'The Big Picture' - May Update: April Part II
Yodapollo
Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 447
Hey, everybody!
Kind of hard to believe a month's already passed and it's time for another Big Picture update. Not too much to talk about this month. At least, not quite as long as last month. So, how about we cut to the chase?
Here it is: May's Big Picture Update
Main Focus: Continued Stability & Fixes
So, as you all know, last week saw the release of GameSalad 0.8.6. Our main focus on this build was improving stability. We didn't get as much done stability wise as we would have liked and so we're keeping that as our main focus on this next build, which should be a relatively quick one (can't promise any specific dates yet, though).
The top stability priority is addressing memory issues. We didn't get to improve this area in GS 0.8.6 as much as we would have liked and so, as Casey Kasem would say (it he decided to count up instead of down, that is), it's starting our list at number 1.
While memory is our top concern, those of you who have been having issues with 0.8.6, in particular problems involving physics and sound in 0.8.6, don't fret. The other main foci for this development cycle is resolving issues regarding collision and sound management. This should resolve the vast majority of issues encountered by some members of our community within 0.8.6.
So, that's pretty much where we're headed in this round. For those of you looking for a host of new features, I apologize. You might say that we're treating May like April 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold. Once we're happy with stability, trust me, we'll plunge head first into the dark depths of our "New Features?" forum and start marking some of those threads Resolved.
Changes in Release Policy
Here's another announcement we have to make in this month's Big Picture. Due to issues encountered with the release of 0.8.6, we've decided that, starting with the next GS update, we will provide a grace period, during which both the new and previous version of the software will be available. The versions available will only be the brand new one and the one immediately previous. Also, the grace period will only last for a very limited time, mostly to allow people to complete and publish games with the previous version before upgrading.
This should prevent issues like last weekend's publishing server issue from ever bothering you again.
Improved Knowledge Base
We've also noticed that many of you would like more concrete documentation on the GameSalad tool itself, complete with easily printable, or printed (wink, wink), tips and instructions, as well as comprehensive video tutorials. I can tell you now that yours truly has been chosen to take on this task and I am in middle of putting together a vastly updated set of wiki and video tutorials as well as the first-ever GameSalad Manual. I can't promise any dates for these quite yet, but I wanted you to know that they are in the works. I'm very excited about working on this and I hope to have some samples for you very soon.
So, that's it for this month. Like I said, not as long as last months, but hopefully just as helpful. I can, however, assure you that the Big Picture posts in June and July will be much longer and, in my humble opinion, much much more exciting. We've got some big big things in the works, just nothing we can talk about right now.
Mahalo.
--Yodapollo
Kind of hard to believe a month's already passed and it's time for another Big Picture update. Not too much to talk about this month. At least, not quite as long as last month. So, how about we cut to the chase?
Here it is: May's Big Picture Update
Main Focus: Continued Stability & Fixes
So, as you all know, last week saw the release of GameSalad 0.8.6. Our main focus on this build was improving stability. We didn't get as much done stability wise as we would have liked and so we're keeping that as our main focus on this next build, which should be a relatively quick one (can't promise any specific dates yet, though).
The top stability priority is addressing memory issues. We didn't get to improve this area in GS 0.8.6 as much as we would have liked and so, as Casey Kasem would say (it he decided to count up instead of down, that is), it's starting our list at number 1.
While memory is our top concern, those of you who have been having issues with 0.8.6, in particular problems involving physics and sound in 0.8.6, don't fret. The other main foci for this development cycle is resolving issues regarding collision and sound management. This should resolve the vast majority of issues encountered by some members of our community within 0.8.6.
So, that's pretty much where we're headed in this round. For those of you looking for a host of new features, I apologize. You might say that we're treating May like April 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold. Once we're happy with stability, trust me, we'll plunge head first into the dark depths of our "New Features?" forum and start marking some of those threads Resolved.
Changes in Release Policy
Here's another announcement we have to make in this month's Big Picture. Due to issues encountered with the release of 0.8.6, we've decided that, starting with the next GS update, we will provide a grace period, during which both the new and previous version of the software will be available. The versions available will only be the brand new one and the one immediately previous. Also, the grace period will only last for a very limited time, mostly to allow people to complete and publish games with the previous version before upgrading.
This should prevent issues like last weekend's publishing server issue from ever bothering you again.
Improved Knowledge Base
We've also noticed that many of you would like more concrete documentation on the GameSalad tool itself, complete with easily printable, or printed (wink, wink), tips and instructions, as well as comprehensive video tutorials. I can tell you now that yours truly has been chosen to take on this task and I am in middle of putting together a vastly updated set of wiki and video tutorials as well as the first-ever GameSalad Manual. I can't promise any dates for these quite yet, but I wanted you to know that they are in the works. I'm very excited about working on this and I hope to have some samples for you very soon.
So, that's it for this month. Like I said, not as long as last months, but hopefully just as helpful. I can, however, assure you that the Big Picture posts in June and July will be much longer and, in my humble opinion, much much more exciting. We've got some big big things in the works, just nothing we can talk about right now.
Mahalo.
--Yodapollo
Comments
Thanks for this picture!
JCFord
hear hear!
Kudos to you GS for listening to member feedback & implementing this.
Cheers, Weswog
Is "stability" another word (synonym) for "game engine optimization" and/or "software memory management"? Or is it something else...such as "script stability" to avoid crashing? Or is it all of the above.
I guess what I am asking is...Can we get a little more clarification on the definition of "stability" in your minds and what sort of stability problems (ie. examples) you are currently pursuing?
thx.
HAHA JK!
I just wanted to issue an update in regards to the next GS release. We've been having some trouble replicating some of the issues that have been reported with 0.8.6. If you've been having issues relating to collision detection, sounds behaving erratically, or images disappearing, please submit your project so we can get a closer look at the errors. You can submit them, along with detailed descriptions of what you're doing before the issue and what happens with the issue, through our Zendesk Submission page.
This is the best way to help us resolve the issues with 0.8.6 and get 0.8.7 into your hands as fast as possible. Thanks!