mepis's Forum Posts

  • I originally posted this on my blog. I figured I would copy and paste the article here though. I wanted to know what this community though of this. What is everyone's thoughts and feelings about this? Why do the devs here target or not target Windows?

    Windows 8 has a pretty cool interface. I’ll admit it, I’m in that camp. I like the Metro interface. It has some pretty cool uses, like app organization. I can also organize my games. That’s cool. Windows is a great platform for all sorts of games. The Xbox remote just works on it. It’s plug and play. With Windows 8, I get access to all sorts of great games. I can play big triple A games or the small and casual ones from the app store. The leverage of the Windows 8 store and the traditional environment is pretty cool for those sorts of things. I have to ask myself though, why the hell doesn’t Microsoft push this? Why isn’t it marketed.

    Let me lay this out. The Surface has the capabilities to be one of the best mobile gaming experiences, ever. It has a full size USB port. The Xbox remote works on it. The user interface is pretty cool on touch. It has a betterish store than it once had. The Surface also has this really cool built in kick stand. A lot of really nice game making tools exist, like Construct 2 and Unity. Both support the Xbox remote and Windows 8. Both are aren’t that hard to use. Both are really, really cheap (Unity is free to a certain extent and a license for Construct 2 is only $120 USD).

    Let’s not forget the Microsoft dev suits either. They’re pretty awesome. After playing with Visual Studio, Eclipse, Netbeans, DrJava, JetBrains, and some of the JS stuff built around eclipse, Visual Studio is by far my favorite. It’s clean, organized, and really comfortable to use. The only IDE I’ve played with that comes close is Construct 2 (which is a really, really close second).

    Let’s combine this with the fact that there are a lot of indie game devs out there. There are those that are looking to make a name for themselves. Others want a piece of the pie. Some devs just want to make games because they like to. The market to attract these people is huge. The barrier to entry on Windows is also insanely low. Anyone person with a PC can do it.

    I have to ask myself then, why isn’t Microsoft pushing this? I don’t see any reps putting these pieces together on the forums. I don’t see commercials for this. Most people I know don’t even know the Xbox remote can be used on a surface, much less a PC. This is such a huge competitive advantage and Microsoft is like, “Nope, ain’t gonna open my mouth.”

    Why?

  • Understandable. When I received your reply, I understood the task at hand. I've assembled piece meal websites for other. I've been around the block with it. Migrating database information between two pieces of software, and getting everything to work properly, is no easy task. It looks like there is a pretty solid foundation now. It can only get better.

  • I wanted to say thank you!

    I joined the Scirra community a while ago. I mentioned in multiple threads and emailed the team regarding the lack of basic important collaboration features in the forums. I was informed that they were working on it, though it might take some time.

    I have been logging in less frequently because conversations were hard to track. I logged in today to see the forum software has been changed. Though, there may still be wrinkles to iron out, I am ecstatic to see the team working in this direction!

    I wanted to openly thank the Scirra team for actively working on, not only the Construct software, but the support software as well. I commend you guys and I am happy to finally use the forums in a proper fashion.

  • RamPackWobble

    TBO, I think it'll be months out at best. They're talking about using all new software altogether. Setting up new forum software, like PHPBB, and configuring it is really simple. The tricky stuff is transferring the database information. The currently use something by Whiz something or other. It's the first I've even heard of it. The aren't using something more popular. I doubt there is an easy way to transfer the data base information over.

    I imagine moving user names, passwords, accounts, and posts will take a bit of work but is manageable. Moving over the point system and things like that might be so much of a nightmare it may not be worthwhile.

  • RamPackWobble

    I spoke with the guys from Scirra briefly via email. They stated at some point the forum software will be updated and will include better support features. It's coming at some point.

    Until then, I've adopted another forum member's idea and placed a line in my signature asking people to reply to me directly to grab my attention. It's not the best, but it has worked thus far. It might be worth adding a blurb in your signature to do the same. Though this only works when you are participating in a conversation and not just watching it.

  • On a very quick Google search I find this link from WineHQ. Might prove interesting for you.

    https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=19444

  • I'm sure you've thought of this by now, but Wine might be a solution. I can't say I've tried it. C2 doesn't seem to be running anything that Wine couldn't handle. I could see have to run it via the Steam app an issue though. Worst comes to worse, it would only take a few minutes to try it and find out. I think a quick Google search regarding running Steam in Wine would be your best bet. I think it would boil down to that.

    With that said, and as you've mentioned, if all else fails then run it in a VM. It would take a bit longer. Setting up Virtual Box with a copy of Windows 7 is a breeze though and that should run it great.

    I think the biggest issue would come down to previewing the game. You might end up having to export the game every time and run it naively in Linux to get the best performance to test your product. I could see potential issues with Wine with that. Also using preview in a VM should work but it would be slower than native (Web GL stuff and all).

  • Anywho, I was trying to warn in my topic line that I am posting Java Syntax and not a CapX file.

    I have this idea for a game. I needed a maze generation algorithm. I was trying to prototype one in Java because I'm more comfortable in that language and can work through the logic. I was trying to do something that didn't require recursion or a lot of loops and variable to make it easier to transfer to C2. That proved harder than I thought it would. I kind of stood stumped at the screen for a while.

    I came up with the code below. It completely sucks for good maze generation but it seems to create the effect I was actually after. It was a happy mistake. I wanted to create a maze-like top down view environment but include larger rooms or caverns. This seemed to actually randomly create it rather well. I ran the algorithm a crap ton of times and leveled off the choke point in the loop to where it seems to always create a path through at any dimension.

    I have to design a checking algorithm yet that will ensure there is a path through, and a lot of other stuff for the game, but I wanted opinions of the algorithm itself before I put it together in C2. I'll have a couple of small extra steps in C2 to make a really rough prototype.

    Let me know what you think.

    I threw the code up on my blog quick essentially echoing what I said here. Anyway, here's a link to the article because it has syntax highlighting so it'll be easier to read. The same code is copied below to. Link

    Here's the code:

    import java.util.Random;

    public class Main {

         //These variables define the size of the maze.

         //Change only these to change the size of the maze

         private static final int ROWSIZE = 40;

         private static final int COLUMNSIZE = 40;

         

         public static void main(String[] args) {

              

              //variable declarations

              int[][] maze;

              int randX = 0;

              int randY = 0;

              int choke = 0;

              int checkSurroundings = 0;

              Random rand = new Random();

              maze = new int[ROWSIZE][COLUMNSIZE];

              

              //Initialize maze array to all zeros (make every space a non-moveable area)

              for (int x = 0;x < ROWSIZE; x++){

                   for (int y = 0; y < COLUMNSIZE; y++){

                        maze[x][y] = 0;

                   }

              }

              

              //Define outside walls

              //Construct 2 specific:

              //We will use the number two to define all outside walls of maze so the game engine

              //knows where to put these special tiles

              for (int x = 0; x < ROWSIZE; x++){

                   maze[x][0] = 2;

                   maze[x][COLUMNSIZE - 1] = 2;

              }

              for (int x = 0; x < COLUMNSIZE; x++){

                   maze[0][x] = 2;

                   maze[ROWSIZE - 1][x] = 2;

              }

              

              //Maze Generation

              randX = rand.nextInt(ROWSIZE - 10) + 5;

              maze[randX][0] = 1; //Mark beginning

              maze[randX][1] = 1;

              randX = rand.nextInt(ROWSIZE - 10) + 5;

              maze[randX][COLUMNSIZE - 1] = 1; //Mark ending

              maze[randX][COLUMNSIZE - 2] = 1;

              do {

                   randX = rand.nextInt(ROWSIZE - 2) + 1;

                   randY = rand.nextInt(COLUMNSIZE - 2) + 1;

                   checkSurroundings = maze[randX - 1][randY] + maze[randX + 1][randY] + maze[randX][randY - 1] + maze[randX][randY + 1];          

                   if (checkSurroundings < 4){

                        maze[randX][randY] = 1;

                        choke = 0;

                   } else {

                        choke ++;

                   }

                   

                   

              } while (choke < 4);

              

              //Print results of the maze array

              System.out.printf("\n");

              for (int x = 0; x < ROWSIZE; x++){

                   for (int y = 0; y < COLUMNSIZE; y++){

                        if (maze[x][y] == 0 || maze[x][y] == 2)

                             System.out.printf("%d ", maze[x][y]);

                        if (maze[x][y] == 1)

                             System.out.printf("# ");

                   }

                   System.out.print("\n");

              }

         }

    }

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  • BluePhaze Yup, I saw that immediately after I posted that. I read the original post but some how the dates eluded me. I got a small stint of foot in mouth syndrome.

    As I said though, for $9.99, it's a pretty good deal. I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying it. TBH, I'll probably pick it up on Friday and take a quick glance through it.

  • Just as an update to others reading this thread, it no longer appears it's free. It looks like it costs $9.99 now. Still not a bad deal.

  • They have similar things by the same developer for Megaman, Sonic, etc...

  • Welcome to Construct! It really is a nice tool. The interface is different from GameMaker but it's really easy to pick up. Play around with it a bit.

    Making a maze type game would be super simple. A protoype could honestly be put together in less than 20 minutes. Look into 8 way movements and solid objects. Follow the very first tutorial in the tutorial section. That will give you an idea of 8 way movements and behaviors. Then look at the manual for solid objects. This is also a behavior. After you look into these the lightbulb will just click.

    Essentially, you want a player sprite with 8 way movements. You can adjust the 8 way movement behavior to only respond to 4 way if you want (left, right, up, down). Then you need you wall pieces for the maze. You'll assign the solid behavior to these. Assigning the solid behavior will restrict the player from moving through the sprite (wall). Build your maze on the layout with the wall sprite.

    It's so much easier than it sounds. Let me know if you're still confused after reading those two things and I'll make a quick CapX file for you.

    Links

    Tutorial: https://www.scirra.com/tutorials/37/beginners-guide-to-construct-2

    Solid Behavior in manual (Also has links to 8 way movements): https://www.scirra.com/manual/104/solid

  • Ashley

    I think that is the best way until a website/forum redesign can be accomplished some day. (No easy task in itself.) I think with some different pieces of software running the web front ends, Scirra.com could become a very powerful place. Something like that could even create an personal web store front end for people to sell their own assets in one place without involving Scirra or your accounting. That's a very reasonable argument (quality control, accounting, etc...) to not have such things currently.

    I know redesigning the entire site, especially after having just done it apparently not long ago, seems like a huge undertaking. I think using prebuilt software and infrastructures and redesigning a bit could go a long way. Of course, migrating databases of information is never fun either...

    whoever replied to me (sorry, a couple pages back now and I'm a different reply screen.) I didn't mean to say that the low entry level and price point is a bad thing. I personally love it. It's a reason I choose playing with C2 as a hobby rather than GM or Unity. The interface is also a thing of beauty. But I think it's because of that price point that people without any industry knowledge start using the program and become confused. Understanding how each of these event systems work, and how the logic works, is taken for granted by users that have experience with programming language. The C2 interface is a natural fit and transitions perfectly. It will create confusion to those that don't have experience with designing the logic for such things though. Instead of laying down syntax, your putting together some visual blocks. The same principles still apply though.

    Again, please don't take me as saying I'm against the low price point or new users coming to the community. I'm just saying that C2 is deceptively way to easy to use. I spent a 30 minutes fiddling with C2 and understood how it works and had a cheap game built (with very simple designs and place holder graphics) made a few minutes later. I also have a good foundation of programming principles. I introduced two friends to C2 whom are mechanics and have never needed to delve into the computer sciences. They are smart guys, but they don't completely understand C2. They have not needed to work with and construct that kind of logic before.

    I think it's taken for granted by engineers and programmers the kind of thought process that goes into using apps like this, or the computer sciences and such. It comes natural because of exposure. The normal world is used to ambiguity though and deciphering it. The thought process is very different.

  • I do agree with your points. I'll admit, I work mostly by myself with C@, but I'll digress back to the point in a second. Having better collaborative efforts would drive C2 in a much better direction. That extends past the program though. Having some form of modularity, especially being able to import layout and event sheets, should be a standard thing. Having access to the app directly to design an application behavioral plugin would be cool (Eg, allow native access for Spriter to C2).

    I think SVN is pretty standard past that though. It should be all that's needed. It sucks to set up if you've never set up something like that before. I personally prefer Git. But a system like that is standard in the dev world. It shouldn't be shied away from.

    Where collaboration could be better is better community software. The forum software is lacking. Thankfully, Tom intends on updating at some point. God knows both Ashley's and Tom's plates are full though so it might take a while. Desura has things like personal blogs, news, and such. This community needs more of the same. On top of a more feature packed and efficient forum software base, the community needs a better way to display projects, art, news, videos, files, etc... I came to C2 and became quickly disappointed in the community support software. (That is not a bash to the support Ashley gives in the community. That is by far the best I have EVER seen)

    With that said, I do have hope for the future. I see both Tom and Ashley working hard and they have come a long way for a two man team.

    I do wish there were more assets for sale. Personally, my artistic skills suck. I can photoshop and adjust and image to suite my needs without a problem. I understand that 2D art is more prolific than 3D assets. It's more distinguishable. That's not to say that someone couldn't put up a flora pack with 50 different leaves and stems though. The consumer can edit the leaves as needed and build the plants from the pieces. The same could be done with character models and platform pieces. OpenGameArt is cool, but it's still very limited. Most other free, and even paid assets, have me feeling the same way.

    Music and sound effects I'm a bit more iffy with. Some really good free music and sound effect places already exist unlike 2D art assets. Still, it would be cool. Also, if it puts more money in Scirra's pockets, then cool!

    All that, and my point in my first sentence above, bring me full circle back to my main argument though. The barrier for entry is way to low. I tried C2 because they had a free version. I spent the $100 USD on it simply to keep playing with it. In the world of hobbies that is cheap. I know to a teenager it could sound expensive. Even to a college kid a $100 can be a lot. But in reality, it's not. I guarantee just about any working adults budget could be changed for a month to come up with the (technically) $120 USD (not $100 as I mentioned).

    I also am in school for CIS and information systems. I have a solid programming foundation. I was amazed to how easy C2 is to use. It simply makes sense. Anyone coming to C2 with an okay foundation in computer science knowledge will pick up C2 insanely fast. The barrier for entry is so low though, and the UI is so well done, that it is deceptively easy to use. I do agree that the games I see being put out barely scratch what C2 is capable of doing. I believe it could do so much more. I also think it might be attracting some of the wrong crowd though because of the low barrier.

    Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking anyone using C2 at any skill level. In fact, I would encourage people to play with it. It's an amazing tool to learn the logic side of computer science. (I'd say better than Scratch and even Basic or Python as taught in courses). I think users are slightly deceived because of how damn well done the UI is designed. It really is a sexy piece of design. Users HAVE to approach C2 with a sort of programming mind set. All the better if it's a bit OOP in nature (using various event sheets and groups properly for pseudo inheritance and class principals).

    In fact, the only direct 'coding' crossover event system I've seen missing (and I'm aiming this Ashley here) is the ability to do and/or blocks in the event system. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've found it's one or the other which kind of impedes on some logic.

    I do think, going back to my points above, that a personal file repository on Scirra for others to upload and use CapX, assets, and such would be awesome. In fact, if people are interested in the idea, I don't mind cobbling together something on a paid hosting somewhere for C2 users. I would even be happy to invite Ashley and Tom to be admins, if for nothing else to alleviate some of their workload until they can implement something official into C2 and give the community a good stop gap for right now. I'd want to see interest though before investing the time.

    Anyway, sorry for the book. If you've made it to here than you have an amazing attention span!

    Please use mepis to respond to me. I have a bad habit of missing replies otherwise.

  • I didn't want to reinvent the wheel and explain everything. Not enough coffee yet this morning...

    Read this. It should have plenty of information to help with links t other threads to help more.

    http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-sign-and-zipalign-your-apk-files/