While I'm very glad to hear about more constant updates, I'm very concerned about the impact this may have on GameSalad in education, as @Valan brought up. For us, a high-importance aspect of software is that it be free so students can use the software at home, continuing their work from the classroom beyond school hours.
A lot of students simply don't have money. And its likely a lot of parents either can't, or more likely won't, shell out $29 or $19 a month for their kid's software. While there are student discounts, the only discount I see is $150 for a year versus $300, and I believe seeing a $150 price tag is even less likely to happen.
I'd be sad if we can't keep using GameSalad. It's really setup as a great tool for learning.
As others have said, if there were a free edition of the software that can't publish, that could work. Or, perhaps the software is free for students, but with the limitations of Creator Basic.
dgackeyAustin, TXInactive, PRO, Chef EmeritusPosts: 699
edited July 2015
@Nicris said:
While I'm very glad to hear about more constant updates, I'm very concerned about the impact this may have on GameSalad in education, as Valan brought up. For us, a high-importance aspect of software is that it be free so students can use the software at home, continuing their work from the classroom beyond school hours.
As I have said and continue to say, we are highly supportive of the academic uses of GameSalad and we do have institutional licensing and pricing.
It's REALLY, REALLY affordable. Like, 90%+ off affordable when institutions buy in bulk.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
@dgackey said:
As I have said and continue to say, we are highly supportive of the academic uses of GameSalad and we do have institutional licensing and pricing. It's REALLY, REALLY affordable. Like, 90%+ off affordable when institutions buy in bulk.
I'm pleased to hear that you will shift some of your priorities to focus on learners and education. For your info, where I live, school planning and budget allocation for the coming school year happens in early Spring. After that, it is very difficult to add anything to allocated budgets no matter how little the cost might be. Which means that teacher's with requests for GameSalad should have done so in February or March. I suppose that this must be the case for most North American schools. Can anyone confirm?
dgackeyAustin, TXInactive, PRO, Chef EmeritusPosts: 699
@kolabo said:
I'm pleased to hear that you will shift some of your priorities to focus on learners and education.
It's not really a shift, I've been doing this outreach to schools for the last two years. We have been to a bunch of conferences in the past two years and I've spoken to hundreds of educators.
Which means that teacher's with requests for GameSalad should have done so in February or March. I suppose that this must be the case for most North American schools. Can anyone confirm?
This also isn't much of an issue for us as we get requests for trials to run pilots and that sort of thing and can always accommodate.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
PhilipCCEncounter Bay, South AustraliaMemberPosts: 1,390
@viking said:
... I have been waiting for six f-ing months for this bug to be fixed while my game is sitting there rotting on my hard drive. So frustrating!
Six months is nothing. I copied my projects from floppy disk to Zip Drive (remember them), then to an HD, then over to CD, then onto DVD, then into the Cloud, then to an external SSD, just so they were backed up and ready to publish when all the bugs were squashed.
Now I'm preparing holographic crystals for the next phase. Meanwhile, my memory is starting to leak.
@The_Gamesalad_Guru said:
Here is a question. Now that GS isn't free, how about you guys remove the rerrouting code blocking html 5 using the tizen sdk?
I'm extremely disappointed. I had just started using GameSalad (free), and was loving the features and all the helpful videos. Bam! Now I have to pay $19 per month? It is too much.
This was the beginning of a hobby which I was going to squeeze into my extremely busy schedule. I would be okay with $9 a month, or perhaps $12 a month, but $19 per month for something I will only use a few hours a week seems steep...because I realize that I could buy a lot of things for $19x12 which would provide me with more value over the course of a year. I guess I'm the kind of person that GameSalad wants to get rid of.
I also think that a 15-day trial period is crazy! Too short! 30-60 days should be the minimum for any free trial. I think GameSalad will lose more than they gain from this change.
I would recommend a third tier of GameSalad that is less than $10 per month with some limited features but all the essential game development scaffolding. I think GameSalad would gain greater loyalty among the MAJORITY of its user base, and would ultimately earn MORE money.
adent42Key Master, Head Chef, Executive Chef, Member, PROPosts: 3,170
@The_Gamesalad_Guru That's my bad. I'm working on a fix and you should be able to log into multiple creators today. Basically we redid the auth endpoint to support the trial and that was something we missed. It's a server side fix so you won't need to upgrade.
@adent42 ...while your working on the logging in... can you fix the issue with the current builds having NO OFFLINE mode that is proving to be an issue with many users... as discussed in the linked thread.
I just signed up for another 12 months of Pro. I did it because I can actually live with the clunky Creator as I have figured out ways to deal with it. I can even live with lost work from crashes. The only thing I can't fix myself though is the on-device memory leak that cripples my game for end users - making it impossible to ship. So, I did the only thing I can do. I decided to invest in GS and hope that my money will help the company stabilize and grow towards profitability. If you want a great engine then vote with your money and your confidence. Be an investor. Be a supporter.
dgackeyAustin, TXInactive, PRO, Chef EmeritusPosts: 699
That's great news! You know, I can hide Creator user interface problems and other kinds of development related pain from my customers, but I can't hide the memory leaks from them
Great business decision as a company, I'm very excited to see more consistent updates and fixes. My only concern if this will be good for students / classrooms that have enjoyed gamesalad thus far. Has this already been addressed? I used to work with a company that utilized gamesalad for their game development classes, it was great. Not sure if they will continue based on the changes.
And just to make sure it's clear, the memory leak issue you reported is definitely on BlackCloakGS' hit list.
Yes I hope so. This has been the main issue for the game I have been developing the last two years. Slows down after long play sessions or the app being left open on a phone. I fear this may not be addressed soon before I release though.
If this gets addressed pretty much all my fears for using gamesalad for future projects go away.
@The_Gamesalad_Guru said:
Okay so I see there is no more together games option. It does register my old info. Are you guys going to put the together games option back in?
Works in the nightly but not in the stable. That's an upcoming feature.
still not able to login two creators. If it's fixed I can get back to building my multiplayer game which is pretty far along. I want to be the first to complete a multiplayer game..Haha
I can't say that I approve of the change though. I am only able to work on games several days a month and would hate to have to pay a fee for that. I don't mind paying to release games once I finally get them finished.
Alternatively I don't want to learn a more complex engine like unity to make simple 2d games. I have been looking into Construct 2 and maybe ill give their free version a try.
As long as Game Salad becomes more stable and new features come along, cant really complain too much. I do like Game Salad quite a bit and wont go bankrupt paying this fee.
adent42Key Master, Head Chef, Executive Chef, Member, PROPosts: 3,170
@The_Gamesalad_Guru and anyone else looking, you should be able to log in to more than one device at once now. I can't test it until I get back into the office tomorrow with access to multiple devices, so PM me or send an intercom mentioning me if it doesn't work out for you.
@adent42 said:
The_Gamesalad_Guru and anyone else looking, you should be able to log in to more than one device at once now. I can't test it until I get back into the office tomorrow with access to multiple devices, so PM me or send an intercom mentioning me if it doesn't work out for you.
Comments
While I'm very glad to hear about more constant updates, I'm very concerned about the impact this may have on GameSalad in education, as @Valan brought up. For us, a high-importance aspect of software is that it be free so students can use the software at home, continuing their work from the classroom beyond school hours.
A lot of students simply don't have money. And its likely a lot of parents either can't, or more likely won't, shell out $29 or $19 a month for their kid's software. While there are student discounts, the only discount I see is $150 for a year versus $300, and I believe seeing a $150 price tag is even less likely to happen.
I'd be sad if we can't keep using GameSalad. It's really setup as a great tool for learning.
As others have said, if there were a free edition of the software that can't publish, that could work. Or, perhaps the software is free for students, but with the limitations of Creator Basic.
As I have said and continue to say, we are highly supportive of the academic uses of GameSalad and we do have institutional licensing and pricing.
It's REALLY, REALLY affordable. Like, 90%+ off affordable when institutions buy in bulk.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
I'm pleased to hear that you will shift some of your priorities to focus on learners and education. For your info, where I live, school planning and budget allocation for the coming school year happens in early Spring. After that, it is very difficult to add anything to allocated budgets no matter how little the cost might be. Which means that teacher's with requests for GameSalad should have done so in February or March. I suppose that this must be the case for most North American schools. Can anyone confirm?
It's not really a shift, I've been doing this outreach to schools for the last two years. We have been to a bunch of conferences in the past two years and I've spoken to hundreds of educators.
This also isn't much of an issue for us as we get requests for trials to run pilots and that sort of thing and can always accommodate.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
Six months is nothing. I copied my projects from floppy disk to Zip Drive (remember them), then to an HD, then over to CD, then onto DVD, then into the Cloud, then to an external SSD, just so they were backed up and ready to publish when all the bugs were squashed.
Now I'm preparing holographic crystals for the next phase. Meanwhile, my memory is starting to leak.
Here is a question. Now that GS isn't free, how about you guys remove the rerrouting code blocking html 5 using the tizen sdk?
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
or just a propter HTML5 export
Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left
That too but they could give us this today
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
I'm extremely disappointed. I had just started using GameSalad (free), and was loving the features and all the helpful videos. Bam! Now I have to pay $19 per month? It is too much.
This was the beginning of a hobby which I was going to squeeze into my extremely busy schedule. I would be okay with $9 a month, or perhaps $12 a month, but $19 per month for something I will only use a few hours a week seems steep...because I realize that I could buy a lot of things for $19x12 which would provide me with more value over the course of a year. I guess I'm the kind of person that GameSalad wants to get rid of.
I also think that a 15-day trial period is crazy! Too short! 30-60 days should be the minimum for any free trial. I think GameSalad will lose more than they gain from this change.
I would recommend a third tier of GameSalad that is less than $10 per month with some limited features but all the essential game development scaffolding. I think GameSalad would gain greater loyalty among the MAJORITY of its user base, and would ultimately earn MORE money.
Okay so now we can't have two versions of creator open at the same time and signed in. Which makes testing multiplayer impossible.
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
@The_Gamesalad_Guru That's my bad. I'm working on a fix and you should be able to log into multiple creators today. Basically we redid the auth endpoint to support the trial and that was something we missed. It's a server side fix so you won't need to upgrade.
@adent42 ...while your working on the logging in... can you fix the issue with the current builds having NO OFFLINE mode that is proving to be an issue with many users... as discussed in the linked thread.
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/87491/mac-stable-release-0-13-27#latest
Sorry @Chunkypixels offline mode is a tool side thing so I can't help there. We're working on it.
And when I say "we", I mean it's probably going to be @BlackCloakGS.
Sod's law dictates the fix will come just after my internet gets fixed and I don't need it any more
Glad to hear it's on the radar, though.
Contact me for custom work - Expert GS developer with 15 years of GS experience - Skype: armelline.support
I think @BlackCloakGS is the whole GS staff and just has like ten avatars to fool us..lol
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
I just signed up for another 12 months of Pro. I did it because I can actually live with the clunky Creator as I have figured out ways to deal with it. I can even live with lost work from crashes. The only thing I can't fix myself though is the on-device memory leak that cripples my game for end users - making it impossible to ship. So, I did the only thing I can do. I decided to invest in GS and hope that my money will help the company stabilize and grow towards profitability. If you want a great engine then vote with your money and your confidence. Be an investor. Be a supporter.
@viking that vote is appreciated.
And just to make sure it's clear, the memory leak issue you reported is definitely on @BlackCloakGS' hit list.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
That's great news! You know, I can hide Creator user interface problems and other kinds of development related pain from my customers, but I can't hide the memory leaks from them
Great business decision as a company, I'm very excited to see more consistent updates and fixes. My only concern if this will be good for students / classrooms that have enjoyed gamesalad thus far. Has this already been addressed? I used to work with a company that utilized gamesalad for their game development classes, it was great. Not sure if they will continue based on the changes.
Planning on going pro soon ^.^
Yes I hope so. This has been the main issue for the game I have been developing the last two years. Slows down after long play sessions or the app being left open on a phone. I fear this may not be addressed soon before I release though.
If this gets addressed pretty much all my fears for using gamesalad for future projects go away.
www.rossmanbrosgames.com
That would explain a lot
Fortuna Infortuna Forti Una
Okay so I see there is no more together games option. It does register my old info. Are you guys going to put the together games option back in?
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
Works in the nightly but not in the stable. That's an upcoming feature.
Contact me for custom work - Expert GS developer with 15 years of GS experience - Skype: armelline.support
I download nightly version 14.1 and that option wasn't there. Must be an older version.
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
Ah, maybe it got taken out. Ignore me
Contact me for custom work - Expert GS developer with 15 years of GS experience - Skype: armelline.support
still not able to login two creators. If it's fixed I can get back to building my multiplayer game which is pretty far along. I want to be the first to complete a multiplayer game..Haha
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
I hope this change makes Game Salad better.
I can't say that I approve of the change though. I am only able to work on games several days a month and would hate to have to pay a fee for that. I don't mind paying to release games once I finally get them finished.
Alternatively I don't want to learn a more complex engine like unity to make simple 2d games. I have been looking into Construct 2 and maybe ill give their free version a try.
As long as Game Salad becomes more stable and new features come along, cant really complain too much. I do like Game Salad quite a bit and wont go bankrupt paying this fee.
@The_Gamesalad_Guru and anyone else looking, you should be able to log in to more than one device at once now. I can't test it until I get back into the office tomorrow with access to multiple devices, so PM me or send an intercom mentioning me if it doesn't work out for you.
Nope still logs me out.
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS