quantumsheep said: Please feel free to try and insult me further, and to delude yourself more.
I'm not trying to insult you. But considering that you're a Sous Chef, your tone is totally off. "Delude" is an insult... and unfitting of your role on this forum.
Once again, if this was reported earlier, then why don't you know about it? This is new information to me... and to others in the community. I wasn't thinking about adding a Game Center button. Now, I have to wait and see what the GameSalad developers create.
I'm still working on the assumption that Game Center will be out this week. If it's not — and fixing this issue is the reason why — then that's a good move by the GameSalad team.
I'm looking on the bright side. If I can improve my game, while GameSalad fixes the issues, then that's a good thing!
tshirtbooth said: This is what gamesalad needs to fix. See if i make a button on my screen i need to be able to say if ios is = or greater then 4.1 show button otherwise do not.
That post was clearer. Yes, I understand that Game Center is a feature for 4.1... but I'm not sure why GameSalad even has a "Minimum Supported iOS Version". It seems like it should default to the lowest possible setting.
So, GameSalad should support device detection...
• Device Time • Device OS • Device Type • Network status
With those simple game attributes, GameSalad developers could resolve the Game Center issue and have new options for improving their games.
The last five posts (and this one too) are off-topic and should be deleted... as is mynameisace's tag.
This thread is useful for a lot of GameSalad developers, and one of the main reasons I've continued posting here is because it was requested. Jealousy should not ruin it.
While I was finishing up the design for the remaining areas, I had a strange feeling. I could vividly remember a game from my past — EverQuest. Outside of the Barbarian city there was a zone called EverFrost. It had great design. It ranged from a newbie fighting area, all the way up to ice giants. If you're interested in gaming history, EverQuest is a milestone for online gaming. So while I was creating the remaining areas for BOT, I could remember the feeling I got while exploring EverQuest. Maybe that's the feeling players get when they explore BOT.
I got a strange error while working with DAZ Studio today...
"This file was written by a newer version of DAZ Studio. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to read the file."
That was confusing to me, as I thought I was running the newest version. I didn't want to install the new beta, so I fought with the software a while. I was able to fix the problem after installing the artwork a different way.
I'm glad that I spent the extra money on more artwork. I think the game has a good look. There are many distinct areas throughout the game. Scrolling though the image tab in the GameSalad Creator gives me a feeling of accomplishment. It's still a bit of a struggle to finish up the game. I can feel myself getting tired. It's been about a month of mostly level design. The urge to get lazy is huge. Yet, I'm still being picky about the details, like deciding what the final areas should look like and I was still fussing with the balance of the fire gun.
I've been working on this game for so long that I forgot some of the work that I've already accomplished. In that brief moment before I recall those memories, I can look at my game with fresh eyes. It feels good! It's like a moment of truth and clarity... like I'm heading in the right direction.
GameSalad is a great name for the software, because I feel somewhat like a chef. When this meal is served, will people like it? Will it be tasty? It should be soon. Only five areas are left, then I can start wrapping things up.
A surprising question popped into my head today. Is my game violent? I realized that I might have to change one of the settings for "Cartoon or Fantasy Violence". Is it Infrequent/Mild or Frequent/Intense? I wasn't sure. Basically, TANK goes around killing bugs. I think that's harmless video game violence. It reminds me of cartoons from the 80's and 90's. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fought ninja robots. They would explode in fairly violent ways, but it was a cartoon. So... is that Mild or Intense?
Then I started thinking about TANK. The combat is frequent... heh... especially with the four-star machine gun. That's lots of ammo being poured into the scene. When the enemies die, they explode. Little bits fly out in randomized directions... with vivid fire-trails and neat sound effects.
So, I realized that it's probably safer to rate my game higher than normal. Even if that risks customers, I feel it's important to be a responsible developer. Yet... something interesting happened.
When I clicked the "Frequent/Intense" option, the rating didn't change.
Heh, I think this means I should put more enemies into the game! Apparently, nine year olds are cool with Frequent and Intense cartoon violence. If it's cool for Naruto, it's cool for BOT. Ha... seriously... the words will be clearly stated with the app. Parents will be able to make intelligent decisions.
I also got a reply email from GameSalad...
Hello Photics,
GameCenter features in your game will be disabled depending on the OS of the device. But that doesn't mean that you should change the minimum supported OS. Doing so will not allow the game to be installed on devices with the older OS's.
iAds is one of behaviors that requires a higher iOS, and that and hardware are usually the case for choosing a specific OS.
I forgot about iAds. I was wondering why GameSalad would need to restrict users based on iOS version. Advertisements make sense. Without the minimum version, the ads won't appear. That's good to know for two other projects. One of my next apps might have iAds and I'm going to need to update The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook soon.
I finished another area today and I'm still working on the second. That leaves just three other levels left. The last three are tough because of their location and I'm low on artwork again. I don't want to spend any more money on background artwork for BOT. I think it's more important to save money for enemies and/or marketing.
Marketing is a tough issue. This is one of my strongest areas. I have professional marketing experience. I'm contemplating a possible marketing blitz for the launch day. That will cost money. From what I've seen though, there are not many great options. Example... I don't think I should waste money on AdMob or paid search. I don't think I should advertise on review sites either. That seems unethical.
I do plan on sending out promo codes to the press. I think the promo video is the main difference. I might have to open a YouTube account. I dislike Google, but YouTube might be too popular to ignore.
I decided against launching a Facebook and/or Twitter site. Social Networking doesn't seem that effective to me. And for it to be successful, it has to be done right. I'd rather use that energy into building up Photics.com. I'm also frowning at using existing apps to promote my apps. That seems lame. The recent updates to Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds are basically spam updates. I don't want to be like that.
After BOT is done, I'm planning to clean up the Photics app library — where many of my existing apps will either be improved or replaced with newer versions.
A loading screen for BOT is also a concern. I probably should create a new logo for Photics. My business name should be in the game, but it will likely be conservative and professional. Heh, I'm not planning to add screaming "SEGA" action to BOT.
I think it is important to mention GameSalad somewhere. Maybe one of the areas should be a credits room. That could be one of the last few levels... like status... one for GameSalad and one for Photics. I think I'll contact GameSalad and see what they think about me using their logo.
xyloFUN said: Hey, if they don't let you use theirs, I could let you use mine LOL
Ha... but your avatar is still blank. I think you were protesting something. Is that protest still going on? I think GameSalad resolved... or is working to resolve... the major issues.
I wrote to GameSalad and asked what they thought of my destroyed Austin, Texas idea. That might be a bit complicated, but I think it's a cool idea.
I might just go simple... with blue outlined versions of the Game Center logo, the GameSalad logo... and a Photics logo?
I was looking at a website... http://logo.com ...and they design mascots and logos for fairly inexpensive prices. Yet, with my desktop publishing and design experience, I feel like I should be able to design my own logo.
Actually, I don't protest anything ... but I don't use xylofun anymore as everything has shifted to the new(er) site instead. Plus, I never actually had a logo for xylofun other than the home-baked one.
I'll check out the logo site ... maybe there is something there that'll inspire me?
So when is mighty TANK being unleashed?
Hmmm ... if you waited a few more months, you could call the game "TANKS GIVING (sounds actually VERY powerful)!
I knew that the GameSalad update would cause problems for my project. But instead of delaying the update, I upgraded right away. So far, this has caused two problems for me...
1 - The Fire Gun projectiles curved.
I fixed this problem by removing a "Rotate" behavior. The projectile actor was set to fixed rotation, but the "Move" behavior acted like it wasn't fixed. I didn't need the "Rotate" behavior, so I just deleted it.
2 - Pause clears images
The equipment menu is one of the best aspects of the game. It uses the new "Pause Scene" behavior. But when I return to the original scene, the images are gone. I can probably work around this issue, but that would involve a change to roughly 140 actors. I think I'll wait a little bit to see if GameSalad fixes the problem.
I'm currently waiting for the GameSalad Creator to finish uploading. For many hours today, I've been waiting while the words "Uploading Game Project" are displayed on my screen. This should be a huge warning to GameSalad developers. The larger your game gets, the worse the development process becomes. BOT is approximately 200 MB. The game is so large that it is slowing down testing. Uploading the project to build an ad-hoc version...
is...
so...
...slow!
The GS Viewer still crashes on me too. I have to restart my phone in order to test the game. I suppose I should be creating the artwork for the last three levels while I wait, but I'm distracted. This is making me nervous. These are project killing issues here. What if my game is too big to upload? It's already failed 2-3 times... and it takes like 30 minutes each attempt.
There is good news though. If I can battle through this mess, 0.9.3 should help with the building of BOT. Game Center seems to be pretty straightforward. Also, not having to restart the GameSalad Creator could be a boon for productivity. I noticed that when I restarted GameSalad before, I would take a break and check the forums. Without that distraction, I should be a lot more productive.
I'm not in a good mood today. This update was a little earlier than I expected. I thought it would be Thursday or Friday. Now I have to start moving. With Game Center ready, this game can launch. I have to finish it first though.
xyloFUN said: So when is mighty TANK being unleashed?
The plan is to send BOT to Apple by the end of the month.
Comments
Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left
Once again, if this was reported earlier, then why don't you know about it? This is new information to me... and to others in the community. I wasn't thinking about adding a Game Center button. Now, I have to wait and see what the GameSalad developers create.
I'm still working on the assumption that Game Center will be out this week. If it's not — and fixing this issue is the reason why — then that's a good move by the GameSalad team.
I'm looking on the bright side. If I can improve my game, while GameSalad fixes the issues, then that's a good thing!
Ace
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
I don't think it does.
Reason: Angry Birds requires 3.0 or higher and it has Game Center support.
What's the minimum iOS version?
A hidden leaderboards - no button - would work... yes/no?
If a button is there, and iOS 4.1 is required, where's the issue?
There's still no reply from GameSalad about this issue. I'm basically waiting for an official statement from GameSalad.
http://bit.ly/jO8sP4
So, GameSalad should support device detection...
• Device Time
• Device OS
• Device Type
• Network status
With those simple game attributes, GameSalad developers could resolve the Game Center issue and have new options for improving their games.
I've openly said you're pretentious before though.
Ace
I'm not going to post on this thread anymore anyway, so no worries.
Ace
People, please keep your personal feelings in check, It ruins the atmosphere.
Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left
This thread is useful for a lot of GameSalad developers, and one of the main reasons I've continued posting here is because it was requested. Jealousy should not ruin it.
Ace
-On Topic-
Sounds like its going great and I hope GS fixes the GC issue!
-Josh
Reminiscing
While I was finishing up the design for the remaining areas, I had a strange feeling. I could vividly remember a game from my past — EverQuest. Outside of the Barbarian city there was a zone called EverFrost. It had great design. It ranged from a newbie fighting area, all the way up to ice giants. If you're interested in gaming history, EverQuest is a milestone for online gaming. So while I was creating the remaining areas for BOT, I could remember the feeling I got while exploring EverQuest. Maybe that's the feeling players get when they explore BOT.
I got a strange error while working with DAZ Studio today... That was confusing to me, as I thought I was running the newest version. I didn't want to install the new beta, so I fought with the software a while. I was able to fix the problem after installing the artwork a different way.
I'm glad that I spent the extra money on more artwork. I think the game has a good look. There are many distinct areas throughout the game. Scrolling though the image tab in the GameSalad Creator gives me a feeling of accomplishment. It's still a bit of a struggle to finish up the game. I can feel myself getting tired. It's been about a month of mostly level design. The urge to get lazy is huge. Yet, I'm still being picky about the details, like deciding what the final areas should look like and I was still fussing with the balance of the fire gun.
I've been working on this game for so long that I forgot some of the work that I've already accomplished. In that brief moment before I recall those memories, I can look at my game with fresh eyes. It feels good! It's like a moment of truth and clarity... like I'm heading in the right direction.
GameSalad is a great name for the software, because I feel somewhat like a chef. When this meal is served, will people like it? Will it be tasty? It should be soon. Only five areas are left, then I can start wrapping things up.
Violence
A surprising question popped into my head today. Is my game violent? I realized that I might have to change one of the settings for "Cartoon or Fantasy Violence". Is it Infrequent/Mild or Frequent/Intense? I wasn't sure. Basically, TANK goes around killing bugs. I think that's harmless video game violence. It reminds me of cartoons from the 80's and 90's. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fought ninja robots. They would explode in fairly violent ways, but it was a cartoon. So... is that Mild or Intense?
Then I started thinking about TANK. The combat is frequent... heh... especially with the four-star machine gun. That's lots of ammo being poured into the scene. When the enemies die, they explode. Little bits fly out in randomized directions... with vivid fire-trails and neat sound effects.
So, I realized that it's probably safer to rate my game higher than normal. Even if that risks customers, I feel it's important to be a responsible developer. Yet... something interesting happened.
When I clicked the "Frequent/Intense" option, the rating didn't change.
Heh, I think this means I should put more enemies into the game! Apparently, nine year olds are cool with Frequent and Intense cartoon violence. If it's cool for Naruto, it's cool for BOT. Ha... seriously... the words will be clearly stated with the app. Parents will be able to make intelligent decisions.
I also got a reply email from GameSalad... I forgot about iAds. I was wondering why GameSalad would need to restrict users based on iOS version. Advertisements make sense. Without the minimum version, the ads won't appear. That's good to know for two other projects. One of my next apps might have iAds and I'm going to need to update The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook soon.
I finished another area today and I'm still working on the second. That leaves just three other levels left. The last three are tough because of their location and I'm low on artwork again. I don't want to spend any more money on background artwork for BOT. I think it's more important to save money for enemies and/or marketing.
Marketing is a tough issue. This is one of my strongest areas. I have professional marketing experience. I'm contemplating a possible marketing blitz for the launch day. That will cost money. From what I've seen though, there are not many great options. Example... I don't think I should waste money on AdMob or paid search. I don't think I should advertise on review sites either. That seems unethical.
I do plan on sending out promo codes to the press. I think the promo video is the main difference. I might have to open a YouTube account. I dislike Google, but YouTube might be too popular to ignore.
I decided against launching a Facebook and/or Twitter site. Social Networking doesn't seem that effective to me. And for it to be successful, it has to be done right. I'd rather use that energy into building up Photics.com. I'm also frowning at using existing apps to promote my apps. That seems lame. The recent updates to Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds are basically spam updates. I don't want to be like that.
After BOT is done, I'm planning to clean up the Photics app library — where many of my existing apps will either be improved or replaced with newer versions.
A loading screen for BOT is also a concern. I probably should create a new logo for Photics. My business name should be in the game, but it will likely be conservative and professional. Heh, I'm not planning to add screaming "SEGA" action to BOT.
I think it is important to mention GameSalad somewhere. Maybe one of the areas should be a credits room. That could be one of the last few levels... like status... one for GameSalad and one for Photics. I think I'll contact GameSalad and see what they think about me using their logo.
I wrote to GameSalad and asked what they thought of my destroyed Austin, Texas idea. That might be a bit complicated, but I think it's a cool idea.
I might just go simple... with blue outlined versions of the Game Center logo, the GameSalad logo... and a Photics logo?
I was looking at a website... http://logo.com ...and they design mascots and logos for fairly inexpensive prices. Yet, with my desktop publishing and design experience, I feel like I should be able to design my own logo.
I'll check out the logo site ... maybe there is something there that'll inspire me?
So when is mighty TANK being unleashed?
Hmmm ... if you waited a few more months, you could call the game "TANKS GIVING (sounds actually VERY powerful)!
Be good
0.9.3
I knew that the GameSalad update would cause problems for my project. But instead of delaying the update, I upgraded right away. So far, this has caused two problems for me...
1 - The Fire Gun projectiles curved.
I fixed this problem by removing a "Rotate" behavior. The projectile actor was set to fixed rotation, but the "Move" behavior acted like it wasn't fixed. I didn't need the "Rotate" behavior, so I just deleted it.
2 - Pause clears images
The equipment menu is one of the best aspects of the game. It uses the new "Pause Scene" behavior. But when I return to the original scene, the images are gone. I can probably work around this issue, but that would involve a change to roughly 140 actors. I think I'll wait a little bit to see if GameSalad fixes the problem.
I'm currently waiting for the GameSalad Creator to finish uploading. For many hours today, I've been waiting while the words "Uploading Game Project" are displayed on my screen. This should be a huge warning to GameSalad developers. The larger your game gets, the worse the development process becomes. BOT is approximately 200 MB. The game is so large that it is slowing down testing. Uploading the project to build an ad-hoc version...
is...
so...
...slow!
The GS Viewer still crashes on me too. I have to restart my phone in order to test the game. I suppose I should be creating the artwork for the last three levels while I wait, but I'm distracted. This is making me nervous. These are project killing issues here. What if my game is too big to upload? It's already failed 2-3 times... and it takes like 30 minutes each attempt.
There is good news though. If I can battle through this mess, 0.9.3 should help with the building of BOT. Game Center seems to be pretty straightforward. Also, not having to restart the GameSalad Creator could be a boon for productivity. I noticed that when I restarted GameSalad before, I would take a break and check the forums. Without that distraction, I should be a lot more productive.
I'm not in a good mood today. This update was a little earlier than I expected. I thought it would be Thursday or Friday. Now I have to start moving. With Game Center ready, this game can launch. I have to finish it first though. The plan is to send BOT to Apple by the end of the month.