Gamedev randomizer tools

April 20, 2019

Looking for gamedev tools that generate random assets? Here are some of my picks...

Still one week to go before Ludum Dare 44 and it is time to update our toolbox. So i compiled a list of apps that can come in handy to make an excellent jam entry. There are three important properties a tool needs to make it on the list: the stuff it generates needs to be random, it needs to run in the browser and it can be used with any game engine.

Game Title Generator

The first thing you will need is a name for your project. This can be quiet hard to come up with, but Game Title Generator gives you more then 10 million different suggestions. Don't click for to long on the generate button, because you still need to make a game.

Coolors

Don't use a #000000 black backdrop for your game with #FFFFFF white text and #0000FF blue game objects. Instead generate a cool color pallete with Coolors. You can generate 5 new random colors by just hitting spacebar. If you like one specific color you can lock it and then generate 4 new matching colors. There is also a button (grid icon) that generates all the shades.

Pixeldudesmaker

You will also need some characters in your game. Pixeldudesmaker generates random funny looking pixel dudes. When you found a combination that suits your needs, you can export a spritesheet with three built in animations: idle, run and jump.

Cavegen

Need a map of a cave? Why not try plotting one with Cavegen? The app uses the Cellular Automata algorithm to generate caves for you, which you can then export as json or png.

Jfxr

A game also needs some sound effects. Probably everybody knows the classic sfxr, which generates retro style sound bites. But as it turns out there is also a javascript implementation of this classic tool called jfxr.

Beepster

The last thing your game needs is some ambient music. Give beepster a try. You can create some very relaxing tunes with it. The only downside is that you will need to record the result yourself.

The missing tool

One thing that is missing from this list is a tool to create tilesets. Not tilemaps, but the actual tile sprites. I searched far and wide for them, but i couldn't find any that are also web apps. So maybe i found a gap in the market and it is itching to try and make such a tool this week. It won't be very spectacular. It is just an idea.