State of GameSalad on 7-24-2013

CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
edited July 2013 in GameSalad Kitchen
Hello! It's that time again... time for another weekly state of GameSalad post.

Estimated Stable Build Schedule

No stable release planned scheduled yet. QA is still digging through our first release candidate for 0.11.0. More news when it's available!

What’s New This Week?

1. We’re continuing to look for some new hires to help cover some weaknesses in our current staffing. Will keep you abreast of the developments on this front. Are you a skilled developer or do you know one? If so, head over to http://www.gamesalad.com/jobs

2. Async multiplayer is going through some optimization passes now. Cleaning up the code and making it a bit smoother. It's been delivered to the History Fighter team and is awaiting more internal testing. Still waiting on finalizing an external contract before we can push it into the nightly builds.

3. We're in the middle of revamping how we build our Android code. It's taking a while but it's sure making our internal workflow nicer.

4. We've got a fix in the nightly builds for rotation choppiness on actors.

5. We've also got a fix in the nightly builds for several loop behavior bugs found in internal testing.

6. We've moved the web page for downloading nightly builds to: http://gamesalad.com/previous-releases. Don't ask me why. :)

7. We've pushed up new binaries for folks publishing Android apps on Windows. These new binaries fixed several compatibility issues with your apps on Android 4.2.

8. More sound fixes are making their way into the nightly build.

9. We've begun working on integrating Amazon's in-app-purchase and GameCircle systems. We should have something useful to send to QA next week. More news on this when it gets closer to release... and it'll be exciting!

10. More iOS 7 compatibility work is happening this week.

11. We're continuing to optimize the HTML5 engine for Tizen support. Good times.

12. Looks like we're biting off a new behavior that will allow you to contact a web server, request a JSON document and put it into a table for your game to use. I can imagine all kinds of interesting uses for this feature. Can you?
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Comments

  • beefy_clyrobeefy_clyro Member Posts: 5,390
    Very good overall :)

    I'll ask the question now @CodeWizard which i'm seeing asked lots but seems to be ignored lots also ... Whats the deal with the stretch feature?
  • CodeWizardCodeWizard Inactive, Chef Emeritus Posts: 1,143
    It's a stretch, but I hear that @BlackCloakGS may finally get to it this next week. Lots of priority juggling happening these days. Really want to get to it though!
  • FallacyStudiosFallacyStudios Member Posts: 970
    Good stuffs!

    Hey @CodeWizard do you guys have any info with these issues?

    http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/58592/submitting-ipad-game-issue#latest
  • GappsoftGappsoft Member Posts: 22
    #2 and #12... ALL PRAISE CODEWIZARD

    and the rest of the GS team of course.
  • brickamatorbrickamator Member Posts: 316
    #2 and #12... ALL PRAISE CODEWIZARD

    and the rest of the GS team of course.
    Finally! I hope they come out soon!!
  • Braydon_SFXBraydon_SFX Member, Sous Chef, PRO, Bowlboy Sidekick Posts: 9,271
    Excellent work, guys! Keep it up! :D
  • ericzingelerericzingeler Member Posts: 334
    #12 - Yes please!
  • HalfBakedProductionsHalfBakedProductions Member, PRO Posts: 248
    Awesome, I can't wait for Async :D

    This might be a newbie question, but I don't get #12, could someone explain it :)
  • brickamatorbrickamator Member Posts: 316
    Awesome, I can't wait for Async :D

    This might be a newbie question, but I don't get #12, could someone explain it :)
    Async will be awesome!!! Upgrading to pro soon!!
  • HymloeHymloe Member Posts: 1,653
    Looking good guys. Keep it up.
  • WeswogWeswog Member Posts: 1,171
    edited July 2013
    Awesome, I can't wait for Async :D

    This might be a newbie question, but I don't get #12, could someone explain it :)
    #12 basically means you will be able to edit your game live, any information dealing with tables and other things. So say you have an app that needs constant updated information, #12 will allow you to change your app without actually updating it. Very exciting feature, can't wait for it :)

  • quantumsheepquantumsheep Member Posts: 8,188
    It's a stretch
    I saw what you did there!

    I. SAW!

    Anyway, this is just one of those features that might seem small, but would actually solve a humungous headache for everyone I think.

    Time to move it up the priority list please! :D

    QS =D

    Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
    Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io

  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    It's a stretch
    I saw what you did there!

    I. SAW!

    Anyway, this is just one of those features that might seem small, but would actually solve a humungous headache for everyone I think.

    Time to move it up the priority list please! :D

    QS =D
    @codewizard
    I have to agree. This needs to get out ahead of many other things. Currently the workarounds we are implementing to get this feature are very time consuming and borking a lot of projects if there is any camera movement in the game. We need this last week IMO. Im sure many others would agree.

    Great sounding stuff going on no doubt. would really just like to see this one get moved way up the list.

    Cheers
    Aaron
  • The_Gamesalad_GuruThe_Gamesalad_Guru Member Posts: 9,922
    I agree on stretch mode and something like a universal build for Android.
  • SnapFireStudiosSnapFireStudios Member Posts: 1,603
    @CodeWizard - Has work been started for sounds from expression and custom fonts for History Fighter?
    - Thomas
    P.S. Agreed for stretch as well.
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    I agree on stretch mode and something like a universal build for Android.
    Stretch mode should solve Android as well
  • lukejnrlukejnr Member, PRO Posts: 63
    #12, JSON support, awesome!
  • AxygamesAxygames Member, PRO Posts: 203
    :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x
  • JSprojectJSproject Member Posts: 730
    edited July 2013
    It's a stretch
    I saw what you did there!

    I. SAW!

    Anyway, this is just one of those features that might seem small, but would actually solve a humungous headache for everyone I think.

    Time to move it up the priority list please! :D

    QS =D
    @codewizard
    I have to agree. This needs to get out ahead of many other things. Currently the workarounds we are implementing to get this feature are very time consuming and borking a lot of projects if there is any camera movement in the game. We need this last week IMO. Im sure many others would agree.

    Great sounding stuff going on no doubt. would really just like to see this one get moved way up the list.

    Cheers
    Aaron
    That sums it up nicely, I agree with it all.
  • natzuurnatzuur Member Posts: 304
    Stretch mode would be some sort of solution I guess, but could end up making games look awful, not something I would use personally. I think the outlined idea from @CodeWizard a few SoG posts back would be much better

    "Here's how I think we should handle multiple resolutions nicely:

    1. You provide artwork at a ridiculous size (iPad 3 resolution).

    2. We scale the artwork down to various smaller resolutions (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc).

    3. The engine picks the correct artwork for the current device resolution and uses that."

    That way you could have correctly sized art for the same aspect ratios by even division. For other aspect ratios (like iphone 5), they would need to be something like ipad max size/1.8 rounded down for auto sizing. That would still allow for correctly scaled graphics, although a tad on the long side. Another option I would like would be multi-assets for each aspect ratio starting at the highest rez with auto scaling, so one set for iphone5 (and all 16:9), one for ipad (4:3), all packaged together but that would be larger file sizes on disk.
  • SnapFireStudiosSnapFireStudios Member Posts: 1,603
    edited July 2013
    Stretch mode would be some sort of solution I guess, but could end up making games look awful, not something I would use personally. I think the outlined idea from @CodeWizard a few SoG posts back would be much better

    "Here's how I think we should handle multiple resolutions nicely:

    1. You provide artwork at a ridiculous size (iPad 3 resolution).

    2. We scale the artwork down to various smaller resolutions (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc).

    3. The engine picks the correct artwork for the current device resolution and uses that."

    That way you could have correctly sized art for the same aspect ratios by even division. For other aspect ratios (like iphone 5), they would need to be something like ipad max size/1.8 rounded down for auto sizing. That would still allow for correctly scaled graphics, although a tad on the long side. Another option I would like would be multi-assets for each aspect ratio starting at the highest rez with auto scaling, so one set for iphone5 (and all 16:9), one for ipad (4:3), all packaged together but that would be larger file sizes on disk.
    Agreed, but they need something better soon, and stretch would be much faster to implement, to hold people up until they could do something better.
    - Thomas
    P.S. @CodeWizard - For #12, could we send information to the web as well as take information from it?
    - Thomas
  • BlackCloakGSBlackCloakGS Member, PRO Posts: 2,250
    edited July 2013
    I agree with @natzuur, @allornothing, and @SnapFireStudios
    Since, we are talking about stretch to fit mode i thought i would give an update on the feature. I just finished stretch mode for Mac and Mac creator.
    I should get to iOS after that, then android , finally web publishing support. It should be complete and in the nightly build soon maybe end of next week if every thing goes well.
  • allornothingallornothing Member, PRO Posts: 126
    I can't help but say it again: stretch is bad, and you shouldn't use it.

    It's not a technique used by any pro development studio, at all. Crop and repositioning of UI elements is the best solution, to ensure all that lovely artwork isn't being stretched and made ugly. The simplest way I can put it is that in no way should you want your circles to become ovals and squares to become rectangles. I appreciate its much easier, but you get what you pay for - put the extra work in, and the results speak for themselves.

    my 2c!
  • JSprojectJSproject Member Posts: 730
    Different persons want different things for different reasons in different situations. It all comes down to having a choice.
  • jonmulcahyjonmulcahy Member, Sous Chef Posts: 10,408
    I see stretch being useful for pushing updates to legacy apps. No need to reinvent the wheel to fix a bug.

    but i've been designing all my games with UB Overscan in mind to have the maximum control over the design.
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    edited July 2013
    You can say no pro uses stretch but I have seen a few indies use it who have made several million on thier games.

    I could care less if someone thinks I'm a pro if my games made that kind of money.

    And btw its incredibly easy to over come situations where you are getting ovals and rectangles out of your round and square actors. Most games still look fantastic with a stretch to fit solution for UB.

    @blackcloakgs sounds awesome. Really looking forward to that feature.
  • gurechangurechan Member, PRO Posts: 211
    #12 looks great. Hope it comes out soon.
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