Richard Davey is creating Phaser
Open source game making for everyone
65
$1,126
Milestone Goals
2 Milestone Goals
reached
Examples for every function
One of the goals I've always wanted for Phaser is that every single function would have a corresponding example with it. At this level I can spend time working towards this goal.
Overhaul the Phaser Sound API
The Phaser Sound API could really do with taking full advantage of all that Web Audio has to offer. For example positional audio, doppler effects and dynamic audio generation. We could also split the Sound API up into legacy (html) and Web Audio, allowing you to only include the parts you need. At this level we can afford the time to get someone to do this work.
Comprehensive Beginners Guide
I would truly love for there to be a completely free beginners guide to Phaser. It will require a significant time investment to write and this money would allow me to spend time on it. Better documentation and a free beginners guide it would help cut down support requests, while also increasing the Phaser community size, which in turn often leads to exciting contributions from new members.
Boned Based Animation Support
There are lots of 3rd party packages for creating bone based animation (Spriter, Spine, Creature, DragonBones) but only Creature is supported in Phaser, and only in WebGL mode. We'd like to be able to invest time in building a dedicated bone-based playback library and settling on a Phaser 'standard' json structure, allowing other developers to create their own bone systems without the need for a 3rd party app.
Bring in an extra developer
At this level (and above) I can afford to hire in additional development support on an as-needed basis. This will allow me to accelerate some key areas of Phaser, such as replacing the Arcade Physics engine, dramatically enhancing particle support and exploring other important features such as improved game audio. If we reach this amount the patrons will get to decide what comes next.
About
I am the developer of Phaser, a free open source HTML5 game framework. I also run the HTML5 Game Developers Forum where you'll find me hanging out and helping fellow devs. I'm a child of the 80s, deeply intro retro gaming, pixel art and anime. Anyone, of any age, gender or background should be able to make games - and Phaser is my small contribution towards that.
Location
United Kingdom
Top PatronsSee all 65
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What is Phaser?
Phaser is a free open-source HTML5 game framework. It allows anyone to create games that run in the web browser. Those games can also be compiled into native apps via 3rd party tools. It is based on open web standards and built using JavaScript. Perhaps most importantly though it represents freedom: freedom from costs, licensing, turn-over audits or subscriptions, and freedom from platform or vendor lock-in.
Why should I contribute?
Phaser entered active development in 2012, and since that time I've invested tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of time into the project. All with the single goal of trying to make it the best it can possibly be. And if the current popularity of Phaser is any indication then all that money and hard work is undoubtedly paying off. It gives me an immense sense of pleasure to see it being used by thousands of indies and professionals alike, with some incredible games being made.
But there is still so much more I want to do with it, and some exciting new directions I'd like to take it in.
What would the money be spent on?
Usually Patreon campaigns for software like Phaser follow the line of "Support me so I don't have to do client work and can spend more time on it". But let's be honest here: Phaser is my life. I use it every single day, for all my client work. In reality my client work has been a massive benefit to the evolution of Phaser. So dropping it entirely wouldn't necessarily be in the best interests of the project.
However there's another important factor to consider: my biggest limitation is time. Phaser is a big project for one developer. Right now I literally handle all of the coding for Phaser. I deal with resolving issues on GitHub. I code examples, write tutorials, update the web site and provide as much technical support as I can on the forum and via twitter.
I genuinely think it's important to do all of these things. I've lost count of how many times I've dealt with a support request that has made me re-evaluate the way in which Phaser works and tweak it for the better. It's important to me that Phaser is blindingly easy to use, as well as being powerful. So listening to what users think of it is a great way to ensure this carries on being the case.
I don't want money so I can stop doing any of these things. They're all vital to a successful open source project. After all, if you don't interact with your users how do you know if what you're making is correct? But there is of course a finite limit to the time I can spend doing all of these things. The money this campaign raises will allow me both cover my own time but also get in external help too. If we can raise enough together then I can afford to bring in additional developers, content authors and support staff.
The two main requirements
The first is for Phaser itself to evolve on a technical level. It needs to change along with the constantly shifting browser landscape, which is in a great flux right now. We're already working on Phaser 3 and supporting the coming ES6/ES2015 standards. We're working on a brand new renderer to leverage the changes coming to WebGL. But there is plenty more we'd like to do: For example if we can raise enough money I can afford to pay for the specialist help of some truly fantastic physics programmers, to help create a rock solid game physics library that doesn't rely on upstream conversions from other libs. We can look at implementing some of the long list of features people have been suggesting over the years.
The second thing Phaser needs more of is educational resources. We need more examples, more tutorials, more free books, more guides and more videos. Devs are absolutely clamouring for learning materials, and they simply take so long to produce that it's something I genuinely struggle to deliver on a consistent basis. The campaign money can be used to both allow me to dedicate some fixed time per week to creating these materials, and also to bring in outside help to write them.
Phaser Products (AKA Free Stuff!)
We've started creating premium Phaser plugins and books, and this is something we'll carry on doing in the coming months. The money they generate goes towards the global 'Phaser fund' and helps advance everything forward.
We've a number of exciting new products to be released throughout the rest of 2015. If you become a Phaser patreon at the $20/month level (or above) then you will receive a free copy of everything we release, as it's released. I cannot guarantee that you'll get something every month, but we do have a lot of great content lined-up, so now would be a great time to get on board!
Thank you
Thank you for reading this far. I know I've written a lot, but it still feels like the tip of the iceberg compared to all the ideas bubbling around my brain. I have large dreams about what's possible with Phaser. I genuinely believe it has a solid future ahead of it. And I will carry on working towards that regardless, because I'm fully invested in Phaser and making it the best it can be. But if we can accelerate that process it will be to the benefit of everyone.
Phaser is a free open-source HTML5 game framework. It allows anyone to create games that run in the web browser. Those games can also be compiled into native apps via 3rd party tools. It is based on open web standards and built using JavaScript. Perhaps most importantly though it represents freedom: freedom from costs, licensing, turn-over audits or subscriptions, and freedom from platform or vendor lock-in.
Why should I contribute?
Phaser entered active development in 2012, and since that time I've invested tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of time into the project. All with the single goal of trying to make it the best it can possibly be. And if the current popularity of Phaser is any indication then all that money and hard work is undoubtedly paying off. It gives me an immense sense of pleasure to see it being used by thousands of indies and professionals alike, with some incredible games being made.
But there is still so much more I want to do with it, and some exciting new directions I'd like to take it in.
What would the money be spent on?
Usually Patreon campaigns for software like Phaser follow the line of "Support me so I don't have to do client work and can spend more time on it". But let's be honest here: Phaser is my life. I use it every single day, for all my client work. In reality my client work has been a massive benefit to the evolution of Phaser. So dropping it entirely wouldn't necessarily be in the best interests of the project.
However there's another important factor to consider: my biggest limitation is time. Phaser is a big project for one developer. Right now I literally handle all of the coding for Phaser. I deal with resolving issues on GitHub. I code examples, write tutorials, update the web site and provide as much technical support as I can on the forum and via twitter.
I genuinely think it's important to do all of these things. I've lost count of how many times I've dealt with a support request that has made me re-evaluate the way in which Phaser works and tweak it for the better. It's important to me that Phaser is blindingly easy to use, as well as being powerful. So listening to what users think of it is a great way to ensure this carries on being the case.
I don't want money so I can stop doing any of these things. They're all vital to a successful open source project. After all, if you don't interact with your users how do you know if what you're making is correct? But there is of course a finite limit to the time I can spend doing all of these things. The money this campaign raises will allow me both cover my own time but also get in external help too. If we can raise enough together then I can afford to bring in additional developers, content authors and support staff.
The two main requirements
The first is for Phaser itself to evolve on a technical level. It needs to change along with the constantly shifting browser landscape, which is in a great flux right now. We're already working on Phaser 3 and supporting the coming ES6/ES2015 standards. We're working on a brand new renderer to leverage the changes coming to WebGL. But there is plenty more we'd like to do: For example if we can raise enough money I can afford to pay for the specialist help of some truly fantastic physics programmers, to help create a rock solid game physics library that doesn't rely on upstream conversions from other libs. We can look at implementing some of the long list of features people have been suggesting over the years.
The second thing Phaser needs more of is educational resources. We need more examples, more tutorials, more free books, more guides and more videos. Devs are absolutely clamouring for learning materials, and they simply take so long to produce that it's something I genuinely struggle to deliver on a consistent basis. The campaign money can be used to both allow me to dedicate some fixed time per week to creating these materials, and also to bring in outside help to write them.
Phaser Products (AKA Free Stuff!)
We've started creating premium Phaser plugins and books, and this is something we'll carry on doing in the coming months. The money they generate goes towards the global 'Phaser fund' and helps advance everything forward.
We've a number of exciting new products to be released throughout the rest of 2015. If you become a Phaser patreon at the $20/month level (or above) then you will receive a free copy of everything we release, as it's released. I cannot guarantee that you'll get something every month, but we do have a lot of great content lined-up, so now would be a great time to get on board!
Thank you
Thank you for reading this far. I know I've written a lot, but it still feels like the tip of the iceberg compared to all the ideas bubbling around my brain. I have large dreams about what's possible with Phaser. I genuinely believe it has a solid future ahead of it. And I will carry on working towards that regardless, because I'm fully invested in Phaser and making it the best it can be. But if we can accelerate that process it will be to the benefit of everyone.