If you have ever thought of creating your own game but lack the time and the skill set to sit down and develop out all of the pieces required, then you are not alone. There are literally a hundred considerations which need to be taken into consideration when making a complex game. True, games like Flappy Birds require a bit less consideration, but the fact remains that if you are not a 3D modeler or a programmer, you will probably hit a snag in your development. Why not bypass the majority of the headache and use a template? Check the app store for the requirements on size and presentation and then go and look for a template. There are tons for use personally as well as professionally.

Gaming Templates

To clarify, a gaming template should be used as the starting point and not as the final say in the game development process. In other words, your game will probably not be a success if you do not put at least a little effort into making it unique. That being stated, you can purchase a premade gaming package for both Unity and Unreal Engine based games. The benefit of such is that the main configurations and glitches have been worked out and so all you really need to do is adjust the environment, add in your 3D elements, and create your storyline, but then again depending on the template that may be set up and ready to go as well.

For example, if you want to create a first person shooter game (FPS), then Unreal has a template already created for such. Now, the realm in which the shooting takes place will need to be changed which will require you to either make a landscape or bring in buildings and other elements. But who has time for that?

Premade 3D elements

Gaming elements must be made to the standards of the software which is being used to make the game. You cannot simply create a character and hope that it fits. If you do you are very prone to have to reformat and in some cases remodel the character. However, if you use a premade 3D model from the start, you are ensured that the minimum requirements are met for integration into your game. Let us go back to the FPS example. If you have a character (humanoid) with animation, it has to be rigged, have textures and have a polygon count which is to the standards of Unreal. Too many polys and you get glitches, poor rigging and the character will not move properly or will have lingering geometry in the game, textures which are not baked properly or associated with the model correctly can lead to the character and game being unable to load.

Again, if you use a premade 3D character the settings are already present. You have only to tweak the geometry ( I would not recommend adding to the geometry) to get the look that you want, update the texture file, and you are good to go. If you have already created your character and need to have it optimized for the game engine, explore a bit and you are sure to find a plugin for your 3D software which is catered to the game development platform you are using. I would also recommend that you browse Amazon for books on Character Design for Gaming and Applications.

Don’t forget to test it

Using templates and 3d Models to make your game greatly accelerates the process from getting the game from the conceptual stage to the development stage. The game developer should, however, take some precautions when developing and purchasing templates. First, ensure that the template can be used on a mobile device. It does no good to purchase an Unreal or Unity template which is only intended for desktop use. Secondly, check to see if the template has been tested on Android and IOS devices. You want to have a template that works. Third, when choosing pre-made 3D models, ensure that you have the right to use the models for commercial purposes. For the most part, if you are paying for the model then you should be ok. Where you may run into a bit of trouble is if you go looking for free models as these tend to be for personal use only. Finally, once you have all the elements in your game and you are ready to offer it to the public, do not forget to do your own tests. Modifications can lead to glitches which need to be debugged. It is a process. Do your testing, identify any areas which need to be fixed, fix them, and retest.