Construct 2 - platform poll

I agree with some of this. I think XNA export would be huge, insanely huge even, but I don't think android or iphone are fads. iphone is obviously huge, and jobs knows how to innovate just in time to avoid death. the iphone will get awesome again, and android is only beginning, every month there's like 5 new WOW I WANT THAT phones that are android based. just using it, and knowing google, are enough to know it isn't going away any time soon. during c2 development it will be clear if windows mobile 7 emerges as the supreme leader or not, though, which could easily happen, which once again, makes XNA a good candidate. like I said, I agree with that part, but I think the cell phone thing is only just beginning.

I'm not saying cellphones or the mobile gaming format is a fad, those are well-established and here to stay. But Android, iphone, ipad, KIN (already dead and it only took a few weeks to get its plug pulled), even Windows Phone... will all be long dead, obsolete and buried for years before XNA and the C# language even gets a speck of dirt on its skin. Plus, you're right that the cellphone craze for gaming is just beginning in this realm, but that bolsters the XNA point even more. XNA is already there and has been there for a long time and only continues to expand its reach.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Android or any cell export would be bad, it's just that you'd be picking a trendy format with a far smaller reach, over a much larger more established one with a hugely long reach that's positioned to be around for a long time just because of its scope and the language its built on.

Personally I would prefer export to consoles rather than phones.

not sure what you mean by nonhomebrew/cracked, but I know I want hwa, and shaders, that'd be like not supporting accelerometer on phones, because it wouldn't work on pc.

I know you didn't say those should be taken out, and you were just giving examples, but I think c2 should take full advantage of any platform exclusive features if possible. if not it will just be a jack of all trades, master of none, instead of a supreme ruler over all dominions

Well by homebrew I mean like a cracked Iphone, cause lets face it not many people are going to be willing to put up with Apples license nonsense.

Also its true that many that many platforms may have something that pc might not, like touch screen etc.

So your just going to have to gauge what features are most important.

Not sure about what all Android or Xna can handle, but the only one that compares is Linux.... then again compared to Windows It's market shrinks dramatically.

Hmm ......market, as well as features need to be considered.

Rather than start a brand new thread for this question, I figure I'd ask it here since it's relevant:

Does this mean that there is no way, at all, that we can port a game made in the current versions of Construct (including 1.0) to consoles, to go on sale in the Xbox Live Marketplace and the Playstation Store?

I'm looking for an engine to create a commercial game, with those two consoles and Steam as the primary target markets, possibly with iPhone and Android as further markets.

If it isn't possible, how long would we be expected to wait for Construct 2 to add these features (assuming, for the moment, that console porting support is added)? I know Torque offers porting options to these other platforms, but it's an expensive engine to licence.

Does this mean that there is no way, at all, that we can port a game made in the current versions of Construct (including 1.0) to consoles, to go on sale in the Xbox Live Marketplace and the Playstation Store?

Sorry, that's correct. There's no possible way to run a Construct app/game on a console. It's built entirely around Windows-only technology, such as Direct3D, and would require a complete rewrite to be multi-platform, which is exactly what Construct 2 will be.

Well, as MineCraft has proved, exporting to Java gives you a huge customer base.

So, can we presume that the leading option in the poll, running in a web browser, is Java based, and if so, then the export should also be able to export to executable Java too, and not just applets.

Being able to export to applets and Java runtimes would be a huge deal, and if you look at the list, it would actually encompass several of the options in one (Other OS's like Mac or Linux, Mobile Phones (those that run real java), as well as web browser and Windows.

Win, Win.

And if this is the case, I'd swap my voting immediately.

Any thoughts on this Ash?

Krush.

Trying to see things from an indie game developer's standpoint, would vote on consoles.

Construct's main objective? To create games. And the most widespread gaming machines are consoles and PCs, I would think. Gaining market share on more gaming platform would be marvellous. Should perhaps see the statistics about consoles and PCs owned/sold.

Other OS-es (mac, linux) :

-are not specially for gaming.

-with current Win support PC area is already covered mainly.

Why to bother more about PCs any more?

Internet:

-the phuture it is, maybe when TV sets will be capable of sufring the net, then this would be a very good target for construct, would think.

mobile devices, android, ipods etc. :

-are again not specifically for playing games.

Consoles remain the target, as being popular, specifically gaming platforms.

For some reason it says my selection is invalid when i try to vote for Linux

I guess a way to do it browser wise would be to push it out via a flash file? Or even your own plugin that can run anything built with Construct = more control and expandability.

Trying to see things from an indie game developer's standpoint, would vote on consoles.

-snip-

Consoles remain the target, as being popular, specifically gaming platforms.

That's the logic I'm following. As an Indie game developer I'm most interested in two things:

1) A clean, powerful, easy to use 2d engine.

2) As broad a reach as possible into the gaming market.

Construct already has number 1) well under control, and will no doubt improve on it in future iterations. As far as number 2) goes, the consoles are where the largest gaming market is at, followed by the growing interest in game apps for Iphone and Android smart phones. Mac and Linux users do not invest in their computers and OS primarily to play games.

The PC market is already covered, with the largest market share residing on the consoles. Allowing Construct to port to the Xbox360 with XNA would drastically multiply the number of people our games can reach. Providing Linux and Mac support instead... we get an extra 5-10% to the market? We're literally talking upwards of an extra 1000% of customers with consoles.

Those are my thoughts on the matter anyway. What about Linux and Mac voters? Are you guys suggesting those features should be added simply because you personally use a Mac or Linux OS, or for some business reason relevant to commercial Indie developers that I'm missing?

Are console makers these days pretty open about having indie games submitted? Last I heard, for example, the XBox Live Arcade were increasing the strictness of the standards required of submitted games. I don't have any consoles so I'm not really up to date on what the latest is though. I'm just worried since console makers don't have a clear path to profit from indie games on their consoles, and they risk the reputation of the platform if there are loads of "junk games", they might not be so keen on having a lot of indie game submissions from a package like Construct.

The internet is a much more open platform not at the mercy of any particular vendor - that's why I think it might be a better choice.

XBLA isn't very open, but AFAIK XBL Indie Games is. That section isn't frequented by nearly as many people, tho.

Are console makers these days pretty open about having indie games submitted? Last I heard, for example, the XBox Live Arcade were increasing the strictness of the standards required of submitted games. I don't have any consoles so I'm not really up to date on what the latest is though. I'm just worried since console makers don't have a clear path to profit from indie games on their consoles, and they risk the reputation of the platform if there are loads of "junk games", they might not be so keen on having a lot of indie game submissions from a package like Construct.

The internet is a much more open platform not at the mercy of any particular vendor - that's why I think it might be a better choice.

Really? One of Microsoft's biggest aims for the 360 was to promote Indie developers. They created the XNA Creator's Club, allow any games to be sold on the Marketplace through the dedicated Indie section (provided they pass peer review to check the game is stable and free of distasteful content), promote the higher reviewed Indie games on the live service, and even offer a $40'000 prize every year for the best Indie game created in their annual Dream.Build.Play contest.

I'm not up to date on the Sony side of things, but the 360 is the ideal platform for Indie games. heavily encouraged and supported by Microsoft, and with such a high install base... it would be a huge plus for Construct in the eyes of Indie developers. I would happily pay a licence fee for a 360 porting service from Construct too. It's more than worth the money.

I chose iPhone and iPod Touch because I want to make money. I can make a very simple game and put it on the apple store, if it sells I can make some extra cash. The XNA/PSN one was my second choice.

Are console makers these days pretty open about having indie games submitted? Last I heard, for example, the XBox Live Arcade were increasing the strictness of the standards required of submitted games. I don't have any consoles so I'm not really up to date on what the latest is though. I'm just worried since console makers don't have a clear path to profit from indie games on their consoles, and they risk the reputation of the platform if there are loads of "junk games", they might not be so keen on having a lot of indie game submissions from a package like Construct.

The internet is a much more open platform not at the mercy of any particular vendor - that's why I think it might be a better choice.

Nah. Microsoft wants more content for XBLIG (XBOX Live Indie Game) BADLY, believe me, and they continue to do as much as they can to encourage it. Indie's are indeed making money there, and the higher sellers have made quite a bit.

The highest selling game on XBLIG is something an experienced event programmer could make in Construct in an afternoon or a few give or take. But, programming in xna is time-consuming and the learning curve is enormous if you're not a language programmer, so there isn't nearly as much content as there could be. That's why Construct should be going this way because it addresses that need for more content and allows indie devs to get on consoles.

In a hierarchy of 1 to 10 (1 highest, 10 lowest), I'd say it's:

1. Internet-based (Flash, Java)

2. xna (though I'd want an xna export first, Flash clearly has the biggest reach).

3. Phones

4-9. Anything you can think of.

10. Mac

...

... 20. Linux

Yep, 10 and 20 are that low on purpose

There is a game maker called the Express Game maker (I think it's been mentioned once already) about to launch next Friday. It allows you to export xna. Thing is, just like MMF, Construct's event system is WAY better than EGM's. Construct's is the most layman, the most practical, it's easy to learn, it flows well. C# is here to stay and it's only going to keep growing as Microsoft continues to create more platforms that make use of it. I really feel like the game creation software that doesn't get on board with it is going to be left in the dust while they're preoccupied with jumping on small markets (Mac) or teeny-weeny-tiny markets (Linux) or platforms that will be obsolete in a few years (various phones), instead of looking at long-term growth in area's that are not only expanding but built to stand the test of time (C#/xna).

I think the right decision will be the consoles.

At this moment games in a web browser is too limited (user need remain connected to the Internet while playing etc.). Also on the PC high level of piracy. For independent commercial projects only consoles.