001 Game Creator News

As FPS Fest unfolds, join us in our excitement with a fantastic new major version update of 001 Game Creator, full release of the 3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit, Open Dev Kit updates and stunning deals for our community! Whether you're looking to craft intricate mazes with our latest 3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit or action-packed shooters using our FPS Kit, our current offers will help elevate your game design to the next level. Read on to find out what's new and grab these deals while they last!



We're thrilled to announce that our 3D Step-Dungeon Maze Kit DLC is stepping out of early access and into full release. Thanks to your invaluable feedback, we've ironed out many issues and added many exciting features for you to explore and utilize!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up7wx1yax5o
[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up7wx1yax5o[/previewyoutube]

See below for a condensed version of the changelog:

• Added new traps and interactive tiles! You can now place Holes, Buttons with Sliding Walls, Dark Cells and 90° Rotators (plus up to 26 Switches and Gates per floor)!
  
• Added 2 New Maze Themes! Crumbling Halls & Hedge Gardens with new tiles, maze objects as well as sound effects and backgrounds.
  
• You can now test new maze maps from the Map Editor, and specify ranges for different maze themes to appear when exploring the maze.
  
• You can now return to the Town Hub from the top floor of each maze area, with maze areas now unlocking in the Maze Selection Screen after being reached for the first time.
  
• Cleared out unused tiles, condensed existing tile-sets and cleaned up interfaces and scripts and added additional comments.
  
• Fixed several issues with enemies, interfaces, as well as teleporters and other tiles in general.
  
• Fixed issue with double-stepping when entering the maze, causing the "Reference Map" and "3d maze" map actors to get out of sync, which then caused a bunch of other issues.
  

Check out the DLC's store page for more details and get ready to build more immersive and complex mazes with ease:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2598260/001_Game_Creator__3D_Step_Dungeon_Maze_Kit/




001 Game Creator has been updated to v2024.004.000! This update includes a bunch of bug & crash fixes, Steam Deck compatibility improvements for built games, and a whole lot of HTML5 issues resolved, as well as a few major UNICODE problems regarding user data and project folders which prevented users from using 001 Game Creator.

Since we were able to resolve many HTML5 issues, we also made sure to update and greatly improve all of our HTML5 Games hosted on our website, especially the Tower Defense Demo which now runs beautifully.

Check them out here: https://001gamecreator.com/games/html5/

View the full change log here: https://001gamecreator.com/changes/




Couple great things have happened since last time on the Open Dev Kit side of things we're sure a lot of you can't wait to learn about. So keep on reading!



We're very excited to be introducing you to our newest Demo project: "Turtle 3D"! For those familiar with the "Turtle Drawing" educational concept of learning how to code, we have recreated this concept but in 3D. Turtle 3D is a Demo introducing robotics through simple Lua scripts, serving as an invaluable resource for students who're learning how to program.

Using Lua scripting, you'll be able to instruct various animals to walk paths or draw lines. This is an excellent way to learn coding and logic in a visual way, as your instructions will play out for you step-by-step. Although simple in nature, this demo can help you gain knowledge applicable across various STEM fields such as robotics and simulations, or visualizing how a 3D printer works.

For those more interested in the technical aspect, this demo showcases the use of multiple canvas rendering the same game scene across multiple windows, plus GUI windows interacting with game scenes. You'll definitely want to check it out next update!

Beyond that, we've also made countless improvements, including refined actor physics functions, dynamic manipulation of physics properties, runtime gravity adjustments, and improved UX features like window closing cancellation and canvas framerate control. We've also enhanced Jolt and Box2D physics, giving you now even more freedom to get creative with immersive gameplay physics!

Reminder that Open Dev Kit has recently also received a few new features such as extended OpenAI integration, Virtual Reality implementation, and now we now also have an exciting new devlog series over on our Patreon that starts with a Roadmap about ODK!


Check all of that out by joining the Open Dev Kit alpha here: https://opendevkit.com/pricing/

Also consider joining us on Patreon for early access to many other things like Software Betas, Devlogs and Polls that let you shape the future of our products: https://www.patreon.com/softweir




Don't let the eclipse overshadow your chance to snag unbeatable deals. From now until April 27th, enjoy a staggering 75% off on 001 Game Creator, plus up to 25% off our DLCs, with the FPS DLC at a special 25% discount in honor of FPS Fest and the newly polished Maze DLC at 20% off. No time like the present to expand your toolkit!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/347400/001_Game_Creator/

Let your talents emerge along with the emerging colors of Spring, as well as blooming discounts for 001 Game Creator! We've also got some exciting Open Dev Kit updates to share with you alongside the Spring deals, so let's dive right in!



A 001 Game Creator update is on the horizon, which will also bring with it the full release of our 3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit that is currently in early access! This update is primarily a bug fix update, which resolves a series of functionality issues and crashes reported by our users.

If you haven't already, check out the 3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2598260/001_Game_Creator__3D_Step_Dungeon_Maze_Kit/



More on the Open Dev Kit Side of things, we've recently had some VERY interesting updates that we're sure a lot of you are going to love hearing about.





There's a brand new Demo project showcasing Open Dev Kit's versatile Read/Write capabilities! It's a comprehensive guide, showing how you can effortlessly handle various types of data within your projects, such as modifying and reading the user's clipboard (capable of containing text, images, or a list of various files). You aren't limited to the clipboard either, as shown in the Demo you can use file open dialogs to load external images and files. (Did you know that Open Dev Kit supports an extensive range of image formats? Don't miss out on exploring the demo to see the possibilities!)

For those working on game projects, we've crafted an example illustrating how to save individual API Objects as either .xml or raw binary data. Imagine using the same setup to export your player's character data or any other crucial properties your game utilizes. It's a great game-changer for efficient data management!

But that's not all, the demo goes further by demonstrating how to read and write .INI files, the go-to format for holding application/game settings. Gain insights into optimizing your project's configurations with this handy feature.





Another huge advancement has come to our OpenAI support — the latest image generator DALL-E-3! This not only unlocks a new generator for you to take advantage of, but also brings some new functionality such as setting the image quality, modifying the generator style, and new non-square resolutions. Those in the Alpha can check out our updated OpenAI Demo now!

For those not in the OpenAI loop - this is a huge generational bump over the previous DALL-E-2. Generated images are far better in all aspects, creating amazing HD results without needing to construct super specific prompts. As well, DALL-E-3 works even better with longer prompts allowing a tremendous amount of customization and flexibility.

Join the Open Dev Kit alpha here: https://opendevkit.com/pricing/



To celebrate the arrival of Spring, we're offering some incredible deals on 001 Game Creator plus nearly all our DLCs! From today until March 21st, you can get 75% off the main engine, and up to 15% off the DLCs. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to take your game design skills to the next level!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/347400/001_Game_Creator/

2023 was an unbelievably exciting and flourishing year as we have managed to accomplish some incredible feats! From delivering new content for 001 Game Creator, to unveiling our groundbreaking and most significant project to date — Open Dev Kit! We take a moment to reflect on those remarkable milestones, and showcase the grandeur of our advancements throughout the year in this End-of-Year review.

Right as 2023 was beginning we began teasing the existence of our brand new project. As time went on, those teases became more and more specific until we started gradually revealing actual content in the form of video teasers to our Patreon community.



At that same time, we updated 001 with incredible new features such as HTTPS support, new events, enhanced full-screen support, and also launched our brand new SoftWeir Video Game Design Workbook — a huge book packed with various resources featuring multiple worksheets, explanations and tools for kickstarting project planning in a fun and easy way.



A month later was when we dropped our first not 1, not 2... but 3 whole teasers for Open Dev Kit to our Patreon community, showcasing things such as multiple simultaneous grid sizes, multi-selection of instances, and infinitely stackable tiles!



Later on, a major update of our Wiki rolled out. Essentially, two additional sections dedicated entirely to Events and Use Values were added, with each and every single one of them being a separate entry on the wiki. Some entries had links to other similar/related entries, with some having acquired additional notes, and a few others link to our video tutorials or game recipes where applicable. So users now could quickly see how an event or use value that they're interested in knowing more about is utilized.



Then May came along with a new 001 version, which was being accompanied by a fresh and completely revamped version of our "Tower Defense" demo. Completely overhauled and rebuilt from the ground up with new, streamlined scripts and enhanced gameplay mechanics. Even today this updated demo is an excellent source of learning material and a great foundation for those planning to develop such a game.



About a week later, the first teaser went public, and we finally dropped the name of our long-teased super secret project — Open Dev Kit! It certainly was a heart-raising and exciting moment for both us on the team, as well as the public, which reacted positively to the reveal. Following this, about 3 teasers were being revealed every week, until Open Dev Kit was fully unveiled right as June was creeping in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ7PQttnDmo&list=PL8qwf6Hn98NiwvxEKwMhCQjLsDq9KyvMD

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

At last, Open Dev Kit (aka ODK) officially greets the public in a huge announcement while also declaring the beginning of its private Alpha testing phase. In that post we strived to inform the people as much as we possibly could about this completely new piece of software; what it is, what it does, how it works, what people can expect from it and us in the near future, and of course what this meant for the future of our other tool, 001 Game Creator.



A month later near the end of June, we updated ODK with OpenAI integration (Chat AI and Text Completion AI, Image Generation & Variation etc.), with some of these features including loading and saving external image files via a save/load dialog, streaming resources (images) over the web and image manipulation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCTBI9zVLr4

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Additionally, a video was also dropped showcasing ODK's ability to handle 2D physics like a breeze, something which was near impossible in 001 along with all the previously mentioned features!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFFN6L1B-0E

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Then in September we announced the (early-access) release of a brand new DLC for 001 Game Creator — our 3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit! A grid-based movement type template, featuring an easy-to-use Map/Maze Builder interface for effortlessly creating interactive mazes, a dynamic mini-map with fog of war, customizable enemy spawn and loot tables for incredible variability, and more recently with 2 brand new maze themes and building tiles!



Following that, Open Dev Kit finally entered the public alpha phase, accompanied by an exciting teaser for it, showcasing something that 001 users were exhilarated to see, and that was dynamic lighting (spot and directional) as well as dynamic shadows. Due to limitations, something like this couldn't be a thing in 001, but with ODK's native C++ base it became very much a possibility and is now well implemented.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Other updates during that time included a dedicated custom theme editor (allowing people to design their very own themes and create themes from existing ones), a sweet toolbar reminiscent to the one from 001. Based on community feedback, we also implemented the ability to export projects by saving a copy of a project's data locally for archival purposes, as well as share projects via a .zip file with any other Open Dev Kit account in only a few clicks. Both of which were highly requested.



Later on, PayPal eventually became an acceptable payment method, providing an easier and more convenient way to access ODK. And with ODK supporting networking right out the box, a demo project also became available showcasing the functionality with an HTTP server, as well as how it enables you to easily host a local server that sends HTML/JSON responses. There's no longer any need for PHP, Python or node.js again for basic server tasks. And unlike most easy-to-use development platforms you aren't limited to just HTTP responses either; you get unrestricted networking capabilities to create or connect to servers of all types, including streaming various data types!



And lastly and more recently, our community witnessed yet another incredible and major ODK feature that was teased... the full integration of 3D physics. 001 users, rejoice! ODK will soon have everything that you wished for PLUS a lot more that are yet to come soon! A couple more exciting things happened such as ODK's website receiving an About and FAQ page, informing people about the software to a greater extent, and another page dedicated to our 001 users to help them familiarize themselves with Open Dev Kit by drawing parallels between it and 001 — the 001 to ODK Cheatsheet.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Join The Alpha Now: https://opendevkit.com/


Wow! What a year 2023 has been! Yet, we're thrilled to share that this is just a glimpse of the incredible journey that lies ahead in 2024 — for us and for you! Lots more stuff to come for both Open Dev Kit and 001 Game Creator, with the roadmap for Open Dev Kit especially brimming with exciting possibilities!

As we wrap up this year, we'd like to extend a huge and heartfelt "Thank you!" to our exceptional community. None of these achievements would have been possible without the outstanding support of our Patreon members, dedicated translators, and the entire community. Your valuable feedback has been instrumental in shaping the way forward for our products!

On behalf of the entire team, we wish you a very Happy New Year! Thank you for your unwavering support, and we can't wait to witness the amazing projects that will come from your hands in 2024 (and rest assured, there's much more excitement in store from us as well)!


With gratitude and sincere appreciation,
The SoftWeir Team

With the festive season approaching, we'd like to extend our warmest Christmas wishes to you and your loved ones; filled with warmth, laughter and fantastic moments! And speaking of fantastic moments, we've also got something special in store for you — some news regarding our 001 Maze DLC, some huge ODK updates, and of course our insane holiday sale. Prepare to unwrap some crazy good deals this season!


Our "3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit" will very soon receive its (BIG) final content update and leave early access. This new update will feature everything that was promised during the early access in addition to a couple extra things!

From the previous announcement you may remember the new maze theme that was added, "Crumbling Halls". Well now we've got yet another theme waiting for you called "Hedge Gardens", with new tiles and maze objects. A few other neat things that will be waiting for you are new traps such as Holes, new Rotators, Dark Cells and Buttons with Sliding Walls (you can now place hidden buttons with false walls!). Oh also there are now a LOT more comments in many scripts, making it even more comprehensive and easier to modify than before!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2598260/001_Game_Creator__3D_Step_Dungeon_Maze_Kit/



Of course, that is only the tip of the iceberg, and many many more new things will be revealed during its final release. The positive response that we received during this DLCs early access phase is what drove us to make this DLC the best it can be, and we no doubt expect that our creative community will make remarkable things out of this one!


Now on the ODK side of things, a lot of exciting stuff has been implemented as of last time. We seriously thank you for joining our Open Dev Kit alpha, and really appreciate you providing useful feedback since it started.


We're thrilled to let you know that we've added PayPal as a payment option, enhancing your convenience and flexibility. Prepare to embark on your game and app development journey today without any hassles!


The upcoming update will feature an integration of full 3D physics! This significant update will unlock a whole new dimension of creativity and interactivity in your projects. Take a step into the realm of 3D, or enhance your 2D projects using our Jolt physics plugin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nCMsGaWVx4

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


With Open Dev Kit's incredible Tile-Set/Sprite Importer you can easily transform your source images formatted in limitless ways into dynamic tiles and sprites for your game with only a few clicks. Whether you're importing a detailed tile-set or animating characters, Open Dev Kit's importer is designed to simplify and enhance that process. Just set the frame size, number of frames, columns, and let the magic unfold! There are also several importing modes that change which parameters must be provided for a very powerful experience. No more tedious manual adjustments, only seamless integration and boundless asset creativity.




We recently have updated Open Dev Kit's website with 2 new pages:

• The About page in order to inform people of ODK's plethora of tool-sets and its extensive capabilities.
  
• The Software Comparison page that's meant to show users how our software stacks up against other development tools.
  
• The 001 vs ODK page that demonstrates some differences between our main two pieces of software.
  
• The FAQ page will answer all of your commonly asked questions.
  

We recognize that a large portion of our Open Dev Kit users will be coming from our existing game development software, 001 Game Creator. For that reason, we are preparing a guide document specifically targeted towards 001 users, in order to help them transition to Open Dev Kit smoother and faster. Drawing parallels of ODK's features to their counterparts in 001, this guide will help you navigate and swiftly familiarize yourself with ODK's new development environment, speeding up your learning curve!
Cheatsheet: https://opendevkit.com/tutorials/001-to-odk/


Remember that these updates are merely the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned for more improvements, exciting additions, and bug fixes. Get a hands-on with Open Dev Kit right now, the public alpha has finally started and is waiting for you!
Join The Alpha Now: https://opendevkit.com/


And now after reading all that new stuff goodness, get ready to bundle up and buckle up because our 001 Game Creator along with its DLCs, are now on a huge sale! Until January 18th, you will have the opportunity to get a chilling 80% off the main engine as well as up to 15% off the DLCs and make your dream video game ideas finally come to life!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/347400/001_Game_Creator/

Best regards,
The SoftWeir Team

Prepare to Fall right into Autumn for yet another time with these crazy good Black Friday sales that are currently taking place, plus some exciting Open Dev Kit news!


Our most recent DLC the "3D Step Dungeon Maze Kit" will soon receive an update and finally leave early access. This new update will feature everything that was promised during the early access plus a few more extra things! And as you can see form the screenshot below, a brand new maze theme has been added, "Crumbling Halls" which is reminiscent of the inside of those ancient sandy temples!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2598260/001_Game_Creator__3D_Step_Dungeon_Maze_Kit/



We really appreciate the feedback as well as the positive response that we received during this DLCs early access phase. You all helped us figure out some issues it had, locate and fix bugs, as well as ways to improve it and bring to its final release. So thank you and we hope you continue to make good use of it!


Thank you so much to those that have joined our Open Dev Kit alpha and have been providing feedback since it started. A couple of sweet and useful things are being implemented based on users' responses, such as project data exporting, additional collaboration options, and a series of bug-fixes. We are also working on a FAQ (frequently asked questions) and comparison chart for the ODK website to answer some common questions and should have those up very soon!

Moreover, an HTTP Server template is about to be wrapped up and released to ODK subscribers! It'll basically be a simple networking functionality showcase enabling you to easily host a local server that sends HTML responses, adding an entirely new layer to project networking and surpassing anything we've explored in our previous projects. You will no longer will ever need PHP, Python or node.js again for basic server tasks.

We also very recently updated the Expression Picker, which is a massive improvement from what 001 had. A comprehensive Expression Editor that makes retrieving values seamless and instant! Just start typing something and all possible matches across the entire API, sorted by relevance, will be right in front of you, along with their descriptions and parameters!

If you want to get a hands-on with Open Dev Kit right now, the public alpha has finally started:
https://opendevkit.com/


We can't stress this enough, but thank you so much to all of our Patreons for supporting our projects throughout the years! Just recently users have gained access to ODK Feature requests, and are receiving some behind-the-scenes devlogs regarding Open Dev Kit.

If you want to participate in beta versions, get early access to content and even snag some exclusive merch please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/softweir


Fall into savings with our Black Friday sale at an astounding 80% OFF of 001 Game Creator and up to 20% OFF the DLCs! A sale of this magnitude rarely ever happens, so make sure you grab this opportunity to make your own video game ideas come to fruition before it ends in 2 weeks!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/347400/001_Game_Creator/

Best regards,
The SoftWeir Team