS, games can now be built on the desktop and played in the living room. Console gaming has historically been a closed system, with expensive developer licenses and strict rules about who can publish for the living room. With support for SteamOS, Valve’s Linux-based operating system for PC-based game consoles, Leadwerks Game Launcher allows anyone to create their own games they can play in the living room with a controller. All Game Launcher titles work seamlessly on SteamOS, even if they were developed on a Windows PC. Leadwerks provides full support for the new Steam Controller and is compatible with all OpenGL 4.0 hardware for Linux.
     

    Leadwerks developers can build games on the desktop and play them instantly in the living room.
     
    Version 3.7
    The upcoming version 3.7 update is planned to add a new vegetation system and other features. Unlike traditional vegetation systems that store each tree instance in memory, the Leadwerks 3.7 vegetation system allocates objects procedurally. This allows the user to create infinitely dense forests that consume no extra memory. The Leadwerks 3.7 vegetation system is set to be featured in a chapter in the upcoming book Game Engine Gems 3, published by A K Peters / CRC Press. Leadwerks Game Engine 3.7 is a free update scheduled for release in December 2015.
     

    Leadwerks Game Engine 3.7 Vegetation System, as featured in Game Engine Gems 3.
     
    Leadwerks Game Engine: Indie Edition and the Standard Edition DLC can both be purchased for $99.99 on Steam. Leadwerks Game Launcher can be downloaded for free on Steam.
     
    About Leadwerks Software
    Leadwerks Software was founded in 2006 to make game development fun and enjoyable. The company launched Leadwerks 3, their first multiplatform product, in April at the GDC 2013 expo. In July 2013 the company conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring Leadwerks to the Linux operating system, reaching over 200% of their goal in just six weeks. A concurrent Greenlight campaign for Steam was also successful, making Leadwerks the first 3D game engine approved for distribution on Steam. Leadwerks Game Launcher was released as an early access title in September 2015, enabling anyone to publish their game directly to Steam Workshop.
  10. Admin
    Leadwerks Game Engine 4.4 beta is now available on the beta branch on Steam. This adds support for virtual reality with the OpenVR library. OpenVR supports both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift headsets.
     

     
    To enable VR mode in your Leadwerks game, simply call the command below. If a VR headset is detected and initialized, this function will return true:

    VR:Enable()
     
    Any cameras not attached to a rendering target will render directly to the headset views. Both eyes will be rendered to automatically. The camera's position and orientation will automatically be tracked, and will override any positioning you give it in your code. You can switch between room-scale and seated VR tracking with the following command:

    VR:SetTrackingSpace(mode)
     
    Where mode is one of the constants VR.Roomspace or VR.Seated. Use the command VR:CenterTracking() to re-center the camera, in seated VR mode only. The VR system will automatically shut down when your game exits. You also no longer need to call System::ShutDown in your C++ code, as this will be done automatically when the main() function returns.
     
    Controllers will automatically be detected and render in your view. You can use the VR::GetControllerButtonDown(devicenum, button) and GetControllerAxis(devicenum, button) commands to get button presses and movements. The devicenum parameter will typically be zero or one, and the button argument can be one of the following constants:
    VR.TouchpadButton
    VR.GripButton
    VR.MenuButton
    VR.TouchpadAxis
    VR.TriggerAxis
    VR.TriggerButton

     
    At this time, you cannot hide the default controllers. Button motion will not be rendered in the virtual world. Camera culling does not exactly match the VR render frustum, and some objects will pop out of view at the periphery of your vision. Post-processing effects should not be used in VR, as they don't always look right, and the VR renderer uses a half-float RGB buffer to store screen positions, since depth reconstruction cannot be used with sheared projection matrices. The current build is a beta and may change before the final release.
     
    You can read more about Leadwerks VR here.
  11. Admin
    The Leadwerks team will be hosting our second Google Hangout on Sunday, July 22, at 17:00 GMT (that's 10:00 AM in California). We'll spend 30 minutes talking about all the cool things happening in the community, and answer your questions about our upcoming new game engine.
     
    Follow us on our Google+ page before Sunday and check back to join the Hangout. We're limited to ten participants, so first come, first serve. See you then!
  12. Admin
    An update for Leadwerks 3 has been released, bringing new graphical enhancements to mobile games. Building on the efficient art pipeline and user-friendly tools of Leadwerks 3, the engine now supports projected shadows for characters and other dynamic objects. This technique works by casting a shadow onto the surrounding world geometry, to provide real-time shadows that run fast on all platforms.
     

     
    To enable dynamic shadows on a single object, just select it in the editor and choose the new "Dynamic" option in the "Cast Shadows" property. You can also do this in code by calling Entity::SetShadowMode(Light::Dynamic).
     

     
    Leadwerks 3 has also gotten a visual upgrade with the addition of post-processing effects. In Leadwerks 2, all post-processing effects like volumetric light scattering, screen-space ambient occlusion, depth-of-field, and bloom were hard-coded. That is, they were written into the core engine and it was difficult to customize the renderer. Leadwerks 3 has added a new command, Camera::AddPostEffect(), which allows the user to attach a shader right to a camera, to automatically render post-processing effects.
     
    The new update also includes features to make it easier to share projects. The Project manager has been outfitted with new Import and Export buttons. You can export an entire project as a single ZIP archive. You can also import a project from a .zip or .werk project file. This makes it easy to share projects and collaborate with other Leadwerks developers as a team.
     
    Leadwerks is a fast and flexible development platform for building mobile games with native code. You can download a 30-day trial version on the website here.
  13. Admin
    Leadwerks Game Engine on Steam has been updated with bug fixes and a host of new features that are now out of beta.

    Crowdsourcing Post-Processing Effects
    Although Leadwerks 2 featured an extensive set of post-processing effects, they were all hard-coded into the engine. This limited the ease with which new effects could be added, and caused all Leadwerks screenshots to look similar. In Leadwerks 3 we decided to implement a post-processing stack of shaders. You can attach post-processing effects to the scene root in the editor and move them around to get different appearances. 
    We're already seeing a greater diversity of looks and effects than what Leadwerks 2 could render. By effectively crowdsourcing post-effects, we're creating a stronger platform for innovation of new plug-in effects, from the realistic to the fantastic. The post-processing features are included in both the Indie and Standard editions of Leadwerks 3.1.
     

     

     


    Built-In Screenshot and Video Publishing
    You can now publish screenshots and videos straight to your Steam profile from the Leadwerks Editor. To render a screenshot, select the Render > Render Screenshot menu item. After your image renders, press the Publish button to send it to Steam, where it will appear in your Steam profile and in the Leadwerks Community Hub.
    Improved Project Management Tools
    To avoid confusion with outdated projects, the project's status will now be displayed in the project manager. If the project is older than the template folder, a warning icon will be displayed. In addition, the script editor will now warn once about an out-of-date project before running. 

     
    Leadwerks Game Engine is available on Steam for $99.
  14. Admin
    Leadwerks Software has released version 2.5 of their game development software Leadwerks Engine, featuring enhanced graphics and support for the Microsoft .NET application framework. Josh, CEO of Leadwerks said, “.NET support fits in with our goal of making game development simple and more approachable for programmers. We have an energetic community of coders who have been requesting .NET support for some time, and we’re happy to deliver that in Leadwerks Engine 2.5 along with enhancements to our renderer.”
    Leadwerks Engine lets developers write games in C++, C#, VB.NET, and Lua script. The company seeks to simplify the complicated process of game development by providing a streamlined production pipeline and an intuitive command set. “With traditional game development tools, you've got to choose between ease of use and the quality of your results,” continued Josh, “We don’t see things that way. We believe powerful tools should also be flexible and fun to use, and that’s been our driving philosophy since the first version of Leadwerks Engine was released back in 2006. We’re very excited about extending support to a new audience using the .NET framework. We also support C# programming with Mono, in preparation for our plans to bring great graphics to mobile devices.”
    Independent game developers are using Leadwerks Engine to deliver games with visuals that can go head-to-head with titles from major studios. Tricubic Studios is using Leadwerks to develop their helicopter flight simulator Combat-Helo. Richard Hawley, Director of Tricubic Studios, said that “Leadwerks gave us a shortcut to achieve the kind of special effects seen in major AAA titles including HDR, motion blur, infrared vision, and dozens of real-time lights for dramatic day or night scenes with no performance penalty. The vegetation system alone can compete with systems costing many times more. We needed an engine that could render hundreds of thousands of trees to convince the player they were flying a lethally efficient helicopter at low level. The performance of Leadwerks has just been amazing.”
    Leadwerks Engine continues to be priced affordably for independent game developers at $199.99, with a source code license available under a separately negotiated agreement. A fully provisioned 30-day trial version can be downloaded from the Leadwerks website.
    Founded in 2006, Leadwerks Software provides cutting-edge game development tools at an affordable price. By providing amazing technology that's easy to use, Leadwerks empowers game developers, digital artists, and architects to bring their 3D ideas to reality. With over 10,000 customers worldwide, Leadwerks has earned a loyal customer base and developed proprietary technologies that are now being leveraged to build new products and expand their market to include tablets and smart phones.
  15. Admin
    Leadwerks has added new features that allow users to take advantage of Steam features.

    Steamworks Integration
    Leadwerks now has native support for the Steamworks SDK. You can make your game ready to publish on Steam by calling Steamworks:Initialize(). This also enables the in-game overlay so you can take screenshots, chat with friends, and access the entire Steam community in-game.

    Screenshot Publishing
    The new screenshot publishing window allows you to upload rendered images directly to your online screenshots library, where it will show up on your Steam profile and the Leadwerks community hub.

    Steam Controller
    We've added native support for the new SteamOS Controller. You can get input from the controller and even send haptic feedback back to the device.  

     
    You can learn more about these new features in the documentation here.
  16. Admin
    The results of the Leadwerks Winter Games Tournament are in! I think you will agree, this tournament produced some very fun playable games. You can download all of these games and more in the Leadwerks Games Listing. Each author will receive a Leadwerks sticker via mail (Gonan gets a Leadwerks T-Shirt since this is his second entry.)
     
    So without further ado, let's look at the games, in no particular order:
     
    Crime Closer
    By nick.ace
    Catch the crooks before they get away!
     

     
    Next Monday
    By MarkusR
    Shoot zombies and collect coins. The variety of scripted events make this game full of fun surprises.
     

     
    One More Day
    By xtom
    A survival horror game in the making, with an interesting inventory system and nice level design.
     

     
    The Hankinator's Fun House
    By thehankinator
    Get to the Christmas party on time! Each room is a different challenge, with a wide variety of puzzles to solve.
     

     
    Space Runner
    By darklord987
    Run through a space station without getting smashed in this fast-paced arcade thrill.
     

     
    Holiday Foot Race
    By smigergon
    Speed through a Christmas-themed track in a frantic low-friction race against the clock.
     

     
    LOSW: Last One Standing Wins
    By Gonan
    It's zombies vs. mutants in this no-holds-barred brawl to victory. Place your bets on the side you think will win!
     

     
    Crazy Present Auto Dash
    By mdgunn
    Santa has been dropping presents all over the place. Get in your car and collect all the presents before the time runs out.
     

     
    Slastraf Horror
    By Mr. Shawkly
    "Slastraf Horror" is a horror game inspired by slender and other "modern horror stories".
    This game is right now in pre-alpha and you can get it for free.
     

     
    Atomic Parkour
    By Atomic Hashtag
    This 3D jumping platformer is deceptively simple. You will die, repeatedly.
     

  17. Admin
    Leadwerks Game Engine 3.5 is now available on Steam. Along with version 3.5, we're rolling out a new tutorials to teach you everything you need to make games. A step-by-step series of lessons teaches how to use the editor, write Lua scripts, and create gameplay. No preexisting knowledge is required. Read the new material here.
     
    A new project templates system has been added. This provides different game types you can choose from to create a basic playable game in a few seconds. We're launching with a marble game and a first-person shooter, with additional game templates on the way.
     

     
    This version adds free self-publishing to Steam Workshop with Leadwerks Game Launcher. Now in beta, the game launcher allows you to distribute your game to anyone on Steam, without installers, zip files, or plugins. You can learn more about publishing to Steam Workshop here.
     

     
    Leadwerks Workshop has been upgraded to use the SteamUGC system. This allows unlimited storage space to upload your game assets for others to use, or download and use more than 140 game items from the community.
     
    This update adds CSG boolean operations carve and hollow. This makes it easier to build game levels. With these tools you can cut a window or doorway out of a wall or join two hallways. Learn more about the new features here.
     
    A new file "Main.lua" has been introduced as the entry point for your game's script program. The new approach simplifies the main program code, and existing projects will be unaffected.

    About Leadwerks Software
    Leadwerks Software was founded in 2006 to make game development fun and enjoyable. The company launched Leadwerks Game Engine 3.0 in April at the GDC 2013 expo. In July 2013, the company conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring Leadwerks to the Linux operating system, reaching over 200% of their goal in just six weeks. A concurrent Greenlight campaign for Steam was also successful, making Leadwerks the first third-party 3D game engine distributed on Steam.
  18. Admin
    The 2015 Leadwerks Halloween Game Tournament is complete, with results above and beyond any previous game tournament. The quality, content, and fun of the lineup of games this tournament is really spectacular.
     
    Halloween Pumpkin Run
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=540259470
     
    If one game summed up the spirit of this year's tournament, it's this title. The atmosphere, gameplay, and fun of this title make it an instance classic in the Leadwerks catalog of user-made games.
     
    Try to collect all the pumpkins but beware the graveyard residents who don't like trespassers disturbing them. The more pumpkins you take the more dead will awaken!
     

     
    Siege
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/siege-r105
     
    SIEGE is an RTS where two teams fight to be the last one standing. Once a combatant has been slain, it will turn into a zombie and fight anyone who is near him. Make sure YOU are the one standing in the end.
     

     
    Island of Fear
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=534704938
     
    You live in a small house on a fishing island, One day Henry has caught an unknown species successfully. As the people of Island of Fear no longer have big catch more had they had for fish to eat before had. Henry cut off it was over the campfire and test it. He gave the people clear and thought it tasted great! Everyone grabbed a piece and thought it was also very tasty. Since you do not trust the test fish, you took some bread to yourself and went to bed. In the night you wake up and can not trust your eyes.
     

     
    Rolly: The Rollable Ball That Rolls To Much
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=535234474
     
    A coding exercise done for the Halloween Game Tournament. It's not "Halloween-ish" but I think it's something else that will make you scream and curse out loud. I'll continue to update the project a little at a time until the Tournament ends.
     

     
    Enter
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=537727897
     
    Unless there's some hidden features, there's not much to do here, but kudos for publishing something!
     

     
    WolfTale
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=543156064
     
    This is my first game created with Leadwerks! It's an entry for the Halloween 2015 games contest. It's not overly polished, some parts I couldn't figure out (for example, setting the camera to NOT go through buildings!). Hope you enjoy it!
     

     
    LEMaze
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=543617616
     
    Game by shadmar for the Halloween Game Tournament 2015
     

     
    Cobra
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=546727133
     
    A member of the Elite Cobra Squad has been dropped deep in enemy territory. It's just you and your trusty Sub Machine Gun... they are seriously out numbered.
     

     
    Crazy Scorpion
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=547820610
     
    Just a little concept level that was made for
    Halloween Game Tournament
     

     
    Crawler Defense
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=548449469
     
    A Tower Defense game , round based.
    Please leave a comment , if you like !
     

     
    The Hankinator's House of Pain
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=548835676
     
    Welcome to The Hankinator's House of Pain!
     
    This is my entry for the Halloween game tournament. A game of survival, kill enemies to get points, spend points to buy traps and weapons! Survive to the end! Higher difficulty yields more points!
     

     
    Noteworthy Additions
    The following games were not published strictly within the tournament timeframe, but deserve additional mention.
     
    Marblez
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=549467145
     
    This is a game I have been working on for a while. I started it with a Summer Game Competition entry, and have integrated many new features into it. I intentionally waited for after the halloween game competiton to end before posting this.
     

     
    The Borrower
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=527801322
     
    Escape the dungeon using your power to control the elements.
     

     
    Prize will be sent out by mail shortly. This tournament brings our count of Leadwerks Games playable on Steam to 40. Together with recent updates in the Workshop system, we're nearly ready to make a final release of Leadwerks Game Launcher.
  19. Admin
    A preview build of Leadwerks Game Engine 4 is now available on the default branch on Steam, with a new vegetation management system and other features.
     
    We completely rethought how large-scale scene management should work to bring you a one-of-a-kind vegetation system for handling massive amounts of foliage. Instead of storing each instance in memory, our new system uses a distribution algorithm to dynamically calculate all relevant instances each frame for rendering and physics. This allows enormous densely packed scenes with minimal overhead. The results are blazingly fast, efficient, and easy to use. In fact, the new system is so advanced it's featured in the upcoming book Game Engine Gems 3. Other features include autocomplete in the built-in script editor and integration with Steam Leaderboards.
     

     
    To help you make the most of the new vegetation system, we're also introducing the Nature Model Pack DLC. This includes trees, plants, grass, and rocks, to make a variety of outdoors settings with.
     
    Leadwerks Game Engine 4 is a free update and allows publishing of games for the PC and Steam Machines.
     

     

     

  20. Admin
    Today we are rolling out three new paid model packs by artist Nova Dimension.
     
    The Urban Interior Pack contains everything you need to populate your decaying urban settings with fixtures, furniture, and survival supplies.
     

     

     

     
    The Morgue Model Pack provides a creepy setting for horror or apocalyptic games. Just imagine how scary this could be with the right lighting and music.
     

     
    Finally, the Old Furniture Pack provides an extended collection of every type of furniture prop imaginable, along with some old electronics like retro televisions and a radio.
     

     
    All items are ready to use in Leadwerks. You can get each of these model packs now for $9.99.
  21. Admin
    Leadwerks Game Engine 4.1 is now available on Steam. This release cranks up the already legendary Leadwerks visuals to new levels of awesome.
     


    Environment Probes
    The new environment probe entities can be used to add global illumination and reflections to any scene. 


    Volumetric Lighting
    Each light in Leadwerks can now display an adjustable volumetric effect using a ray-marching technique to give your game dramatic visuals. 


    Enhanced Post-Processing Effects
    Leadwerks 4.1 includes new built-in post-process effects including volumetric light scattering and screen-space ambient occlusion. Older effects like bloom have been updated for improved visuals. 

     
    Leadwerks Game Engine is available for purchase on Steam and can be purchased at a discount during the Steam summer sale, for Windows and Linux.
  22. Admin
    The Winter Games Tournament is complete, with a long list of fun mini-games made by the community. This tournament saw the release of many new and innovative types of games you want to be sure to try. To claim your prize, go to "My Profile" in the drop-down box that opens when you click your name in the upper-right part of this website:

     
    On your profile page, click the button that says "Edit My Profile" and enter your name, shipping address, and shirt size.
     
    Lone Water: Prologue

    Lone Water tell a history about a flooded world. You are a lone survivor in this world and you must find clues to figure out why the world is now all flooded with water.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=815172579
     
    On the Road Again

    On the road again is a little racing game where a track is randomly generated
    with a given seed. You either use a car or a ball to complete levels. Compete with others as you can see their highscores via the Steam leaderboards.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=821020417
     
    Snowmageddon

    Build your own base and defend it against evil snowmen!
    This game was built just for fun, and is still a little buggy. It has 11 waves of snowmen, and 13 different structures you can build. The controls and instructions are in the game. Feel free to comment if you find anything wrong, or one of those dreaded misspelled words.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=823633686
     
    The Van

    Just another slow day at the biotech firm. You work at the main research facility as a mechanic for vehicle maintenance and general odd jobs around the place. You don't exactly know what they manufacture here. Very secretive need-to-know stuff and the non-disclosure papers seemed pretty clear about not talking about what you see here, otherwise the consequences are severe.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=830722892
     
    Ball Hopper

    Bounce across platforms to reach the finish, but make sure you get all the checkpoints along the way!
    The controls are really simple, but don't think it's going to be easy!
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=831630240
     
    Water Bottle Flip

    America’s latest craze is now brought to PC! You heard that right – Water Bottle Flip captures the thrill of lobbing perfectly good drinking water in plastic bottles through the air and trying to land it upright on various surfaces. This authentic polymeric encapsulated aquatic simulator realistically captures the exquisite arc of the bottle as it sails effortlessly through the air and onto the target! Throw as many water bottles as you like in the comfort of your own PC gaming chair without having to worry about spilling actual water and soaking your carpets! How many can you land consecutively on the table? Can you trick-shot onto the vending machine? Can you simply just land one before casting yourself out into the void out of frustration? Try it out and see!
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=832449886
     
    Home Sweet Home

    You wake up to find you are on a deserted Island.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=833689777
     
    Rick Powers

    After waking in an unknown facility, you find and connect psychically with a future tech orb which allows you to teleport to places you throw it to. Use the sticky ball powerup and the ball sticks to anything. Use the bomb powerup to create an energy blast to break things. Can you escape?
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=833784148
     
    A Long Journey

    Now whether that's what I've created for a WinterTournament is enough, no clue. But I hope you have fun. So far, there are only two maps. But there will be more. In total there are 10 maps with different scenarios, effects etc.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=837157451
     
    Pig's Adventure Dodgeball

    This game started out as a typical dodgeball game but then morphed into something a bit different. At any rate, the object of the game is to try to break down all of the boxes on the target platform before you run out of balls.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=837269229
     
    Jimmi the Rabbit

    Guide Jimmi to his house before time runs out. Collect as many carrots as you con.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=842614008
     
    Spinguins

    Evil snowmen are planning to invade your planet! Quick, hop into your rocket ship and blast them away! Make sure to steal their hot choco for some Health & Power boost!
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=843127624
     
    Sot Kaal

    It works, but it's unfinished. Second level isn't there, I'll update soon.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=843269353
     
    Snow Riders

    Snow Rider is an arcade snowboarding game.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=843483061
     
    Enemy Z

    Prepare your defense against waves of the undead.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/viewitem?fileid=843731357
     
    WhiteOut


    Race against your friends and the AI and be the last one standing! Up to 8 racers at a time.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/whiteout-r121
     
    Mass Micron

    The game is supposed to be a boss battle within a single room. The boss will be invulnerable to direct fire but elements in the room will allow you to take him down. E.g disable missiles, reduce boss reaction time etc.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/games/_/mass-micron-r122
     
    Structura

    Game type real time strategy game.
    http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/topic/15575-structura-demo-alpha-1/
  23. Admin
    Visual Studio gives two options for creating C++ applications. Console applications use printed text to communicate with the user, harkening back to the pre-GUI days of DOS. The other option is a windowed application with a GUI interface, simply called "Win32 Project" in the Visual Studio project creation dialog.
     

     
    A console application will use the regular old main function you know and love:

    int main(int argc,const char *argv[])  
    This is cross-platform compatible and runs on any operating system. A "Win32 Project", however, will use a special WinMain() function that only works on Windows:

    WinMain(HINSTANCE hInst, HINSTANCE hPrevInst, LPSTR, int)  
    So if you don't want a black rectangle printing a bunch of lines of text, you have to use the WinMain() function. But, there is a way to fix this. We can change a console application to a windowed application in the Linker settings in the Visual Studio project settings. Change the Linker > System > Subsystem property to a windowed application.
     

     
    There's also a way to force the program to use the cross-platform main() function. Change the setting Linker > Options > All Options > Entry Point to mainCRTStartup.
     

     
    Although the application will no longer show a black text box, the printed output is still detectable by a parent application like the Leadwerks script editor.
     

     
    However, if you create a .bat file to run your application, you can only pipe the output to a text file. The text will not be shown when the .bat file runs:

    MyGame.exe > output.txt  
    Of course, any Leadwerks game will automatically write it's output to a text log already, so this is sort of redundant. Another consideration is you will not be able to see the output when you run your application from Visual Studio. Strange that VS doesn't support one of the most basic needs of an IDE, and has no known method of viewing the printed output of your program when you run it. However, if you want to get rid of that annoying black popup box, and you want your code to be cross-platform compatible, this is the way to do it.
  25. Admin
    The Leadwerks team will be hosting our next Google Hangout on Sunday, September 16, at 17:00 GMT (that's 10:00 AM in California). Aggror will talk about his experience leading the Leadwerks Community Project, and we'll provide a sneak peak at the new Leadwerks game engine.
     
    Follow us on our Google+ page before Sunday and check back to join the Hangout. We're limited to ten participants, so first come, first serve. See you then!
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