Has there been any official word on a official release of Construct for mac? I just signed up and would love if I can do work on my Macbook.

I would like a Mac version too, but Scirra is only two people and most PC users here don't want them spending time developing for other platforms, because it might mean they won't receive updates as often as they would like.

Between you and me, I think they are worried that Ashley and Tom will like Macs so much, they may never come back to the platform. I can't blame them. Once you go Mac....

That's because the buttons are shy and don't want to be touched like that.

I went ahead an made a few quick mockups about how C2 might look on a mobile device.

When editing Layers:

<img src="http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p438/boonytuesday/c2MobileLayers_zps6f7b1be2.png" border="0" />

When editing Events:

<img src="http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p438/boonytuesday/c2Events_zps135a45ad.png" border="0" />

When the windows are hidden:

<img src="http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p438/boonytuesday/c2MobileMenuToggle_zps53da560b.png" border="0" />

The dark section of the menu ribbon is the only thing that changes in the ribbon. If an event sheet is selected, the event bar appears and if in layer view, the layer bar appears.

The C2 logo serves as the options/preference button. The icon in the upper right corner is the export button. The square icon below it is the toggle button to hide and show all windows and bars.

Common touch gestures apply:

• Pinch to zoom in.
• Pull to zoom out.
• 3 finger tap to center 100%.
• 2 fingers to pan.
• Double tap on screen to add new objects.
• Double tap on sprite to edit it.
• Tap buttons to activate them.
• Touch and drag around multiple objects to select them.
• Swipe across event to toggle it on/off.
• Tap on textbox to bring up keyboard
• Tap "Done" on keyboard to close it.
• And whatever else I'm forgetting.

There might be a better way of laying it out. I didn't really put too much thought into it. Instead of the taps, you could probably just swipe from the edge to open the properties, projects, objects, tilemap bars.

Other than the quick and lazy icons, does it look ok?

tgeorgemihai

I see where you are coming from. I bought CS6 Master Collection for both PC and Mac when I heard Adobe was switching to subscription based software. There's no way I'm willing to pay $50-75 monthly for software I can't own. Funny, I just noticed they are selling CS6 again. I guess CC isn't making as much money as they would have liked. :/

If Adobe lowered the price to $20 a month, I would consider it. I would definitely be willing to pay once for unlimited access. C2 doesn't have to be subscription based to make it work.

--

retrodude

I don't understand the popularity of Remote Desktop apps. The lag bothers me and it's counter-intuitive. Also, most desktop apps are not optimized for the touch screen. It's better to have a native app that's built for the platform.

Anyway, it's only a suggestion. I still think it's a great idea. Making C2 available to more paying customers is always a good thing. Especially since there is already a free C2 clone available. Scirra needs to make some strong business moves to get a head of these other companies. The only thing constant in this world is change.

---

Here's another browser based game engine I found.

Flowlab

tgeorgemihai

I see where you are coming from. I bought CS6 Master Collection for both PC and Mac when I heard Adobe was switching to subscription based software. There's no way I'm willing to pay $50-75 monthly for software I can't own. Funny, I just noticed they are selling CS6 again. I guess CC isn't making as much money as they would have liked. :/

If Adobe lowered the price to $20 a month, I would consider it. I would definitely be willing to pay once for unlimited access. C2 doesn't have to be subscription based to make it work.

--

retrodude

I don't understand the popularity of Remote Desktop apps. The lag bothers me and it's counterintuitive. Also, most desktop apps are not optimized for the touch screen. It's better to have a native app that's built for the platform.

Anyway, it's only a suggestion. I still think it's a great idea. Making C2 available to more paying customers is always a good thing. Especially since there is already a free C2 clone available. Scirra needs to make some strong business moves to get a head of these other companies. The only thing constant in this world is change.

---

Here's another browser based game engine I found.

Flowlab

Ashley

What tablets have you tried? I agree smart phone screens are too small, but using an iPad and a Windows TabletPC are like night and day. The iPad's screen is taller and made for apps on the touch screen, whereas Windows TabletPCs are short and wide for movies and built to allow the touch screen to work. Huge difference in user experience.

Windows TabletPC's can't decide what they want to be. What it really boils down to is that desktop apps are made for PCs and mobile apps are made for touch screens. Trying to use a desktop app on a tablet is a horrible experience. Microsoft hasn't figured that out yet.

If only to humor me, if I created an animated demo of how I would go about designing the UI for a mobile version of C2, would you give it some consideration? I have a talent for designing UI and I already have some ideas on how to make the UI even easier to use. If an app is built to take advantage of the touch screen's strengths, then it creates a far better experience.

And what do you think about a browser based C2? It would solve the cross platform issue.

tgeorgemihai

I see where you are coming from. I bought CS6 Master Collection for both PC and Mac when I heard Adobe was switching to subscription based software. There's no way I'm willing to pay $50-75 monthly for software I can't own. Funny, I just noticed they are selling CS6 again. I guess CC isn't making as much money as they would have liked. :/

If Adobe lowered the price to $20 a month, I would consider it. I would definitely be willing to pay once for unlimited access. C2 doesn't have to be subscription based to make it work.

--

retrodude

I don't understand the popularity of Remote Desktop apps. The lag bothers me and it's counter intuitive. Also, most desktop apps are not optimized for the touch screen. It's better to have a native app that's built for the platform.

Anyway, it's only a suggestion. I still think it's a great idea. Making C2 available to more paying customers is always a good thing. Especially since there is already a free C2 clone available. Scirra needs to make some strong business moves to get a head of these other companies. The only thing constant in this world is change.

---

Here's another browser based game engine I found.

Flowlab

Speaking of which, I found this:

Play My Code

tgeorgemihai

I see your point. They would probably need to take on more help, and it's probably unlikely.

Next they will demand the Ios version exports for Android natively. <img src="smileys/smiley29.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

I don't get the joke. Why would they do that?

I think your idea is much better. C3 should be browser based. Scirra can still charge the same amount, so the price point won't change and maybe force users to log in to verify their purchase. Doesn't the Goo Engine already do that? Maybe it can be like Steam, where you can log in from anywhere, but you can only be logged in from 1 computer at a time.

Has this been discussed before, and what did Ashley say about it?

Roccinio

I mentioned the iPad is powerful enough to run C2 according to the specs. What limitations are you referring to?

Windows TabletPCs are a waste of money. I disagree plugging in a bunch of devices into a tablet is a benefit. You're not really mobile if you need a mouse and physical keyboard. You might as well buy a laptop. Why would you want to use a mouse for a touch screen anyway? It defeats the entire purpose. If you really wanted to, you can buy a keyboard and controller for the iPad too as well as adapters for other devices. iPads are not as limiting as you seem to think.

tgeorgemihai

Porting is a bad idea. It would be better to build it from scratch. It doesn't have to be a "lite" version either. iPad can handle the specs, even better by the time the product is ready to ship.

If you code in HTML5 and JavaScript, you could use any 10+ HTML editors on the iPad with the same limits as C2 has with mobile browsers. I've experimented with Crafty on my iPad and made a simple game using the tutorials online.

With regards to c2 working on the iPad, according to the min. specs to run C2, An iPad wouldn't have any problem running the software. I think Ashley and Tom are clever enough people to make a very powerful C2 or C3 :) editor for iOS. There's little competition in that market for game making software, tons of affordable third party apps to compliment making games, and Scirra can make a hug impact there.

If it's money or manpower they need, maybe they can raise money on Kickstarter. If there is a will, there is a way.

tgeorgemihai

You can build file management system into the app and store locally. You can also access iPad's photo gallery, resources saved in other apps or from Online web storage sites like Dropbox. I don't think that would be an issue.

I own a Windows tabletPC and Windows 8.1 is horrid. Microsoft doesn't understand touch screens.

Edit:

I just looked, and a Bluetooth keyboard for an iPad doesn't cost too much. You can buy one for $12. I paid $30 for mine, but it's also a cover.

I'd love to see C2 on the iPad. Android has more of the market share for mobile devices, but iOS dwarfs Android in app sales. There are only 2 game making apps on iOS (Codea,GamePress) and I think C2 would thrive remarkably well on this platform. The pricing would have to change, but Scrirra could sell features as IAP, to make up the difference. The extra funding could also support further development for C2 on Windows.

I know Scirra is very dedicated to Windows PC, but it's something to think about.