A few "honest" opinions of GE and features.

[Sqill Bird]

First off hello everyone! I have just recently purchased GE (the standard version $14.95) not for the program so much but just to show my support for the hurdles Mak is overcoming with GE.

I have like alot of people been tring to get/find the "ultimate" authoring system for sooooo long its pathetic (approx 4 years +) and so far there is really only 3 that have anychance to be it.

1 - Game Maker, the one i honestly still feel is #1
2 - GE, its coming closer to GM all the time and its very close to being #1
3 - RPGds, yet to be released but since its close to finnaly being released after many rewrites and ports it made the list.

Id like to say that im in no way bagging on GE i really hope with all honesty that mak will take a few of these "suggestions" to heart, as i know it will make GE the best there is.

====== Good things about GE ======

1-ease of use, wow after tring it i just fell in love with the mix of rpgmaker/multimedia fusion type script insertion from clicking only, a real nice idea and well implemented. (one of the things RPGds is gona be so popular for)

2- the entire game area at view in editor, allthough i have read some people complain that "rooms" or "stages" would be better PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not change GE's layout, as a long time user of GM PLEASE belive me that the activation regions is soo much better in the long run. everyone in the GM community is doing basiclly what GE does with activation regions (using a switch variable to keep lag down from alot of objects/actors) in big rooms but its way harder in GM.

3- obviously the multi platform support.

4- alot of the commands/actions for actors such as parents, inheritance, view parenting etc, all must haves IMHO.

5- many more wich we all know, (i dont wana post forever lol)

===== things i would implement if i were Mak ========

1- ok first sorry in advance but the homepage for GE with the ladies saying how great GE is, *cough* very annoying and instead of making it look pro actually has a reverse effect. I think a site revamp should be done to match the new verion of GE your in production with now (also it is very pretty i must say, the new interface is sexy!)

2- Ok im a little partial to GM but hey why not down load it and try the features Mak? In all honesty GE needs EVERYTHING that GM can do and more to be #1 hands down. such as loading files externally, exporting files, reading and writing files (ini files for one), changing the game priority (a real must have) and alot more, too many to mention. *EDIT - reading and writing binary files <- hard yes but hey it would be able to load them on the fly very quickly.

3- this is the single biggest grip i have with every authoring system to date, PLEASE add the ability to not compress everything into the exe add some "well thought out encryption" for data files and heck maybe even make them compressed. having everything in the exe really kills the loading and makes the game sluggish after 10-20 megs (GMs biggest flaw to date) just put the code and bare bones in the exe and give us a option to add them if we "choose" or let us use the "built in" encryption method that uses a seed or password etc the user inputs for files externally. <-- im really begging here!! how much more pro would it make GE games look with data files with your own extension (ie game name=monkey bones, game data file extension = .MBD "monkey bone data file etc..) i hope you understand this request. its really easy once you understand encryption (wich im sure you do) this is another thing wich is tormenting the GM community is file security for external data, and would make GE really shine above the rest if it had it.


4- from what ive seen GE has kinda buggy collision on platformers the gravity/velocity is either too much or too little in most cases. and your actors will fall through the floor if you move the window while the game is running, did you know this?(make a simple game and put velocity at 10 or so and throw the window around) this needs some fixing i think and also if you make a wall thats very high did you know that if you repeatedly jump against it and press twords it you will "climb" the walls? Ive done both in the "abuse demo" and recreated both in a game i was gona make wich now i will not in GE for those reasons.

5- ok this is all 100% your choice i have no idea what ammount of work you had to do with GE but i seriously doubt anyone will pay 200+ for GE and updates for a year im sorry but you have to be realistic, if im gona spend 100$ or more ill go buy torque game builder (2d) and laugh when my game is running 150+ FPS with no lag while rotating and alpha bending and all the nice particals effects are on screen in TGB. I think that for 20$ you should be good to go for a year with GE im sorry but greed will not get the attention GE deserves.

6- same as 5 but i think you should have a trial/incomplete version like GM does for one major reason SUPPORT! if you have a low user base how will that help make you money? im not saying i want GE to be like GM please god i hate all the kiddie noobs in the forums at GM but in this day in age a trial/shareware version just makes sence, just have it so nooby kids MUST be registerd to enter the forums that will keep away the bad element while still letting them TRY the product and making the user base grow.

=========================

in closing sorry for the long post but i actually have alot more to say! lol i just wana reitterate that mak im not bagging please dont take offence i love the direction GE is going and wish you all the best in your efforts for GE i truly hope that sooner or later ill find my dream authoring system but as of yet im still looking, guess im still using GM bleh save us MAK!!!

[makslane]

I have just recently purchased GE (the standard version $14.95) not for the program so much but just to show my support for the hurdles Mak is overcoming with GE

Thanks

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not change GE's layout, as a long time user of GM PLEASE belive me that the activation regions is soo much better in the long run.

Don't worry. The changes will affect the interface, don't the Game Editor functionalities.

the homepage for GE with the ladies saying how great GE is, *cough* very annoying and instead of making it look pro actually has a reverse effect.

Removed!

reading and writing files (ini files for one), changing the game priority (a real must have) and alot more, too many to mention. reading and writing binary files

Do you mean load new images and sounds in the game?

having everything in the exe really kills the loading and makes the game sluggish after 10-20 megs

I don't think so. The system will load only the 1MB executable engine.
The resources will be loaded (and released) on demand by the game engine. This allow big games works in tight devices.

give us a option to add them if we "choose" or let us use the "built in" encryption method that uses a seed or password etc the user inputs for files externally.

Can you explain better?

how much more pro would it make GE games look with data files with your own extension (ie game name=monkey bones, game data file extension = .MBD "monkey bone data file etc..)

Ok!

your actors will fall through the floor if you move the window while the game is running, did you know this?

No! Can you send a game that reproduces this bug?

if you make a wall thats very high did you know that if you repeatedly jump against it and press twords it you will "climb" the walls?

Yes. The current solution is control the jump with some variable.
I'm think in put a option in the Key Down event to execute the action based in some collision state, but I don't know if is a good idea.

laugh when my game is running 150+ FPS with no lag while rotating and alpha bending and all the nice particals effects are on screen

I think this will be solved with OpenGL support.

Thank you for the comments!

[Fuzzy]

>such as loading files externally, exporting files, reading and writing files (ini files for one), changing the game priority (a real must have) and alot more, too many to mention. *EDIT - reading and writing binary files <- hard yes but hey it would be able to load them on the fly very quickly.

GE can do all this: Its all available in the scripting, near as I can tell.

Changing the game priority(means making it a secondary process in the operating system?), would strongly be linked to the OS in question, and would be tricky to pull off.

One thing I would like is to be able to make a data structure and point an actors animation pointer at it. Is this remotely possible at this time? I understand you might not want to reveal your design for full animations, but could you provide a hook for a simple tga?

[makslane]

One thing I would like is to be able to make a data structure and point an actors animation pointer at it. Is this remotely possible at this time? I understand you might not want to reveal your design for full animations, but could you provide a hook for a simple tga?

Do you want a way to put new frames (or change) from external image files?

[Fuzzy]

Do you want a way to put new frames (or change) from external image files?

Yes, that is what I want. It would also be useful to many people to be able to save a canvas into external formats. I know how to create uncompressed Targa and PPM formats.

I think a lot of people would like to be able do this.

[makslane]

Ok, in my task list

[Joshua Worth]

the homepage for GE with the ladies saying how great GE is, *cough* very annoying and instead of making it look pro actually has a reverse effect.

Removed!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! lol just kidding

[Fuzzy]

Thats great Makslane! Thank you. I assume that png would be the standard which you would provide a loader function for?

[Sqill Bird]

wow mak you are the best man i swear! its totally awsome what kind of support you show for the community!

1- On the topic of the exe file size & file loading, if the game uses the "exe" like a zip program allready then hell man never mind you are on top of it! I thought it loaded all of it into memory or a temp folder or something. 1 down (GM has horrible loading times when the exe gets like 5-10 megs and crashes alot at about 15-20 megs in the exe, thats why i wanted external files)

2- the web page thing, i know you wana get the word out about GE's greatness and trust me there are millions of aspiring game creators looking the web, and a nice "pro" site means alot to most as they belive the site reflects on the creators commitment to the products. 2 down! Im actually kinda feeling guilty that you killed them so quick!

3-game priority, its kinda like a "exclusive" mode for windows that directs a set % of the totall processor power to the program like "normal" Above average" "high" and "Highest" so say if your making a huge game and it lags on a pc if you changed from "normal" to "highest" it would add FPS gain in the program, its kinda hard to explain because i have no C+ skills lol but check GM it has what i mean in "game settings".

4-the extrenal file format, this was related to the exe question about lag but i guess it would be nice to add some files outside the exe sometimes (like game music files that are large or a large background image) and having them encrypted would be sweet.

5-where do i send you the game file for the floor problem? i actually deleted it but can make a example and send it to you if you would like.(i think its was because of the ammount of velocity i used but i wanted fast droping for a speedy platformer.) i also worked around it by "pausing the game" then relocating the screen to the middle of my desktop from the upper left of it.(is there a way to auto center the window in GE's coding? that would be neat because i bet 98% of people move it from the corner at startup.

6-

I think this will be solved with OpenGL support.

ohh man im freaking out dude your going to take the internet game making competition by storm if you use openGL!!!! DirectX SUCKS!!!!!! KIll microsoft! heh.

In closing i had one more suggestion/question about registration process its prolly been asked before but is there anyway to unenable the checking of the code for the serial # to connect to the net? the reason is I dont allways have the internet and if i had to format my HD and couldnt reinstall GE because i had no net id be a sad sad man

Wow what else can i say, i truley wish you the best in this Mak and i pray to god that you keep the motivation up to work on GE for years to come! You are the most top notch creator of anything ive seen on the net for community support! thank you very much to listening to my bantering and taking it as a "constructive" suggestion.

[makslane]

Thats great Makslane! Thank you. I assume that png would be the standard which you would provide a loader function for?

I don't know. The png code for read and save files will increase the final engine size.

[makslane]

where do i send you the game file for the floor problem?

You can send to my email with this thread subject.

there anyway to unenable the checking of the code for the serial # to connect to the net? the reason is I dont allways have the internet and if i had to format my HD and couldnt reinstall GE because i had no net id

You can install without internet connection.