WebGL thought

Just had random thought.

Since the current state of the mobiles out there can't utilize WebGL, do you think the new windows slate to be released soon, or windows hardware partners, will support it?

Bob

Do you mean the Win8 new tablets ? I doubt they'll support WebGL. Win8/Modern is DirectX 11 all the way. So they'll want to put it in the browser too. Is just a matter of time if not already. For now for C2 to target Win8 the only option is plain Canvas. Really bad.

That really is a shame. The windows 8 market, along with Ouya, look to be the most lucrative open gaming platforms in the near future.

I'd really be interested in reading a more detailed analysis regarding potential solutions to this windows 8 dilemma.

Nothing extensive, just enough to provide a fair forecast for us C2'ians.

..or rather people like me who have difficulty evaluating the potential for html5 on windows 8 from the "source", may it be the developers of potential tools or microsoft.

<img src="smileys/smiley20.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

Microsoft are holding out from supporting WebGL even in the desktop IE, probably because it's based on OpenGL which is a competitor to Microsoft's DirectX.

I'm not expecting Microsoft to implement WebGL in any of their software any time in the near future.

However Chrome and Firefox for Windows 8 should still support WebGL - but I think you are forced to use IE10's engine for apps...

Oh wait! Can .exe be uploaded to windows 8 store? Sorry..I should look this up elsewhere. I hope it to be no more than a simple yes/no. I'll investigate now and report back should I find anything new [to me]!

You can't upload desktop apps (exe) to the Windows 8 store. Only the 'Metro' style apps (which they've actually renamed because apparently they can't use the name 'Metro'...) Also, Construct 2 only supports Windows 8 apps made in HTML5, which means using IE10's engine.

Here's what I've found so far:

" If your app includes an ARM or a Neutral package it must support Direct3D feature level 9_1. If your app does not support ARM it must support the minimum feature level chosen on the Store portal. "

" Web developers can use their HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript skills, as well as their experience with third-party JavaScript libraries. "

" Developers looking for maximum performance for their games and other graphics-intensive apps can use the power of Microsoft DirectX 11. "

This is nice:

" Windows 8 scales apps to ensure consistent physical sizes for UI elements regardless of the pixel density of the screen. As a developer, your work is minimal?just provide scalable resources and Windows takes care of the rest. "

This is what I believe to be the best and most defining feature of windows 8:

" Tiles are connected and alive "

" Through tiles on the Start screen, apps are alive with activity and can deliver vibrant content, even when they?re not running. Using live tiles, your app can provide useful, at-a-glance data to the user, while minimizing battery usage. Windows Push Noti?cation Services enables your app to receive messages and send them to your app?s live tile or provide a noti?cation to the user. "

Ehh, this doesn't sound good for C2:

" Developers looking for the best possible performance on Windows 8 can use Microsoft DirectX 11.1 with C++. "

But they seem to care about HTML5...

" Metro style apps with HTML5 and JavaScript take advantage of powerful advancements in standards-based web technology (Any idea what they are referring to here? Sorry, I'm still learning, albeit rapidly I think).

It?s now possible to build fully native Windows apps with the simplicity and flexibility of standards-compliant HTML markup, JavaScript, and CSS3 using the new Windows Library for JavaScript.

Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8 provides access to an extensive library of application templates to streamline and accelerate app development.(plug-in, perhaps? or still useless without WebGL?)"

Here is the heart of it, as Ashley has repeated many times:

" DirectX graphics are at the core of Windows 8. DirectX enables your full-screen Metro style apps to deliver smooth, ?icker-free action whether you created them using HTML5 or XAML. No matter which model you choose to develop your Metro style app, if the hardware supports it, your app will always be hardware accelerated. "

So, it appears to me anyways, that the real question regarding whether or not C2 game developers can be competitive in the Windows 8 store, is

"is it possible to integrate C2 projects with Direct X in an timely and effective manner?"

Much of the above facts can be read through, alongside more details, at Microsoft Windows Apps Site

Thank you for your responses, Ashley!

I'm sorry to have placed such a large bit of text in a location you are very likely to find yourself in once more, I imagine everything noted above has been held in your mind for quite some time.

AFAIK there's still no way to access DirectX directly from Javascript (they are probably talking about the hardware acceleration of the IE10 canvas 2D), so there's no way to bring WebGL-level features to HTML5 metro apps yet.