I actually agree with you!, if your gonna change to stencil then you may swell go to unity!, --------------- Posted by LeonardDeveloper, contact me on thermoapps@gmail.com Be sure to visit my website: http://www.thermo-apps.com ---------------------------------------------------- Yours Sincerely, Jack Leonard
This is a very smart bit of software. Just watched a few videos and talked to my partner. The ability to add video makes this perfect for our next project and since we are in only the storyboarding phase it gives me the lead time to squash the learing curve. Thanx for the memories.
1. It (iStencyl) does not yet support android publishing or HTML 5.
2. Can't find where it supports keyboard (unless you code).
3. It does not have in app purhase yet as some have implied.
4. Pretty big learning curve and not nearly as intuitive as GS.
5. Check the forums, they have bugs as well (including sound bugs)
6. On the other hand, a non programer can create anything that can be created in GS plus more, plus if willing to hire a programer for a specific feature not natively supported you can do that to add to your project.
7. It also supports third party extensions.
8. It has joints, lists (I.e. Arrays/tables), full game center integration, custom collision boxes, video, no splash screen or loading wheel (unless you want a custom one) etc....
9. It exports to x-code so you don't get the inherent hit on performance that is in GS due to it not being x-code but rather other language with an x-code wrapper that works as a go between between the device and the actual coding.
10. Everything is converted to sprite sheets, which is much better for performance.
11. You can dump images from memory whenever you want (can't do that yet in GS).
All in all, if I had not already learned GS, I would be using iStencyl and I will still give it a try for a couple of days, but in the end I bet I'll stick with GS due to the learning curve and because most of the features iStencyl has shoul be comming soon ( except the custom coding stuff and actuall full x-code coding).
I just downloaded one of the games on the app store made with it (Feed My Zombie) Looks really nice. On my 4S : Loading times seem pretty good and unobtrusive switching between levels. Physics seemed a little funky at times....
As for the tool itself. I looked at it a while ago, and it seemed a little fiddly (a different fiddly to how GS can be fiddly)
Seems like it has some cool features that GS doesn't have yet, but also vice versa. I read on the forum for instance, that as of the current version, there is no way to do parallax scrolling using camera controls (if I understood the thread correctly)
Deffo a pretty aggressively competing product for GS right about now. Probably the only serious competitor?
Edit: I see replying to this thread doesn't bump it up the list. I guess it's easy to bury bad news (I joke)
Just hoping this stiff competition gives GS a much needed kick in the pants to get to 1.0.
@Basseman - right now if done properly you can really get your loading times down low in GS. However, performance is never going to be quit as good with a GS game vs. an iStecyl game because an iStencyl game is exported to X-code (i.e. all code in their games when sent to Apple is native x-code). GS is different, all the coding is in a different language with an x-code wrapper placed in top so the non native code can communicate with the dvice/os through that x-code wrapper. It the equivalent of speaking with someone who does not speak your language and having to use an interpreter as th go between. That inherently causes lag in the communication. Thus, you will never get as good as performance as a game exported or done entirely in x-code. But I think GS is doing a good job as getting close to such performance as is possible given the inherent limitations with the route they chose to go.
(FYI, that's why they don't let us see the code when we publish because it's not converted to x-code and would expose their underlying code for the creator that is actually still in the Package. iStencyl gives you the x-code cause it's just that, the x-code for the game only and does not include any of their creator code.).
I emailed them over at istencyl and asked about IAP and Android releases.
Thanks for your inquiry.
I'm working on IAP's as we speak. I'd estimate it to go out by the end of this weekend for beta testing, and if it checks out well, it will show up officially in StencylWorks 1.3.5.
Android publishing will arrive Q1 2012.
Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks!
its super fast in comparison - i've been playing with it the last 2 days. Love being able to reference an attribute with a text string! I'm a paid up GS Pro member for the next 8 months or so so I'm not going anywhere, still love GS, and will continue making my adventure game with GS but I've started moving my next puzzle game over to istencyl. Their pricing is great too (btw android will cost additional to their current pro price), and just see where GS head in the next year. I'm hoping to see big improvements and they will need to look at their pricing. Anyway, its nice to have choices and keeps these companies on their toes (hopefully)
@applaudmobile oh definately. i am a pro user as well and am not upset that i spent $500 to be one because once GS finally DOES get IAP, im sure ill make it back without a problem (already have a game store built in to an app) . i also have no problem spending 160 bucks for the other membership. i really like options. construct 2 is always something to keep an eye on as well.
@mu-kowAPPS You should remove the actual pricing you mention as per SSS in 1st post. But yeah no grudges here for paying for Pro as I made 4 times that from the free version in my first few months so it was a no-brainer to give back and get more features - I just wish they worked as they should do. Things like splash screen still broken really annoy me. But like I say, they'll have to up their game soon.
Finding it very hard to justify renewing my pro membership once it's up. I've obviously easily made back the cost of Pro over the past year...but would I have made the same amount of revenue without those pro features? Maybe...Probably. I'm a paid up pro till around April or so, so there is still time to be won around I guess. Going to spend the Christmas break having a look at properly at this though.
Personnaly, I think it's incomparable. GS is really for guys who haven't at all skill on code. (This can help, but it's not necessary). Stencyl is more oriented for people who have some logic, without specific skill on code, but logic is really important.
At my eyes, the only comparable thing is the scene designer, and at this point, Stencyl is really better than GS.
With Stencyl, I can make what I want, with GS, I was too limited, and the Scene designer was my biggest problem, it's laggy, limited and not intuitive. Make a platformer (with good gfx) with 100 levels on GS is totaly impossible.
I think it's simply a question of feeling, for my case, Stencyl is the better way to make games. (and it's also less expensive as GS). For another guy, GS can be better.
The real problem is the price, bugs and performances. Without challenger it's possible, but now, I think GS have really need to cut their price, otherwise, Stencyl will eat them beginning by the head.
Comments
---------------
Posted by LeonardDeveloper, contact me on thermoapps@gmail.com
Be sure to visit my website: http://www.thermo-apps.com
----------------------------------------------------
Yours Sincerely,
Jack Leonard
Guru Video Channel | Lost Oasis Games | FRYING BACON STUDIOS
2. Can't find where it supports keyboard (unless you code).
3. It does not have in app purhase yet as some have implied.
4. Pretty big learning curve and not nearly as intuitive as GS.
5. Check the forums, they have bugs as well (including sound bugs)
6. On the other hand, a non programer can create anything that can be created in GS plus more, plus if willing to hire a programer for a specific feature not natively supported you can do that to add to your project.
7. It also supports third party extensions.
8. It has joints, lists (I.e. Arrays/tables), full game center integration, custom collision boxes, video, no splash screen or loading wheel (unless you want a custom one) etc....
9. It exports to x-code so you don't get the inherent hit on performance that is in GS due to it not being x-code but rather other language with an x-code wrapper that works as a go between between the device and the actual coding.
10. Everything is converted to sprite sheets, which is much better for performance.
11. You can dump images from memory whenever you want (can't do that yet in GS).
All in all, if I had not already learned GS, I would be using iStencyl and I will still give it a try for a couple of days, but in the end I bet I'll stick with GS due to the learning curve and because most of the features iStencyl has shoul be comming soon ( except the custom coding stuff and actuall full x-code coding).
Looks really nice. On my 4S :
Loading times seem pretty good and unobtrusive switching between levels. Physics seemed a little funky at times....
As for the tool itself. I looked at it a while ago, and it seemed a little fiddly (a different fiddly to how GS can be fiddly)
Seems like it has some cool features that GS doesn't have yet, but also vice versa. I read on the forum for instance, that as of the current version, there is no way to do parallax scrolling using camera controls (if I understood the thread correctly)
Deffo a pretty aggressively competing product for GS right about now. Probably the only serious competitor?
Edit: I see replying to this thread doesn't bump it up the list. I guess it's easy to bury bad news
Command Z works ! (and for an idiot like me that is essential)
@Basseman - right now if done properly you can really get your loading times down low in GS. However, performance is never going to be quit as good with a GS game vs. an iStecyl game because an iStencyl game is exported to X-code (i.e. all code in their games when sent to Apple is native x-code). GS is different, all the coding is in a different language with an x-code wrapper placed in top so the non native code can communicate with the dvice/os through that x-code wrapper. It the equivalent of speaking with someone who does not speak your language and having to use an interpreter as th go between. That inherently causes lag in the communication. Thus, you will never get as good as performance as a game exported or done entirely in x-code. But I think GS is doing a good job as getting close to such performance as is possible given the inherent limitations with the route they chose to go.
(FYI, that's why they don't let us see the code when we publish because it's not converted to x-code and would expose their underlying code for the creator that is actually still in the Package. iStencyl gives you the x-code cause it's just that, the x-code for the game only and does not include any of their creator code.).
Thanks for your inquiry.
I'm working on IAP's as we speak. I'd estimate it to go out by the end of this weekend for beta testing, and if it checks out well, it will show up officially in StencylWorks 1.3.5.
Android publishing will arrive Q1 2012.
Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks!
- Jon
I thought all of you guys might be interested.
regardless of what platform i end up using primarily, i am happy to see some serious competetion! GS will (hopefully) become better because of it.
I've obviously easily made back the cost of Pro over the past year...but would I have made the same amount of revenue without those pro features? Maybe...Probably.
I'm a paid up pro till around April or so, so there is still time to be won around I guess. Going to spend the Christmas break having a look at properly at this though.
GS is really for guys who haven't at all skill on code. (This can help, but it's not necessary).
Stencyl is more oriented for people who have some logic, without specific skill on code, but logic is really important.
At my eyes, the only comparable thing is the scene designer, and at this point, Stencyl is really better than GS.
With Stencyl, I can make what I want, with GS, I was too limited, and the Scene designer was my biggest problem, it's laggy, limited and not intuitive.
Make a platformer (with good gfx) with 100 levels on GS is totaly impossible.
I think it's simply a question of feeling, for my case, Stencyl is the better way to make games. (and it's also less expensive as GS). For another guy, GS can be better.
The real problem is the price, bugs and performances. Without challenger it's possible, but now, I think GS have really need to cut their price, otherwise, Stencyl will eat them beginning by the head.
But it's an stencyl personalized code or it's genuine objective-c???