Scirra - Make a Game?

This is a request for Scirra to make a game!

Now I am not suggesting that Ashley stop working on C3, but that he oversees the production of this project. There are plenty of C2 gurus on this forum that may want to be enlisted, and I for one would even be willing to make a pledge to pay for it.

Why Should Scirra Do It?

* All of us here want to see C2 and C3 not just continue, but become the best 2D game dev tool around * There is a lot of discontent with C2 at the moment, this needs to be addressed * I can't think of a better way to prove the worth of this tool * Scirra are the only ones who fully know this product and it's potential - and if they can't pull it off then heaven help the rest of us!

How would this benefit the C2 community?

* It will show Scirra has confidence in their own game development tool * It would provide a showcase example of the power of this awesome product * It will demonstrate that this tool can be used to create cool games that the world can play * It would boost morale amongst those who have backed this product - that it is a viable development tool they can rely on

How might it help the C2 community?

* It would show that performance\bugs issues can be worked around * It could show that many issues faced by devs are in fact caused by devs misunderstanding the event system * The source code could be used as a study vehicle to learn how to use this tool correctly and effectively

How might this help Scirra?

1. When developing a game for the real world, beyond a few sprites and a couple of events, running in preview
* It may help them understand better some of the issues their backers are facing with such a project * It may expose issues with the engine itself when used in this scope, which can be used to improve not just C2 but also C3
2. When exporting a project
* It could give valuable insight into the export options available to their users - i.e. make real tutorials available for great user PR * It would also expose Scirra to the issues faced with the most troublesome exporters - i.e. Chrome\NW - and give opporyunity to show Scirra community how to work around them * May also show that relying on Google is an exercise in futility
3. It will either
* Show that the issues\requests raised in so many threads about performance, native exporters, and the like, are not unfounded, and should be addressed * Or, that Scirra has been right all along, and the C2 dev community just has to get to know the product better

What Target Platform?

I would suggest two projects:

One that targets Desktop
Runtime objective; Silky smooth - fairly smooth is not OK
One that targets Mobile
Runtime objective: Smooth - at least on devices that have been out for 12 months

So what do you C2 devs out there think?

Are you saying like a larger game, or a small game like what we have with the C2 example files? (Space Blaster etc.)

Are you saying like a larger game, or a small game like what we have with the C2 example files? (Space Blaster etc.)

Not sure on how large it should be, but definitely something beyond the scope of Space Blaster.

I guess it would be something we as community could suggest and vote on. hehehe, I remember somewhere on the forums suggesting the image on the Scirra home page should be made into a game!

I know that any project of this kind would not be a small undertaking - but I really think it would be good for both Scirra and the Scirra community.

I myself am not the greatest artist, but could help make GUI elements, and would be more than happy to create them as a contribution toward the project.

have you tried the last penelope?

Eh, I'm on the fence about it and don't think it'll happen anyway.

"How would this benefit the C2 community?"

If people want to see what C2 can do they can look a little harder. There are numerous good looking C2 games on Steam / Greenlight, and many more still in development. I dunno why it has to be said so much but most "real / serious / large-scale/ high-quality" games that would fully utilize C2 take as long if not longer to make than C2 has even existed. They would've had to begin development when C2 was still bare bones! Anyway..a lack of good games is not the problem; its getting the existing ones running properly on all systems and platforms.

"How might this help Scirra?"

Far as I know Ashley is well aware of all the problems we face using C2. He just can't do much if anything about them and so continues to target those who don't know better until things get sorted out. What options does he have at this point, really? It's clear that native exporters aren't happening, and it's too late to ditch HTML5/JS.

saiyadjin It's "The Next Penelope". I made that same mistake earlier for some reason lol.

Scirra are making a tool, not games, and so I have doubts about the capacity of them to pull off a great game out of it as they are not game designers, could be wrong though.

This is sort of a ridiculous request. I know what you are after, but it's simply not possible. If anything Scirra would sponsor select developers to showcase their engine. That is what other industry software shops do.

This is a request for Scirra to make a game!

Why Should Scirra Do It?

* There is a lot of discontent with C2 at the moment, this needs to be addressed

How would this benefit the C2 community?

* It would boost morale amongst those who have backed this product - that it is a viable development tool they can rely on

Not sure if having them make a game is really the best way to go ...

Jobel has the right view on it ... perhaps Scirra could back one of the community's developers. I seen a couple of the potential 'bigger' games, but so far all have mobile issues.

Didnt the next penelope have some mobile issues too ?

To my knowledge the only large scale mobile game is Mortar Melon - the rest were designed for desktop.

This is sort of a ridiculous request. I know what you are after, but it's simply not possible. If anything Scirra would sponsor select developers to showcase their engine. That is what other industry software shops do.

Well that is basically what I suggested in the OP:

"Now I am not suggesting that Ashley stop working on C3, but that he oversees the production of this project. There are plenty of C2 gurus on this forum that may want to be enlisted, and I for one would even be willing to make a pledge to pay for it."

Why Should Scirra Do It?

* All of us here want to see C2 and C3 not just continue, but become the best 2D game dev tool around * There is a lot of discontent with C2 at the moment, this needs to be addressed * I can't think of a better way to prove the worth of this tool * Scirra are the only ones who fully know this product and it's potential - and if they can't pull it off then heaven help the rest of us!

A tool is just a tool, you can have the best tool in the world and still make crappy games. C2 is well designed, it has a lot of useful features out of the box, and is great for both people who know how to code and those who don't. Is it the best tool around ? Does it need to be ? I say : who cares !

I don't think a tool has "potential" either. It is you, the developer, who may have it. Only you know what you're capable of. C2, as I said before, is very flexible, and it is even more flexible if you extend it through the javascript SDK.

I don't agree that the creator of a tool or a programming language knows its full "potential". They merely give you an opportunity to express ideas, algorithms, and ways of interaction with the computer in a formalized manner.

How might it help the C2 community?

* It would show that performance\bugs issues can be worked around * It could show that many issues faced by devs are in fact caused by devs misunderstanding the event system * The source code could be used as a study vehicle to learn how to use this tool correctly and effectively

Most of the problems I encounter as a C2 user are with third party programs, mostly exporters (cocoonjs, intel xdk, node/webkit ...). Scirra can do almost nothing about it except upgrade or deprecate some plugins.

I accept these problems because I know they come from the HTML5 technology, which has a long way to go before becoming completely stable and standardized.

What most C2 users should do is decide whether or not it is worth it to bet on HTML5. However, C2, as a game making software, is an outstanding piece of software by itself, and I don't believe we need any more proof of that.

I mean sponsor, as in: give them a free license and maybe a "sympathetic ear" but end their involvement there... overseeing production is an enormous undertaking...

A similar idea would be for Scirra to create a support service (either monthly $ or adhoc payment), but that means growing the company and that's not for us to decide... I'm sure they've thought about it. There are many ways to take Construct to the next level, but I get the sense they want to keep it 'homegrown' and small... but I could be wrong.

We actually planned to make a game a couple of years ago, but we simply didn't have time. That hasn't changed. A serious game can take years to design, develop and release, and we would basically have to put Construct development entirely on hold during that time. I don't think anybody really wants that.

I'm not convinced there are many benefits to it, either. Despite what you may think I am listening and do pay attention to everyone's concerns here. It's just there's not always a lot we can do. If we were making our own game when we saw the Chrome update that broke v-sync, there's still not much we can do beyond file a bug report with Google, and it is not going to cause me to have an epiphany that we should go and make a native engine, because our experience with Construct Classic's native runtime has shown us it's not necessarily any better that way.

I do understand the appeal of the creators of the engine, showcasing the capabilities of the engine. Although, Ashley and generally the entire Construct community have given the tools and peace of mind to build extraordinary games. Something that is my goal to do with this engine.

Ashley, Thanks for your input:

A serious game can take years to design, develop and release, and we would basically have to put Construct development entirely on hold during that time. I don't think anybody really wants that.

Indeed and I do not want you to do that either. That is why I said for you just to oversee such a project.

Despite what you may think I am listening and do pay attention to everyone's concerns here. It's just there's not always a lot we can do.

Please be assured that I do not think you don't care or pay attention. And I appreciate that much of these issues are out of your control.

And while the fact that these things being out of your control is the reason many are calling for native export options, I appreciate that that also will not happen.

This is why I feel that a game released by Scirra themselves would just help boost confidence in this awesome engine. It doesn't have to be huge - even just Space Blaster with a few more levels and polished up with all the appropriate start screens etc, and actually published would surely go a long way to boosting confidence.

Just for the record:

I for one will keep using C2 and will support C3 despite what Scirra does in this regard. Like many others I think you have created an awesome product. I am not 100% comfortable with the likes of Google being it's biggest drawback for many users, but I will just keep targeting Windows Store as that seams to work fine, especially on Windows 10.

Anyway thanks for great product and taking the time to give feed back on this thread (and others).