Epox's Forum Posts

  • Thank you sqiddster! :)

    Well, as I would like to target mobile platforms, and I predict 50%+ of users in mobile, the simply increase of image sizes could drastically decrease the performance.

    Since the topic open I found a theoretical solution:

    ---------------------------------------------------

    • add HQ image versions to sprites as a serarated "HQ" animation
    • on start of layout check the window size
    • if it larger than the original go trought all image sprites, and set them active animation from Default to HQ
    • if it is smaller or equal to the original do nothing

    I can imagine an LQ version of images too for small mobiles with 480x320px screen.

    I'm sure, that someone here have experiance in what size could be used as the default.

    An another question is that what could be the HQ resolution? Do I need to make images for an 1920x1080 or 2560x1600 screen?

    Another solution

    -------------------------

    As an example I found that non-C2 tutorial, where the developer started from 1024x768 and targeted 480x320 to 1280x800px.

    The logic behind this is:

    Have a Container, what is a Fullscreen and the default size is 1024x768, and have a Vignette Area inside it what is 768 ? 512 in default.

    1. At 1024x768 the default layout shown.

    2. Screen Height < 512: The Vignette Area is scaled to have 100% of Screen Height, and depending of the ScreenWidth the Container is invisible or visible only in the left and right.

    2. Screen Height > 768: The Vignette Area keeps it's original size, but the Container is more visible, it has more space to fill.

    This tutorial is 1 year old, and its a long time in App/HTML5... so I'm not shure that its actual now.

    Start from small or large?

    ---------------------------

    I used to learn in fluid website layout developement, that we can start from small screen size and if the screen is larger enhance the layout and can start from the biggest and if the screen is smaller de-enhance the layout.

    As ranma wrote in the mobile performance tutorial "AVOID sprite resizing and rotation". According to this the perfect way could be to:

    • Default screen size is 480x320
    • Have prepared image sizes for all sizes: 800x480, 1024x768... 1920x1080.
    • Dimanically load/set the image version according to size.

    Do you have any tested solution/logic to this?

  • Dear Community!

    I've read the official tutorial about multi screen size:http://www.scirra.com/tutorials/73/supporting-multiple-screen-sizes/page-1

    I use the 'Fullscreen in browser' - 'On (scale mode)' and have great results in the targeted 320x240 to 640x480 sizes. Additionally my game's layout is great in desktops too: in 1024x768 to 1920x1080.

    My only problem with larger screens that in full screen it have big pixels - cause of the upscaling. To solve that I may use larger picture files, and resize my game's default screen size something popular size.

    I collected all the possible screen sizes:

    ------------------------------------------

    Anroid LQ: 320x240

    iPhone 3, Android small: 480x320

    Android normal: 800x480, 854x480

    iPhone 4, Anroid EHD: 960x640

    Android 7":1024x600

    iPad 2: 1024x768

    Android 10": 1280x720, 1280x800

    Android 10" HD: 1536x1152, 1920x1152, 1920x1200

    iPad 3, HD Android tablets: 2048x1536, 2560x1536, 2560x1600

    Scirra Arcade: 800x Unlimited (but no fullscreen)

    Chrome Webstore: all destops from 800x600 to 1920x1080

    ------------------------------------------

    I would like to ask for your help in find a good way to support all (or at least 480x320 to 1920x1080) screens and:

    • solve the big pixel problem in 1920x1080
    • avoid too much performance decrease in mobiles
    • have only one source to develope

    Do you have any experience in it, or have a tested solution?

  • Thanks Geo! You are right, I'll focus on special areas, but a preview mode could be great in SA in the future.

    Fixed links:

    Chrome: Who's knocking the door? memory game

    Scirra Arcade: Who's knocking the door? memory game

  • Hello Geo and Ugotsta and simwhi and —

    Thank You for Your kind words, and suggestions. Finally we published our game into our Tales4fun.com site, and 2 days ago to the Chrome Webstore:

    Who's knocking the door? memory game

    and to the Scirra Arcade too:

    http://www.scirra.com/arcade/addicting-puzzle-games/1194/whos-knocking-the-door

    My experience:

    I our site there were only a little problem with server caching, what solved in Appache, but the fullscreen mode worked prefectly.

    In Chrome Webstore I've paied the 5USD initially fee, and got my app in online preview mode in minutes. It functioned good, but have a little problem in HighRes display: its little "pixelly". I hope that C2 will have some tools to make easy to provide normal and HD versions (by normal, and full/high resolution images at export). Additionally I've worked alot with the promo images to make for Chrome WS, but afer a day they refused the small and medium one cause of "it have too many details". I think it were cause i placed the title on the promo images (as shown in the official tutorial).

    We got 8 install here in 48 hours.

    The final experiance were with Scirra Arcade: the uploading (updating) process is easy and fast. Unfortunately I've met a bug after the accept of the game: the game were optimised for different screen sizes from 1.3 to 2.0 aspect ratio. This means that it works fine when run in fullscreen-scale mode in 1024x768px and in 800x480px too. But for some reason it do not works in SA.

    Found in the SA upload tutorial: "doesn't support fullscreen games yet", but can't find this restriction in the Upload game page.

    We have 14 plays in some hours, but got 2 star rating from 2 users... :(

    I've uploaded a smart bugfix, but dont know if this 2 stars will completly fire off the game in SA.

  • Hi mina,

    Well I used to have similar problem. And I used to solved it, but unfortunately I do not remember to the exact steps I have just got a project with Parallax 0,0 and Scale 100 in the HUD.

    I've set it to public, so You can access the adnroid pkg here to test it works or not: build.phonegap.com/apps/96558/share

    Altrought somewhere in the latest versions it started to not work in my 2.1 device, but perfectly on 2.3 devices.

  • Well, as the topic's title includes "scale=0" I would like to write an addition: I use scale=100 in my example. Used to think that I'll need scale=0, but this were a misunderstanding in my side.

    If the scale=0, I think the Fullscreen scale mode will not scale your layer, so it will have same size in 1024x768, and 480x320 too (too small in the first and too large in the second resolution).

  • mina I used to test the Fullscreen Scale with "fluid layouts" and with a HUD layer with Parallax 0,0.

    Look at my memory game: Crocodile Memory Game

    Select Easy/Medium or Hard, in the level the Croco on the right and the Turns/Matches box are in HUD (Parallax:0,0) and this sprites/texts all have an Archor with Left edge: Window right, Top edge: Window top. The Right and Bottom edge is not set!

    It works very well on any phones, and screen sizes.

    I recommend to use Archor only if requied, use it with Left-Left and Top-top setting, and only if you want to float something to the right, set Left-Right and Top-top setting.

    In scale mode do not use any setting for Archor Right/Bottom edge, cause the scale logic will scale it for you!

  • nihakue did you try to play "x.ogg" or just "x"? I think C2 requies just "x" without extension and plays the fitting format (ogg/mp4).

  • Yes, Geo the Googla Market/Play is not the best place from this viewpoint, but is the information source of other services, like Appbrain or other feeders/redistributors. Appbrain - and I think lots of other similar services - have latest category. The only way to get there is to go to the GPlay, caouse all app infos are live updated from there.

    We will see, I may share some experience about that here.

  • Thank you Geo! :)

    I have some interesting hours to find a really good bg music. I'm looking for something that is not fix with just this game, but can be a general theme for the Crocodile books planned interactive versions too.

    I have some favourites, but all of them costs about 50-100USD, and did not discovered the full background of the licenses - can I use the song unlimited in all platforms, or just limited. It's good that C2 team wrote infos about why C2 uses ogg+mp4 and not mp3, but in the other hand we need to see clear where we can buy tracks that meet all of the low requirments. Hard task!:)

    Site speed: I've disable the Super Cache plugin cause of developement of the site. It will help to speed it up to about 1-2sec of "start render" time for first view.

    About the monetizing: its a hard question. To tell the true, we hope that someday we can earn some money with our work. But I cant tell you a business strategy, cause there isnt one... :) There is possibility to place ads in apps/games/website, to sell the stories, games in app store, and maybe the best thing could happen to find a sponsor for the whole project.

    Our actual goal is to publish several games and several books, and finally make a budle for the 1st book with games in an app (mainly Android).

    Till than we just hope to get more and more feedback, and I need to tell You, that the C2 community is already motivated Us (me and my wife too)!

  • Ugotsta thanks for the confirmation, we published the game in our website. It's very-very hard to find a great and fitting bg music, so we rolled out, and will spet further without it.

  • This new episode is cool. Geo I understand your decision, the production is more important than to be perfect in graphic arts. :)

  • Ugotsta thank You for yout very kind words! :)

    I have done 99% of the debuging process, now we will work on the design and small things, like a little helper character who says to click on a level, and after a highscore will show that this is recorded in the Menu screen.

    Thinking about little animations, a better BG music - what GenkiGenga recommended - and several sfx (for a washing machine, and for the card figures if matched).

    So I can not imagine a final publish date yet... :)

    Do You have any experience if it is good to publish an initial version and after 1-2weeks publish an update? I think this update can not delete highscores, what are stored in cookies. Thinking about Android start too, I read that here in Android Market it may be a good practice to update in every 3-4 weeks to get more attention.

  • Try Construct 3

    Develop games in your browser. Powerful, performant & highly capable.

    Try Now Construct 3 users don't see these ads

  • simwhi Thanks, I'll do my best to keep the quality in game dev with my wife's illustration artwork this whole project is based on.

  • Ohh, — I have the bundle in my harddrive, but did not used it yet. :)

    Maybe a gimp gradient set will be more useable for you: gimp-tutorials.net/130-UltimateWeb20-Gradients-for-Gimp

    I know that the game design is very different from web design what I have experience in, but to have several (2 or 3) main colors in UI elements may be a good practice in this area too.

    I mean that You have the green/blue/grey colors in level select: the green is an open/choosable level, bule is movie (what is like a "misc" property), and grey is closed.

    You may use these colors in the gameplay to let players use their "color-meaning experience" in levels too: green for normal play controls, like the bg of bombs, and the Ka-Boom!! button. Blue for misc UI elements like restart, select level, or music/sound on/off and grey for non active/non clickable elements like mission title and brief.

    Well, if I read it again, I can not imagine a perfect way to do it. But I've typed this theoretical idea already so post it and you may ignore... :)