State of GameSalad on 10-4-2016

13

Comments

  • scottharrrules43scottharrrules43 Tulsa, OklahomaMember, PRO Posts: 694

    I have been making plugins for corona sdk. I have been able to implement replay kit, voice to text, pebble watch, google drive, 1Password, music streaming, firebase, and yelp. They just launched there store and have made quite a bit of money :). Hopefully I can bring these plugins to gamesalad one day.

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited October 2016

    @Toque said:
    Open source. Just program GS out of the loop and keep the money for yourself?

    Just copy Photoshop, burn it to CDs to sell and keep the money for yourself ?

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822

    @scottharrrules43 said:
    I have been making plugins for corona sdk. I have been able to implement replay kit, voice to text, pebble watch, google drive, 1Password, music streaming, firebase, and yelp. They just launched there store and have made quite a bit of money :). Hopefully I can bring these plugins to gamesalad one day.

    Exactly ! :smile:

  • blobblob Member, PRO Posts: 229
    edited October 2016

    @ForumNinja @adent42

    @Toque said:
    Any examples of open source software that's successful?

    Joomla. Drupal. Wordpress, linux, Ubuntu, Bitcoin, Mysql, Apache, Prestashop
    Some of these companies like WordPress are valued at more than US$1 billion

    @Toque said:
    Who tests it?

    GS would police it, Appstore style, to keep mayhem and quality under control and we user would rate plugins.

    @PhilipCC said:
    You need more than one string to your bow...
    ...tie, that is. ;)

    Yes! education market is not enough and seems more limiting rather than expanding, considering GS lack of resources.

    @Socks said:
    GameSalad would not only be a near perfect starting point for an introduction to programming, but would also open up a pathway to those pupils looking to advance past drag-and-drop to actual coding ?
    This would broaden the age range GameSalad can be aimed at in the educational market, the same cannot be said to be true of - for example - Unity,

    Absolutely, broader user base and one more selling point for the education market.

    @Socks said:
    I guess GS would take a slice of the revenue (?) with the rest going to the plugin's maker.

    Yes and if GS is afraid to jump in the open source game all in. They could first feel the water with an hybrid system:

    Open Source software companies sometime keep some of the code base private and charge a premium for full functionality.
    In GS case, it would be the compiler/publishing tool.
    We would still have to pay for a membership to use it.
    Don’t we all rather pay what we are paying for GS now and get GS team + a potentially unlimited army of coders?! lIke @scottharrrules43
    GS echo system would be very attractive to coders since its user base is mainly code handicapped and therefore would be very dependent on plugins
    GS would have nothing to lose from adopting such hybrid system.

    Additional income could be generated thru:

    1 creating special plugins
    2 Of course, getting percentages on user created plugins
    3 customization of code for bigger clients and projects
    4 additional customer support.

    Then there would come a time when the benefit of a zero cost entry point, based on plugins revenue would outweigh the premium GS charges its users.

  • BigDaveBigDave Member Posts: 2,239

    @Socks
    I guess making it open Source and being able to see the code would also be a big educational benefit.

    Seeing a rule / behaviour and understanding it is one but then they can see how this is translated into source code.

    Would even be more of a bridge to learn coding and strengthen the promise of learn to code the easiest way.

  • ToqueToque Member Posts: 1,187

    I would gladly spend $$ on special plug ins........
    Now that I understand the potential, open source makes sense.

    I would pay large sums for a simple search for actor function so I don't have to scroll through hundreds of actors.

    Are critical bugs being repaired then become "plug ins" that people pay for?

    Can standing software be redesigned easily to function as an open source plug in system?

    Going to bed. Doing this is like me planning celebrations for Toronto Bluejays winning World Series.

  • KevinCrossKevinCross London, UKMember Posts: 1,894
    edited October 2016

    Where do I vote for open source?

    I've never looked at tinkering with open source software in the past as I wouldn't even know where to begin but I do like the idea that there are others with the experience and desire to do this. I'm guessing that this would bring some of the new features that people have created to the main program install once GS have vetted it, instead of needing a zillion plug-ins to do the basic stuff that's still lacking from GS at the moment.

    I bought a large LUA book to write World of Warcraft plugins many years ago. The examples in the book didn't really interest me enough to stick with it but I would definitely consider having another bash at the language if it meant I could write plug-ins to do something currently missing from GS. Sounds exciting.

    Would this mean that the subscriptions disappear completely or could it be set up in a way that the subscriptions would still be needed and people can't bypass it at all? I'm happy to pay for the subscriptions by the way. Just don't understand how GS can make money if the subscriptions go if it became open source. I know there are a lot of successful open source projects but they would have all taken time, money and resource to get where they are now. And to lose that money from subscriptions probably wouldn't be a good start for them.

  • AlchimiaStudiosAlchimiaStudios Member Posts: 1,069

    I'd also like to add an example of an engine that's open sourced that allows community commits through github, and still makes money.

    https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/unreal-engine-4-12-released for example had 106 improvements submitted by the community that made it into the Main branch. They are essentially getting help for free on improving the engine. Pretty awesome for both parties imo.

    Follow us: Twitter - Website

  • ChunkypixelsChunkypixels Member Posts: 1,114
    edited October 2016

    Ive argued that GS should consider becoming open source in the past. With ever dwindling development resources, and now whats becoming a year between bug fix updates, it makes even more sense.... for all the reasons others have mentioned.

    Above all though....I just think its the morally right thing to do too.

    After 6+ years of kicking its own community in the teeth at every turn, do they really want to leave everyone in the lurch, if the company finally does go under? If they really can't manage to turn things around, then hand it over to the community before its too late, so theres at least a chance of surviving... and rescuing the GS name and legacy.

    But yup... I agree completely with others comments regarding communication. Things have definitely got worse. And it does lead to thinking the worst. It doesn't look good when stickied yellow posts are left open for a year... such as the Pinball Jam one. Doesn't look promising for new users of the forum to see things like that just abandoned....

    Its also a bit worrying that Brent is so quiet. Going by our usual source of finding out the goings on behind the scenes... LinkedIn... he's not even listed as being at GS? Maybe thats why so quiet?

    If he is still at GS... he needs to speak up, to help calm any fears the community has. He has a pretty good track record, so Im hoping he doesn't want that tarnished by the messy death of GameSalad if it happens....

    @bdusing @ForumNinja

  • RowdyPantsRowdyPants Member Posts: 465
    edited October 2016

    Has the idea of open sourcing GS arisen prior to this? I like the idea of people contributing code but I don't want to demand a company open their software to us.

    The market is already answering GS with tools like Stencyl, Spark, Buildbox, Struckd, GameMaker, Adventure Game Studio, RPGMaker, Construct2, GDevelop, and Copper Cube.

    Even Unreal and Unity have visual scripting included.

    While I could migrate to another awesome tool I much prefer to stick with GS as I'm close to mastering it. Current bugs are keeping me from releasing multiple projects and I won't wait forever.

    If I were GS I'd be feeling the fire on my heels.
    I'm on board with a decision to open source.

    EDIT: removed competitor links as per forum rules

  • blobblob Member, PRO Posts: 229

    .> @KevinCross said:

    Where do I vote for open source?
    Would this mean that the subscriptions disappear completely or could it be set up in a way that the subscriptions would still be needed....

    This is what i answered before:

    @blob said:
    Yes and if GS is afraid to jump in the open source game all in. They could first feel the water with an hybrid system:

    Open Source software companies sometime keep some of the code base private and charge a premium for full functionality.
    In GS case, it would be the compiler/publishing tool.
    We would still have to pay for a membership to use it.
    Don’t we all rather pay what we are paying for GS now and get GS team + a potentially unlimited army of coders?! lIke @scottharrrules43
    GS echo system would be very attractive to coders since its user base is mainly code handicapped and therefore would be very dependent on plugins
    GS would have nothing to lose from adopting such hybrid system.

    Additional income could be generated thru:

    1 creating special plugins
    2 Of course, getting percentages on user created plugins
    3 customization of code for bigger clients and projects
    4 additional customer support.

    Then there would come a time when the benefit of a zero cost entry point, based on plugins revenue would outweigh the premium GS charges its users.

    The bottom line is subscription plus revenue from plugins is a win win for everyone!
    Gamesalad, plugin developers, customers and players

  • blobblob Member, PRO Posts: 229

    A starving community + an underdeveloped software is a recipe for miracles when it comes to plugin sales.

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822

    @blob said:
    [would] critical bugs being repaired then become "plug ins" that people pay for?

    Not really (as far as I understand it), plugins would deliver features rather than bug fixes to the base code.

  • RedRoboRedRobo Member, PRO Posts: 680

    Love this idea!

    As @blob said; It wouldn't mean having to be completely open source if GameSalad wanted to protect their current business model. If were like 3DS Max where plugins can be created outside of the main package and integrated then it could be a total win/win.

    Plugin creators could earn dosh, GameSalad takes a slice (more dosh), less need to hire more coders (savings of dosh).

    I would pay tomorrow (thousands!) for a plugin that could take screenshots and post on social media. ;)

  • blobblob Member, PRO Posts: 229

    @Socks said:

    @blob said:
    [would] critical bugs being repaired then become "plug ins" that people pay for?

    Not really (as far as I understand it), plugins would deliver features rather than bug fixes to the base code.

    I didn't say that. That was @Toque o:)

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822
    edited October 2016

    @strag said:
    Plugin creators could earn dosh, GameSalad takes a slice (more dosh), less need to hire more coders (savings of dosh) . . .

    . . and the product would become more attractive to potential users given the range of additional available add-ons . . . so in theory more sales/users/subscriptions.

    @strag said:
    I would pay tomorrow (thousands!) for a plugin that could take screenshots and post on social media. ;)

    Same here, I genuinely would pay a lot of money for certain features.

  • blobblob Member, PRO Posts: 229
    edited October 2016

    VOTE FOR GAMESALAD TO BECOME OPEN SOURCE:

    http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/93470/vote-for-gamesalad-to-become-open-source/p1?new=1

    I apologize in advance if I quoted anyone out of context, my intention was to compiled
    what was being said about GameSalad becoming open source so as to bring more awareness to our community, those no digging too much in the forum and those no too familiar with the open source format.

  • SocksSocks London, UK.Member Posts: 12,822

    @blob said:

    @Socks said:

    @blob said:
    [would] critical bugs being repaired then become "plug ins" that people pay for?

    Not really (as far as I understand it), plugins would deliver features rather than bug fixes to the base code.

    I didn't say that. That was @Toque o:)

    Whoops ! :*

  • smurftedsmurfted Member, PRO Posts: 570

    I would pay tomorrow (thousands!) for a plugin that could take screenshots and post on social media. ;)

    indeed...

  • The_Gamesalad_GuruThe_Gamesalad_Guru Member Posts: 9,922

    Gamesalad has investors to report too. Getting the tool to be open source will be a long process.

  • PhilipCCPhilipCC Encounter Bay, South AustraliaMember Posts: 1,390

    @The_Gamesalad_Guru Publishing a good game or a good video is a long process too.

    The sooner they start contemplating and researching the idea, the sooner it might be implemented.

    Many of us feel the clock is ticking away for GameSalad and all options should be on the table, particularly those that have strong community support.

    One of the core principles of Marketing is to first research what people want and need and produce that, instead of just making what you think is a good product/service. That's not easy if you are starting out from scratch.

    But GameSalad already have an established, loyal customer base expressing their wants and needs so hopefully this suggestion will be given some serious consideration.

    If you don't listen to your customer base they will walk, as quite a few veterans have already done this year.

    You've even taken your foot of the throttle lately. :)

    As for myself, well I'm in the back seat snoozing hoping that when I wake up we'll be back on the road with new destination.

  • RowdyPantsRowdyPants Member Posts: 465

    Today I enter my third year as a GS Pro sub-er. The current state of the tool, the seemingly shrinking staff presence, and the myriad of other app engines has lead me to place my account on hold for this month.

    Please let us know future plans so we can remain on board.

    If the current business model is to be maintained - great, it's worked for years.
    If a form of open sourcing is to be introduced - great, I'll focus on plug-ins.

    Right now just feels like little to no movement :neutral:

  • ClockClock Member Posts: 308

    Looks like GS is on a sinking ship. Forum is quiet, Veterans are leaving, Updates are slow. I don't know anymore.

  • vikingviking Member, PRO Posts: 322

    I don't know... Seems to me that The Creator is faster and more stable than ever. It has a bunch of new features that are awesome and working as intended. So that is great news! I wish the rotated loading image bug could be fixed because it makes the slightly terrible loading times more bearable since the loading image pops up immediately. But, as developers we certainly have a strong enough tool to make something great.

  • IceboxIcebox Member Posts: 1,485

    New features will come , we just need to wait , i know it takes too long but im sure once its out it will be worth it. As mentioned earlier creator is really stable now and fast. So they didn't leave us with a buggy creator. Lets hope we get the update soon.

  • ArmellineArmelline Member, PRO Posts: 5,327
    edited October 2016

    @Clock said:
    Looks like GS is on a sinking ship. Forum is quiet, Veterans are leaving, Updates are slow. I don't know anymore.

    People have been saying this for years, yet here they and we are. Even some of those who repeatedly say they're leaving still seem to be hanging around.

  • iamcarteziamcartez Houston, TexasMember Posts: 648

    Working with GS feels as fast as ever these days but the fact that one of my questions is still on page 1 after 3 days of no responses made me notice how slow the forum has become. I'm not worried yet but I do feel something positive needs to happen soon.

  • unbeatenpixelunbeatenpixel Game Developer Member, PRO Posts: 568

    Every month we read same story, gs is more powerful than ever. There is no silver feature(bullet) in game development. With current version, you can still make magnificent games if you want.

    I just see one crucial bug(rotating loading image), nothing else.

    Check out my games on the App Store!

    Wordgraphy / Polycolor / 20 Seconds / Minimal Maze

  • RowdyPantsRowdyPants Member Posts: 465

    @unbeatenpixel said:
    Every month we read same story, gs is more powerful than ever.

    These last two years felt vibrant. Questions were promptly answered. Bugs were expeditiously squashed. Android builds were similarly performant to iOS builds.

    Only in recent months have I grown worried. I use GS for its 'build once, export out' capability. When micro stutter, launch image, and other cases hinder distribution the value of the tool greatly diminishes.

  • colandercolander Member Posts: 1,610

    I don't think plugins would work with the software in its current state it would need a complete rewrite. I mean look at what happens when GS adds a new feature. A ton of bugs always pop up elsewhere and it takes forever to fix. Maybe they should open source Graphine so it could be finished and then people could make plugins for it.

    As for future features and bug fixes just look at their track record. I don't think you can expect anything different especially now that they less staff to do the work.

    Unless someone comes along with a few mil and a clear vision all you can expect it the same old same old.

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