Edit Game in Xcode!

GreggTheDev

Who agrees with me that GameSalad should bring back the edit in Xcode feature? It would be a pro-only feature, but I feel that it would be excellent and extremely useful!

Let me know what you think below!!

IsabelleK

I think that we don't have many users who can code. Honestly, if someone can/want to learn code, he will use Xcode, which is more powerful tool, than GS.
GameSalad is great for "normal" people

Chakku

@GreggTheDev
I would definitely buy pro immediately, if this were added! With this, we won't have to wait on a behavior from GameSalad every time we want a certain feature. Everybody has different priorities and want to implement different things, so GameSalad right now can't keep adding behaviors to meet everyone's needs. Although they can get in essentials like ads, there are many other APIs people want to use.

Being able to implement our own things will truly make GS a powerful tool.

Chakku

P.S. I hope you're taking notes, @CodeWizard

GreggTheDev

The feature would really be helpful (as I mentioned, it would just be a pro-only feature). I hope GameSalad considers this possibly!!

tenrdrmer

I would like some form of code exporting but preferably to something that works on more than just iOS devices.

Though to be clear I don't think there ever was an actual feature to export to Xcode. I believe it never made it off the planning table.

GreggTheDev

Really? I thought there originally was...then they got rid of it. What kind of code exporting are you thinking of?

tenrdrmer

I have no idea I'm not a coder. I would think though it would be silly to Export to Xcode if Xcode only works on iOS. With android and windows platforms out there too as well as various other gaming and computing options something that is compatible across all of them would be useful. Maybe Objective-C or something like that. I honestly don't know how all that works. But if there is an exporting option I would like to be able to export and still have the ability to use that export on multiple platforms.

GreggTheDev

Well, I'm thinking that if you have a iOS game, then it would export to Xcode in Objective - C. If you have an Android App, then it would export to Eclipse (or your IDE of choice) in Java.

Team6Labs

This would make me go pro.

Bluemoonstudios

I would love this feature too. But isn't Gamesalad using LUA? Can you even code LUA in Xcode? Hope this isn't a stupid question but I just thought Xcode only accepts languages like c, c++, objective c etc.

entersimon

I think it would be great to have the ability to purchase the Xcode/whatever native project files for a fixed fee outside of Pro. This way if you have a project that gets bigger and needs features not yet available through GS or if your company grows and you can hire programmers to work on your code, there is a viable "out" from GameSalad.

It may seem odd to allow an out from GameSalad, but the price you set for this one time fee could be much higher than a Pro Membership cost. It makes sense for GS to want to maintain its role as proprietor for the methods GS users have to make these games, but it is a hinderance to a very small number of full-time users. This would be the type of feature that could, and quite frankly from a business angle, should be expensive.

I also see it as a way to make GS an even more attractive product for people who haven't decided on their app creation direction yet. Knowing that if you get big enough you could purchase an export of the native code would be an amazing option. Most people wouldn't use it, just like how lifetime guarantees work, but it would be a major selling/switching point knowing it's possible.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

With the addition of Tizen to the engine I think you could see the possibility of using JavaScript which would be easier for novist to pick up.

BoomshackBarry

Guys I'm not a coder either so what I'm going to say here might well be completely infeasible and make @CodeWizard roll his eyes (nobody likes an armchair designer)...

Mozilla has a product called SpiderMonkey which parses Javascript code in to C. This is what the guys at Cocos2d-html5 use, so they program their games in Javascript (HTML5 games in other words) and then use SpiderMonkey to wrap that Javascript code in C/C++, allowing the games to be run natively on iOS and Android.

So I guess (again I have no coding expertise) it may be feasible that depending on the state of Gamesalad's HTML5 engine, GS Javascipt code could be parsed through SpiderMonkey and wrapped in C/C++, which might open up a lot of options for integrating other features before compiling. I'm sure non of that would be easy though if possible at all, just my early morning mind-ramblings...

saif_shammari

@GreggTheDev
I agree with you
I will absolutely stay with GameSalad for ever if we can edit the game in xcode
Even who know the coding will use GameSalad for normal stuff & use the hard stuff (like water & rope) in xcode
Really amazing feature we hope to add in the engine >-

The_Gamesalad_Guru

This is what happens in Tizen except it is Linux based which shares the communality of Unix with OSx

GreggTheDev

@saif_shammari
I really hope they integrate this feature. Writing an app from scratch in Objective-C is no easy task. I think that if you could create the game with the simplicity of GameSalad and then export it to Xcode, it could be ideal and highly efficient for those who know code.

Personally, I wold be more than happy to pay a little extra (even onto of the pro license) for this feature!

If anyone else agrees, please chime in if you have any suggestions?



Oh, and one more thing: does anyone know which language GameSalad uses? Is it LUA?

Chakku

Did you guys know that GameSalad was initially created as a way for coders to quickly prototype games, then add their code onto it? So yeah, initially there was code export.

Chakku

CodeWizard

Custom behaviors and scripting are coming, FYI. Other stuff first, but that's definitely on the way!

CodeWizard

@BoomshackBarry
I see what you did there!

BoomshackBarry

@CodeWizard Haha I thought you'd like that

PBEmpire

@CodeWizard
What is custom behavior? Ability to add our own behaviors by coding?

CodeWizard

@PBEmpire
Yes.

GreggTheDev

@CodeWizard

Oh, wow! Awesome! Does this mean we will be able to add behaviors in Objective-C?

CodeWizard

Maybe one day in Objective-C. At first, it'll be scripted in either Lua or JavaScript (depending on which engine you're targeting). It's still several months out but it's gonna be nice!

BBEnk

@CodeWizard

Humm so when this is available and I pop up and say hey codewizard sure would be nice if Gamesalad had a "reverse rotate" behavior your reply might be you know BBenk if you would learn Lua or JavaScript you could make that yourself and save me the trouble.

GreggTheDev

@CodeWizard
Should we expect this later this year? I really can't wait for this feature (would it support BOTH Lua & JavaScript)?

Chakku

It's still several months out but it's gonna be nice!

:-O :-O :-O :-O :-O

just several months (presumably in 2013)??

@CodeWizard you're amazing! >:D<

Chakku

MSEagle2

Maybe one day in Objective-C. At first, it'll be scripted in either Lua or JavaScript (depending on which engine you're targeting). It's still several months out but it's gonna be nice!

THANK YOU! I am a CS major student right now and as much as I love GS, I would love to use my coding knowledge with the use of the gamesalad interface.

Any chance that this means we would be able to create global methods/functions that actors tap into?

Wboko

AAAHHHhh... I go to GS to escape the programming world... But it would be a really cool feature!!!

Wboko is so torn on this one.... 8-}

LeonardDeveloper

My days of appcelerator will all come back to me if you allow javascript Look forward to it

The_Gamesalad_Guru

JavaScript would be awesome as it's a much easier language to work in and I've looked at LUA it's not too heavy either. Especially since I started learning JavaScript last year.