Construct 2 Got Me Back into Game Development

A little history on myself: I have been coding on and off for most of my life with MUDs (which are text based multi-player games) being my first foray. MUDs are coded in C and at the time I was learning C++ in high school (circa early 2000s) so the entire process was confusing/helpful at the same time. From there I would eventually create my first graphical game using visual basic, which was really fun and easy to do. I would of love to keep making games in a similar environment but alas any good game would have to be done in C or C++. So I stopped any further attempts at game development.

I will now take you 10 years into the future where I have a B.S. in Computer Science, a deployment to Iraq, and a desire to do something in the civilian world. I developed my first mobile game Sketch Smash using Corona SDK which was a trying but fun experience. I enjoyed the Lua (the programming language) as it was very high level and simple, especially compared to C++; unfortunately, I think time in the military numbed my aptitude toward text based coding so once again I stopped pursuing game development for a second time.

Now 5 more years into the future I created my second mobile game Flying Ninja Cat using Construct 2. WOW! I have never used a visual editing and event based driven coding environment before. I felt like I was walking on water as I worked tirelessly on creating my game, I was hooked. Construct 2 brought me back to those easy days of Visual Basic but this time with a more powerful development environment only achieved 15 years in the future!

The whole point about this post is that I never lost my love for games or game development. I am just now older and less tolerant/capable of staring at C code for hours on end. I highly recommend giving Construct 2 a shot, if just for the sake of playing with a fun little editor. Thanks for reading.

Great story, Ciaphuas! Nice to see that you are pursuing one of your passions!

Long time game designer here who does a little bit of coding. I'm really enjoying Construct 2, but I sometimes miss actual programming. I've been looking at Corona recently, but I suspect common sense will win out in the end and I'll stick with C2. (For prototypes and web stuff. I'll probably choose Fusion 2.5 or Gamemaker Studio if I decide to make something for one of the mobile platforms.)

This a very surprising story because usually the ones that major in CS are the ones that enjoy efficiently coding and live on C. But for you, you need simplicity, a way to just develop rather than take time and go through the logic. I mean it's fascinating! Because here we have CS major that actually enjoys C2 a lot, which was mostly meant for non-coders but here we are.

I don't know, I find it really cool.

This post honestly got to me. You my friend are an inspiration as well as the people who developed construct 2 and gave people an opportunity. People nower days want to make "creative media" on a PC or Laptop. People think that you need the best tech to make a game, but you don't. I used to have a 10 year old computer and i was learning how to make games and publishing them. That computer struggled to run Minecraft for god sakes. You my freind are one of many people that we need in this world. You are someone who is picturing themselves in the near future and will peruse and make the future come true. I want to learn myself how to code c++ and lua, but i'm keeping basic for now then i will go advanced. Construct 2 is a good starting point as well as GameMaker studio, as i have learned how to code games on GameMaker studio.

Good look man and i hope you future goes great for game developing!

~Miles

love to hear stories of persistence like this.

and as a military veteran myself, i fully understand the 'numbing' you refer to.

This a very surprising story because usually the ones that major in CS are the ones that enjoy efficiently coding and live on C. But for you, you need simplicity, a way to just develop rather than take time and go through the logic. I mean it's fascinating! Because here we have CS major that actually enjoys C2 a lot, which was mostly meant for non-coders but here we are.

I don't know, I find it really cool.

Don't want to deviate from the feel of the post too much, but I just had to toss my two cents in. As a programmer, myself, I get sick and tired of staring at a vertical monitor laced with seemingly endless lines of code practically all day every day, a subset of which isn't even your code, a subset again of which being virtually impossible to read without your eyes going crossed.

When I get home, I want to do something leisurely. I want to make games that I can then play and share with family. I really, really don't want to sit and stare at yet more lines of code. Construct 2 provides an excellently designed interface that allows me to arrange my logic in a manner much like a pseudocode flowchart, which is the part of application development that I really love. (Well, GUI design is my absolute favorite, but the pseudocode flowchart's gotta be a close second.)

I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on raw code access / simplicity, and maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings out there, but I'm sure there are lots of programmers that feel that way: when we're working, yeah, sure, show me the lines. But when we're playing, we just want to play. Heh.

Thank you all for your responses. I have a few coder friends that would look down on tools like Construct 2 (especially after getting a 4 year degree). I think the main reason I am different is that I always enjoyed the logic in creating software but I always hated the syntax. Tools like Construct 2 eliminates that syntax bottleneck and lets me focus on creating the experience of the game. Also it is a much more pleasant experience to come home from work and use a tool that makes games pretty fun.

Dachre

you have hit it right on the head.

c2 let's you create what most programmers enjoy, the pseudo logic, without the added millstone of code/syntax. it is a breath of fresh minty unicorn burps for coders, and a great way for newbs to learn logic programming which will enable them to adopt any future language/syntax.

and yes ciaphuas

there are a lot of snooty coders, degreed or otherwise, who look down on middleware tools. particularly 2d engines. but when you see things like the outrun template or iconoclasts it pretty much shows that you are only limited by your knowledge and your effort...not your tools.

great history