COOL LINKS
Some cool links I like!
(obvious disclaimer, these aren't endorsements, and click at your own risk...)
-- Programs --
If you see the word FOSS, it stands for Free Open-Source Software, meaning you can own, run, modify, and distribute copies of the program, all free of charge. It's something I value a lot, since those features avoid potential pitfalls of proprietary software -- unfriendly monetization techniques, disagreeable updates, potential malware, etc. While before there were usually trade-offs in quality, lots of FOSS software today is incredibly capable and have sometimes challenged the positions of industry software, so don't be afraid to try them!
- Godot Engine - game engine, FOSS
Godot, my beloved... this is the engine that really got me into game development. Free, open-source, available on most devices, and supports 2D + 3D games! There is a bit of a learning curve, but much less than the leading game engines, in my opinion. Would hugely recommend.
- Krita - art program, FOSS
- Blender - 3D modelling program, FOSS
- Inkscape - vector art program, FOSS
The holy trinity of free open-source art software, and great alternatives to the industry software (Photoshop, Maya, Illustrator, respectively). Krita is a little complicated to navigate but VERY powerful. Blender is starting to be adopted in the industry, and is very popular in game development. Inkscape is a little underrated since it's not super intuitive, but it's also very powerful once you figure it out. It's where I learned how to do digital art, and where I got my namesake!
- FireAlpaca - art program, free
FireAlpaca is not as powerful as Krita, but a lot more lightweight and less intimidating for beginners. Highly recommend for anyone getting into digital art.
- PureRef - reference board, free
PureRef is a floating window that lets you paste images, arrange them, and save them. I use it almost every time I draw, and sometimes even for tasks outside of art. Extremely helpful.
- Audacity - audio, FOSS
Audacity is a free and open-source program for recording and editing audio. Pretty basic, but widely-used -- pretty much every single one of my Youtube videos have used Audacity.
- Shotcut - video editing, FOSS
Someone recommended this to me way back, and I never left. Shotcut has pretty much everything I need for a basic video editor, and has some nice tools for more complex edits, though I've never delved much into them. Either way, with the loss of Movie Maker, having a simple free video editor is very nice for me, though I know there are more powerful options.
- LMMS - DAW, FOSS
DAW is short for Digital Audio Workstation, generally the term for "program that makes music." I've mainly only used LMMS for sound effects in my games, but I've also poked at some music capabilities. It's not the most amazing DAW in the world, but it can do a lot of what you expect it to be able (other than recording, but you can do that in Audacity), and that's enough for me in a landscape where free DAWs are REALLY hard to come by (I just researched another one which is technically open-source, but you can only get the compiled version by paying a subscription... oof).
- PICO-8 - fantasy console
- TIC-80 - fantasy console, FOSS
- Picotron - fantasy workstation
PICO-8 is the pioneer of fantasy consoles, defining the term as a sort of two-part game engine and game console hybrid. It's a cute yet streamlined system with built-in restrictions, like a low resolution screen and limited performance, which can somehow make game development more fun at times. TIC-80 is a free and open-source version that has some more capabilities, while Picotron is a "sequel" to PICO-8 that reimagines it as a fantasy workstation (i.e. more like a retro PC rather than a retro game console). I've tried and loved all 3 of them.
- Twine - interactive storytelling, FOSS
Simple and easy-to-use interactive storytelling program. Available to use in-browser, and stories can be saved in HTML format, making them very easy to distribute.
- Linux Mint - operating system
I installed Linux Mint on a barely-functioning laptop I had, and it started running even faster than when it was brand new. I'm still learning Linux, but it makes me just a little bit giddy. As a primarily Windows user, Ubuntu's interface always made me a bit uncomfortable, so Linux Mint has been a nearly seamless transition in comparison.
-- Websites --
- Itch.io - game hosting website
Itch is a website primarily for hosting indie games, but also hosts things like zines, comics, music, etc. It's extremely easy to put up a product, and the site does not require you to pay any fees even for sales, making it an abnormally generous storefront.
- Cohost - microblogging website
Cohost is a social media website dedicated to fixing the issues of social media. It has no word limit, has a small team that communicates and listens to feedback, and hides information that causes unhealthy feedback loops (e.g. Like and Follow counters), even from the user. As a result, it's quickly become my favorite social media platform.
- Itaku - art website
After looking through many options, Itaku is currently my favorite art website. Many big-name artists have moved here, and it has every feature you could ask for -- a good tagging system, folders for sorting art, mass-uploading images, etc. As a note, the community does lean towards furry + adult art, but that could be a plus for some people.
- Library of Babel - experimental website
The Library of Babel, hypothetically, contains everything that has been written, everything being written, and everything that will be written. It's an experimental website that uses an algorithm to generate every possible combination of 29 characters (the English letters, space, comma, and period), circumventing the need to hold the immense data for all the information. It's more of an experimental website, but its existence is absolutely fascinating to me, if not strangely unsettling.
- 8BitDo - retro controllers
8BitDo mainly sells retro-style controllers, but also have other products like keyboards and speakers. I've used my controller for a good bit, including intensive stuff like fighting games, and can attest to their surprisingly high quality, especially considering some of the prices.
- RSSR: Really Simple Syndication Resources - by Candied Reptile
Hosts guides that helped me fix my RSS issues! Very helpful. Found it linked on Cohost.
-- Languages --
- Bunpro - Japanese, vocab/grammar
- WaniKani - Japanese, kanji
- Jisho - Japanese, dictionary, free
- YomuJP - Japanese, readings, free
Some sites I've been using to learn Japanese. Bunpro and WaniKani are free but eventually require subscriptions, understandably since they're VERY well-made. Jisho and YomuJP are both free, the former being an online dictionary, and the latter being a large collection of free articles with audio readings.
- toki pona - conlang, minimalistic
lon la mi mute li toki e toki pona
- Globasa - conlang, worldlang
Mi suki Globasa koski da sen bon basa cel globa komunika.
- Elefen - conlang, romance
Me gusta Elefen car lo es un lingua bon per cualcun ci parla lingua romanica.
-- Web Comics --
- Preeny Has to Repeat 6th Grade
All-ages comic with most designs adopted (and credited!) from DeviantArt. Has wonderful art, a surprisingly dramatic story, and very well-written characters that makes it the comic I'm most invested in seeing move forward.
One of the classic gaming comics that's run incredibly consistently for years.