We're launching a beta of Construct 3 for Windows 10 in the Microsoft Store! This is an alternative to the NW.js-based desktop build.
The C3 Store app requires the latest version of Windows 10 - the April 2018 update, build 17134+. This is already rolling out widely. Check Windows Update for any updates if you don't have it yet.
How to get it
The Windows Store app is deprecated. Please switch to the browser-based editor.
As with loading editor.construct.net in the browser, you must be online the first time you load Construct 3. From then on, it will work offline. You can use your account offline for up to 7 days, but you must go online at least once every 7 days to renew the account. This is all identical to how offline support and accounts work in the browser.
Features specific to the C3 Store app
Architecturally the Store app is very similar to the NW.js desktop build. It enables new features using new WinRT APIs available to Store apps, instead of the Node APIs used in NW.js. In many places the code is identical but the implementation just uses a different API behind the scenes. So in terms of features it's pretty close to the NW.js version. There are only some differences where WinRT can't substitute something that Node can do, usually for security reasons.
- You can save and load folder-based projects. This allows faster saves for large projects, and works better with source control. Single-file projects (.c3p files) can also be saved anywhere on disk. Note this feature is also available in the Chrome browser.
- The Animations Editor can launch external editing software to edit the image.
- You can export a project directly to a folder on disk, rather than as a zip file.
- It automatically registers a file type association for .c3p and .c3proj files, so you can double-click files to open them.
- The C3 Store app also supports x86 (32-bit) and ARM versions of Windows as well as x64 (64-bit), whereas the NW.js build currently only supports x64.
If you don't need any of these features, you can just keep using Construct 3 from the web. You can still create a desktop icon and run without the address bar from Chrome using the "Add to desktop" feature. There's more information in the manual.
Known issues
- Currently only the beta version of Construct 3 is supported.
- You cannot purchase Construct 3 from the Store app. If all goes well we intend to add support for this later down the line. If you've already got a subscription, you can still log in and use it in the Store app.
- Opening an external editor from the Animations Editor only has a single button which makes Windows prompt for which image editor to use. This is the best we can do with the available WinRT features. (For security reasons the app cannot launch a given EXE file.)
- Store apps on Windows 10 use the Microsoft Edge browser engine, whereas the NW.js-based desktop app uses the Chromium browser engine. Edge is not as fast as Chrome so in some cases performance may not be as good as Chrome or the NW.js desktop app.
FAQ
- Where do I download the C3 Windows 10 Store app?
- The Windows Store app is deprecated. Please switch to the browser-based editor.
- How do I update Construct 3?
- Currently the Store app serves the same version of C3 that appears at editor.construct.net/beta. It updates the same way as in the browser: you'll see a notification there's a new version available, and reloading the app will use it.
- Where do I report issues?
- The Windows Store app is deprecated. We will not be supporting it any further with bug fixes.
- How does feature X work in the desktop build?
- If it's not mentioned above, the answer is "identically to how it does in Edge".
Let us know!
We're interested to know what you think about this and how it works for you. Let us know if you have any feedback!