New UI on GameSalad Windows Creator- Your Thoughts

Braydon_SFX

In this thread, discuss why you like, or why you dislike the new UI in the Windows version of GameSalad.

Here is a video of the UI in action for those who haven't seen it yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CEZabjXVUAo&safe=active



I'll start.

1. I love the live preview of the position of each actor - this is going to help a lot and decrease development time for sure, in my case.

2. I love Backstage - again, this will decrease development time. No more loading into each actor.

These are just a few. I haven't spent 30 minutes in the new Windows version of GameSalad, so I don't want to accuse anything before I play with it a little more.


So, what do you like or dislike about the UI?
Please keep this topic on track so it's easy for GameSalad to find information about our opinions.

IsabelleK

It's just cool, I love that you can see actor's position, without opening it. It can make work so much faster and easier.

jckmcgraw

I love how you can make the backstage a new window, becuase I use dual screens.

However, I'm afraid about the performance when you start adding lots of images, actors, and code.

Right now, GS is very slow even with a 16MB project. However, when I open a blank document and make some demos, it runs very smoothly.

Jack McGraw

Coopaloops

Glad you guys like some of the changes! Yeah, those transform controls and the undockable backstage are such a huge improvement. It has bugged me for the longest time that we don't have anything like that in Mac Creator. And it's only going to get better...we've got some more really awesome workflow improvements on the way that I think you guys will like quite a bit!

MarkOnTheIron

The on scene actor attributes are my favorites, I wanted them on mac for ages. I had to learn how to edit the xml files to avoid opening and closing the actors thousands of times. If I had this new feature I would still have some eyesight left

As mentioned in the video having the attribute part separated from the backstage would be awesome. You could make it on its own window also.

What I really don't like is how you search attributes to put in conditions or behaviors. How it is on the mac version is much more intuitive and easy. The conditions also are better how they are chosen on the Mac.

Braydon_SFX

Yeah, the thing I dislike the most is where the behaviors are. I would like them on the left hand side like the Mac version. This would give more room for the rules etc.

Braydon_SFX

@LaurenSalad or @SaladStraightShooter - if you guys are looking for feedback, would it be a good idea to make this thread a sticky?

youngster9

I love how you can edit the behaviors and the scene at the same time. It has annoyed me so much to have to go back and forth and wait for stuff to load. Especially if you have a large actor and it take about 10 seconds to open. Thank you GS

theCodeMonsters

I love the new editor. It's much more professional, now I can move around the screens according to my workflow! Perfect. Great Job you guys! Now we know what you guys have been doing all this time. xp

monkeysalad

Maybe this is more of a feature request than a UI thought, but I'd like the option to display and snap-to a pixel grid in the editor window. Useful for quick alignments and so on.

JohnPapiomitis

Well you can delete this if it's bad for marketing... But OMG YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO ADD XBOX 360 ARCADE SUPPORT?!!?!? (I know this because your installer downloaded Microsoft's XNA framework which is used for Game Development on the Xbox)! THAT IS SOOO COOL! Sorry for the caps rage. I just had to shout it out.

OH! and I love the new editor. It's much more professional, now I can move around the screens according to my workflow! Perfect. Great Job you guys! Now we know what you guys have been doing all this time. xp

Or they used xna to create the windows creator. Xna framework is not only for xbox games

3xL

Well I hope you guys do the same for the Mac side of things. The creator can use a lot of extras.

But this is cool. GS on windows for those users who haven't switched to macs yet

theCodeMonsters

@JohnPapiomitis Ahh, gotcha. Still though that would be awesome though! And what else is the XNA Framework used for? And you mean the wrote the engine with XNA?

heathcc

The Windows version was a real surprise and it is interesting.

First Impression: I like many things about the new interface, but some things feel like a step back.

Don't Like:
The big hassle for me is that the properties felt easier to select from within the behavior texboxes in the Mac version vs the textboxes which need things dragged to them. Maybe I just need to get used to it but it feels wrong. *** EDIT: Found that it does autofill....so it might be really cool and much faster... ****

Love:
Easier multi-monitor support, Libary tabs, Actor transform/positioning, quick switching between actors without "back-up", double click from another. Lot's of other things.


Kudos to the team for trying bold things to throw out and iterate against.

You guys rock.

JohnPapiomitis

@JohnPapiomitis Ahh, gotcha. Still though that would be awesome though! And what else is the XNA Framework used for? And you mean the wrote the engine with XNA?

Its used for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.

And thats my guess that they used xna to develop the windows creator.

I would guess they will never add xbox support. Its tens of thousands of dollars to get a game on xbox arcade, and sdk standard to even export to that format is a couple thousand at least per game.

theCodeMonsters

@JohnPapiomitis Oh your right, I was told that XBLA marketplace was open to indie developers, just like Apple's Developer Program. But you need approval from Microsoft. Gotcha, so yep that's a bad Idea.

LaurenSalad

@Braydon_SFX - Stickied and renamed the thread for you.

Let's make sure to keep this on topic with feedback and suggestion for the UI changes on the Windows Creator.

Please remember that for some of our Mac users, certain elements of the new UI may be a bit foreign and disruptive to your accustomed workflow. We wanted to be sensitive to this, so the plan is to continue to gather user feedback on the Windows UI, refine it over the coming weeks and then settle on a strong, professional, unified experience that will be rolled out across both versions of Creator.

We really appreciate your feedback and welcome it as an opportunity to continuously improve the development experience across both Mac and PC. Thanks guys!!

jckmcgraw

@LaurenSalad

I literally cannot wait for the UI, and next version of GS to come out!

Coopaloops

@heathcc @MarkOnTheIron @Braydon_SFX - Thanks for the feedback! We are planning on doing another pass at the backstage pretty soon to make sure everything feels really good while you're editing rules and behaviors. The browser bar down at the bottom is something that will probably change, and the overall feel for dragging in rules, behaviors, etc is bound to get better as well. Also kind of related - we have an improved version of the expression editor and attributes browser coming very soon (both of which aren't in the current beta build).

@monkeysalad - I hear ya. We are all very passionate about snap to grid, and we think about it all the time! I want it just as badly as you do! I just can't give any dates or set any expectations at this point...we are still ironing out a ton of other stuff in the interface, so it might be a little while before we get to grid-related tools. But it will get there!!!

shark1505

Here is my two cents.
For the Pros: I love the idea of backstage, I'm really excited for it.
Also, it looks like we have some more behaviors, "purchase item" seems very interesting and I would like to see how that is used.
It seems like you have the same usability as the old GS but in a more efficient form.

Cons: I like the images for the Mac version more such as the "Rule" or "Destroy" behaviors when placed in the instance. I also didn't see the expression editor, I doubt it is gone but I would like confirmation that it is still there.

I'm really excited for the update!

patapple

The dual monitor will be awesome on a mac!

BarkBarkCo

I finally found a reason for my Windows 8 dual boot...

Can't wait for this UI to hit the mac side. I am very please with all of the changes shown and mentioned in this video.

JohnPapiomitis

I finally found a reason for my Windows 8 dual boot...

Can't wait for this UI to hit the mac side. I am very please with all of the changes shown and mentioned in this video.

Just so you know windows 8 isnt supported yet.

WTDeveloper

Are there read-writeable tables in the windows version??
because there are some new behaviors like "change row" or "save table"...

patapple

the Windows UI is cool, but the mac UI is more professional and more use-friendly...apple is apple

the mac version need only a little restyling

GautamLawyer

It's just cool, I love that you can see actor's position, without opening it. It can make work so much faster and easier.

Very nice video dear. i like it.....

RUPAS

Well, I just test the new UI is absolutely horrible, I just like to see the actor's position at all times, it's all very confusing, the backstage is fine but only if you have 2 screens, the attributes are lost and not below you can see, you have to constantly be doing big / little backstage to see them all, honestly I did not understand how to use this gamesalad, experience has been very bad, all very very very confusing, please expect the Mac version does not the touch, or at least bear the option to use the new UI or the old. and where the expression editor?? It's all very confusing, Mac in 1 minute you create a player with display text and a button to add ratings, windows 15 minutes and still have not succeeded.


Like:

To see the position of the actors at all times

dislike:

Every

imGua

About suggestions. I would really like to have search functionality withing actor logic. I often spend a lot of time to find a logic in actor that I want to edit.

I search within project, would be also a good functionality.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

I do appreciate the step forward to being to address the time consuming workflow of the current creator and I see very positive steps in that direction. My question is..granted this is a windows version..is it difficult to design an interface around Apple's UI techniques? When I look at say applications like tumult hype, Apple Motion or pro presenter is see Apple's design techniques in action. If Gamesalad can mirror that flavor of design in the look and intuitive flow it would be a home run.

MarkOnTheIron

I do appreciate the step forward to being to address the time consuming workflow of the current creator and I see very positive steps in that direction. My question is..granted this is a windows version..is it difficult to design an interface around Apple's UI techniques? When I look at say applications like tumult hype, Apple Motion or pro presenter is see Apple's design techniques in action. If Gamesalad can mirror that flavor of design in the look and intuitive flow it would be a home run.

+1

scrapee_net

The new UI is good for two monitors, or just a big one. For smaller monitos, like 18'', it's not recommended.