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- Written by: Matej Pavlič
I've always been a fan of games, spending too much time playing them. But at the same time I also had and still have a lot of ideas for games that could be realized. I must say I'm not very fluent in computer programing languages and never took time to delve deep into them. So lacking that knowledge how do you make a game for windows or android platforms. Well it's 2018 and if we didn't have dedicated programs for that, it would honestly be a surpirise. So searching for those I got a lot of hits, from basic to more advanced ones depending on what you like, want, can afford and how complex you want your games to be, you can get all sorts of programs. So I made a list and over time I will go through all of them, installing and testing each one with a series of tutorials to see weather something is usefull for me, or anyone else. I will focus primerily on a bit more complex ones as I don't want it to be too simple, neither in graphics or game experience itself. I will start with Game Salad which I found first and we will see how it goes. A lot of the programs have a monthly payment pricing which will probably have an effect on final score as this depends greatly on weather you plan to make a game or two in a couple of years or trying to make some money of of it. Some are more helpful than others in this aspect and some offer a lot more while other still rely on the technology like flash so we will see. It will take some time for me to evaluate each program after which a short or a bit longer review will follow.
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- Written by: Matej Pavlič
1. Game Salad
1. Game Salad
So first in line for a review is Game Salad.
Game Salad is just one of the drag&drop programs for game design. You can download the application for free and install it on your PC or MAC. Everything is then done there from importing your sounds and images to coding itself. Also you can make a game online with the web interface which si basically the same as on the offline program.
Tutorial
The initial tutorial is pretty basic but gives you enough information to start a game on your own. For more detailed info it makes sense to go through more tutorials and documentation. As usually web search will provide enough info for you to continue work and of course there are always forums. Below is the picture of the simple game from the tutorial.
Interface
If you're using a computer on a regular basis you should be fine with the interface, if not then guessing this isn't a way for you. Interface consists of a scene screen on the right side while the left is reserved for defining the actors, listing behavior options, importing your images and sound, etc. Below to the left is a properties screen for your actors, scenes and game properties definition. On the right of that is the backstage where you define all properties/attributes to specific actors. Here is a print screen of the program interface:
The properties definition was a bit confusing to me as the backstage interface is not the best in my opinion. Even just going through the tutorial I had a hard time understanding all the bits and the visual appearance does not really help. Question is how confusing it gets when you really have a lot of things to define.
Behaviors
In order to define actions and properties of your actors there is a list of behaviors.
You can also word input the same actions directly in the backstage
which become useful when you know all the angles of the program.
They are sorted by color so you can determine which is which but the differentiation could be a bit better.
Pricing
Well now we come to the interesting part. Comparing to other alternatives I'd say that GameSalad is not really cheap. You get the program for free but if you want to do something with them you need to pay up in monthly or yearly installments. Looking at the prices it really is a lot for hobby game makers. If you want to publish to all the platforms it goes up to 500$ and more. So imagine you need to make a really good one or a few to get an annual income of this magnitude. If this was simple then everyone would be doing it. Unfortunately the product page does not give any detailed info on what you really get for that amount of money and what happens to your published game when you cancel the subscription.
Showcase
There is a featured games sub page that shows a few games that have been developed with GameSalad. Searching throughout the web you can find more and that should give you an idea of what the program is capable of. The initial tutorial does not show it all of course.
Score
Score is of course a reflection of my own opinion and goes from 1-10, 10 being the highest possible value. Since this is the first program I'm reviewing the score might not be reflecting the actual value since I have no baseline yet. I will most likely be correcting each of them when I go through all the programs I plan on testing. In terms of difficulty I can say that it's not that difficult to learn the program itself but a couple of things could be more intuitive or visualized in a better way. There is enough information available for you to learn using it in a good way and over time you should become very versed i in it. The cost is the main factor bringing the overall score down since it's really too much for a hobby game maker but if you're a pro then this should be a bargain. Additionally the program can be used for educational purposes by schools an colleges but we're not looking for that so it's not influencing the final decision.
Summary conclusion is that the program looks good to build complex games but is a bit expensive for use for non pro users.
Difficulty: 7
Literature: 7
Cost: 3
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Overall score: 6
- Details
- Written by: Matej Pavlič
Today's short comic is about how we still think we know anything about our past. Even after all these years we still keep repeating the same old story and believing it without a second question. But how do we really know? If we don't improve on the theories we've made a 100 years ago or more, how do expect to make any progress as a species.
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- Written by: Matej Pavlič
2. Stencyl
2. Stencyl
Stencyl is a highly valued program but that could also be due to good marketing campaign. You can make games and publish them on the web for free but using more advanced options like publishing for desktop or mobile platforms gets more expensive. Once again this is an annual payment method which can get expensive for a hobby user.
Tutorial
Tutorial is pretty straight forward and you are making a simple run&jump game with a couple of characters with minimum interaction. Included is a art editor Pencyl which you can use to make you're own game art. If you're not making a simple game like the one shown below then the tutorial will not really give you a lot of information. As there are many options for behaviors there is a lot of information to go through and that is readily available.
Interface
Interface is very interesting as coding is puzzle like where the shapes tell you what fits together. After time it should get easier to use it but at the beginning it can be a bit confusing if you're not used to stuff like this. As seen above you have a tile palette which you use to build your levels.
Behaviors
Behavior is the main part of defining your characters and it seems pretty straight forward. There is a screen on the left where all the behaviors are listed and there is picture next to it for easier recognition. Additionally there are tabs for appearance, events, collision, physics and properties of each actor/character that you can define here.
Pricing
Not sure what to think of pricing in case of Stencyl as basically you're limited to platform 2d games so if you're not planing to build any of those I'd rather spend my money on something more versatile. On the other hand if you wish to make game for web or desktop platform it will cost you 99$ a year. This does not seem to much if you plan to earn from games in the future. Mobile is of course as usual more expensive and you can get it at 199$ a year so building a game without monetizing it in this case might be a bit pricey for you.
Showcase
Sifting through the games on their site I could not really find any good examples of what I'm after. It's hard to judge a game by the graphic design and there are plenty of them on the web as that is the free versions only option so anyone will make a game with that. I'm open to changes to the final score but Stencyl is not offering what I'm looking for so the score is pretty low on that note.
Score
There will always be an influence of my opinion to the final score so do mind that in these reviews as they progress. Anyway Stencyl looks fine for a beginner and as with other programs you will need some time to figure it out. If you're into a platformed 2d games it can be a place to start especially if you plan on only doing those. Then it's worth investing into the program and some additional resources. Otherwise it makes sense to search for a more suitable one for you.
Difficulty: 9
Literature: 9
Cost: 4
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Overall score: 5
- Details
- Written by: Matej Pavlič
3. Game Maker Studio 2
3. Game Maker Studio 2
From the beginning Game maker studio 2 gives a more professional look and you get a feeling you're working with a good tool for game creation.
Tutorial
In the tutorial I was making a nice looking top down shooter game. Comparing to other programs I've come up with so far this one takes a bit more time and you can do it in two ways. Either by drag and drop or by coding directly in the program. Although the game itself is not that complex you got through many steps and options while building it and getting a good feeling for the program itself.
Interface
All players/actors are named sprites and their propertis are objects. Rooms are used as levels. All of these resources you can see on the right side of the screen. On the left side you have the room layers where you put your objects into. Middle area is used for room overview and for editing anythng from sprites to objects, sounds, etc... Bottom area is reserved for compile notes, errors and other output related topics.
Events
Events are what defines the objects and in terms the sprites you are using. There are many to choose from and if you follow the tutorial closely you should be able to use quite a few few of them already. The rest is up to research and specific needs I guess. It gets a bit complicated at first but after you make a couple objects, things get easier unless you're doing a really complex sprite.
Pricing
For a change the pricing is not annual but if you'd like to publish to more platforms the price can go up quite a bit. For example publishing to mobile costs you 319$ while desktop goes for 79$. Initially the program is free to use with some restrictions.
Showcase
There are quite a few games showcased on the site so I can see potential in this program. Wouldn't like to use 2 different ones though so let's keep looking. Was trying to make a video of the game but keep getting an error. Will update if I ever figure what it is (game or program related)
Score
There will always be an influence of my opinion to the final score so do mind that in these reviews as they progress. Anyway Stencyl looks fine for a beginner and as with other programs you will need some time to figure it out. If you're into a platformed 2d games it can be a place to start especially if you plan on only doing those. Then it's worth investing into the program and some additional resources. Otherwise it makes sense to search for a more suitable one for you.
Difficulty: 9
Literature: 9
Cost: 4
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Overall score: 6
