Great so far, lots of suggestions anyway
BeyondtheTech
Member Posts: 809
I will admit that I never really played with the program until I actually purchased it. Don't know why I work that way, but I'm glad I took the plunge. Developing for GameSalad is actually fun and easy, albeit with glaring limitations that I hope can at least get addressed, then possibly worked on.
I won't mention the bugs, since it's not the right forum for it, but as I'm currently developing a couple of titles, there are a few things on my wish list that you may or may not have already heard...
In regards to the Editor itself:
1. Search function: be able to search for use of a particular attribute or a name of a Rule, Group, Action, or Behavior you set up.
2.List mode: be able to list your actors, images, audio. It's hard to tell some of the named assets when they're all cut off with the "..." and there is no way to rename the images or audio.
3. Grid Guides, Snap To, and Coordinate Display: self-explanatory, but they'd really help out in trying to set up the Actors in the Scene.
4. Select Box and Align: in the same vein as #3, being able to select a bunch of Actors already in the Scene for the purpose of aligning them horizontally or vertically, or sending them back or front of an another Actor or Layer.
5. Actors Dropdown: Just as you have a Scenes Dropdown in the toolbar, being able to go directly to the Actor in question would be key, instead of having to go to the Scene then scroll to find your Actor, go Home, then click the Actor tab.
6. Deleting Attributes Warning: When I deleted an Attribute because I chose the wrong type (real vs. integer), it broke a lot of the Actions and Rules I had set in place. Instead of dealing with blank screens (your current way of showing there's an error) and having to search through all the Behaviors manually to find the broken statement, it would be great to see a badge icon on the affected Actors, Scenes, and Behaviors. This can also apply to written invalid Behaviors in general.
7. Expression field use: I don't know about most other developers, but I almost always head for that tiny italicized "e" to enter in an expression, even if it's not an expression. As soon as the Behavior is being developed, the Expression Editor should already be open for use.
8. Boolean field use: Maybe I just don't know any better, but I end up typing "true" and "false" into the field. It would be nice if the Change Attribute and other related Behaviors would automatically switch to a dropdown for "true" and "false" when I select a boolean-type attribute.
9. Skinnable Templates for Integrated On-Screen D-Pad.
In regards to the Engine:
1. Actor-to-Actor Attribute Access: Being able to access or control other Actors from within another Actor is almost vital. I can see that there are many workarounds in place, like using Game Attributes and Actor Rules, but there's nothing easier than direct access, including but not limited to changing the image or animation of another Actor.
2. Landscape or Portrait: self-explanatory, and I'm sure it's been asked before.
3. Landscape or Portrait Splash Screen: obviously related to #2, but in the meantime before it's implemented, I would like this option for aesthetic purposes.
4. iPhone features such as Vibrate and Camera, current date and time, compass and GPS, playing iTunes music, and disabling Auto-Lock for accelerometer-only games: self-explanatory.
5. Social-networking such as Facebook, OpenFeint, ScoreLoop, Twitter, etc.
6. iTunes In-App Purchases: great for add-ons, but more importantly could help out with piracy issues.
7. Integration with Dr. Touch's AntiCrack: related to #6, it's one of the most powerful out there, if one had to be chosen. He updates regularly and works directly with developers, so if Gendai Games could collaborate and incorporate it, it would be mutually beneficial to GG, Dr. Touch, and all us developers.
8. Complete Physics Freeze for Pausing Game: the workaround in the wiki, while appreciated, is cumbersome and subject to other issues. A global boolean value could prevent any Actors from moving at all.
9. Slow-motion Physics: related to #8, instead of using a boolean value, one could use a 0.0-1.0 value to change the strength of the physics engine.
10. Switch/Case: using the Rule can be very cumbersome when you have multiple values to compare, and the Behavior window can look pretty convoluted with nested Rules. This is a must for me!
11. MP4/M4V Video Playback: Nothing like a good intro or cutscene to put into a game.
12. Xcode integration for Pro users.
13. Arrays: either to access attributes of clones of Actors, or just data in general.
14. Level Editor Integration: give the users the ability to create their own levels in one's game. I suppose it's like having an mobile version of the editor, manipulating the positions and sizes of the Actors. This is probably a very daunting task, but very doable in theory.
Overall, the engine is fantastic. I spent about $750 getting the Torque 2D Engine for the iPhone, and it took me forever to get started on it, deal with TorqueScript and their lack of tutorials and outdated wiki and reference guide, tweak the engine, and deal with the unresponsive developers to get updates and fixes, trying to get it to compile with Xcode, etc. Granted, the features are more robust if you can access them, but in playing with GameSalad over one weekend, I was able to complete one app and am about 70% complete with the second one. That should say a lot about what you've accomplished here, so kudos to you.
Anyway, this is all I can come up with over my lunch break, so anyone, not just Gendai Games, please feel free to contribute, comment, and respond. Thanks.
I won't mention the bugs, since it's not the right forum for it, but as I'm currently developing a couple of titles, there are a few things on my wish list that you may or may not have already heard...
In regards to the Editor itself:
1. Search function: be able to search for use of a particular attribute or a name of a Rule, Group, Action, or Behavior you set up.
2.List mode: be able to list your actors, images, audio. It's hard to tell some of the named assets when they're all cut off with the "..." and there is no way to rename the images or audio.
3. Grid Guides, Snap To, and Coordinate Display: self-explanatory, but they'd really help out in trying to set up the Actors in the Scene.
4. Select Box and Align: in the same vein as #3, being able to select a bunch of Actors already in the Scene for the purpose of aligning them horizontally or vertically, or sending them back or front of an another Actor or Layer.
5. Actors Dropdown: Just as you have a Scenes Dropdown in the toolbar, being able to go directly to the Actor in question would be key, instead of having to go to the Scene then scroll to find your Actor, go Home, then click the Actor tab.
6. Deleting Attributes Warning: When I deleted an Attribute because I chose the wrong type (real vs. integer), it broke a lot of the Actions and Rules I had set in place. Instead of dealing with blank screens (your current way of showing there's an error) and having to search through all the Behaviors manually to find the broken statement, it would be great to see a badge icon on the affected Actors, Scenes, and Behaviors. This can also apply to written invalid Behaviors in general.
7. Expression field use: I don't know about most other developers, but I almost always head for that tiny italicized "e" to enter in an expression, even if it's not an expression. As soon as the Behavior is being developed, the Expression Editor should already be open for use.
8. Boolean field use: Maybe I just don't know any better, but I end up typing "true" and "false" into the field. It would be nice if the Change Attribute and other related Behaviors would automatically switch to a dropdown for "true" and "false" when I select a boolean-type attribute.
9. Skinnable Templates for Integrated On-Screen D-Pad.
In regards to the Engine:
1. Actor-to-Actor Attribute Access: Being able to access or control other Actors from within another Actor is almost vital. I can see that there are many workarounds in place, like using Game Attributes and Actor Rules, but there's nothing easier than direct access, including but not limited to changing the image or animation of another Actor.
2. Landscape or Portrait: self-explanatory, and I'm sure it's been asked before.
3. Landscape or Portrait Splash Screen: obviously related to #2, but in the meantime before it's implemented, I would like this option for aesthetic purposes.
4. iPhone features such as Vibrate and Camera, current date and time, compass and GPS, playing iTunes music, and disabling Auto-Lock for accelerometer-only games: self-explanatory.
5. Social-networking such as Facebook, OpenFeint, ScoreLoop, Twitter, etc.
6. iTunes In-App Purchases: great for add-ons, but more importantly could help out with piracy issues.
7. Integration with Dr. Touch's AntiCrack: related to #6, it's one of the most powerful out there, if one had to be chosen. He updates regularly and works directly with developers, so if Gendai Games could collaborate and incorporate it, it would be mutually beneficial to GG, Dr. Touch, and all us developers.
8. Complete Physics Freeze for Pausing Game: the workaround in the wiki, while appreciated, is cumbersome and subject to other issues. A global boolean value could prevent any Actors from moving at all.
9. Slow-motion Physics: related to #8, instead of using a boolean value, one could use a 0.0-1.0 value to change the strength of the physics engine.
10. Switch/Case: using the Rule can be very cumbersome when you have multiple values to compare, and the Behavior window can look pretty convoluted with nested Rules. This is a must for me!
11. MP4/M4V Video Playback: Nothing like a good intro or cutscene to put into a game.
12. Xcode integration for Pro users.
13. Arrays: either to access attributes of clones of Actors, or just data in general.
14. Level Editor Integration: give the users the ability to create their own levels in one's game. I suppose it's like having an mobile version of the editor, manipulating the positions and sizes of the Actors. This is probably a very daunting task, but very doable in theory.
Overall, the engine is fantastic. I spent about $750 getting the Torque 2D Engine for the iPhone, and it took me forever to get started on it, deal with TorqueScript and their lack of tutorials and outdated wiki and reference guide, tweak the engine, and deal with the unresponsive developers to get updates and fixes, trying to get it to compile with Xcode, etc. Granted, the features are more robust if you can access them, but in playing with GameSalad over one weekend, I was able to complete one app and am about 70% complete with the second one. That should say a lot about what you've accomplished here, so kudos to you.
Anyway, this is all I can come up with over my lunch break, so anyone, not just Gendai Games, please feel free to contribute, comment, and respond. Thanks.
Comments
I am also coming from iTGB and I have a lot of fun with GameSalad
The editor has its limitations but on the other way, everything is self-explanatory.
Here's another idea, if possible.
Give the option to right-click any of the current assets (images, audio, [maybe video one day!]) and it will give you the option to go into an editor of your choice (Photoshop, QuickTime Pro, iMovie, Sound Studio, Fission, Audacity, etc.), and update it, and send it back in.
There should also be the ability to export any of those asset files (although I'm sure it might just be hiding in the Package Contents).
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
Trying to swallow Objective-C and using Xcode has been a nightmare for me, so I jumped at the first GDKs that came out and kept close watch on every other one out there. Glad I'm finally onboard, now I'm just trying to make the most of it and contribute any way I can here.
For a 0.7.0 beta, it's damn stable and quick, I can only imagine what they have in store for us next. Not to hijack my own thread, but I haven't checked the rest of the site yet, is there a nightly build or developer's log to see what's in the pipeline?
They generally like to surprise us
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io