[REQUEST] Extending TiledBg Object

Hi guys. I'll try to keep this clean and blunt.

TiledBg object in C2 is very undeveloped. To the point where it misses a lot of its major functionalities.

Just recently i have switched from CC to C2 so i was incredibly suprised how handicaped the TiledBG is in C2.

In CC i could Offset the TiledBG image, rotate it, scale it. When in C2 its all gone. I did some research and i know that you had some troubles even coding the whole TiledBG into C2, but the difficulty should not be an excuse when we're dealing with comercial product, such as C2.

I would like for you guys to finish TiledBg or at least develope it to the point where TiledBG in CC stands. To encourage you i will give you some examples:

1. Animated BG without the need of extra animation frames

You just keep offseting/rotating the TiledBG.

2. Randomisation

You could take any seamless texture, make it as a TiledBG and set a Random offset for the graphics to make each level diffrent.

3. Beams, lasers, energy bars.

In this case you could have a nice looking "animated" laser effect with evergrowing offset on one axis, simulating energy beam.

4. Size changing, animated elements such as Interface.

Like lifebar or energy bar that keeps on moving (offseting or rotating)that changed its size but doesnt go outside of set boudaries.

Those are just a basic examples, that come to my mind in 2 minutes of thinking. I had a long list somewhere but i couldn't find it.

I request for TiledBG to be developed at least to its CC version funcationality.

Regardless of the costs. Its vital and crusial and will not only make many thing easier but will also introduce many features impossible without it.

Especialy as the whole TiledBG idea/concept is propably as old as gaming in general. Its been here from like always and should not be ignored. Especialy when rival softwares has this. So you are like missing a feature that everybody else has.

Take no offence from my words. I am not trying to insult anybody.

Just requesting a vital and powerful feature.

And please don't tell that all those can be emulated in another ways.

Sure they can be emulated, but its not the case.

You can use a car to drive 100 miles. And do the same on foot. But if i have a choice - i prefer the car. Thats what progress is.

Kudos.

This is asked many, many times. Most recent thread is HERE.

This is asked many, many times. Most recent thread is HERE.

Then i really don't know why its not present in C2 already.

I've been aware that other people might share my view point but i wanted to add my personal cry.

I wanted to make this topic long time ago and with each new update i hope to see TiledBG getting an update. Just gotten a bit tired of passive waiting. Especialy as a fair share of new content, that is being added frequently, have no use for me.

Some of those features are difficult to pull off in the canvas2d renderer and would probably only be supported with WebGL. We're very cautious about adding features that only work in WebGL mode, since it can make it difficult to port your game.

Some of those features are difficult to pull off in the canvas2d renderer and would probably only be supported with WebGL. We're very cautious about adding features that only work in WebGL mode, since it can make it difficult to port your game.

Ashley, as i said, i am not saying its piece of cake. I am sure if it would be - it would be already done. But this doesn't change the fact that its needed.

You think making games is easy? The shortest, playable i ever done took me 2 months. But still - i did it. And i believe you know this just as good as i do. I am not a priencess sitting on pillows telling people what to do. I am fully aware (even if i don't know the details) that if you claim that something is difficult - it means just that and nothing less.

But difficult doesn't mean impossible. And the stakes are high.

Fully functional TiledBG from what i researched (after making this thread) is something being offten requested. And how usefull such object is - i should not need to explain.

Whats the exact problem with it anyway? Whats with the WebGL? I mean does it work in HTML5 only? If you could explain please. I won't drop my request, but i might understand better.

It took me a damn while to finally force myself to switch from CC to C2 and i've been stroke how many features are missing or unfinished.

The problem isn't it's difficult - it's easy with the WebGL renderer. It's just that in canvas2d mode it wouldn't be supported. So Safari for iOS, older Android devices, old desktops with blacklisted drivers, IE9-10 and a few other platforms wouldn't support it. From the eyes of the user, this basically means "argh my game is randomly broken".

The problem isn't it's difficult - it's easy with the WebGL renderer. It's just that in canvas2d mode it wouldn't be supported. So Safari for iOS, older Android devices, old desktops with blacklisted drivers, IE9-10 and a few other platforms wouldn't support it. From the eyes of the user, this basically means "argh my game is randomly broken".

Then this problem is not a problem at all.

Please remember that when C2 was made with web apps and tablets in mind - a huge amount of people use this do develop a serious windows games. Games you can actually SELL.

So i am talking Node Webkit. So as long as the game will work just fine as a regular game i really couldn't care less if it breaks on smartphones or web as the game will never be in such format.

Just let it be optional from the Project Section. Let the user chose.

My target audience are people on normal stand-alone home computers with Windows, Linux and iOS. Maybe tablets.

So if a switch from Canvas2d to WebGL would be made, this fellow user would be "argh everythings fine".

As i said, just let it optional. So the users can switch betwen those two.

Out of curiosity: how it was made in CC? It worked perfectly there.

The bottomline is: you are missing a feature that is available preety much everywhere else. Now what? You guys are a pack of heck of a briliant minds - i refuse to believe you cannot figure out a workaround.

Irbis

i just saw this plugin, maybe it can help

http://www.scirra.com/forum/plugin-sprite-sheet_topic78654_page1.html

So if a switch from Canvas2d to WebGL would be made, this fellow user would be "argh everythings fine".

As i said, just let it optional. So the users can switch betwen those two.

Well while I do like the option to allow people to do more if they want to explore developing with WebGL, Scirra's mission statement is to have C2 to be supported on older computers.

On these computers the end user doesn't even know what WebGL is, and would not know how to enable it IF they can. While most computers nowadays support it out of the box and the older ones drivers can be updated to support it, it's only really transparent on Node-Webkit. Browser based games they would have to enable flags, or update their browser version.

Lots of those requirements are very easy to do on PC, but mobile devices with HTML5 support do not have it that easy. Many of them run worse WITH WebGL enabled. Scirra does not like introducing a feature that requires too much WebGL without really having a go at Canvas2D implimentation first.

They could've made the tilemap plugin webgl only, but they worked at it and their implementation of it is wonderful. Perhaps in the coming years they could not put as much importance on canvas2D, but legacy support is very important at this moment in time. Plus if they can make it work for Canvas2D, it will work smoothly for WebGL and that's important too.

Out of curiosity: how it was made in CC? It worked perfectly there.

.CC used DX9 as it's foundation so it had more access to the video card. WebGL is essentially that, however Canvas2D is a bit weaker as it was designed to be simpler.

For animation I heard you can simulate that via "load from URL" in your events, although since it's part of the existing TiledBG I don't see why they could introduce filling from part of an image based on how the Sprite object splits and loads different sections of an image. At the very most it could create multiple images instead of one stitched image, if the area-fill command messes up with a image section.

Offsets and rotation, other than moving the object itself, would probably either be very tricky for Canvas2D, or WebGL only as it's more intensive on graphical manipulation. If they were WebGL only though, they would still have to not crash/make Canvas2D run any slower as well.

so, basicly (trying not to sound dramatic) C2 is a web-app maker now?

With an option for a stand alone platforms...?

If yes, then... wow. I don't know when i was soo disapointed last time.

And no, i am not trolling or anything. I am just incredibly sad.

C2 was always a HTML5 game maker with a variety of export options. It makes perfect sense for Scirra to want to cover as many bases as possible, and this means supporting canvas2d to the best of their abilities.

That said, I agree that more webGL-exclusive features would be nice to see. Not everyone needs to support every platform and canvas2D is very limited as-is.