Atom Dan
@atomdan.bsky.social
CEO, Creative Director of Atom Switch. Indie game dev, artist & designer, musician, husband & dad.
I suddenly remember why I'd been putting off art'ing up this level for so long. I reaaaaaly need to make a more modular, repeatable kit for this.
#RebelCore #environmentart #kitbash #indegames #gamedev
#RebelCore #environmentart #kitbash #indegames #gamedev
November 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I suddenly remember why I'd been putting off art'ing up this level for so long. I reaaaaaly need to make a more modular, repeatable kit for this.
#RebelCore #environmentart #kitbash #indegames #gamedev
#RebelCore #environmentart #kitbash #indegames #gamedev
It always feels good to finally see that "Play" button in Steam. No more zip files and "what version are you on?" to setup playtests anymore!
#indiegames #gamedev #rebelcore
#indiegames #gamedev #rebelcore
October 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
It always feels good to finally see that "Play" button in Steam. No more zip files and "what version are you on?" to setup playtests anymore!
#indiegames #gamedev #rebelcore
#indiegames #gamedev #rebelcore
When you're usually on the art or tech art side of UI, but you don't want to stop @nukadilucca.bsky.social from the awesome gameplay feature he's working on.
#indiegamedev #indiegames #rebelcore
#indiegamedev #indiegames #rebelcore
August 23, 2025 at 8:16 PM
When you're usually on the art or tech art side of UI, but you don't want to stop @nukadilucca.bsky.social from the awesome gameplay feature he's working on.
#indiegamedev #indiegames #rebelcore
#indiegamedev #indiegames #rebelcore
The latest #RebelCore news post is now live on the game's Steam page (link in replies!) with a look into development on the Wastelands level boss, the Seeker!
#indiegames #indiegamedev #platformer
#indiegames #indiegamedev #platformer
August 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The latest #RebelCore news post is now live on the game's Steam page (link in replies!) with a look into development on the Wastelands level boss, the Seeker!
#indiegames #indiegamedev #platformer
#indiegames #indiegamedev #platformer
Blocking out the full-length Wastelands level and I needed a sand/dust storm transition...pretty cool how easy Ultra Dynamic Sky/Weather makes it!
(lighting and art very WIP)
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #leveldesign
(lighting and art very WIP)
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #leveldesign
July 31, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Blocking out the full-length Wastelands level and I needed a sand/dust storm transition...pretty cool how easy Ultra Dynamic Sky/Weather makes it!
(lighting and art very WIP)
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #leveldesign
(lighting and art very WIP)
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #leveldesign
And so begins the road to turning a prototype into a pre-pre-pre-alpha demo! Check out the longer version in the reply via the latest news post on our Steam page
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames
July 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
And so begins the road to turning a prototype into a pre-pre-pre-alpha demo! Check out the longer version in the reply via the latest news post on our Steam page
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames
Wait...is it seriously Friday already? Planning out levels and [shhhh: plotting out a demo??] is surprisingly distracting.
#RebelCore #Indiegames #indiegamedev
#RebelCore #Indiegames #indiegamedev
July 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Wait...is it seriously Friday already? Planning out levels and [shhhh: plotting out a demo??] is surprisingly distracting.
#RebelCore #Indiegames #indiegamedev
#RebelCore #Indiegames #indiegamedev
I love a good test room! While improving and expanding player movement systems @nukadilucca.bsky.social made fantastic gains tightening up wall grabbing/sliding in the game.
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #platforming
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #platforming
July 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I love a good test room! While improving and expanding player movement systems @nukadilucca.bsky.social made fantastic gains tightening up wall grabbing/sliding in the game.
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #platforming
#RebelCore #indiegamedev #indiegames #platforming
When you made gif headers for the Steam page and remember you made one extra for other uses... (I think this qualifies as Simpsons-grade "Superliminal" messaging)
#RebelCore #IndieGames #IndieGameDev #Platformer
#RebelCore #IndieGames #IndieGameDev #Platformer
July 21, 2025 at 7:31 PM
When you made gif headers for the Steam page and remember you made one extra for other uses... (I think this qualifies as Simpsons-grade "Superliminal" messaging)
#RebelCore #IndieGames #IndieGameDev #Platformer
#RebelCore #IndieGames #IndieGameDev #Platformer
Is it weird to get really excited about having your main menu and level select be a fully 3d scene the camera moves through?
Less flat 2d interface and more diegetic is very fun to think about
#rebelcore #indiegames #indiegamedev #gamedev
Less flat 2d interface and more diegetic is very fun to think about
#rebelcore #indiegames #indiegamedev #gamedev
July 18, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Is it weird to get really excited about having your main menu and level select be a fully 3d scene the camera moves through?
Less flat 2d interface and more diegetic is very fun to think about
#rebelcore #indiegames #indiegamedev #gamedev
Less flat 2d interface and more diegetic is very fun to think about
#rebelcore #indiegames #indiegamedev #gamedev
What is an action platformer without bosses? Rebel Core will be home to 8 deadly domain masters - the Core Robotics, all of which must be defeated in order to access The Citadel and take on the Council therein!
#RebelCore #indiegames #indiegamedev #sidescroller
#RebelCore #indiegames #indiegamedev #sidescroller
July 17, 2025 at 6:46 PM
What is an action platformer without bosses? Rebel Core will be home to 8 deadly domain masters - the Core Robotics, all of which must be defeated in order to access The Citadel and take on the Council therein!
#RebelCore #indiegames #indiegamedev #sidescroller
#RebelCore #indiegames #indiegamedev #sidescroller
The mighty @nukadilucca.bsky.social getting knockback and i-frames going in Rebel Core makes it feel just a little bit less bad every time I take a laser to the face (or back)!
#rebelcore #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #sidescroller
#rebelcore #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #sidescroller
July 16, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The mighty @nukadilucca.bsky.social getting knockback and i-frames going in Rebel Core makes it feel just a little bit less bad every time I take a laser to the face (or back)!
#rebelcore #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #sidescroller
#rebelcore #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #sidescroller
Things got a bit amiibo-esq making a posed shot of our titular hero!
#RebelCore #IndieGameDev #Indiegame #gamedevelopment
#RebelCore #IndieGameDev #Indiegame #gamedevelopment
July 14, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Things got a bit amiibo-esq making a posed shot of our titular hero!
#RebelCore #IndieGameDev #Indiegame #gamedevelopment
#RebelCore #IndieGameDev #Indiegame #gamedevelopment
What is this, gameplay footage for ant--er, phones?
Here's 11 seconds of gameplay squeezed into portrait layout for optimal phone viewing!
#rebelcore #indiegame #indiegamedev #gamedev #platformer
Here's 11 seconds of gameplay squeezed into portrait layout for optimal phone viewing!
#rebelcore #indiegame #indiegamedev #gamedev #platformer
July 11, 2025 at 7:17 PM
What is this, gameplay footage for ant--er, phones?
Here's 11 seconds of gameplay squeezed into portrait layout for optimal phone viewing!
#rebelcore #indiegame #indiegamedev #gamedev #platformer
Here's 11 seconds of gameplay squeezed into portrait layout for optimal phone viewing!
#rebelcore #indiegame #indiegamedev #gamedev #platformer
It turns out this pitch project HAS gone further and turned into a prototype!
So here is a bite-sized sneak preview of a big announcement coming July 8th - a new game I've been working on for the last 3 months with two other devs from the InfestStation team!
#indiegame #indiegamedev #prototype
So here is a bite-sized sneak preview of a big announcement coming July 8th - a new game I've been working on for the last 3 months with two other devs from the InfestStation team!
#indiegame #indiegamedev #prototype
July 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
It turns out this pitch project HAS gone further and turned into a prototype!
So here is a bite-sized sneak preview of a big announcement coming July 8th - a new game I've been working on for the last 3 months with two other devs from the InfestStation team!
#indiegame #indiegamedev #prototype
So here is a bite-sized sneak preview of a big announcement coming July 8th - a new game I've been working on for the last 3 months with two other devs from the InfestStation team!
#indiegame #indiegamedev #prototype
Not sure how far this little pitch project will get to go after a disappointing GDC, but it sure is a fun one to make little vignettes of art for.
#gamedev #indiegames #lookdev #gameart #unrealengine
#gamedev #indiegames #lookdev #gameart #unrealengine
March 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Not sure how far this little pitch project will get to go after a disappointing GDC, but it sure is a fun one to make little vignettes of art for.
#gamedev #indiegames #lookdev #gameart #unrealengine
#gamedev #indiegames #lookdev #gameart #unrealengine
When you're not a character artist but you still need to do look dev on the main character (it's a good thing the character is a robot)...
#gamedev #indiegames #characterart #lookdev
#gamedev #indiegames #characterart #lookdev
March 10, 2025 at 5:05 PM
When you're not a character artist but you still need to do look dev on the main character (it's a good thing the character is a robot)...
#gamedev #indiegames #characterart #lookdev
#gamedev #indiegames #characterart #lookdev
Inch by inch, slowly getting closer. Splitting my time between bizdev and art, working on the pitch, and working on the music makes it a bit slower than I'd like though.
#gamedev #indiegames #environmentart #lookdev
#gamedev #indiegames #environmentart #lookdev
February 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Inch by inch, slowly getting closer. Splitting my time between bizdev and art, working on the pitch, and working on the music makes it a bit slower than I'd like though.
#gamedev #indiegames #environmentart #lookdev
#gamedev #indiegames #environmentart #lookdev
Wild coincidence to open Bluesky up to this post as I go to share one of the songs I'm working on for a game pitch that is very much a "modernized mega man x" inspired action platformer.
#vgm #gamedev #indiegamedev #gamemusic
#vgm #gamedev #indiegamedev #gamemusic
February 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Wild coincidence to open Bluesky up to this post as I go to share one of the songs I'm working on for a game pitch that is very much a "modernized mega man x" inspired action platformer.
#vgm #gamedev #indiegamedev #gamemusic
#vgm #gamedev #indiegamedev #gamemusic
Ultimately, it's still a long way from working as well as the 2d concepts do. But hey, lookdev, amirite?
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Ultimately, it's still a long way from working as well as the 2d concepts do. But hey, lookdev, amirite?
I also played around with making the distance landscapes using terrain tools.
I desperately need a more complete skybox setup though, sky atmosphere requires way too much color fudging to work and that messes with all the other lighting, which also *requires* lighting to show up.
I desperately need a more complete skybox setup though, sky atmosphere requires way too much color fudging to work and that messes with all the other lighting, which also *requires* lighting to show up.
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I also played around with making the distance landscapes using terrain tools.
I desperately need a more complete skybox setup though, sky atmosphere requires way too much color fudging to work and that messes with all the other lighting, which also *requires* lighting to show up.
I desperately need a more complete skybox setup though, sky atmosphere requires way too much color fudging to work and that messes with all the other lighting, which also *requires* lighting to show up.
Still clunky trying to get something out of them within Unreal though.
It feels like the optimal solution may be to take an unlit base, multiply in some SSAO, then figure out how I can get some lighting layered on top of that for the highlights, but not need it to light the *whole* scene...
It feels like the optimal solution may be to take an unlit base, multiply in some SSAO, then figure out how I can get some lighting layered on top of that for the highlights, but not need it to light the *whole* scene...
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Still clunky trying to get something out of them within Unreal though.
It feels like the optimal solution may be to take an unlit base, multiply in some SSAO, then figure out how I can get some lighting layered on top of that for the highlights, but not need it to light the *whole* scene...
It feels like the optimal solution may be to take an unlit base, multiply in some SSAO, then figure out how I can get some lighting layered on top of that for the highlights, but not need it to light the *whole* scene...
w/real lighting feeling like a roadblock, I wanted a faster way to test the look and just completely textured it into the assets unlit. So I used the high res megascans meshes to bake nice curvature and AO masks and made some quick textures.
The results were pretty cool outside of Unreal at least.
The results were pretty cool outside of Unreal at least.
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
w/real lighting feeling like a roadblock, I wanted a faster way to test the look and just completely textured it into the assets unlit. So I used the high res megascans meshes to bake nice curvature and AO masks and made some quick textures.
The results were pretty cool outside of Unreal at least.
The results were pretty cool outside of Unreal at least.
So the next test was to drop all the mesh and texture noise&detail, and try again with LOD1 megascans meshes and some very basic materials. Going harsh from a material level didn't play nice with lighting but it did feel like a (tiny) step forward.
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
So the next test was to drop all the mesh and texture noise&detail, and try again with LOD1 megascans meshes and some very basic materials. Going harsh from a material level didn't play nice with lighting but it did feel like a (tiny) step forward.
(Thread) I've been iterating on the 3d side of this too, but it's slower going adapting the 2d look into 3d.
First I wanted to see how far I'd get with just heavy handed lighting and simple post processing on some pre-existing assets. Neat, but very flat and hard on the eyes.
#gamedev #lookdev
First I wanted to see how far I'd get with just heavy handed lighting and simple post processing on some pre-existing assets. Neat, but very flat and hard on the eyes.
#gamedev #lookdev
February 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM