Updated Roadmap
SF
Member, Chef Emeritus Posts: 35
Hey everyone,
We just wrapped up planning with the team and have some details to share around our near-term roadmap. As always, there’s the disclaimer that things may shift around, but we wanted to let you know what we’re working on now and what we plan to release over the coming months.
First off, let me provide a little more background on two major tent pole projects we’ve been working on for a while now:
Native Code Engine– this one’s been a beast of an undertaking, but it’s getting close to a public release. For those unfamiliar with this project, we’re getting rid of our Lua-based engine and replacing it with a new engine that compiles down to native code, dramatically improving performance and load times. We’re targeting to release an initial batch of Ice Cap games running on the native code engine starting this month. We’ll continue to optimize the engine as we add more games and then eventually open it up to a subsection of the Pro community starting in November. If all goes well with the testing, we’re targeting early next year for a public release to our Pro community.
New Mac UI – this involves some changes behind the scenes to how the Mac UI works. We initially designed GameSalad so you could make tweaks to your game logic and see it reflected in real-time in the preview player. To do this, we integrated the Lua engine directly into the Mac Creator UI, which required more time to implement features and debug. The New Mac UI is a Lua-free version that relies on a Core Data-based system, which allows us to take advantage of Apple’s frameworks. As a result, we’ll get access to Apple OS-level features like iCloud saving, Auto-Restore, etc. which proved to be overly complex to incorporate into the old tool. Going forward, we’ll be able to adopt new Apple OS features and iterate on new game features much faster than before. You’ll also notice that the Mac tool will generally feel much faster and more stable.
Both the Native Code Engine and New Mac UI projects create dependencies that affect the prioritization of features we will be releasing. Features that require deep integration with the Mac UI or Apple’s frameworks will come after the launch of the New Mac UI. Features that involve significant engine specification changes will come after the launch of the native code engine. As a result, we will prioritize features that aren’t heavily dependent on the new UI or engine first, and then roll out the dependency-based features as the New Mac UI and Native Code Engine are complete.
Now that you have some context into the dependencies affecting development, let’s move on to the roadmap. We recently conducted a survey to determine the top feature requests from our Pro community and here’s how the Top 10 shook out: 1) better engine performance, 2) universal binaries, 3) custom fonts, 4) polygon collision, 5) bug fixes and polish, 6) joints, 7) social integration, 8) monetization options, 9) snap-to-grid, 10) attribute editing/organizing (folders).
Taking into account the top requests from the Pro community, the relative size of the features, as well as the UI and engine dependencies mentioned previously, here’s the near-term roadmap in approximate order:
Mac Creator
iPhone 5 and iOS 6 Support
Aspect ratio independence
iPad Mini Support
Kindle Fire HD Support
Nook Support
Project Mint*
Universal Binaries
New Mac UI
Playhaven for Android
Auto Saving**
Multi-Select**
Scene Editor Zooming**
Hot Keys**
Full Screen Mode**
iOS 6 Social Framework**
Monetization options**
iOS 6 GameCenter Support**
Native Code Engine
Android In-App-Purchase
Layers – Locking/Unlocking, Hiding/Showing**
Navigation via Hand Tool**
Snap-to-Grid**
Attribute Editing/Organizing (Folders) **
Project Hops*
Copy/Paste between Projects**
Tile Painting Tool***
Custom Fonts***
Searchable Tables***
Joints***
Polygon Collisions***
Asynchronous Multiplayer**
* These projects merit their own post and detailed explanation. I’ll follow up separately to address each one in a new post.
** New Mac UI dependency
*** Native Code Engine dependency
Windows Creator
Multi-Select
Alignment Tools
Zoom
Hotkeys
Monetization Options
iOS Publishing Solution
Android In-App-Purchase
Layers
Custom Fonts
Searchable Tables
* Note that some of the features listed in the Mac Creator roadmap also apply to Windows Creator.
Web Support
Updated Portfolio Page
Improved Web Publishing Flow
Updated HTML5 Arcade
Windows Store Features
Share Charm
Advanced Live Tile Tools
Custom Snap-to-Scene
In-App Purchase
MS Surface Support
We’re going to do our best to work through all the features as quickly as possible, though we can’t say with certainty when we will be releasing a specific feature. Using the two tent pole projects as relative guidelines, we’re targeting to get the New Mac UI complete by the end of the year and the Native Code Engine released publicly by early next year.
For those of you really itching to get access to the Native Code Engine now, your best bet is to submit your game to Ice Cap Games for publishing consideration (I’ll have a follow up post on the types of games we're interested in publishing). Otherwise, we’ll be gradually rolling out the new engine to Pros over the next few months while we finish testing the engine, and then a full release to the entire Pro community early next year.
I realize that many of you have been waiting a while for some of these features on the roadmap and we’re super excited to finally get these out the door and into your hands!
Cheers,
Steve
We just wrapped up planning with the team and have some details to share around our near-term roadmap. As always, there’s the disclaimer that things may shift around, but we wanted to let you know what we’re working on now and what we plan to release over the coming months.
First off, let me provide a little more background on two major tent pole projects we’ve been working on for a while now:
Native Code Engine– this one’s been a beast of an undertaking, but it’s getting close to a public release. For those unfamiliar with this project, we’re getting rid of our Lua-based engine and replacing it with a new engine that compiles down to native code, dramatically improving performance and load times. We’re targeting to release an initial batch of Ice Cap games running on the native code engine starting this month. We’ll continue to optimize the engine as we add more games and then eventually open it up to a subsection of the Pro community starting in November. If all goes well with the testing, we’re targeting early next year for a public release to our Pro community.
New Mac UI – this involves some changes behind the scenes to how the Mac UI works. We initially designed GameSalad so you could make tweaks to your game logic and see it reflected in real-time in the preview player. To do this, we integrated the Lua engine directly into the Mac Creator UI, which required more time to implement features and debug. The New Mac UI is a Lua-free version that relies on a Core Data-based system, which allows us to take advantage of Apple’s frameworks. As a result, we’ll get access to Apple OS-level features like iCloud saving, Auto-Restore, etc. which proved to be overly complex to incorporate into the old tool. Going forward, we’ll be able to adopt new Apple OS features and iterate on new game features much faster than before. You’ll also notice that the Mac tool will generally feel much faster and more stable.
Both the Native Code Engine and New Mac UI projects create dependencies that affect the prioritization of features we will be releasing. Features that require deep integration with the Mac UI or Apple’s frameworks will come after the launch of the New Mac UI. Features that involve significant engine specification changes will come after the launch of the native code engine. As a result, we will prioritize features that aren’t heavily dependent on the new UI or engine first, and then roll out the dependency-based features as the New Mac UI and Native Code Engine are complete.
Now that you have some context into the dependencies affecting development, let’s move on to the roadmap. We recently conducted a survey to determine the top feature requests from our Pro community and here’s how the Top 10 shook out: 1) better engine performance, 2) universal binaries, 3) custom fonts, 4) polygon collision, 5) bug fixes and polish, 6) joints, 7) social integration, 8) monetization options, 9) snap-to-grid, 10) attribute editing/organizing (folders).
Taking into account the top requests from the Pro community, the relative size of the features, as well as the UI and engine dependencies mentioned previously, here’s the near-term roadmap in approximate order:
Mac Creator
iPhone 5 and iOS 6 Support
Aspect ratio independence
iPad Mini Support
Kindle Fire HD Support
Nook Support
Project Mint*
Universal Binaries
New Mac UI
Playhaven for Android
Auto Saving**
Multi-Select**
Scene Editor Zooming**
Hot Keys**
Full Screen Mode**
iOS 6 Social Framework**
Monetization options**
iOS 6 GameCenter Support**
Native Code Engine
Android In-App-Purchase
Layers – Locking/Unlocking, Hiding/Showing**
Navigation via Hand Tool**
Snap-to-Grid**
Attribute Editing/Organizing (Folders) **
Project Hops*
Copy/Paste between Projects**
Tile Painting Tool***
Custom Fonts***
Searchable Tables***
Joints***
Polygon Collisions***
Asynchronous Multiplayer**
* These projects merit their own post and detailed explanation. I’ll follow up separately to address each one in a new post.
** New Mac UI dependency
*** Native Code Engine dependency
Windows Creator
Multi-Select
Alignment Tools
Zoom
Hotkeys
Monetization Options
iOS Publishing Solution
Android In-App-Purchase
Layers
Custom Fonts
Searchable Tables
* Note that some of the features listed in the Mac Creator roadmap also apply to Windows Creator.
Web Support
Updated Portfolio Page
Improved Web Publishing Flow
Updated HTML5 Arcade
Windows Store Features
Share Charm
Advanced Live Tile Tools
Custom Snap-to-Scene
In-App Purchase
MS Surface Support
We’re going to do our best to work through all the features as quickly as possible, though we can’t say with certainty when we will be releasing a specific feature. Using the two tent pole projects as relative guidelines, we’re targeting to get the New Mac UI complete by the end of the year and the Native Code Engine released publicly by early next year.
For those of you really itching to get access to the Native Code Engine now, your best bet is to submit your game to Ice Cap Games for publishing consideration (I’ll have a follow up post on the types of games we're interested in publishing). Otherwise, we’ll be gradually rolling out the new engine to Pros over the next few months while we finish testing the engine, and then a full release to the entire Pro community early next year.
I realize that many of you have been waiting a while for some of these features on the roadmap and we’re super excited to finally get these out the door and into your hands!
Cheers,
Steve
This discussion has been closed.
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Jamie
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Cheers for the post SF!
Just goes to show that GameSalad DOES care, not that I had any doubt!
Well done guys! I'm a happy GS Camper.
...And what's this about iPad Mini support?!
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My question is which features from the post are Pro-only?
I specifically mean "We’ll continue to optimize the engine as we add more games and then eventually open it up to a subsection of the Pro community starting in November. If all goes well with the testing, we’re targeting early next year for a public release to our Pro community."
I think I'm just being paranoid as it wouldn't make much sense for GS to limit the engine itself to Pros only (that would be devastating) as the new engine is needed for many other features, but I do want clarification.
Which features will be Pro-only?
PLEASE clarify...@SaladStraightShooter
Since all these features are somewhat related and the next release will surely include iPhone 5 support, could we assume that Universal binaries will be there also? =P~ [-O<
It's a pity that we will have to wait for Native Code Engine to see custom fonts I really hoped to have them sooner.
Terrific stuff! An exciting product (the Mac GSC) to become even better...
As for "iPad Mini support"... of course, I'm sure you meant to add... "if it arrives on October 23rd... ;-)
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Ok I understand...I have 3 quick questions about specific features.
1. Will the Mac UI be available for everybody (I'm specifically inquiring about snap-to-grid)?
2. Will Universal Binaries be available for everybody?
3. Will "Project Mint" and "Project Hops" be available to all?
I do plan on going Pro if my 1st game goes ok, but would like to know the answers to these questions for the time being.
Thanks you for your time
Thanks! @SaladStraightShooter
Do we share revenu?
Roy.
Big Smile Games Play Happy!
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Big Smile Games Play Happy!
Check out our other GameSalad exclusives.
How do we go about submitting a game to Ice Cap Games for publishing consideration?
Do we need Ice Caps UDID for provisioning profiles?
Thank you for your help.
It all looks good. All I want most is the Lua free engine. Looking forward to it all
Just three quick questions:
What does Aspect Ratio independence mean?
Would you be able to support any other new screen size with ASI?
Is this how you would be able to support a screen size that we don't know the specifications of (iPad mini)?
Shadows Peak is an atmospheric psychological horror that explores the dark side of a player.
But so far, I like were your heads are at.
From my "I'm Considering Giving GameSalad Another Shot" thread...
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/43306/im-considering-giving-gamesalad-another-shot/p1
...Here's my list of things that I think could help GameSalad.
1 - Universal Binaries
2 - AdMob
3 - HTTP Post/Get
4 - Professional HTML5 exporting
So, how did we do?
1 - Universal Binaries are on the way. That's huge. My best iTunes App was a universal binary. Also, if "Aspect ratio independence" is what I think it is... that could dramatically improve the ability to port games — no black bars on Android apps? So clearly, issue #1 is being resolved.
2 - "Monetization options" was mentioned. Additionally, I thought it was stated in another thread that some form of AdMob is on the way. It's a shame with what happened to Kiip. I think GameSalad should give developers more freedom to manage their own advertisers.
3 - It seems that GameSalad is not intended to be an open box. I am tired, so maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any advanced networking features. I did see "Asynchronous Multiplayer" and that might be good enough. Maybe I could make some cool board games with it. I'm not sure of the limits... is it iOS/Mac only or can Android and iOS play together?
Access to a database would give GameSalad great power. I think that highlights my disappointment with this roadmap. The features are good, but they're not too revolutionary. Although, I'm not sure what "Project Mint" is all about. Overall though, this is an exciting moment for GameSalad.
4 - I'm not sure if I should get excited about "Project Mint" when I'm still feeling disappointment from "Project Masala". HTML5/web publishing is more interesting to me than trying to battle it out on the various app stores. But unfortunately, I'm not sure how serious GameSalad is about this feature.
Overall score... 62.5%... that's a failing grade. While Universal Binaries/Aspect Ratio Independence, Monetization Options and Asynchronous Multiplayer is a boon, GameSalad feels limited. It doesn't look like GameSalad is an option for my online arcade, which does limit the usefulness of the software.
However, there is enough good stuff here that I might release/rerelease some GameSalad apps. It's still months away though. And considering I was planning to attempt a relaunch of The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook this weekend, I don't think I should delay version 2.0 of the book. What? That doesn't make sense to me.
I can see Pro subscribers gaining access to new features first. That seems like a reasonable perk. It might even be a good software testing strategy. However, are Free/Basic users going to produce slower apps — even after the new engine is officially released? If so, that doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
@photics: I really do appreciate your comments but as to HTML5 for gaming the standard is simply not even close to ready speed wise. I mean Facebook with all it's resources simply could not get it working fast enough and had to move back to a native app. And Facebook needs nowhere near the speed of a game. Microsoft does look like it is doing some promising things with HTML5, IE10, and multitouch in its new OS. But I bet it's still just going to be too slow in the near future.
Could the new Native code engine can open old-gamesalad engine project or not?