Is GameSalad a viable platform?

bkhoward2001

Pardon me for asking this... but given the lack of activity on this forum, my question is whether Gamesalad is a viable platform? How many active developers are there? I am just starting to develop games, and if this is not going to be around much longer, I would like to know...... If there are better platforms, then what are they? If this is going to be around for the long haul, then I would like to know that as well. Personally, I like Gamesalad.

adent42

So it depends on what you need. There are a number of tools that "compete" with GameSalad, but we shall not talk about them since this IS the GameSalad forum .

Assuming I didn't have a vested interest in you choosing GameSalad, I'd personally be learning it and something like Unity at the same time as GameSalad.

Unity gives you a road to 3D if you so choose as well as the full control that comes with programming.

On the other hand, GameSalad give you very fast development for quick prototypes and physics based 2D games. If you're not a strong programmer, it also helps you work out your logic visually before committing it to code.

In the end, the more tools you have in your arsenal, the better. Rather than think "I'm going all in on a platform", think "what tool is gonna be best for this job" or "what tool will get me up and running quickly".

If you're focused on 2d, I like to think that GameSalad might not be your final tool, but it's should be your first tool!

Hope that helps!

bkhoward2001

Thank you for the honesty... I really like Gamesalad. I am not a coder at all so it is great for me. I just want to know that it is going to be around for a while.

jamie_c

It should be noted too that Gamesalad is moving toward a web based tool and will eventually discontinue the desktop (windows and mac versions). There is a beta version of the web tool that you can test out now to get a feel for it. You can find it here https://creator.gamesalad.com if you haven't seen it yet.

I'm not sure when the full transition will take place, but it would be nice to know a projected timeframe of a 'finished' web tool.

adent42

@jamie_c I'd say that unless I make some amazing breakthroughs in productivity, or the rest of the team finishes what they're working on earlier than expected, not for at least 3 months, probably not before 6.

While the behaviors have all been ported, there's still a few missing features, bugs to fix in the HTML5 preview, and then wrapping the HTML5 tool to run stand alone on desktop with an "offline" mode.

That last one is important for me, the "native tools" should only go away once an "offline" replacement is available. I'd prefer to have a fully standalone app, but I'd "settle" for an "offline mode" in the browser as well (sort of like what you can do with Google Docs).

jamie_c

@adent42, thanks for the update and proposed timeline.

Two.E

Its a great software with a lot of learning resources. As mentioned, it is a pathway to greater things if desired, but perfect for being introduced to game logic building.

Hope it goes well.

Best,
Two.E

mikejamesfisher

This thread has taken a different turn but..... our current projects will be able to tranfer to new system? Or do i need to get it done in a hurry?

pHghost

You'll be able to transfer.

AlchimiaStudios

I really like the idea of GS as a quick prototyping tool before jumping in the desired engine for the finished product. In the future I may just do that, after wrapping up my current projects.