Gamesalad? Raw Code?

Goodbye everyone - or not?

Just in puzzled mode now,

Figuring out whether to continue with Game Salad
or go to html5 canvas and one of the many javascript game engines out there.
Easeljs and or box 2d.

I had a point and click adventure code with animations working great in Game Salad.
I was at the stage that I could start creating my first game and complete it within
roughly 3 months - had the logic done (you could FIND items and then use them to
make a robot or machine, which would then do other things like open doors or explode).

I also had two inventory systems >> one for robot parts you could
drag onto the robot > when you found all the parts the robot would 'do' something.

There was also the 'key' type inventory where you find the key and it opens a door.
You could 'drag' the part but not the key.

It was Mainly table driven. and worked across any scene.

Well anyway I'm now looking at a year away before I can learn half the code required for the game
I want to make. Boo Hoo Hoo don't know what to do. :-((

Comments

  • tatiangtatiang Member, Sous Chef, PRO, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 11,949
    Are you saying that you can't complete it using GameSalad? If the tool doesn't fit the job, then you have to go with something that does. Did you know that ahead of time or did something change about the game during development?

    New to GameSalad? (FAQs)   |   Tutorials   |   Templates   |   Greenleaf Games   |   Educator & Certified GameSalad User

  • KevinCrossKevinCross London, UKMember Posts: 1,894
    If your first game is almost done then stick with GameSalad to complete it before moving onto another tool. If there's something that you're missing in GameSalad before being able to complete it then see if there's a workaround or leave it out of the game.

    It seems like a waste to pack it all in now only to spend months learning a new tool and then several more months to get the game to the same stage it's currently in.
  • harrywatsonharrywatson Member Posts: 61
    No actually Game Salad would help me to be able to finish the game.
    I could complete the game in about three months.
    (just a guess) With game salad. Solved most of the issues and the rest of the time
    would have been the image creation and processing which I have no
    problem with, being an artist.

    Now I'm looking at learning the code way...
    Not lua or c just javascript and html5 and the canvas element.
    Now I'd be looking at a least a year away to learn it all.

    I could do BOTH and that would be my preferred option but I
    haven't got the time. I still have to make woodcarvings and
    be in the NZ artworld and try to make a living as an art tutor.

    I don't see any difference in my arts practice from painting, carving,
    making games or websites. I have to juggle that's all. I think about
    games I'd like to make all day while doing other things - mainly worlds
    like point and click adventures with atmosphere I'd one day like to make.

    Sorry if that was too long. So Game Salad would be quicker and would be just
    what I need for my current idea 'Bunker On Shag Island'.

  • pHghostpHghost London, UKMember Posts: 2,342
    Especially if you are considering games with bigger worlds, point and click adventures and such, I'm not sure HTML5 is the best option going forward. I'd finish up your game in GameSalad, focusing on it wholeheartedly, and afterwards (hopefully it will start selling and make you some money in the mean time) focus on a language like Objective-C or so.
  • mataruamatarua Auckland, New ZealandMember Posts: 854
    GameSalad is good for rapid prototyping but getting anything out there is not that easy - learning JavaScript? Some of the smartest coders I know struggle with it, people who have coded websites for over 20 years - who do objective C - Java - PHP - they all struggle with using JavaScript effectively - that is changing as it becomes more and more prevalent in things like gaming and front end web design. Just a word of warning if you are thinking of taking on a language that's a tricky one from what I have heard. Having done HTML for over 20 years - how far it has come - it's amazing to see a web life that's interactive without the use of flash and a lot of that comes down to advances in CSS too.

    Going forward if you learn GameSalad well you will learn a lot about logic without being bogged down in syntax. As an artist, web builder, sculptor or developer - however creative you may be is a real change in thought process and conclusions when making a game. I am in that phase as a designer and I have a whole lot of experience behind me and am a noob at a lot of things when it comes to game creation. But learning this stuff is the fun part, seeing the results, that's the journey. Whatever one you take.

    Enjoy it, cheers, M@
  • harrywatsonharrywatson Member Posts: 61
    Thanks for all your great comments, wisdom, advice. Think as a result I will do both gamesalad and learn a JS game engine such as EaselJS and Box2D. Thanks all
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