Vilehead's Forum Posts

  • Huge respect for reanimating this graveyard.

    Keep up the good work.

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  • So hi R0J0hound. Long time to hear. I am forced to make a new thread because there are no means to DM users anymore and you leave no way to contact you on your profile...

    Could you DM me via Discord or something?

  • Hehe this place has been getting quieter ever since the community discord server appeared...

    Where can I find the link? I was looking around the WWW but there is no button. Searching via Discord's discovery module also left me with nothing (search engines are the same)

  • Hi.

    So I am aiming for something like that OP of this thread wanted but never got:

    construct.net/en/forum/construct-2/effects-31/discussion-lens-effect-126987

    The problem in question is the old, native Lens Effect.

    Lens Effect distorts and magnifies everything under the bitmap using pixel brightness and transparency. So, in theory - 100% transparent pixels do nothing but opaque white pixels - will magnify.

    The problem with the effect is that it also takes into consideration the position on the screen and the magnifying is always based on the center of the screen, instead of the center of the object with the effect.

    I am pretty sure it can be easily fixed by just changing the variables the centering is using. Sadly - I never got into GL shaders and I don't know how to do it by myself :/

    Anyone? Gigatron - are you still around old friend?

    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Lens effect varying mediump vec2 vTex; uniform lowp sampler2D samplerFront; uniform lowp sampler2D samplerBack; uniform mediump vec2 destStart; uniform mediump vec2 destEnd; uniform mediump float pixelWidth; uniform mediump float pixelHeight; uniform mediump float magnification; void main(void) { lowp vec4 front = texture2D(samplerFront, vTex); // Lens distort mediump float zoomFactor = (0.5 - (front.r * 0.299 + front.g * 0.587 + front.b * 0.114) * magnification) * front.a; mediump vec2 center = (destStart + destEnd) / 2.0; mediump vec2 p = vTex; p += (vTex - center) * zoomFactor; gl_FragColor = texture2D(samplerBack, mix(destStart, destEnd, p));

  • Here is Phonegape tutorial: https://www.scirra.com/tutorials/9492/build-android-apps-with-phonegap

    Good Luck .....

    <3 <3 <3 <3 I'll try it out right after I'll get back from work. THANK YOU!

  • Hey, I just built an APK with it! It works. It's pretty simple, but it takes time to install all the tools. I'll make that tutorial as soon as I can.

    I don't mind a method as long as it works. One question, because thats a deal maker or breaker - is it possible to export APK with a working AdMob Ads? :I mean, I can sell the raw traffic or make a custom Ads but AdMob pays way better and that was one of the main points of my contract

  • By Today Or Tomorrow I will make a guide for C2 + PhoneGap. So hopefully you could wait until then.

    Wow. Really!?!?!?! Alajajm - I don't know what to say, really. Thank you! Thank you so much!

  • Had to make another thread because the previous got closed...

    tagging people involved in our conversation cjbruce Jayjay Husui jance0405 Delenne Colludium

    So... Delenne ? You mentioned a way to wrap the HTML5 into a APK manually. The problem is - I am not a native coder. Is it possible for a non-programmer to use this method?

    Also - if anybody had a success with PhoneGap build or standalone - please tell us. After XDK will stop working - PhoneGap would be our next best shot. Sadly - there are no tuts or guides for non-programmers aka using C2 + PhoneGap

    >

    > <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title="Crying or Very Sad"> Well... so cocoon is off the table then...

    >

    > I need a "here-and-now" solution. Not another bright promise of something that -might- happen somewhere in the future.

    >

    I can't imagine the stress you are under with family and financial pressures, but I wouldn't write off any options quite yet. It sounds like you need a "right now" solution as well as a more permanent one.

    If you can just get something to work in the next week or two, it sounds like you are set for a little bit. After that, there are definitely more permanent solutions. Remember that all you really need for an HTML5 wrapper is a working webview. Any professional iOS/Android programmer should be able to get that up and running fairly quickly. I suspect that you will be able to get the performance you need without too much in the way of modification to your game now that both iOS and Android webviews support webGL.

    Also, have you tried the desktop version of PhoneGap? It looks like it might come with some additionally flexibility that PhoneGap Build doesn't include:

    http://docs.phonegap.com/getting-started/

    Oh? So PhoneGap comes in two shapes? Whats the difference between the cloud and the standalone version?

    Oh I fully understand and agree with you. We were left pretty high-and-dry when we were promised Mac OSX, Linux, and WiiU when we purchased our business licenses and then barely managed to make our Windows version of the game work (we had to downgrade our C2 and NodeWebkit just to export working exes and support Steam). It sucks even more when you have to answer to investors / clients / crowdfunding backers.

    But I have learned two things talking here about it:

    1. Nobody here saying "just give your source" seems to understand the legal NDA and copyright issues of doing that. It's not like we can ask Scirra to give us their C2 source when Construct crashes.

    2. This stalemate between people who actually make games and encounter issues and people who think thats entirely the fault of the game creators seems to never end. Even when other engines actually demonstrate better performance.

    Yeah. I am always lost when I hear people casually requesting me to give up source of a commercial products. They really don't understand what they are asking for and sort of punishment will rain on my head if something would went wrong.

    I think Cocoon.io is a pretty solid choice for mobiles if you dont mind their splash screen at the beginning of your games that is.

    Here is the complete documentation for it:

    https://shatter-box.com/knowledgebase/cocoonio/

    I have been using it and it is quite fast compilling everything and pretty straightforward to use. However after 2 apps you need to pay in order to use it

    If everything what Shinkan said is true - I cannot use Conoon <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad"> Too much downsides. And that splash screen... That'll be the first thinbg the client will ask me about and to remove. I'll give it a read, maybe there is a way. Considering the situation. Thx Hasui =)

    Im a cocoon.io user since from the start.

    Pros

    1. InApps (RemoveAds & New premium item)

    2. Ads (Appodeal & Admob)

    3. Share with automatic screenshot of the game

    4. 14mb Apk size (My project)

    5. GooglePlayGames (Leaderboard & Achievements)

    6. Facebook plugin

    Cons

    1. Not all custom/default plugins and effects are supported by cocon.io (If not supported, it can cause to poor performance, black screen or build error)

    2. Going to another layout sometimes causes 3-5seconds or more. Let just say your Main Game Layout has 30-50mb memory image)

    3. webgL 2.0 is not supported (causes black screen/build error too) so better use v239 and below version of construct 2

    Ouchy. PROs are awesome but those CONs are deadly :/

    Irbis no idea bro.

    I used cocoon.io once or twice before they came up with their idiotic payment plan... But it was shit, well for me anyways. Long hours of waiting for their system to build my app (imagine like 2-7 hours between uploading a zip file and downloading apk file), and even then stuff never worked properly. I've always had better results and literally no problems with XDK, all plugins always worked, maximum waiting time was less than 5 minutes - for me it was actually lot faster to upload each new game test version to XDK than using dumb "Preview on LAN" which never show true game stats on mobiles... Anyways. XDK is no more from what I heard/read so all you have now is manual process of converting html5 to apk or use Phonegap. Don't know if they are other means and even don't care anymore. Like I wrote in some other post , They abandoned C2 just like they abandoned CC. difference was that we actually paid for stuff in C2 that never came, and from what i can see C3 is no different, so good luck with your stuff mate!

    Well... so cocoon is off the table then...

    I wouldn't call all those years with Construct wasted just yet. Construct was started as a free open source clone of Clickteam products and their newest one in development looks like its returning the favour (minus the HTML5-only export).

    Might be a very viable alternative for you.

    As I've said - no. I paid for C2 and its features. And a fair share of those features had never be delivered or are now dying out. That was not part of the deal for them to be working. I am not giving Scirra any more money ever. They have proven me that it was a bad idea to invest my time and money into them. So now they would need to try VERY hard to prove some hardcore good will. For example - not doing what Shinkan mentioned. But that's a tale of future.

    Even if Scirra would have a sudden change of heart - it'll take years before C3 will reach the level of polishment of C2. And I have a problem here and now. And I need a solution here and now. Otherwise I will have suits going after me. I need a valid way of exporting a C2 made games for at least mobiles. Money can change a lot so I can pour some cash on that Steam API plugin and get at least Desktop sorted.

    But I still cannot find a valid and long lasting option for mobiles. XDK is closing in less than a month. My clients might want some extra changes/updates after that point. I cannot use a solution that will vanish in a month. Please understand me. Its not about who's right or wrong or someone's personal preference. I was paid to do the job and I knew I could do it. Its not about Scirra anymore or hating. I have a wife and two kids. And If I won't find a way to get this sorted I am f****d. Literally.

    Imagine what would happened if Adobe Photoshop would suddenly not be able to save images to jpg and png. Global outbreak of millions of graphics artists who's work and livelihood depends on that features. Same thing is happening here but on a smaller scale and I am involved. I need a "here-and-now" solution. Not another bright promise of something that -might- happen somewhere in the future.

    Have you looked at Phonegap Build service?

    https://build.phonegap.com

    It is paid, but should be pretty painless to use.

    Oh that's the thing. I tried it yesterday. And at first - it was a blessing!

    First you just export your game and pack it all into a zip with 0% compression. Upload up to PhoneGap, wait 30sec and V'la! It'll give you an apk right away! <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy"> Like a charm! Which is a god send if you ever used Intel XDK. The problem popped up later... I tried renaming my APK. Upon upload it reverted back to default one and I couldn't setup any plugins or permisions (as you would with XDK).

    There is a tab "Plugins" but it just tells you that you have none (lol) and there's no UI to add new. Also, upon building an APK - you cannot change the description/name. You have to delete it and build again. But it gives you that defaults >.<

    Sadly - googling for past 24h left me with no answears of how to configurate the whole thing. All I could find is that I have to change some bits of the APK manualy to fit my needs. The problem - if I would be smart enough to do this sort of things - I don't think I would need to use C2 at all lol.

    So I am hoping for some miracle maker guy who would aid me on it =(

    I wish XDK and PhoneGap would hook up and have a baby lol.

    XDK customization power + PhoneGap user-friendliness = Win

    >

    >

    > Thx for the kind words buddy (one of the first in this thread ).

    > As of point 1 - sadly I have no idea what those things are. You mean via Intel XDK?

    > point 2 - if Scirra could estimate the time then maybe yeah. But their "We're working on it!" means anything between a month and a year. And when I maybe (just MAYBE) would be able to stretch the line for one month - I cannot do this for a whole year. And there's also no promises from their side that it'll be working as intended.

    > As I've said - PhoneGap sounds very nice and project loading is literally instant (when compared to Intel XDK at least) but I have no idea how to setup the settings to fit my game, beside the defaults. Would you be an user of PhoneGap by any chance?

    >

    I haven't used phonegap myself. A few years back it was pretty primitive and ran without webGL, but with the advent of the WKWebView for iOS, it is now hardware-accelerated and a great option. I would definitely give it and Cocoon a shot. Back in the day, Cocoon worked much better than XDK for me.

    I was a native iOS programmer before switching to C2. xcode is the tool you would use if you wanted to do things natively on iOS/mac os. It is incredibly powerful, but not very user-friendly. I like C2 because I can get everything done in much less time.

    Well I've heard xmnboy saying that current PhoneGap runs on the same steam as XDK used to. The problem is interface and lack of documentation for non-programmers. For the love of god - I can't figure it out

    For desktops - I have to check that thing Colludium mentioned - Electron. Nw.js is just too unreliable

    Ads and IAPs are beyond me for c2 (and Godot...!). I only learned how to program (I am still an amateur!) by making plugins for c2 - all of the concepts are translatable to other engines, and I only chose Godot over Unity because it's way easier to learn because the interface is simpler.

    I can only recommend you do a forum search for cocoon.io advice - it's almost the same as phonegap (zip up your export and import it into cocoon) but it's been a good while since I experimented there. If your games don't require moving action scenes then phonegap will suffice for mobile for sure.

    A cross platform alternative for NWjs can only be Electron (which I have never used and it looks complicated for a non-coder) - so you might be better off waiting for a stable NWjs branch (or use different versions for different platforms?).

    Ahh bummer If I could just time travel and pay that money on native programing... After so many years - even a dumb monkey like me would be able to get the job done. About cocoon - I heard its kind "unsupported" with new C2. MEaning I would have to revert back to some old builds for it to work. and something more but I've forgoten what... shinkan ? Can you correct me here?

    Irbis,

    I'm sorry to hear about the rough time you are having. I do HTML5 work pretty much exclusively now, and the last time I packaged stuff up was with Cocoon.js two years ago. I have two possible suggestions:

    1. Have you tried creating a blank xcode project, dropping in a WKWebView or UIWebView, then loading the game as a resource in the webview? WKWebView should give you close to the same performance as iOS Safari.

    2. If you can wait for Scirra, they have promised to get the mobile Build Service working for C2 projects as well. I'm looking forward to trying this with my most recent creation.

    Thx for the kind words buddy (one of the first in this thread ).

    As of point 1 - sadly I have no idea what those things are. You mean via Intel XDK?

    point 2 - if Scirra could estimate the time then maybe yeah. But their "We're working on it!" means anything between a month and a year. And when I maybe (just MAYBE) would be able to stretch the line for one month - I cannot do this for a whole year. And there's also no promises from their side that it'll be working as intended.

    As I've said - PhoneGap sounds very nice and project loading is literally instant (when compared to Intel XDK at least) but I have no idea how to setup the settings to fit my game, beside the defaults. Would you be an user of PhoneGap by any chance?

    Wrapped JavsScript will always suffer from lower performance -if- the wrapper tries to be a full browser instead of it being a performance optimised game engine. GPU bottleneck might be the cause in some cases, but in my experience a wrapped c2 game will always perform worse than one that was made in another game engine. There are no magic answers - all users of even the top game engines have to consider hardware limitations. It's just that c2 adds a layer of complexity (the browser) that is not optimised for games. Of course, here's the data - try out a simple bunnymark test:

    c2 capx

    godot engine bunnymark

    get godot here

    I tested on a desktop (i5 16Gb HD4000, NWjs for c2 export) and mobile (Nexus 5X, Phonegap for c2 export); when the FPS dropped to below 55 I considered the test complete. Results:

    Godot desktop: 2200 bunnies

    Godot android: 750 bunnies

    c2 desktop: 1450 bunnies

    c2 android: 420 bunnies

    Irbis - I am sorry for your plight. I can only suggest you try cocoon.io and Electron as alternatives for mobile and desktop respectively. I've not tried Electron (I hear good things about it, though) but cocoon.io was impressive the last time I checked.

    Bloody hell! This is both amazing and sad )

    The problem is - I am not a true programmer and sadly - I probably will never be so I am kind a stuck with Construct 2 or another "visual programming" framework.

    Do you happen to know a tool or a tutorial ("for idiots" version please ) that would convert HTML5/C2 projects to mobiles and/or desktops with all its goodies? On mobiles Ads and IAPs are must-have. On desktop - Steam API.

    EDIT:

    Also, this is freaking awesome.

    And single best feature of this forums

    Dude, this is not court. I don't need evidence. I am coming here with a problem. You want me to prove that ?my problem is not real? Really??? If there wouldn't be a problem - I wouldn't be here. I really have things to do you know. Sitting here and proving something I really don't need to prove is not a hobby of mine. And here you come - not helping. Not even willing. So yes, please - ignore those posts if you have no good will to actually help anybody. Because sorry - I am not sending an NDA material to a stranger on a internet forum just because he wants it. You are just a user. Yet you act like wannabie moderator or admin. Why the heck you even came to this topic? O.o

    You know what I expected to see? What I hoped for? Someone saying "Irbis, you are wrong. And here's why:"

    And then providing me with a nice working tutorial for a mobile export that you know is working (you know something that isn't outdated or unavailable right now).

    Or maybe a nice lifehack of how to make Desktop exports work on Linux or/and Mac. I don't know. By maybe some extra .bat file or some other magic I might not be aware of. That'll be help. That would be helpful. But no. You come here to complain about other people complaining (But looking for a fix).

    Am I really the only one seeing a problem here? Are you perhaps related to Newt or maybe its an Alt Account of his?

    There is a very nasty group on this forum that always attacks but never really helps. A mini-4chan. Guess I have to report your post too and add another name to the blocklist.

    And its been almost 12h now and still the only helpful post I've seen came... from Ashley. But not really covering all the issues. Wow. What happen to this place?