Is going Pro worth it?
bobtheturtle
Member Posts: 226
Is going Pro really worth it? I plan on getting it, but I am curious to see what everyone has to say about this.
Comments
Do you have to pay a fee for every market you sell on?
Thanks
It means veery fast loading
Chakku
The Lua Free engine means, no more Lua - Xcode recompiling. This means that the new engine will talk native tongue with Xcode. Meaning zippyer performance, support (and potentially new features).
Think of it this way. Have you ever used an emulator? The emulator is running a game via a virtual engine that your computer not speak natively. Thus, you encounter performance issues, redraw issue, lag, glitches, etc. Now GameSalad is certainly no emulator, but when Xcode does it's thing and you are running a game that is not 100% on the same language and speaking some slang (or dialect), it does effect performance since translation/rerouting is going on in the background.
With smaller 2D games, this is not all that noticeable, however the more animations, sounds and level size you have, there is a lot more to process and a Lua free engine will really open things up while having less on a hardware and OS performance impact.
As mentioned above, you don't need Pro to start creating or publish your games. But, if you really want to get your game on more platforms or feel the need of the other pro features, go with Pro. The Lua free Engine release is still a ways off and it will be available for everyone pro or not (the upgrade would retain your pro status features).
*edited. I said the Lua engine is far from release. Derp!
The Lua engine is available for everyone??!
I thought it was Pro-only?
Are you sure...?
Yes, the Lua engine will be available to everyone - that's the situation right now as that's the engine we are currently using - but the upcoming Non-Lua version will only be available to Pro users.
When he said "the Lua Engine release is still a ways off...", he was referring to the upcoming Native-code Engine release.
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/42144/sneak-peek-of-the-new-lua-free-gamesalad-engine-pre-alpha/p3
SaladStriaghtShooter's comment:
"@All - to clarify, this is a complete engine overhaul for GameSalad and is not a Pro only feature.
At this time I have no further information on a release timeframe, but will post more information as it becomes available, as well as posting other sneak peeks whenever possible. "
"realistically, the Native Code engine will be likely be initially released to Pro users only and for all intents and purposes will likely stay in that realm. This doesn't mean the Free/Basic engine will be deprecated, but it does mean that it will potentially be a perk of those investing in a license for more performance. Given the investment GameSalad is making in this, it does make sense.
It doesn't eliminate your ability to make a great game or even sell it.
Several of the features listed herein will likely be Pro-only as well. (especially those reliant on the Native Code engine) We'll be able to clarify more on this when they arrive closer to release."
What we have now: A Lua engine.
What we are waiting for: A non-Lua engine.
What I am waiting for: My local pub to open.
I missed that one. Was still trucking on the old expectation and not expecting it to change. Right on. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
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It also ignores other, more powerful development tools that are Lua scripting based (see: Corona) to the detriment of its users. The only technical reason Lua would slow anything down as much as it's claimed to is sloppy implementation of Lua: One of the main goals in the design of the language that seems to succeed outside of GS just fine is how fast its execution is.
Non-game software like Adobe Lightroom, which is extremely processor-intensive, uses Lua just fine and keeps things snappy, and I'm pretty sure Crytek's insanely powerful engine wouldn't have a native Lua API if speed of execution were a real concern.
Fun fact: Lua was also designed with the idea of real-time coding, meaning that play button you have to hit to test a game in the GSCreator simulator shouldn't really need to be there and we should be able to see feedback in realtime if Lua had been fully/properly implemented. Or maybe it's GS itself, owing to its bizarre way of doing things, that's slowing Lua execution down.
That's all moot now, though, and GS has decided to shift their focus to rewriting, rather than fixing, the issues with GS. C'est la vie. Let's hope it hits release and does well before they run out of VC money and/or they're abandoned by the more talented developers.
That being said, when answering a question in these forums, please try to be less antagonistic, particularly with users who are just beginning to learn the software. It is perfectly fine if you want to hate on GS, but the GS forums is not the appropriate place for nonproductive skewering. By posting on these forums, the logical conclusion is that you're using GS software, so you must have some sort of reason for remaining, otherwise you would have gone to a competitor. These forums should be productive, and while acknowledging GS faults is fine, as well as making helpful suggestions, lets try to not pile on, lest we believe your sole purpose is to troll. Thanks