End of Year Review & Future Plans
2024 has been an extraordinary year of growth and progress for our team and community! From Open Dev Kit transitioning from Alpha to Beta, making remarkable progress in its development, to introducing Steam Items for 001 Game Creator as well as other new content, we've reached incredible milestones together. As the year wraps up, we take a moment to reflect on these achievements and celebrate what we’ve made in this End-of-Year review.
At the beginning of the year, Open Dev Kit received a major update that introduced 3D Jolt Physics to the engine, something that is considered to be a staple in many 3D games nowadays, and a thing that was impossible to do in 001 Game Creator.
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Few weeks later on, Open Dev Kit kept receiving significant updates one after another, such as support for extended OpenAI functionality, which brought with it DALL-E-3. This new model was capable of generating images with far better quality in all aspects, without needing to construct super specific prompts, allowing a tremendous amount of customization and flexibility.
At that time we also put out a brand new Saving & Loading demo, where users could see a bunch of ways of handling project data. The demo covered how to modify and read the users clipboard which can contain text, images or a list of files, as well as reading and writing text and image files, or even API stuff like XML and binary data!
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It didn't take long for another amazing demo to be released for Open Dev Kit: "Turtle 3D". An educational demo which introduces robotics with realistic physics, all taught through commands set up as simple Lua scripts. Designed mainly as a STEM resource, Turtle 3D makes learning how to program both accessible and fun, offering interested students the opportunity to explore various coding concepts in a more hands-on and interactive environment.
Then, a remarkable update was also followed by a massive documentation update that enabled users to explore and learn more about Open Dev Kit! And thanks to the "F1 Anywhere" feature, it was possible to easily learn more about any functionality or scripting property/function simply by clicking on it and pressing F1! That way, no matter where they were, users would hardly get lost among Open Dev Kit's abundant features!
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Some time in-between all that, a new version of 001 Game Creator came out that greatly enhanced the HTML functionality, fixed a couple UNICODE issues and vastly improved Steam Deck compatibility for built games. It also brought along with it the full release of the 3D Maze Kit DLC, which was in development for quite some time. And thanks to our community's invaluable feedback, we were able to iron out any and every issue, and add many exciting features for users to explore and utilize!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up7wx1yax5o
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During that period we also released the latest video tutorial in our Game Recipe series, where we visually guide you step-by-step on implementing mechanics from our already written recipes. The most recent release focused on creating a stamina display in the player’s HUD, tied to a sprint mechanic. Using the Graph tool to display statistics in bar format and integrating it with the HUD interface, the tutorial shows how to bring this essential feature to life in your own games. If you missed it, you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TkzZRhBEaU
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We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community who has shared their expertise by posting guides and tutorials on Steam. These can really help developers of all skill levels and help elevate our community. If you’ve been experimenting with 001 Game Creator yourself, why not share your knowledge by creating a guide? Your insights could assist others, and they are sure to appreciate your work!
Make a guide and help us all out: https://steamcommunity.com/app/347400/guides/
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Summer came, and thanks to all that work we poured into our biggest project yet, having come such a long way in many different aspects — from functionality, stability, accessibility and so much more — it was finally time for Open Dev Kit to officially make its way onto the public Beta stage. Marking a significant milestone and step forward in making Open Dev Kit a powerful development tool. To showcase its current capabilities at the time, we also put out 2 demos for people to check out; a 3D platformer plus a 2D isometric RPG.
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Not even a week later, we launched a Humble Bundle sale featuring 001 Game Creator and its DLCs at unbeatable prices, to support Extra Life and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Later in the year we also participated in two other Humble Bundles supporting Breakthrough T1D. Having managed to help raise over $127,000 this year alone we consider these Humble Bundle campaign a great success, and we hope to keep doing more in the future!
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The summer season was quite an exciting time for 001 Game Creator, as we were able to do some pretty cool things. For one, we worked on adding a page on the 001 Game Creator website dedicated towards showcasing games from our fantastic community. Showcasing user projects with style, with their names displayed, and for finished projects — or at least those uploaded to an appropriate platform (Steam, Itch.io, Gamejolt, etc) — clicking on them now takes you there to view them in more detail, and even download when feasible!
We also encourage you to make a post about it in our Discord's show-off channel if you made a game with 001 Game Creator and would like to get it there. Depending on its level of polish, chances are we'll add it as well!
Check it out for some serious eye-candy: https://001gamecreator.com/screenshots/
The other nifty thing we worked on this year was the introduction of Steam Items for 001 Game Creator! Just like most Steam apps and games, it is now possible collect exclusive 001-themed trading cards, acquire badges to show off on your Steam profile, as well as emoticons and profile backgrounds to show off your love for game development and more specifically 001 Game Creator. Some longtime users may even recognize a few easter eggs among all those items ;)
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Later on when fall arrived it was Open Dev Kit's turn to be on the spotlight. In September, a major new update dropped which featured a crazy number of improvements, new functionality and overall better stability. The biggest highlight however was the integration with the Effekseer particle effect model format (.efkefc), providing users with powerful new visual effects using an external editor that allows the creation of AAA-level stunning particle animations and effects. And it's all been designed to seamlessly work with Open Dev Kit!
https://youtu.be/M2m94uWZNUI
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A month later a new addition to Open Dev Kit's demo projects was announced. Inspired by one of 001 Game Creator's popular demos, an upgraded version of the Space Shooter demo was designed. Able to play in both 2D and 3D, it takes things to a whole new level with enhanced visuals, smoother mechanics, and new features, all the while giving users the knowhow and inspiration for crafting their own epic intergalactic games.
It combines flawless mechanics, stunning Effekseer particle effects for highly expressive visuals, and a dynamic arcade feel that takes full advantage of Open Dev Kit’s much more powerful tools.
Join the Beta now: https://opendevkit.com/
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Whew, we're nearing the end, but we've still got one more thing we need to mention and hopefully get some of you hyped up. Just mere weeks ago, we teased something new and ambitious that we'll be doing with you in 2025. Again, can't give out any details, but do keep on eye out for the new community-driven showcases.
In the meantime, make sure to join our Discord server and share your progress in the #show-off channel. Whether it’s screenshots, trailers, or updates, we want to celebrate your work, and perhaps feature it in this new thing that we're preparing!
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Thank you for your support!
Wow! What an incredible year 2024 has been! And yet, this is only the beginning of the amazing journey ahead in 2025, for both Open Dev Kit and 001 Game Creator! With 001 Game Creator moving even further towards becoming the most polished version of itself that it can be, and exciting plans for Open Dev Kit's evolution, the future is simply brimming with potential and possibilities.
As we close out this year, we want to express our deepest gratitude to our passionate community. None of this progress would have been possible without the unwavering support of our Patreon members, translators, and talented users. Your feedback and creativity continue to inspire and guide us all on this massive journey!
From all of us here at SoftWeir, we wish you a joyous New Year filled with adventure, creativity, and success. Here’s to another great year of building, creating, and sharing amazing games together in 2025!
With utmost gratitude and appreciation,
The SoftWeir Team
