I'm not going anywhere!
Photics
Member Posts: 4,172
What is this... an MMORPG?! What's with all the goodbye posts?! Do people give up that easily? If you want to try other software, that's cool... but what's happening over here is the future. The reason is simple. Most people don't like to code. We don't use command prompts to check our email, why should I have to speak computer language to make a video game?
Maybe one day I'll give up on GameSalad, but that day is not today. I still have an active account. Yodapollo acknowledged the community's discontent. I think there's still a good chance that all of the major GameSalad problems can be resolved.
And since the next version is 0.9.0 and not 1.0, that means they're planning to make GameSalad even better. That's exciting to me, as GameSalad is like a lighthouse to the stormy seas. This year, the most money I made was with GameSalad... not Corona... not Flash... not Unity. That's because GameSalad is fast and easy to use.
It's just like Dreamweaver vs. Artisteer. I know how to use both programs, but I simply like Artisteer better. While I have a strong understanding of PHP / HTML, I think visually... and I think in English. I'd rather click a few buttons than worry about stray quotes or other characters. It should just work. GameSalad just works.
The programming language is English!
Sure, there are performance limitations, but I know where they are. I wrote a book with instructions on how get better performance out of GameSalad. I don't see how such speed could happen with any other software currently available. I had a launch-day app for the iPad. That's only after using the software for about 1-2 months.
I like the Corona team, but I didn't see any stories like... "I made a game in 24 hours" ...on their forums.
This is not a "grow-up" post, as I believe the community has a right to be angry. Yet, it's simply too early to "give-up" on GameSalad. In a few weeks, this issue could be resolved, game performance could be increased, new features could be added... and then you might feel pretty silly writing Lua code by hand. What do you do then? Do you write a "I'm back post?!"
...and the GameSalad team is cool. This community is cool. Leaving is not the answer. I like how the ranting was contained to one rather large thread. Let the rest of the community get back to work. Goodbye posts should be locked... because it's cluttering up the forums for people who are trying to work.
Maybe one day I'll give up on GameSalad, but that day is not today. I still have an active account. Yodapollo acknowledged the community's discontent. I think there's still a good chance that all of the major GameSalad problems can be resolved.
And since the next version is 0.9.0 and not 1.0, that means they're planning to make GameSalad even better. That's exciting to me, as GameSalad is like a lighthouse to the stormy seas. This year, the most money I made was with GameSalad... not Corona... not Flash... not Unity. That's because GameSalad is fast and easy to use.
It's just like Dreamweaver vs. Artisteer. I know how to use both programs, but I simply like Artisteer better. While I have a strong understanding of PHP / HTML, I think visually... and I think in English. I'd rather click a few buttons than worry about stray quotes or other characters. It should just work. GameSalad just works.
The programming language is English!
Sure, there are performance limitations, but I know where they are. I wrote a book with instructions on how get better performance out of GameSalad. I don't see how such speed could happen with any other software currently available. I had a launch-day app for the iPad. That's only after using the software for about 1-2 months.
I like the Corona team, but I didn't see any stories like... "I made a game in 24 hours" ...on their forums.
This is not a "grow-up" post, as I believe the community has a right to be angry. Yet, it's simply too early to "give-up" on GameSalad. In a few weeks, this issue could be resolved, game performance could be increased, new features could be added... and then you might feel pretty silly writing Lua code by hand. What do you do then? Do you write a "I'm back post?!"
...and the GameSalad team is cool. This community is cool. Leaving is not the answer. I like how the ranting was contained to one rather large thread. Let the rest of the community get back to work. Goodbye posts should be locked... because it's cluttering up the forums for people who are trying to work.
Comments
But the people who are leaving want to make their own games, not make games for GameSalad. It's that simple.
GameSalad is a great educational tool, as it helps aspiring developers practice a macro view of game development. You don't have to be specialized in one area of game development to make a GameSalad game. You can do a little artwork, some game logic, marketing, publishing, sound effects -- and from their you can decide to be a specialist. That makes GameSalad a great introductory tool.
Now, there are thousands of schools across the nation. Obama even has an initiative to use video games as educational tools. GameSalad can help make that happen. If you get GameSalad in many of the schools across the nation, that's a lot of software. That's a lot of money for further development and that's a lot of money to make the GameSalad investors happy.
With a Pro option of $499 per year, that makes GameSalad competitive. It's a lot prettier than being a publisher for thousands of shovelware games. There are some great developers here, but publishers need to cull. Does the GameSalad team have the heart to tell some beginner, "Hey... your game sucks. We can't publish it." If not, that lumps good developers with bad developers. It hurts the GameSalad brand.
So, I'm thinking that the GameSalad team is smart. Maybe some stubborn investor is pushing GameSalad towards the direct-only model. With the feedback and reaction shown here, there's proof to show why that's a bad idea. I think that will create new discussions, which will help bring forth a more desirable outcome for GameSalad.
The main point is speed. I could try filling my head with Lua, but by the time I learn what I need to know, the GameSalad team could have resolved the major concerns of the community.
and a great game it is!
what people seem not to think of: the years of learning; the years of hard work; the years of blood, sweat, and tears that enabled you and yours to reach the point where you could create a game in 24 hours!
would like to see your face over at ijwmsg forum!
MH
Everything else to be said has been. Can't wait to see the editor improvements, regardless!
Is it important to say you made a game in 24 hours? I dont think so, but I do think that it would be very powerful if the following statement could be made.
I have spent the last 30 days working on a new game for the Iphone and Ipad, I posted it to Apple and after one week of sales I have made 5000 bucks.
Oh BTW I am not a programmer, not an artist and I did this with Game Salad, I used it because it protected me from having to be a programmer and I used my creativity to concentrate of game play and game value.
Short version I used game salad, and made money.
Its ease of use and its WYSIWYG fell are perfect for those of us that have not the time to learn complicated programming languages.
My only hope is that they will leave us the choice of publishing on our own.
Ever see a job classified advertisement that states, "Must know how to hand-code HTML." Those people are clueless. They think they're looking for a real web developer, but what they do is scare away the people that can get work done. I don't buy a car and ask, "Did you handcraft the seats?" It's done with machines. It's mass produced. With GameSalad, it's more about the game idea than the tedium usually associated with game development.
I suppose I might feed differently if I wasn't able to get past the limitations of GameSalad, but I consider myself a master of GameSalad. I'm basically working on other projects while waiting for the issues with GameSalad Direct® to be resolved.
I am not saying I'm not looking at other options (that rocketpack program looks sweet), I'm just saying I have been pretty silent in hopes for more clarification.
Nice post.
But I won't be releasing any games with the GameSalad logo. That's for damn sure. That thing is poison. They need to rebrand the company.
And well said, Photics!