While prepping for the Global Game Jam, at some point every jammer faces the same question: what am I going to use to make my game? Well, look no further! dot big bang is a fully-featured online gamedev platform that runs entirely in a browser, on any device. It’s perfect for rapid iteration, working together in teams, and quick game-sharing.
Here are ten reasons to try dot big bang at this year’s jam.
1. No install required – runs in a browser, on any device!
At dotbigbang.com/game you start making a game instantly, whether you’re on a laptop, smartphone, tablet – anything with a browser. Making an account takes one minute, then you’re good to go. You won’t need to worry about downloading or updating an app, how long your builds will take, or where your game is hosted – it’s all taken care of.
Dot big bang runs best in Chrome, or chromium-based browsers like Brave or Edge. You can create a desktop icon for even quicker access.
2. Share your game instantly with a simple link
In order to share your game, all you need to do is use the share button, copy the link, and paste it to your friends or teammates.
When they click the link, they’ll instantly appear in your game instantly. Multiplayer works seamlessly across all platforms and operating systems, so you never have to worry about OS or device compatibility.
3. Fast and easy editing and real-time collaboration
If you’re planning on working with a team, dot big bang makes that super easy. After you’ve started your game and saved it, generate a multiplayer link using the share button, and instantly start building alongside your teammates. You can all see each other’s changes in real time, and collaborate and playtest the game while you build it!
4. Multiplayer made easy with built-in networking
Dot big bang is the perfect place to build multiplayer games. Every new game on dot big bang is multiplayer by default. The networking system is very straightforward – entities in your game can be marked as networked by adding a tag. If you want to know more, check out this info about our networking model to take multiplayer to the next level.
5. Built-in VS Code editor with autofill and debugging
Dot big bang was built by game developers, and it shows. It has a built-in VS Code editor with Typescript, including debugging, autocomplete, and loads of other quality of life features, all designed to make using dot big bang as convenient and intuitive as possible.
You can edit code while the game is running, and see updates happen in real time. There’s plenty of detailed documentation and videos that cover scripting in dot big bang—and there’s live help available from the dev team who built the platform in Discord.
6. Access a library of thousands of readymade scripts
Dot big bang creators have made tons of scripts that you can use in your own games. You can remix other users’ scripts, and repurpose them for your game. Remixing and repurposing scripts can speed up your process during a game jam, when time is everything. And to pass the help forward, you can share your own scripts for other creators to use in their games!
7. Game are remixable – see how they work, and make them your own
When you hit the “remix” button on a game, you get your own version to use as the basis for something new.
This is useful in lots of ways – including seeing how a game was made. There’s a series of example games made specifically for this purpose. If you remix one of these games then go into edit mode, you can look inside the scripts to see how the game works. Those scripts are yours to use, adapt or remix.
8. Use the built-in voxel object editor to make assets fast
It’s quick and easy to make voxel assets in dot big bang. You can use the built-in voxel object editor to create and animate objects. As soon as they’re saved, they can be dragged into your game. If you’re working as a team, an artist can make objects as you work – and as soon as they’re finished, the object is available in the game editor.
9. There’s a huge library of voxel objects to use in your game
Not every game jammer or team will have a voxel artist on hand – but dot big bang has a voxel object library containing thousands of community-made assets that you can use. If you can think of it, it’s probably in the voxel object library.
Any object that’s set to public is yours to use, which is a huge help at a game jam. Objects you create can be set to private, marked for use only in your game, or added to the library for others to use too.
10. Talk to the devs directly for quick help in Discord
If you get stuck and need some help, the dot big bang devs are on hand to help on Discord with all kinds of tips, tricks and fixes for making games on dot big bang. You can speak to the same devs who built the whole platform, and get help directly from them.
There are lots of more in-depth resources to help you get started, like:
Visit dotbigbang.com to start creating now. Check out our Global Game Jam hub, which was built with the same tools that are available to everyone. And happy jamming!
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