Useful Programs List #2

As my last post about programs I use in my development of games was met with such interest, I figured it was time to make a second installment. Here are 4 more invaluable programs. Development was never so easy as it is now.

1. Paint.net. This is my default/go to art program, it does so much and it is Free. It also has a large amount of addons people have written for it that allow it expand it's range of features. Wonderful, even if I am not great with it. Fast, small and a bunch of regular Photoshop features makes this one invaluable. I used to use Gimp before this, but I never liked the program and found using it to be unintuitive and awkward.

2. Notepad++. This is another invaluable asset to any programmer, and once again it is free. I use this most excellent test editor for XML files, for LOG files and pretty much anything that has text in it. It is very customizable as well. A must have asset.

3. Fraps. I love Fraps, for a very small program this pack s a good punch. Allowing me to take screenshots of my games or video in resolution. Like I said it is compact and yet produces a lovely video for me to work from. Also very cheap to upgrade, and the upgrade gets rid of a small watermark on the screenshots or video.

4. Dropbox. Everyone probably already knows what dropbox is and what it does, but for those not in the know. It is a small addition to your system and comes up as directory. You can place data or code or whatever in your dropbox on say your PC and it will appear in your other dropboxes, on your Mac, or you Tablets or Phones etc. This is especially valuable to me when working on a laptop and then moving to my desktop occasionally. Though it's real value is working with a team all over the world. You can invite people and give them access to your sub directories. That enables you to place a piece of artwork in dropbox in Spain and then i'll get it shortly later in America. Brilliant. I also use it to download to my daughters Samsung phone, and to get my game files I build on my PC to the Mac.

Laters
Da Voodoochief