The Ultimate Indie Game Developer Resource List
This is a list of SERVICES, free and not, that will help you on your path to STARTING and FINISHING a game and SELLING it. Articles are NOT included. If you would like to read articles, check out The Big List of Indie Marketing and Business Tips, 100+ Resources for Video Game Professionals or The Game Programming Wiki.
I. STARTING A BUSINESS
Legal Matters
Game Attorney - Thomas Buscaglia; indie game developer lawyer
IRS.gov EIN Online Application - apply for an Employee Identification Number (US only)
LegalZoom - file for a business
Score - US non-profit educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide; mentor small businesses
Small Business Administration (SBA) - providing support to small businesses and small-business owners across the nation (US only)
Funding
8-bit Funding - indie developer run funding for indie developers
Indie Fund - Indie developers helping indie developers get funding
Indie Go Go - A larger Indie funding site for Indie's of any field not just video games
Kickstarter - Receive funds from folks who believe in your idea but you must give prizes in return
Kiva.org - Get loans from supporters around the world
Mochi Game Developer Fund - help promising Flash game developers support their games through sponsorship, licensing and publishing deals
Playism - indie game funding, localization and publishing service (Japanese ONLY for now - ENglish version 2011 3rd Quarter)
Pledgie.com - Raise money from donations
Other Services
The Logo Company - creates logos, stationary, and websites
Crowd Spring - custom logo design, web design, and writing services. Services start at $200 and up.
Game Licenses - auction site to buy or sell video game licenses across all major platforms
Associations
IGDA Casual
Casual Games Association
Freelancers Union - FREE membership for freelancers and the self-employed
POP & IMAP Email
Gmail - FREE
Opera Mail - FREE add-on to Opera browser
Outlook Express - comes with Windows OS
Postbox Inc - $39.95 USD and up; sale price $29.95+
Thunderbird - FREE
File/HDD Protection (Wipes)
Blancco File Shredder - spot shredding in your HDD; $38.51sUSD
CyberScrub cyberCide - full drive wipe; $29.95USD
Paragon Disk Wiper - full drive wipe; $29.95USD Personal & $149.95USD Professional
Killdisk Professional - full drive wipe; $49.95USD (Win) or $59.95USD Suite
II. GAME BUILDING - STARTING OFF
Engines (Free - .NET)
Agate Lib
Axiom 3D
Brume Engine
FlatRedBall 2.5D
Irrlicht
NemoX 3D Engine - last update was 2004
NeoAxis Engine - FREE for non-commercial, otherwise you must pay for commercial use (see $$$ for rates)
Engines (Free - Basic, VB, VB6, VB.NET)
Darkbasic Pro
DxIce
NemoX 3D Engine - last update was 2004
TNT Basic - Mac OSX
vbGORE - online RPG engine; no longer under development - they recommend you use NetGORE instead
Xtremeworlds - 2D MMORPG Engine/Maker
Engines (Free - C, C++, C#)
Adventure Game Studio
Baja Engine
Cocos2D - FREE 2D iPhone game engine
CRM32Pro
Crystal Space
Delta 3D
DizzyAGE - FREE; PC only; adventure-style game maker
Edge2D Engine
Epee Engine
Esenthel Engine - prices range from FREE to $4000+
Ethanon Engine - FREE 2D game development tool
The Flexible Isometric Free Engine (FIFE)
G3D
Game Core - FREE for Indie version or $1499 for GameCore Pro
Game Start - FREE while in BETA version
Glint 3D Engine - donation-based licensing but FREE version is available
Grail Adventure Game Engine
Haaf's Game Engine (HGE) - 2D
iPTK Engine
Irmo - client-server multiplayer gaming engine; Linux
Irrlicht
Jad Engine
Lavgine - FREE for non-commercial but 15% of profit if commercial
Lightfeather 3D Engine
Nebula Device
NeoAxis Engine - FREE for non-commercial, otherwise you must pay for commercial use (see $$$ for rates)
NetGore - cross-platform online RPG (MMORPG) engine
Ogre
Open Game Engine, The (OGE) - FREE but Commercial support is available
ORX Portable Game Engine
PixelKLight
Pixie University - FREE 2D engine using C++
Playground SDK (Playfirst) - must register (Don't know if this is free or not so I am listing it on both lists)
Plib
PTk Game Engine - 2D engine with 3D capabilities. Licenses: FREEWARE, $199 Multiple License, $4000 Professional (paid license includes full support); Ksound library available for $29.95
Raydium
RetinaX
Saq2D
SDL Game Engine (aka sge2d) - 2D framework for C/C++ programmers; FREE (Sourceforge page)
Sparrow - open source framework for iOS game development
Spring RTS Engine
Thousand Parsec
Weaver
Wild Pockets
Yake Engine
Engines (Free - Delphi)
Asphyre - several versions: Sphinx, Casual, eXtreme, 4.1 and 1.5.2
Game Maker - Lite FREE but Pro $28 or less; develop for Windows
NemoX 3D Engine - last update was 2004
Engines (Free - Java, Javascript)
Espresso 3D
JGame
jMonkey Engine - Java OpenGL engine; FREE open source
Joge
Jogre
Sphere RPG Engine
Engines (Free - Lua)
AGEN - 2D engine
Baja Engine
Glint 3D Engine - donation-based licensing but FREE version is available
Grail Adventure Game Engine
Novashell Game Creation
Playground SDK (Playfirst) - must register (Don't know if this is free or not so I am listing it on both lists)
Spring RTS Engine
Verge RPG
Engines (Free - Miscellaneous or None)
Construct - FREE open source 2D game creator; HTML5
Flash Develop - FREE open source source code editor; ActionScript
Game Salad Creator - Mac, iPhone Only; FREE or Professional version ($499/yr); browser based
neabEngine - PHP; NEABExplorer version FREE, others are $50 or $200
Reality Factory - FREE for use as long as Genesis3D logo is kept and release any changes to the source code otherwise contact for license fee.
Unity 3D - Unity is FREE but Pro edition is $1500USD and add-ons cost from $400-$1500 each
Engines (Free - Python)
The Flexible Isometric Free Engine (FIFE)
PyGame - FREE; develop for Linux/UNIX
PySoy - 3D cloud game engine
Ren'Py - FREE; develop for Windows, Mac, Linux/UNIX, and Android (specializes in visual novels but may be used for other genres)
Thousand Parsec
Engines (Free - Ruby)
Chingu
G3D Ruby
Engines ($$$$ - .NET)
NeoAxis Engine - Individual License (Team license) in USD: Indie $95 ($295), Commercial $395 ($995), Source $9800+
Truevision3D - FREE for learning, $150USD for commercial purposes
Visual3D Engine - Prices range from Indie $185, Professional $495, Studio Source $1495 and Enterprise Source $9950 (USD prices)
Engines ($$$$ - Basic, VB, VB6, VB.NET)
Blitz3D - $100 digital version; uses BASIC
BlitzMax - $80 digital version; uses BASIC
BlitzPlus - $60 digital version; 2D utilising BASIC/C hybrid language
PureBasic - 79 EUROS
Truevision3D - FREE for learning, $150USD for commercial purposes
Engines ($$$$ - C, C++, C#)
A6 Game Engine - C-script like language and C++; editions include Extra $99USD; Commercial $199USD; Pro $899USD
AGen - C++; FREE for non-commercial purposes otherwise $200 one-time fee - must contact for purchase
BigWorld Engine - middleware platform for MMOG and Virtual Worlds; Prices are: Indie $299/yr; Indie Source $2999/yr; and up for Commercial
BlitzPlus - $60 digital version; 2D utilising BASIC/C hybrid language
C4 Engine - prices range from $100 Basic to $1200 Professional; compare rates here
Cipher Engine - $100USD
Esenthel Engine - prices range from FREE, $150, $750, $4000+, $250/yr or negotiable
Game Core - FREE for Indie version or $1499 for GameCore Pro
Glint 3D Engine - donation-based licensing but FREE version is available
iTorque 2D - $99; for iPhone development
Lavgine - FREE for non-commercial but 15% of profit if commercial
Leadwerks Engine 2 - $199.95 for single-user license; C, C++ and Lua
NeoAxis Engine - Individual License (Team license) in USD: Indie $95 ($295), Commercial $395 ($995), Source $9800+
OnScripter - FREE; Visual Novel engine based on NScripter (Japanese)
Open Game Engine, The - FREE but Commercial support is available
Panda 3D - FREE 3D game engine
Playground SDK (Playfirst) - must register (Don't know if this is free or not so I am listing it on both lists)
PTk Game Engine - 2D engine with 3D capabilities. Licenses: FREEWARE, $199 Multiple License, $4000 Professional (paid license includes full support); Ksound library available for $29.95
SIO2 Engine - 2D/3D mobile dev engine; FREE Trial, $179.99 MacOS, $349.99 iOS
Source Engine (Valve) - must contact for price under NDA
Sunburn Game Engine - royalty-free XNA engine; price range from $150 USD for indies up to $1000 USD for Studio Edition
Torque 2D - $99, full source, no royalties; develop for PC, Mac, Wii, Xbox 360 and if you buy seperate license, the iPhone
Torque 3D - $99, full source, no royalties; develop for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Wii, iPhone, and the web
Truevision3D - FREE for learning, $150USD for commercial purposes
Unigine - Prices range per platform: $4950 Android + Mobile; $9980 or $24950 Windows + Linux; $40000 PS3, Windows + Linux
Unreal Engine - must contact for price
Vision Game Engine - must contact for quote/price
Visual3D Engine - Prices range from Indie $185, Professional $495, Studio Source $1495 and Enterprise Source $9950 (USD prices)
Engines ($$$$ - Delphi)
A6 Game Engine - editions include Extra $99USD; Commercial $199USD; Pro $899USD
Cobra - £30 Indie license or £90 for Pro
Cobra 3D - £40 Indie license or £120 for Pro
Game Maker - Lite FREE but Pro $28 or less; develop for Windows
Truevision3D - FREE for learning, $150USD for commercial purposes
Engines ($$$$ - Lua)
Glint 3D Engine - donation-based licensing but FREE version is available
Leadwerks Engine 2 - $199.95 for single-user license; C, C++ and Lua
Love 2D - FREE, open source framework using Lua; works on Windows, Mac OS and Linux
Playground SDK (Playfirst) - must register (Don't know if this is free or not so I am listing it on both lists)
Slot Constructor - casino and arcade game dev engine; prices listed here
Engines ($$$$ - Miscellaneous or None)
Flash - $699 alone; may be cheaper if getting bundled editions; also check out Flash Platform Runtimes
The Games Factory (Click Team) - $59 USD; similar to Game Maker - an engine for non-programmers
Game Salad Creator - Mac, iPhone Only; FREE or Professional version ($499/yr)
IG Maker - $59.99; create action games for Windows, xbox 360 and Flash
Multimedia Fusion 2 (Click Team) - Regular and Dev version available for $119 or $369USD respectively
neabEngine - PHP; NEABExplorer version FREE, others are $50 (microNEAB) or $200 (miniNEAB)
Reality Factory - FREE for use as long as Genesis3D logo is kept and release any changes to the source code otherwise contact for license fee.
RPG Maker VX - $59.99; develop for Windows
RPG Maker XP - $29.99 (older version of RPG Maker VX); develop for Windows
Unity 3D - Unity is FREE but Pro edition is $1500USD and add-ons cost from $400-$1500 each
YAGE
Engines ($$$$ - Pascal)
Cobra - £30 Indie license or £90 for Pro
Cobra 3D - £40 Indie license or £120 for Pro
Engines ($$$$ - Python)
BigWorld Engine - middleware platform for MMOG and Virtual Worlds; Prices are: Indie $299/yr; Indie Source $2999/yr; and up for Commercial
Panda 3D - FREE 3D game engine
Game Libraries
Allegro.cc - Allegro game library; cross platform; common low level routines for game programming
Box 2D - open source physics engine; 2D
Bullet Physics Library - FREE 3D game multiphysics library
ClanLib - FREE C++ toolkit library
FlashPunk - FREE ActionScript 3 library for 2D Flash games
Flixel - open source game-making library
Golden T Game Engine (GTGE) - advanced cross-platform game programming library written in Java language
Gosu - 2D game dev library; C++ and Ruby
Lightweight Java Game Library - FREE and open source
Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) - open source library for stimulating rigid body dynamics
Slick 2D - FREE and open source; based on LJGL
Time Management
Concentrate - Mac ONLY; $29 USD
Epiforge GrindStone2 - FREE; will install on Windows XP, 7, and Vista only
Pomodoro Technique - FREE books and time management sheets
Procrastitracker - FREEWARE time tracking tool that tracks what applications and documents you use and for how long
Rescue Time - FREE for Lite edition otherwiese Pro is $6-$9/mo and Team Edition is priced per user/month
Writing & Coding Software (mind-mapping, story flow, editors, etc)
FreeMind - FREE mind-mapping software
Labyrinth - FREE story flow software
Notepad++ - FREE source code editor
Scrivener - content-generation tool for writers (text editor); $45 for Mac (Windows version in development)
XMind - FREE or $49/year for Pro; mind-mapping software
yWriter - FREE text editor breaking text into scenes and chapters
III. ART
Art (Stock)
BEIZ Graphics - FREE photos for commercial and non-commercial use
Character Designs: An Artist's Resource - FREE photos and textures; Can be used for commercial purposes with some caveats. See homepage for more info.
Dosch Designs - stock 3D models, textures, animation, and sounds. Also offers royalty free stock media.
Evolver Pro - create custom avatars in minutes! FREE version here.
First Seed Material (Maps|Faces|Sprites)- FREE for commercial use as long as you give credit; License
GIMP Savvy Photo Archive - public domain images from NASA, NOAA, and FWS. Be sure to read each of the sites conditions for use.
Google 3D Warehouse - 3D models; licensing is unknown
Havana Street - Retro clipart & stock illustration; $7/image
Hypermotion Packs - located at the bottom below Alexander (under HR); preview tiles here
iClipArt - must subscribe to download images; range from $12.95 - $295.00; photos, clipart, fonts, sounds, animation, videos, and web graphics
Image*After - FREE images and textures for commercial and personal use
iStockPhoto - COMMERCIAL; Uses Points system 1 credit and up; Has photos, illustrations, video, audio, and flash
Garage Games Art Packs - 2D and 3D art ranging from $20 and up
Karen Whimsy - Public domain images
Lost Garden - FREE; must credit Daniel (License)
MorgueFile - FREE photos for commercial or noncommercial use. Morgue File License
Open Game Art - FREE/open source 2D, 3D art and music; check each license for details just in case, breakdown found here.
Patterns - FREE Japanese patterns
Rusty Axe - 2D art, textures, tiles, and more; priced from FREE to $29.99; must get extended license to use for commercial purposes
Shutter Stock - royalty-free photos; must subscribe $249-$709 by month OR $49-$229 by image quantity
Smashing Magazine Freebies - FREE icons, brushes, and other items (site/wordpress templates, etc)
Squidfingers Patterns - FREE patterns for use on your website
Stock.xchng - FREE photos; check license for usage rights
Turbo Squid
WP ClipArt - Public domain clip art search engine
Art (Services)
Army of Trolls - pixel art
CG Hub - Can post in the Job Board; must be registered
CG Society - need to register to post job or to look for one
ConceptArt.org - Job listing in forum here; must be registered to post
Dot.Invasion
eBoy
Fantasy cartography - makes great maps, also has a DeviantArt account
Flash Game Art
Game Artist
Havana Street - Retro clipart & stock illustration
Hire An Illustrator
IndieGamer Forum: Art Portfolios
The Logo Company - creates logos, stationary, and websites
Lost Garden: List of Game Artists
Pixel Joint - pixel art
Polycount
Retro Style Games
Sprite Attack - DayDream in Indie Gamer forums
Way of the Pixel
Art (Software - 3D Modeling & Animation)
3D-Coat - $349 and up Professional
3D Crafter - FREE; $34.95 Plus; $69.95 Pro
3ds Max (Autodesk) - $3495
3D World Studio - 3D modeling program; $49.99 Standard
AC3D - $89.95
Alice - FREE
Anim*tor - FREE
Animation: Master - $299.99
Art of Illusion - FREE
AutoQ3D - $19.97
Blender - FREE
Bryce - specializes in landscapes; $29.95 Standard OR $99.95 Pro; FREE for non-commercial use
Carrara - $149.99 Standard & $549.95 Pro
Cheetah 3D - $99
DAZ 3D - FREE
DX Studio - £500.00
EIAS 3D (Electric Image Animation System - $895
FaceGEn - FREE; face modeling software
Google SketchUp - FREE 3D modeling software; must sign up OR get Pro version for $495USD
G-Pure - FREE
K-3D - FREE
Lightwave 3D - $895
Make Human - FREE
Maplet - FREE 3D modeling tool
Maya (Autodesk) - $3495
Meshlab - FREE
Metasequoia - polygon modeler; MetasequoiaLE is freeware, otherwise, Metasequoia itself is $45USD
Milkshape 3D - shareware; EUR 25
Moment of Inspiration - $295
OpenFX - FREE
Poser - $49.99 Debut, $249.99 Standard OR $499.99 Pro
Realsoft 3D - $700
Sculptris - FREE
Seamless 3D - FREE
Silo - $99 Core OR $159 Proressional
Softimage (Autodesk) - $2995
Swift 3D - $249
True Space - FREE
Vue - $599 Complete; $399 Studio; $199 Esprit
Wings 3D - FREE
ZBrush - $699 Commercial license
Art (Software - 3D Renderers)
3Delight - Pricing is FREE and up
Aqsis - FREE
Brazil - $895 and up; works with 3ds Max & Rhino
finalRender - $895 and up
Horde3D - FREE
LuxRender - FREE
Maxwell Render - $995 and up
Pixie - FREE
YafaRay - FREE
Art (Software - Animation & Spriting)
Dungeon Demon (Rusty Axe) - map editor; $29.99 with free upgrades forever or FREE using TrialPay
Easy Toon - FREE
GrafX2 - FREE bmp program; used for pixel art
Graphics Gale - sprite software; 1,995 JPY
Pencil - FREE
Pivot - FREE; Stick figure animation
Plastic Animation Paper - FREE
Pro Fantasy - create maps and tiled floors, character creation
Pro Motion - $78+; used for pixel art
Synfig Studio - FREE open source 2D animation software
tIDE map editor - .NET-based tile editor; licensed under Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL) open source agreement
Tiled Map Editor - create tilable maps easily
Art (Software - Graphic)
Art Rage
Artweaver - FREE or Plus 29 EURO
Bibble - Pro $199.95; Lite $99.95
Color It! - $59.95; Macs ONLY
CorelDRAW
Corel Painter
Crayola Art Studio - $24.99
Flash - makes vector graphics and great for animation
Fotographix - FREE
GIMP - FREE graphic software; Mac version here
GrafX2 - FREE
Illustrator - vector graphics
ImageMagick - FREE
Inkscape - open source vector graphics software
IrfanView - FREE but needs license for commercial use; light photo editing software
MS Paint - FREE; comes with every Windows OS
MyPaint - open source painting program
NeoPaint - $45
Open Canvas - 5,800 JPY
Paint.NET - FREE
PaintTool SAI - 5,250 JPY
Paint Shop Pro - $39.99
Photoshop
Photoshop Elements - weaker and cheaper version of Photoshop
Pixelmator - $59.99; Mac ONLY
Pixia - FREE
Sketchbook Pro
IV. MUSIC, SOUND EFFECTS & VOICE TRACKS
Music (Stock)
Blast My Music
Garage Games Art Pack - ranges from ambient sounds to full soundtracks $20 and up
IndieSFX - Royalty free music $40 (£20) per track. Exclusive tracks available for £100 ($200 US, 150 Euro) each.
Royalty Free Music - can purchase by track, disc, or subscription
Shockwave Sound - royalty-free music, stock music, sound effects
Sound Dogs - stock music and sound effects
Sound Rangers - stock music and sound effects
Music (Services)
Blast My Music
IndieGamer Forum: Music & Sound portfolios
Walz Music
Music Sheets
International Music Score Library Project - public domain music sheets for US & CAN (EU residents must check); MP3 audio, parts, and full score may be included
Mutopia - FREE classical music sheets that are in public domain
Music Softwares
Hyper Score - music composing software; $79
Melody Assisttan - shareware; $25 or 20EURO for license
Reason - digital music synth; $349USD
Tune Toys - sound generating softwares
Sound Effects (Stock)
as3sfxr - open source, in-browser sound effect generator for games; based on sfxr
bfxr - in-browser sound effect generator; based on sfxr
Garage Games Art Pack - ranges from ambient sounds to full soundtracks $20 and up
IndieSFX - $120 or £60 for a compilation of 180 sound effects
Partners in Rhyme - royalty-free sound effects may be used for commercial purposes
sfxr - FREE sound effect generating software
Shockwave Sound - royalty-free music, stock music, sound effects
Sound Dogs - stock music and sound effects
Sound Rangers - stock music and sound effects
Sound Effects (Services)
IndieGamer Forum: Music & Sound Portfolios
IndieSFX - $6 per sound for up to 25 sounds, and $4 per sound after that, with a minimum total charge of $50
Voice Tracks
Topleka Voice Pack - FREE for commercial projects as long as you credit toplekaNET and link back to site.
V. FONTS
Font (Free)
Agrafa Hairline - FREE for commercial use; must register
Anivers - FREE for commerical use
Audimat - FREE for commercial use
Bienetresocial - FREE for commercial use
Cantarell - FREE for commercial use
Cardo Font - FREE for commercial use
DaFont - Freeware, shareware, demo versions or public domain fonts; please check each font's license before use
DejaVu Fonts - FREE
Delicious - FREE for commercial use
Diavlo - FREE for commercial use
Dieter Steffmann - collection of fonts; not sure if it's free or not but if you speak German please visit his site and let me know!
Digitica - FREE for commercial use
Dustismo Roman - Public domain font
eljbris - FREE fonts for commercial use but extended license needed for embedding or distributing in software apps or hardware devices
Exus Pilot - FREE for commercial use
Fell Types - FREE for commercial use; medievel fonts
Fertigo Pro - FREE for commercial use
Fontin Sans - FREE for commercial use
FontShop Free Fonts - FREE fonts for commercial use; 5 difrerent fonts listed
Font Squirrel - FREE fonts for commercial use; must register
Franchise Bold - FREE for commercial use
Gentium - FREE for commercial use
Google Font Directory - directory of open source fonts
Impallari - FREE fonts for commercial use; all fonts under Open Font License
Inconsolata - FREE open font licensed; great for programming
Justus - Public domain font
KalleGraphics Freebie - FREE for commercial use; Alpha Ruler and Kilogram
Keeparty - FREE for commercial use
Liberation Serif - Public domain font
LOT - FREE for commercial use
Luxi-Sans - FREE just as long as license notice is included
Megalopolis Extra - FREE for commercial use
Merge - FREE for commercial use
MgOpen Typeface - FREE for commercial use; 4 types - Canonica, Cosmetica, Modata & Moderna
Mr Jones Book - FREE for commercial use; must register; Mr Jones Book and Mr Jones Book Italic only
Museo - FREE for commercial use
OpenFontLibrary - FREE for commercial and noncommercial use
Orbitron - FREE for commercial use
Oxford - FREE for commercial use
Portland LDO - FREE for commercial use
PT Sans - FREE for commercial use
Quicksand - FREE for commercial use
Ripe - FREE for commercial use
Roadgeek Fonts - FREE for HOBBYIST and EDUCATIONAL use only
Sensation - FREEWARE
Silkscreen - FREE for commercial use; pixel font
Surface - FREE for commercial use; Medium weight only
Tallys - FREE for commercial use
Triskweline - FREE font suited for text editors and programming environments
Type Latin Serif - FREE for commercial use
Vera Fonts - FREE for commercial use as long as it is NOT sold by itself or bundled with other fonts only
Font (Services)
Blambot - must contact for quote
Typodermic Fonts (aka Larabie Font) - must contact for quote
Font (Software)
FontLab - $649.99+
Fonts (Stock)
Blambot - $20 per font
My Fonts - over 62,000 fonts from 800 foundries; prices range from $15 and up; FREE fonts require registration
Ultimate Font Download - 10,000 fonts for commercial use; only $19.99 (Larabie Fonts) !!NOTE: some fonts I recognize from Blambot (Nate Piekos)!!
VI. GAME BUILDING - FINISHING
Proofreading Services
IndieProofing - $1 per 100 words (or part thereof) for basic proofreading and $2 per 100 words (or part thereof) for descriptive work (which may require rewriting)
DRM
DRM Connect - Mac DRM, must contact for price
EXECryptor
SoftwarePassport (Armadillo) - $399
Encryptors/Obfuscators
SOB: The SWF Obfuscator - FREE
SWF Encrypt - $145USD and up depending on edition
Installers
Astrum Install Wizard - Standard $49 or Professional $89
NSIS - FREE opensource Windows installer
Softwares
XAMPP - install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl
gDEBugger - OpenGL and OpenCL debugger, profiler, and memory analyzer; available for Windows, Mac and Linux
Backup Your Work!
Acronis Backup & Recovery - auto-backup software $74 and up
Assembla - online storage ranging in price from $9/mo - $100/mo
Bit Bucket - price range from FREE unlimited private repository for up to 5 users up to $80/mo for unlimited users; DVCS for Mercurial
Back Blaze - $5/mo with unlimited storage
Crash Plan - range from FREE for personal use to PRO edition for business use ($349.95 and up)
Drop Box - FREE for 2GB of online storage space OR $9.99/mo for 50GB OR $19.99/mo for 100GB
DVDisaster - FREE; stores data on CD/DVD/BD media's that is fully recoverable even after some read errors have developed
GitHub - FREE for open source with unlimited space OR pay monthly ranging from $7/mo - $200/mo
iDrive - FREE online storage for 5GB space OR for more space, subscribe monthly starting at $4.95/mo and up
Mozy PRO - Desktop License is $3.95/mo + $0.50/GB per month OR Server License at $6.95/mo + $0.50/GB per month
SyncBackPro - auto-backup software ranging from FREEWARE to SE ($34.95) and PRO ($54.95) editions
Syncplicity - prices range from FREE to $45/mo Business Edition
Miscellaneous
YouSentIt - file sharing service; prices range from FREE to $14.99/mo Pro Plus (Corporate available but runs in $1000's)
Video Game Name Generator
VII. WEBSITES
Domain Registrars*
DirectNIC
Domain.com
Dotster
DynaDot
eNOM
Fabulous
GoDaddy
Misk (formerly RegisterSite.com)
Moniker
My Domain
Name.com
Name Cheap
NetFirms
* You may also register with your web hosting company but it is not recommended. If you wish to later change your web hosting provider, they may give you problems by holding or not transfering your domain.
Web Hosting Companies
Blue Host
IndieGamer Forum: Web Host Recommendations
Liquid Web
Storm On Demand
Website Designs (Templates & Software)
Artisteer - automatically create templates for your the most popular CMS sites; $129.95 standard edition
Divine - turn your PSD to a Wordpress theme; FREE (beta testing going on now)
Smashing Magazine Freebies - FREE site/Wordpress templates and art graphics (icons, brushes, etc)
Website Designers for Hire
Crowd Spring - custom logo design, web design, and writing services. Web design starts at $600.
Fully Illustrated - contact for quote
The Logo Company - creates logos, stationary, and websites
CMS Websites
Disqus - FREE; great for tracking comments across social media platforms
Drupral - FREE open source CMS
DZOIC - social and video sharing site; $249 + $49 for branding free option
e107 - FREE
Expression Engine - $99.95 Freelancer, $149.95 Non-Commercial, $299.95 Commercial license
Frog - FREE
Habari - open source blog using Apache license
Invision Power - $149.99 for board + extras for addons (gallery, blog, download, content, nexus)
Joomla - FREE open source CMS
Light CMS - Price depends on amount of users; range from 1 Free to unlimited at $99/mo
PHP-Nuke - FREE
Pligg - FREE
Serendipity - FREE php-powered blog/CMS using BSD license
Social Engine - $250 for 1 license; plugins range from $30-40. More licenses = less money.
Wikipedia List of CMS Sites
Wolf CMS - FREE
Wordpress - FREE blogging CMS
Xoops - FREE
Desktop Recording
BB Flashback Express - FREE
Cam Studio - FREE
Debut Video Capture - $60USD
HyperCam - FREE
ZDsoft - $39
Softwares
Telegraphics ICO - Plugin for Photoshop to save images as ICO files for favicons
Statistics
Google Analytics - FREE; need to sign up
Playtomic - keep track of your casual games; 1 game FREE but more games $30 $400 flat fee for set amount of games or $30$400 per month by volume.
App Annie - keep track of whatever you want 24/7; Currently in BETA and FREE to use
Storage Options for Demo
Amazon Cloudfront - On-demand pricing per country
Amazon S3 - tiered pricing depending on TB used per month
Download.com - Need to be a member; last I heard, it was $79/year to upload software
Filekicker - $14.95/mo and up
File Transit - FREE listing
Shareware Upload - will be listed in 12 sites run by owners of Shareware Upload
Web Forums
Forum Community - Free forums; addriven
FreeForums.org - Free forums; addriven
IP Board - $149.99 Standard or $349.99 Business; no branding removal
Lefora Free Forum - addriven; 2GB storage free but you pay for more.
MiniBB - FREE open source forum
phpBB - FREE open source forum
ProBoards - FREE, addriven
punBB - FREE php driven forum
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) - FREE
Tal.ki - Embeddable forum; FREE for 5 forums but Pro ($5+/mo) and Platinum ($59+/mo) also available
Vanilla Forums - Free (addriven) to $19/mo Basic, $49/mo Plus, and up plans
VBulletin - $285/board and optional $170 branding removal
Woltlab Burning Board - Lite FREE or 49.99 EUR for Regular
XenForo - socialdriven forum; $140 per board and optional $250 branding removal
Zeta Boards - free forum hosting (addriven)
VIII. GETTING PAID
ECommerce
Avangate
BMT Micro
Charge
eJunkie
eSellerate (Digital River)
Fast Spring
Gate2shop
Google Checkout
IndieGamer Forums: Which ECommerce Service Should I Use?
Kagi
MoPay - mobile payments
PayPal
Plimus
RegNow (Digital River)
ShareIt (Digital River)
Swreg (Digital River)
Tapjoy - monetization tool for app developers (mobile)
TryMedia
Offer-Type & In-Game Monetary Services
Super Rewards - monetize your apps and games
Trial Pay - place targeted promotions around your game or software; use offer-based payments, dealspot, or direct payments
Subscription Managers
aMember Professional - $199.95 ($179.95 sale price)
Easy Member Pro - $297 (April sale $97)
PHP-SecureArea - $65; with installation $95
PPSD2 - member management and content delivery; $499 and up or if hosted $199 setup + $49/mo fee
WishList Member - for Wordpress; $97 single site OR $297 multi-site license
Portals
See Affiliation below.
Ads
See Marketing below.
IX. MARKETING
Ads
BidSystem Ad Marketplace - used for Super Rewards, an in-game monetizing and ad system
Buy Sell Ads
Game Advertising Online
Google Adsense - display ads on your site
Google Adwords - place ads in other sites
Mochi Ads
OpenX - Optimize all your ad revenue channels—exclusive, guaranteed, & non-guaranteed—in one place
Project Wonderful
Business Cards
Printing for Less - business cards and other services
Vista Print
Review Sites
Bytejacker - game review site for any downloadable games
Bytten
Casual Gamer Chick
Cosmos Gaming
DIY Gamer
Eurogamer
Game Banshee - specializes in RPGs
Game Set Watch
Games First
Game Giveaway of the Day - Give your game away for free for 1 day and receive feedback
Game Tunnel
Game Zebo
iGame Radio - podcast reviews
Indie DB
Indie Game Reviewer
Indie Pub Games
Jay Is Games
Metacritic
Play This Thing
Uziana
News Sites
Anime News Network - also covers video games like Visual Novels
DIY Gamer
Gamasutra
GameProducer.net
Games Industry
Indie Games: The Web Blog
Joystiq
Kotaku
Siliconera
Slashdot
Indie Game Dev Websites
Game Dev
Indie Gamer
TigSource
Magazines
Casual Connect Magazine Archive - FREE access to issues; also an event - see Contests & Events below
Game Developer Magazine - tends to cover more popular indie titles
Indie Game Magazine
Newsletters
Aweber - $19/mo and up OR subscribe by volume
Constant Contact - $15/mo and up depending on subscriber volume
iContact - $9.95/mo and up depending on subscriber volume
Mad Mimi - FREE for the first 100, otherwise it is $8/mo and up depending on subscriber volume
Mail Chimp - FREE for up to 12,000 emails/mo. Monthly and Pay As You Go Plans available for a price.
Your Mailing List Provider (YMLP) - FREE up to 1,000 contacts, Pro $3.75/mo and Pro Plus $5/mo
Marketing Services & Softwares
Gameleon - online network hub for the videogame press
Game Press
Game Producer Insider - must purchase membership to attain press release service; $150 one-time fee OR $15/mo for 1 year (total $180)
Robosoft - submit PAD files automatically
PromoSoft - automatically submits to sites; $95/yr subscription or $295 once in a lifetime payment
Software Submit - submit PAD files automatically
VGSmart - contact Joseph (aka Terin) at least 2 MONTHS or EARLIER before your game's release
Social Sites & Blogging
Blogger
Live Journal
Posterous - submit news once and you submit it everywhere; registration needed; FREE
Wordpress
Contests & Events
Casual Connect - events occur in Europe and in the US; online magazine also available here
Developer Conference (UK)
Experimental Gameplay Project - indie devs running a friendly competition each month - make a game based on the month's theme, and don't spend more than 7 days
Flash Gaming Summit
Independent Games Festival
Video Submissions
Vimeo
YouTube
Charity
Humble Bundle - indie games bundled together for charity
X. AFFILIATION
Indie Affiliation List
IndieGamer Forum: Game Developer Affiliate List
Portals
5 Cup - list your game and demo for FREE (April 2011 - submit page wasn't working)
Alawar - also publishes and markets
Amazon - must submit games to Oberon
AOL Games - - must submit games to Oberon
Apple (Mac)
Arcade Town
Arkadium
BD Studio Games
Big Fish Games
Boonty
Coffeebreak Arcade
Desura
Direct2Drive - Steam-like service
DLsite - Japanese-English download portal !Adult Material included!
eGames
Free Arcade
Game Account
Game Desire
Game Duell
Game House (partnered with Real Arcade)
Game Maker Games - portal specifically for posting Game Maker-made games
Games.com (formerly AOL Games)
Gamesville (Lycos)
Gamers Gate - Steam-like service
Game Tap
Game Trove (Indie driven)
Game Trust
MSN Game Zone
Get Games Go
Grab.com
Green Tube
Impulse Driven - Steam-like service
iWin
iWon
Jigzone
Kawa Games
KewlBox
King.com (Midas Player)
LGDB (Linux)
Logler
Mac GameStore (Mac)
Mad Win
Manifesto Games (Indie specific, run by Costikyan)
MiniClip (Flash games)
Money Gaming
MSN Game Zone
Mumbo Jumbo
My Lost Games
My Way Games
The New Arcade
Oberon Games - submit games here
PBM Cube
Pixel Prospector - indie game portal of free games (Watch out for Malware ads popping up here... at least, it popped up for me)
Play First
Play Green House (Indie specific, run by PennyArcade)
Play Sushi
Pogo
PopCap
Real Arcade (partnered with GameHouse)
Reflexive
Retro Remakes - freeware indie portal and review site of retro/classic games; review archive may be found here
RPGmaker - portal for free RPG games; also includes dev tutorials
Runescape
Sandboxer
Sheep Arcade
Shockwave
Show Me The Games (Indie driven, run by cliffski of Positech)
Skill Jam
Slingo
Sofotex - directory
Steam Powered
Strategy First
TIGdb - indie portal of free and commercial indie games
Try Games
Tucows - Submission page here
Uproar
Wild Tangent Games
WinSite - they list commercial demo's
World Winner
Yahoo! Games - must submit games to Oberon
Zylom
XI. MERCHANDISING
Biz Replication - disc manufacturer
CafePress
Canada Disc - must contact for prices
CD Oasis
CD-Ship
Create Space - book self-publishing
Comixpress - comic book publisher
CustomDropShipper
Disc Makers
iUniverse - book self-publishing
Ka-Blam - comic book publisher along with other similar products
Lulu
Multishape CD-ROM
Printing for Less - business cards and other services
SpreadShirt
SwiftCD (Digital River)
xLibris - book self-publishing
Zazzle
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