State of GameSalad on 4-24-2013

135

Comments

  • RUPASRUPAS Member Posts: 823
    @CodeWizard

    Hello friend you seem incredible, but I'd like to say, if GameSalad is a multi-platform, do not understand why, your options are not. I mean, I just finished a game and added In-Apps, Twitter, Game-Center .... But now I want to take my game to Android, and I find that I have to cut up my Android game, remove buttons from Twitter, delete buttons in-app purchases .... It's annoying, my game is based on a model freemium, but we have nothing for Android. When we will have in-app purchases for Android and Amazon? This roadmap in a long time but never comes ....
  • SingleSparqSingleSparq Member Posts: 1,339
    edited April 2013
    @Rupas maybe you haven't been keeping up but it's been stated elsewhere that IAP for android is coming fairly soon. If your a developer you know there are many logistical differences between implementing features with iOS and the myriad of android stores and devices.

    The point is you've got the easiest tool for creating games and new features are now starting to make there way to all as quickly as possible. While it may be 'annoying' to you, it be more annoying if GameSalad didn't exist at all or wasn't done right for the sake rushing out the features. Just say'n.
  • SnapFireStudiosSnapFireStudios Member Posts: 1,603
    @JGary321 / @uptimistik - I assume you are both aware of workarounds for putting table access on the left side? I can tell you how if you don't know. :)
    - Thomas
    Please tell me about the workaround - I am unaware

    Thanks
    Just create an integer attribute in the actor and called it zero.
    Then just say if self.zero is (equal/notequal/morethan/lessthan/etc) [insert table value here] then [behaviors].

    Hopefully that makes sense. If you have more questions, @tatiang was the one who told me about it. :)
    - Thomas
  • ChakkuChakku Member Posts: 1,513
    :)) Just noticed that the "What's Cooking in the GameSalad Kitchen" Thread is gone. Never really liked that thread since I felt it wasn't updated regularly enough, really love the weekly update of this one, and the fact that they're in commentable separate posts, and that CodeWizard is so active in responding here :)

    Chakku
  • ElfizmElfizm Member Posts: 489
    Very cool news,

    Disappointing that after years of being teased with videos of new engine all that comes out are updated super performced GS games. Nobody tell @CreativeApps, it's one of big reasons why both were holding back being Pro. Guess I will wait a few more months when engine is uptodate as what was promised. Which shouldn't be too long the way these updates are coming out.

    Big helpful hint that @SaladStraightShooter must have learnt. Don't promise features and deadlines and then never meet them. :)
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    @Elfizm
    Yeah, managing expectations can be a tough job from time to time. And with changing staff, etc, it becomes a real pain in the rear.

    Speaking of improvements though, I did some experiments with alternative sound file formats today. Looks like we can easily shave 50% off of sound loading time by moving away from OGG as the default sound format. We'll be getting that underway as quickly as we can. One test game I was looking at went from 43 seconds load time down to 16 seconds. And that's before we hit the texture loading optimizations.

    Good times are a coming! :D
  • ChakkuChakku Member Posts: 1,513
    edited April 2013

    Big helpful hint that @SaladStraightShooter must have learnt. Don't promise features and deadlines and then never meet them. :)
    *ahem* :-L

    Simple, Free Image and File Hosting at MediaFire

    This hurt more than a broken promise =((

    Chakku
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    Good thing it's too small to read! :)
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    Never mind. I clicked through and read it. Must be missing something. Why is that bad?
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    Wow @chakku is definitely holding a grudge.

    Id say its considered bad because as it turned out the lua free engine was announced as likely being a pro only feature. Im sure at the time @saladstraightshooter had no information otherwise.

    Good job on proving to our new messenger (@codewizard) why giving out any information before there is 100% certainty its going to be 110% accurate is a sure fire way to have the messenger beheaded and have his head put on a stake for the world to see.

    thanks for the updates codewizard

    Cheers
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited April 2013
    Good job on proving to our new messenger (@codewizard) why giving out any information before there is 100% certainty its going to be 110% accurate is a sure fire way to have the messenger beheaded and have his head put on a stake for the world to see.
    That's ridiculous, one person has expressed a personal gripe (and I agree with you that it's a questionable complaint at best), that doesn't mean in any way whatsoever that it's now proven that sharing information (even early sketchy information) is a bad move.

    The overwhelming majority of feedback towards CodeWizard's updates has been enormously positive, no one is trying to put his 'head on a stake'.
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    I'm wearing a tungsten neck collar. Thus I am immune to beheading.
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    I'm wearing a tungsten neck collar. Thus I am immune to beheading.
    You spent time fashioning a tungsten neck collar for yourself when you could have been working on GameBoy support ?

    Shame on you.
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    @Socks
    LOL! It's a genetic defect, but thanks for asking. ;)
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    edited April 2013
    @socks Chill down just a bit. yikes…. everyones excited about @codewizard for sure. and what better place to get the informations directly from the source. But you know as well as I there is a vast amount of of users here who don't understand that when someone says, "this is the plan" , that there is still the possibility of a setback that changes that plan they have based their entire development career on. And we have seen every time someone at GS HQ open up there soon follows an outcry of how horrible game salad is because they didn't make the mark on their plans. Ive seen it happen to 3 different community managers and the CEO of the company. Im just trying to remind people not to kill @codewizards drive to freely give out information.

    wasn't trying to start a flame war. lets get back to the goodness of @codewizard flowing good honest information to us please.

  • ElfizmElfizm Member Posts: 489
    @Codewizard

    That's news to my ear, the loading times reduces, not your fashion choices,
    It also makes me smile that there is a dedicated few weeks to this, so can't wait to see the end result, (might be able to load a pause scene instantly)
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited April 2013
    @socks Chill down just a bit. yikes….
    @tenrdrmer

    The internet is awful at conveying emotion/intention, throw in a few cultural differences and it all get's a bit foggy . . . . but, just to clarify: I am quite calm, honestly !

    I just thought that it was perplexing that after what can only be described as an ocean of goodwill towards Codewizard (for his willingness to engage with the community) that someone would (could) see a single complaint as 'proof' that this kind of approach is a sure fire way to trouble.
    . . . wasn't trying to start a flame war . . .
    No one has accused you of starting a flame war, you expressed your opinion, I expressed mine. No big deal. :)
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    @Socks
    LOL! It's a genetic defect, but thanks for asking. ;)
    That's what you get for writing your genetic code in Lua, I did mine in BASIC and have a compulsion to repeat my name a set amount of times.
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    Just keep in mind that no one is perfect. I'll share everything that I can and will clarify details as new information arises.

    I'll avoid giving you deliverable times until I'm reasonably certain of them. And in the unlikely event that my predictions are wrong then I'll tell you why that is and what we're doing to fix it.

    Total transparency within the bounds of my confidentiality agreement is the goal! And I can take the heat if I'm wrong. :)
  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    Just keep in mind that no one is perfect . . . // . . . . And I can take the heat if I'm wrong. :)
    @CodeWizard

    I don't think there is an issue here at all, the overwhelming majority of feedback is (deservedly) positive, and even in the best of scenarios you are always going to have a few people expressing frustrations at what they see as shortcomings, it's unavoidable, just keep on doing what you are doing.

    :)>-
  • ChakkuChakku Member Posts: 1,513
    Must be missing something. Why is that bad?
    @CodeWizard
    It's bad because when GS introduced the lua-free project years ago, up until last october in the updated roadmap, consistently they never suggested it would be pro-only and gave a strong impression it would be for everyone including confirmation. However, last october in the updated roadmap just out of the blue the overall tone of the announcement was different, suggesting that lua would now be pro only. No form of apology or even acknowledgement to those that had been eagerly waiting a while. Then in the thread-
    in short, the Native code engine will be Pro only, but the "old" engine will remain intact and free. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be a good decision on our part, considering the investment in resources to the native code engine. Are you suggesting that it should be free? I'm not sure what part of that doesn't make sense.

    If they had said "after reconsidering the investment in the lua engine, we decided to change it to pro only so that we can fund new features and get them out sooner" and/or offered some small compensation or something like that, I would have felt better, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth to just act completely oblivious of the free users that have also been waiting patiently and eagerly. On top of that-
    it's unlikely we'll support the old engine in the sense that it will continue to gain upgrades. Sustaining may be a better term for it - once native code is released, the upgrade - and future features, etc - will likely apply only to the Pro version of the product, with the existing feature set at that time being the "basic" version.
    ^
    That effectively means once lua-free is here, the basic users don't get anymore updates.

    I understand that this was a business decision to add value to pro, but there is no doubt there were better ways to handle that and convey the message more friendly and smoothly.

    Chakku

    P.S. Although it sounds like I'm getting angry at you CodeWizard, I most certainly am not! You're new here and I've seen highly positive things since your introduction. Please continue as you're doing including the status updates and your optimism. I'm just frustrated at this that happened before you came.

    DISCLAIMER (not aimed at codewizard)- Please don't reply saying I should just get pro and stop complaining. I am going to get pro when lua-free comes and maybe even before if these nightly builds prove significant. Still, restricting free users from all updates from lua-free engine onwards definitely feels like a forced push at pro.
  • ChakkuChakku Member Posts: 1,513
    edited April 2013
    Wow @chakku is definitely holding a grudge.
    @tenrdrmr
    Yeah, honestly I do feel I am. However, not a grudge in the sense that I hate @SaladStraightShooter for it (definitely don't), but the way that was handled left a bitter taste in my mouth after waiting patiently and eagerly for so long, then just being forgotten about as though free users didn't exist.

    Id say its considered bad because as it turned out the lua free engine was announced as likely being a pro only feature. Im sure at the time @saladstraightshooter had no information otherwise.
    No. the lua free engine was not announced as "likely being a pro only feature". Well, it was initially announced and confirmed to be for everyone, but when it was given a status update in october, there was no "likely"-
    the Native code engine will be Pro only, but the "old" engine will remain intact and free. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be a good decision on our part, considering the investment in resources to the native code engine. Are you suggesting that it should be free? I'm not sure what part of that doesn't make sense.

    Good job on proving to our new messenger (@codewizard) why giving out any information before there is 100% certainty its going to be 110% accurate is a sure fire way to have the messenger beheaded and have his head put on a stake for the world to see.
    I honestly don't think I proved anything like that, especially considering the fact @CodeWizard was not even here when it happened. Did not mean to shoo him away at all. In fact, I really love CodeWizard's mentality here, and IMO am one of his biggest advocates.

    thanks for the updates codewizard
    +1

    Chakku
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    I understand. Thanks for the clarification.

    I'll do my best to keep the roadmap clear to you and ensure there are no nasty surprises in the future.
  • ChirpinGamesChirpinGames Member, PRO Posts: 214
    @CodeWizard, you are a legend!
  • floydianspiralfloydianspiral Member, PRO Posts: 308
    @CodeWizard, if you want another test game for your sound tests, my generative music game is mostly done and would probably be a good test bed for your experiments since I am loading (and playing) anywhere between 50-300 sounds on a level. Let me know if you would want to take a look at it and I could send it your way. I'm not sure what you are suggesting for another default compression format? I have experience programming sound in other things so I would be happy to lend a hand if it meant getting GS' sound capabilities to a higher level.
  • The_Gamesalad_GuruThe_Gamesalad_Guru Member Posts: 9,922
    edited April 2013
    Life is full of twists and turns. Nobody is perfect and mistakes happen and GS is a business that must make a profit to survive and has to adapt to the constant flux of the environment. One can only takes things day by day. It's how we adapt to the unexpected that defines us. After all this is technology we're taking about. I've been using computers since they first came out, my first machine was a commodore Vic 20 when I was 14. Back then we learned basic as that was the language of the future. Yeah, that didn't turn out so well. This business evolves in dog years. I am enjoying the transparency and I use the info as hope that the staff is working hard to make the engine better. I take things as subject to change. This is life and as some of you get more water under your bridge you'll see this more clearly.
  • SirioGarciaSirioGarcia Member Posts: 52
    Great news! •Ω•
  • SlickZeroSlickZero Houston, TexasMember, Sous Chef Posts: 2,870
    edited April 2013
  • kaanukikaanuki Member Posts: 154
    Correction...

    Will IAP for Android ever be released for GS and will this be available for Windows users?

    We were informed about 4 months ago that it was in QC, but haven't gotten any additional information since then. Has this been abandoned?

    Thanks.
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    I can understand Chakku's position, but honestly it's pretty irrelevant if the new engine is pro only or not. If you're serious about game development, go Pro. If not, then don't.
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