[quote:2rmi3lx7]3) Populating text for in-game displays (e.g. messageboxes) from a .txt/.xls/etc "master" file (rather than text being entered individually per-messagebox)

There are several ways you can do this, some which have already been suggested. But also there are stuff like arrays, dictionaries etc. That you can use to populate message boxes and just add certain conditions to how and what to load.

[quote:2rmi3lx7]8) I'm putting this at 8 because it isn't about what C2 can do as much as it is about organization within C2. I saw a topic that said branching stories are a pain to create in C2 because of interface limitations....

The tools for working on big projects are somewhat limited. Not meaning you cant do it, just that you have to be very organized yourself as things can easily get messy. And not having the best tools for navigating around loads chunk of events etc. Can make you have to spend a bit of time finding things. However improvements have been made so its getting slightly better, but at the moment I don't think its at a point where I would say that its very good for big projects, more that its possible depending on your own effort of organisation within your project.

[quote:2rmi3lx7]This is crucial for me, as conditional dialogue trees are the most important element of the vast majority of game concepts that I have.

C2 is very flexible regarding how you want to do things, but there are no build-in functionality that does this for you in an easy way. But you can make one yourself by clever design of your program. At least if I understand you correctly, so you should be able to make a good system for handling such thing. I would be surprised if you couldn't, due to C2 at least.

Thanks for the information. It sounds like C2 would let me get something up and running faster than Unity, and is capable of everything that I want to do - it just will come down to how I choose to implement things.

You want to make an RGP, right?

Let's say it so: a simple one 2D or 2,5D is possible. The beginning will be difficult, because C2 is more shooting/action,.. based, which also can be useful in a RGP. With many databases and a lot of thinking regarding database structure, it is possible. It might have some limits, but if you rethink and search in the forum you will find a solution. There are many topics regarding RGP

A 3D like WoW: you are definitely wrong here :).

For 99 $ you can not aspect wonders, but it's much cheaper than having programmers and it's easier to learn than Visual Studio.

If you want to make a multi-player-online-RGP: I have no idea if this is possible, but it would be interesting to know if this is possible.

I might eventually want to make an RPG, but right now I'm not trying to create something that detailed. No battles. No HP. No inventory system. No shops. It's more the top-down environment and branching dialogue (conditional trees) that I want.

Regarding Point 8:

I'm trying to make a sim/Tycoon game and at the beginning it was a pain. It took me about 2 months (in my free time) to understand C2 in detail and rethink some parts. Right now I finally made the logic and the main part, but I'm still developing/learning.

What I want to say:

Yes, it is possible, but it will take a while to understand. You will have to use some tricks (e.g. temporary global variables, additional databases,...) and it happen that you will have to reprogram it. For sim/rgb I would use several json-database (I have more than 20 and still need some more) and use the plugin json (you can find it in the forum), it will help you.

Start small. I made small programs, just to understand how to make a message, use sidebar with json, calculate with arrays or use families. I checked how and if it works then I start programming the big part (just level 1 and build the other levels on it.)

Database, flow list, ... such thing doesn't exist. In this case: paper and pen is much better and if you are over 21: buy a bottle wine, it can be sometimes very frustrating. Like usual: with time it will get much easier.

Thanks for the information and advice. I'm willing to take however much time is necessary in order to learn how to do things in an optimal way. I essentially expect game design to become my #1 use of free time for the foreseeable future.

Many of your queries already have answers and examples.

Maybe it would hep you more if you just downloaded the free version and spent a few weeks making prototypes of the mechanics you are needing. That way, you can get direct assistance when you get stuck or lose your way.

You will then have a much greater understanding of the pros and cons of C2 and be able to evaluate it's usefulness to you much easier, and all you've lost is a little time.

If you decide it's not for you, then you've lost nothing and can move on to a different engine.

In the end, asking lots of questions just gets you subjective answers. You won't learn anything unless you get your hands dirty and just get stuck in.

These initial questions are the equivalent of asking a carpentry company manager "Can I do x, y, and z with wood?" rather than going to carpentry school to try to learn the answers to my questions.

It makes more sense for me to see what kinds of responses I get from people who are in the industry than for me to meander my way through things.

After all, the response could be "Yes, but with the kinds of things you want to do, you really should go to school to learn about how to use concrete." or "It's relatively easy to do a bit more than half of what you want to with wood, but you really should learn about metal because of some of the other things that you want to do."

I can answer a few of those questions hopefully well enough to help you decide :)

1.) Yes, in fact it exports in a format Construct 2 will not be able to open, and does some tricks to make code hard to reverse-engineer.

3.) Yes, I'm not sure if there's tutorials or examples around, but I did this for Insanity's Blade for future localization capabilities. I think I loaded the text straight into a variable with the AJAX plugin.

5.) Not sure about this one, but you can use 9-patch to do rounded boxes that scale to different sizes!

8.) Not too certain I can answer this one, but you can create and import event sheets pretty freely once you have a full version of C2.

Hope that helps!

It does! Thanks for the information! As much as I'd like to learn how to do everything that any programmer could eventually want to do, just skimming around 400 forums topics and the C2 manual was a bit daunting. If I can use C2 to do what I want, it might be preferable to learning how to do everything in Unity.

I'd like to get more information/feedback from others (especially about 1, 3, 5, and 8), but your answers helped a lot. Thank you!

I have what I consider to be a simple 2D, top-down, text-based game concept in mind that I'd like to start out with as a "test run" to figure out what Construct2 is capable of, but to prevent myself from doing a lot of work (reading tutorials, checking out examples, and trying to build things) before finding out that something isn't possible, I'd like to ask a few simple Yes/No-answerable questions about what Construct2's capabilities are.

I'll start with the things that I think Construct2 might not be set up to handle, and then go down the list toward things that I think are probably addressed in tutorials already, but which I haven't found via searches so far.

Note 1: I'm not asking for people to supply me with finished example project files/etc for these in this topic; I'm just wanting to know if these things are possible with the base Construct2 software.

Note 2: Many of you might want to say "Just make this in RPG Maker. It can easily do most of the things you are asking for." There are a variety of reasons why I am choosing to not use RPG Maker. I'm certain that I want to use a different engine. Right now, my only question is whether that will be C2, a similar program that I have yet to find, or Unity.

As I stated in my other thread, it's important that the software's license allow for sexual content to be in the game. I've asked Game Maker's Support team to clarify that point for me, but it seems as though any erotic game creation would violate the terms of their license. I'm glad to know that C2 can be used to create any kind of game, as long as none of the resources in the game come from Scirra's Royalty Free Licensed Assets or free Game Assets bundle. ("including those bundled within Construct 2 and those sold in our store" Per Tom's post here: scirra.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=125073 )

1) Protect projects such that they can't easily be decrypted, opened, re-titled, and then re-packaged.

This is a problem with RPG Maker (the rgss files). I'm less concerned about someone being able to access image files than I am about someone taking the game (capx) wholesale (or huge chunks of it, anyway) and repackaging it. If the game as a whole is safe, then the images, dialogue, etc should easily be recognized as having been taken from my project/game. Basically, I don't want someone reproducing my game as if they were the person who created it (e.g. by stripping out my contact information and adding in their own).

2) Providing information about how much memory/processing power a game project requires (for comparison against device capabilities).

For example:

Say iOS7 can only play a game if it uses less than 100mb of memory, and the current game project would require 50mb on every initial load-up, and 112mb if the player ran through the whole game in a single sitting.

Say the typical smartphone user has 300 mhz of processing power to allocate to a game, but the current game would require 340mhz of power to run smoothly.

3) Populating text for in-game displays (e.g. messageboxes) from a .txt/.xls/etc "master" file (rather than text being entered individually per-messagebox)

4) Groups of in-game actions that can be called/triggered as a collection.

For example, [Group1] might include [Fade to black] [Place tiles a-z on Map1] [Spawn player sprite1 at position x,y] [Spawn NPC sprite100 at position x,y] [Fade in on Map1] [Display textbox11] [Remove textbox11 when player presses keyboard key "__Key__"] [Prompt player for input -> Choice 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6] [Depending on player choice, display textbox111, 112, 113, 114, 115, or 116].

In RPG Maker these are called "Common events", and can be triggered by switches and include conditional (if; else) branching.

5) Styling images in-game. (e.g. something like the equivalent of using border radius CSS to turn square boxes into rounded-edge boxes on a website)

6) Zelda/SNES-style 2D animated sprites.

For example, a set of three sprites for a character waving a finger - idleNowave, leftTiltFinger, rightTiltFinger, etc.

7) 16x16 or 32x32 tile-by-tile Up/Down/Left/Right movement controls to which sprite animations can be synced (as opposed to pixel-by-pixel movement) - and the ability to increase or decrease the movement speed (e.g. moving 16 pixels per one second for each key press vs. moving 16 pixels per .5 second per key press)

I saw the tutorial for creating 4-directional sprite movement ( scirra.com/tutorials/413/direction-based-sprite-animation ), but what I'm asking about is a bit different.

What I'm after might be as simple as connecting an animation transition time to a certain number of pixels, and a certain number of pixels to a single key press of an arrow.

8) I'm putting this at 8 because it isn't about what C2 can do as much as it is about organization within C2. I saw a topic that said branching stories are a pain to create in C2 because of interface limitations. I'm guessing that's in reference to the large event flow lists. Is there a way to view events in a sort of drop-down, collapsible list and organize them by map or something? I'm thinking of RPG Maker VX Ace's per-map organization - which includes sub-levels for related maps.

This is crucial for me, as conditional dialogue trees are the most important element of the vast majority of game concepts that I have. You could think of them as a mix between Point & Click adventure games and 2D RPGs - no battles, no equipment, no HP/MP, little or no inventory management, top-down 2D sprites and walkable maps, and a lot of conditional branching (tiles, animations, and textboxes) based on variable/switch values.

For a different comparison, think "The Stanley Parable" - but with a 2D environment and top-down sprites instead of a 3D environment and first-person perspective.

Things I saw forum topics about how to accomplish: Messageboxes, Autotiles, Sprite creation, Tile creation, Z-ordering.

Edited to fix the links.

Hi,

You can make any content you want in Construct 2 (as long as it's legal of course). We do not control or restrict what people make, what you make is your business.

However, all royalty free assets (including those bundled within Construct 2 and those sold in our store) are distributed under this license:Please see section C.2:

[quote:3blh56l4]Licensee shall not use the Licensed Content in a pornographic or defamatory manner, whether directly or in context or juxtaposition with other materials.

You'll need a Personal Edition license as soon as you take donations or make any other associated revenue from your creations.

Tom

Thank you for the clarification/confirmation! :)

I'm not sure what the question is exactly?

Free version, you cannot make any revenue.

Personal edition, you can make up to $5K.

I would think content of your game is irrelevant to Scirra, and you should just comply with relevent laws.

Other game engines have rules against using their software for the creation of adult content. I want to be absolutely sure that I'm not breaching any terms.

And while it isn't a legal matter, I wouldn't want to create the game using software whose creators don't want it to be used for erotic content. I wouldn't want some of my own work being used by people who have certain interests, and I want to extend that same kind of respect to the creators of Construct2 (i.e. if they'd rather that their engine not be associated with erotic content, I would use a different engine).

Most licensing questions are solved generally faster by emailing support directly, however I will put a Ashley and Tom tag here as I find it interresting and would like to see what the awnser is too.

I also thought it would be of interest to the community, which is why I put it on the forums. :)

Hello!

I'm currently evaluating my game engine options for creating an old-school SNES style of game, and Construct2 was recommended to me. However, I want to be sure that my purposes for use comply with the license and the terms of use.

The game that I want to create would be like a 90s Zelda or Final Fantasy game. The player would control one character sprite at a time, move within 4 directions via arrow keys, access an in-game menu via a key such as "Z", interact/speak/select options with a key such as "X", and cancel interactions or dismiss text by pressing a key such as "C".

There wouldn't be anything as complex as a battle system or inventory. My focus would simply be on the player moving the character sprite around a gameworld (from a top-down view), having conversations with NPCs, and making a few selections from choice windows. The complexity would be limited to those mechanics, conditional branching that would determine what the NPCs said, and "scenes" involving sprite movement that occurs while the player's controls are disabled. It's more complex than a game like Pac-Man, but less complex than a full RPG or adventure game.

I would probably use a total of around 50 "maps" - consisting of an overworld map, roughly ten "town" maps, 20-40 "interior/floor" maps, and a few scene-only maps.

The "NPC speech" boxes would consist of the text and a small portrait of a character's face. I would also include "bubble" symbols over sprites' heads (such as !, <3, etc), and perhaps a few images that would display on screen when triggered by an interaction and be dismissed when the player hits the "C" key.

I would want to bundle groups of sprite movement and display text into "scene event" groups that would be activated or skipped according to conditional branching (based on a variable's numerical state or a player-set on/off switch of some sort).

For example, a player could hit "Z" to open an in-game menu, press the down arrow key a few times to highlight "Replay Menu", press "X" to see a list of enabled "scene events" (enabled by a variable being set to a value of "3" due to the player interacting with a sign or something), press the right arrow key to highlight "Scene 2", and press "X" to have the sprite movements, text displays, etc from that "scene event bundle" play out.

[Licenses] Right now I'm just in the pre-production phase. My intention is to develop the mechanics and resources that will be needed for the game, and then provide a sort of "teaser" release. I intend to do so via a Patreon page so that people can "tip" if they want me to continue working on the content and to prioritize it over other things. My intention is to keep working on the game even if no one becomes a patron. I haven't decided whether I'll release the game for free or if I'll eventually release it for sale as a low-cost game.

As I understand it, I'm free to develop ideas using the Free version of Construct2 as long as I only show off my work privately in a way that isn't at all connected to revenue or donations.

As I understand it, my other intentions are compliant with the Personal Edition license until received donations reach $5000 (not including tax, etc.).

I'd like confirmation that my understandings are correct.

[Terms of Use] This is the area that I'm less clear on.

The project that I am planning would include descriptions of sexual acts, and might include drawn depictions of nudity and sex (perhaps pixel art or animation-style images). None of the content would be at risk of being regarded as "obscene" in court (i.e. there won't be any violence/abuse/underage content) - but it would be regarded as pornographic (i.e. intended to stimulate sexual arousal).

I've checked out law in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK to be sure of what is restricted. (For example, I looked at Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill 2013–14.) My planned content is intended to comply with all current laws - though Australia's recent trend toward extremely restrictive laws about sexual content might result in people who live there being unable to download it in the future.

I am considering including text (erotic dialogue and descriptions; certain), sprite animations (pixel art of nudity and sex; possible), drawn images (nudity and sex; possible), and 2D images made from 3D rendering programs (nudity and sex; possible).

If only one or two of the types of content above would be acceptable as components of a game made with Construct2, I would put aside the others for the sake of having an easy program to work with. My skills and interests are in the stories told through text, sprite movement, simple 2D animations (like thought bubbles with symbols in them), and character face-portraits - not in full-screen art or full-body character animations.

Which of those types of content be compliant with the software license's terms of use, if any?

As I understand it, I wouldn't be able to use any of the royalty-free resources in a game that includes the kind of content that I'm planning on creating - but as I understand it, that's a separate issue from using materials that come with the Construct2 software itself (such as the tilemap example resources) to create a game that includes depictions of sex.

If I'm wrong about the royalty-free resources, which of those types of sexual content would be compliant with terms of use for resource packages, if any?

If I'm wrong about any resources that are automatically bundled with the Construct2 software being availabe for use in a game that includes erotic content, then would I be in compliance with the license if I created a game that only includes content resources that I created myself?

Thank you for the clarification. :)

Edited to provide more clarity about the game project.