Can you show as an example of your lighting result in Buildbox?

Can you be more specific about this game? A google search gave a lot of variations, which one is the one you're after? Post a link or something (you'll have to make it a pseudo-link because you don't have enough reputation points yet to post a link, something like this will probably work just fine: www_google_com)

Your video is private. Most probably you have a condition that after it's met it repeats every tick. Add a "trigger once" condition to fix that.

Does this capx help? https://www.dropbox.com/s/38dovg5tbzg8a ... .capx?dl=0

newt , I don't mind harsh, if it it's getting somewhere. I am afraid yours is just counter productive. Imagine someone posting in your clipping mask topic "duh, why don't you see how the alien shooter demo is made, also there are many other examples around that do masking...". This wouldn't have been a productive answer, right? A capx that demonstrates a solution would have been better.

A better example would be this: I consider my self a musician, when someone asks me something I find trivial about music, I wont' answer them with the terminology, nor I will send them looking for the definition on a theory book, I don't expect them to have to learn music theory just to find the answer on their problem. I'll try my best to explain in simple words what is the essence in their inquiry, why is that and how they can recognize it by themselves in the future...

I guess it's a thing of preference and approach, and that's that.

newt , that's interesting. I am glad that the current C2 workflow doesn't limit your creative abilities, though, evidently, it lacks some favorite expressions, and I am also happy that you get your inspiration from math!

Clearly, you are more intellectual than me, I don't doubt about that! If this is your point, then you are spot on!

However, if I was capable of understanding this formula of yours, would I have been a better creator? I mean, does this formula help me create better environments in my scenes? Does it help to make better interactions, animations, gameplay elements, will this inspiration that I'll get from your formula help me get rid the frustration I get every time I want to lit a scene, create menus, paths, reflections, each and every-time I skip storytelling elements like multi-line dialogs or cut-scenes because they are too hard to manage with code and very complicated to call with actions..?

Perhaps it wouldn't have helped on the above, but I could have been a better person... I don't know. For now, with my current skill-set and limited brain power, I am dependent on other people, smarter people, to provide me with the tools that will allow me to make up for my ignorance, by being productive in areas that I was blessed to be more adept. I rely on those people to help, not question the need for help based on their abilities, but based on the gravity of the argument, taking in to account that is supposed to be a game creation tool that democratizes creativity by eliminating the need to code, this isn't a 64k scene contest!

Anyway, I don't meant for this to come up harsh, but I feel that sometimes you have a tendency to belittle others, especially when you find what they ask to be trivial to you.

"It is a creative process for those who figure things out, but for all rest IT IS NOT."

You've just pointed out a pretty big issue with plugs. If you take too much of the process out, the process of learning, no one will be able to figure out better ways to do things.

If all you are doing is copy and paste, then we are failing at teaching as well.

I recently saw

. It has some examples of how an IDE can inspire (or not) a developer by allowing him or her to interact with the code and also how the code can be clearly related with what it does at runtime. I feel like this is the right way to go for a game development engine, the platformer example in his talk clearly shows the power behind this kind of approach.

I know that for a programmer that can interpret code into images and gameplay mechanics in his/her mind, this might look obscuring and too restricting, it takes away from low level experimentation, but for a creator's point of view, it's just liberating. Eventually, everyone has to learn the basics in programming, but while I don't have to learn how to code from scratch a platform behavior in C2 (although I find the one existing with C2 very restricting), I do have to workaround a bunch of other, also basic imo, things.

As megatronx stated, if something is being used by a lot of people that copy someone else's solution, then it should be ironed out and be included as a standard feature by default. Debating about something that perhaps can be done by other means or with an 3rd party plug/software, when it is considered essential and/or very helpful to have within a creative environment, doesn't help either side of the argument. I think

You are welcome!

eli0s

#4: check

Yes, I am aware of this method, but it is very restricting, it only affects stuff that exist on the same layer, or on layers that are stacked together. What I am asking is vastly more powerful, because you could use any sprite to cutout (or mask in) any other sprite on any other layer! Multiple sprites/layers included! Now, the only way to achieve something like this is to have multiple sprites everywhere. And the applications graphic-wise are many, to name a few: decals (from explosion burns to blood stains), reflections, shadows that affect some parts of the image and can be controlled from the mask to reflect z-order changes etc...

eli0s: items 2, 3 and 4 sound like they are already possible, 5 and 6 via existing third party addons (e.g. Spriter). It sounds like you're underestimating what's already possible.

I am sure I underestimate what is already possible, because I am not proficient with coding/programming and I can't even imagine what can be done when someone is! I have a clear idea however, every time I see a capx made by R0J0hound I stand in awe, feeling like a slightly evolved monkey!

However, my point is that most of these features should be included and be easily accessible by default. For example, I know that R0J0 can make an amazing multi-lighting system just by using his canvas plugin, but I can't, it's too convoluted for me and it shouldn't be like this. I know that pathfinding's nodes can be used to create a grid based system, but it is also somewhat complicated, even considering the fact that I was lucky enough to see lolpaca's LinearPathfinding.capx. Masking also leave a lot to be desired, as I wrote above.

As for the text, I know that rexrainbow had made behaviors that add some of those functions, but shouldn't those be already implemented by default? And I can't see how I can change part of the written text to be bold, an other color

or an other size

... Something basic if you want to emphasize some parts of a dialog for example.

Finally, I own Spriter, but as Colludium already stated, it's too time consuming and convoluted to design and work like this. I don't mind using Spriter for extremely complicated character interactions, but I would very much like to be able to move any part that exist within my scene, record this movement with keyframes, apply easing and call these animations with events, in any order, at any time, at any rate! And this, ideally, should be done and previewed within the editor!

I know, I might ask for too much, I am sure that most of those things are insanely difficult to program, never the less from my point of view, as a creator, seem essential to have!

Ashley , some of the things mentioned here and on other posts are not cookie-cutter engine features. To name a few:

1) A basic platform path finding,

2) A more accurate path finding that can be used in a grid basis,

3) A proper lighting system that is integrated with the ability to have normal maps on the same spites,

4) A masking system that allow any sprite and/or layer to act as a mask upon any other sprite/layer,

5) A text object that supports basic formatting options (bold, italic, underline, color change, size, font, alignment) to be changed within the same text, as well as some scrolling-typewriting functionality,

6) An animation timeline to create key-framed animations that can be triggered with actions!!!

7) Support for curves and curved path movement

8) A way to have any 3rd party plugins auto-update

9) To have behaviors intertwined in a manner that they can coexist and be self aware at the same time (have physics, platform/solids and sine based movements interact for example)

These are of the top of my head and I don't believe they are either niche features nor too genre specific...

I don't think C2 is compatible with Sprite Lamp yet. There is a build in Shadow&Lighting system but if you add more than one light sources it causes some artifacts that ruin the experience.

I've made some examples on this topic if you want to have a look.

There is an alternative way to do lighting however, R0J0hound has made a wonderful multi-light system. Please note that it is a complicated system to set up, and you'll need an additional plugin, named Canvas.

Bellow are the relative topics, look for R0J0hounds's example capx.

newt , I base my conclusions on what I see with my own eyes, even the most simple test scenes just doesn't feel as responsive as they should. I've made my own examples in the past and even now, with a beast of a machine that I run them on, I don't get smooth movement.

On this topic, there is an example made by somebody and a exe provided by Jayjay that makes a direct comparison, unfortunately, the exe doesn't have an fps indicator, but on my previous machine there was a clear difference between them.