Ashley's Forum Posts

  • I think this is a bug in NW.js. I'm not sure when exactly it happens as I just tried a NW.js export of Ghost Shooter and it worked fine for me, but it does look like something funny is going on in NW.js that could break things sometimes. I responded to that issue with a minimal repro which should help speed up the fix.

  • It looks like the zip file is corrupt. (C3P files are really a zip file of a folder project.) You'd best restore a backup.

  • I think you should always choose "none of the algorithms mentioned above". The question appears to be asking if the app implements its own custom encryption algorithms, and using encryption features built-in to iOS doesn't count. I think almost everything these days uses encryption features built-in to the system - including Construct's Cryptography plugin, and very likely including the Admob plugin - which doesn't apply to that question. There's very little reason for apps to implement their own custom encryption algorithms, but I guess for legal reasons Apple have to ask anyway just in case.

  • The Recreate initial objects action nearly handles the instantiating pre-created objects part of it for you already - the only bit missing is to then move all the created objects to the new dynamic layer, which you might be able to do with an extra "move to layer" action.

  • That's not currently supported, nor is it an architecture Construct was designed to facilitate. Behaviors aren't really meant to be used like that.

  • Global layers are currently implemented as an editor feature - by the time it launches the runtime, all overridden layers are replaced with normal layers that copy the global layer. So it's not currently possible to add a global or overridden layer at runtime.

    Since your project likely has a fixed number of global layers, you probably don't need dynamic layers anyway - just add the global/overridden layers in the editor and make them invisible if you don't need them.

  • Yes, the image sequence export option has full support for alpha transparency and can be used for creating sprite animations with transparent backgrounds for games. There's more information in this guide on exporting image sequences with Construct Animate.

    The GIF and video export options can be used in the free edition for exports up to 5 seconds long, but the GIF file format doesn't have full support for alpha transparency, and the video export currently doesn't support alpha transparency (although it's possible to make a video with transparency from an image sequence export).

  • Interesting thoughts all, but I have to say, for us the more we add to the free edition, the fewer sales we get. Open-source projects use a different model where most of the product is free, the titans of the industry like Unreal can rely on revenue from royalties of major commercial titles, and some other tools are backed by billion-dollar corporations who don't necessarily care about running things at a loss. I think we're actually relatively unique in being an independently run, small/medium-scale commercial business with subscriptions, and making a success of it. However we also have to make sure that's sustainable, and in its current form, it is. Unity are losing about a billion dollars a year at the moment so clearly they're thinking "this is unsustainable, we need more revenue fast", and look where that's ended up, and I think that's a good reminder of the importance of having a sustainable business.

  • Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like it's working out OK so far.

    Ashley - do you expect to create a template for a companion app, or should we roll our own (I am not in a rush.)

    I thought about making a separate SDK, but I think it only needs a small modification from the stock wrapper extension in the addon SDK. There's some instructions here on how to do it, which basically amounts to creating a new wrapper extension and adding the Steam-specific include stuff from framework.h. It's true I haven't fully tried this yet, but I think that's all it will take - if it seems harder let me know and I'll see what it takes to get it working (and make a separate companion SDK if necessary).

  • Most of the time changes will only be in the www folder. However some project changes may affect the Xcode project too, such as changing project settings, changing export settings, or adding/changing/removing third-party addons that use Cordova plugins. So for basic changes updating the www folder is probably fine; if you're not sure, a diff tool can easily show the difference between two folders of files to compare two exports, e.g. WinMerge on Windows which I use myself sometimes (although I'm not sure what macOS equivalents there are).

    Remote Preview is designed to let you quickly test on mobile without needing to export every time. Is there a reason you're not previewing with that for faster iterations?

    On a side note, upon searching, it seems like most documentation on Construct -> iOS is about 5+ years old.

    AFIAK the process for exporting to iOS hasn't changed substantially over the past few years, so the existing documentation should still apply. If anything is out of date then let us know.

  • Please file an issue, since we're always very busy and will otherwise probably forget about this forum post.

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  • I kind of agree with your point, but I don't necessarily agree it's down to our poor marketing - it's mainly that there's a contradiction in the messaging. Our main feature has always been that you don't need to know programming and can use event blocks as an alternative to coding, but by saying how easy it is, some people assume it's not an advanced tool, even though it is. If we say how advanced a tool it is, some people will assume it's not an easy-to-use tool, which would affect our core appeal. So we tend to focus on highlighting the easy-to-use aspect.

    We do try to get this all across though - take a look at our features page: it highlights "No programming required", but does also allude to its power:

    Construct lets you have it both ways: beginner friendly blocks, all the way up to a full coding editor.

    Under the hood is an incredibly powerful and versatile engine with outstanding performance. It’s perfectly capable of running vast and intensive games smoothly and efficiently.

    Packed with tools ... There are genuinely too many features in Construct to reasonably list here. Here’s just a few more things Construct has and there's a lot more to discover on your journey.

    We also emphasize that JavaScript is an industry-standard language that you can get a job in - IMO a huge advantage over using tool-specific languages like GML or GDScript:

    Other engines use proprietary programming languages that lock you into their ecosystems. Construct uses Javascript which is one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

    Learn real-world transferable skills and level yourself up with Javascript.

    I think possibly another thing working against us is people don't take browser-based software that seriously, even though it can far outperform competitors. One of our goals is to change that perspective!

    I guess we could do more to emphasize the advanced capabilities of Construct, especially now there's things like the C++ extension SDK for advanced desktop integration. But I fear that the more we do that, the more we might scare off beginners. I'm sure there's a balance to be found, but it's tricky to get it just right.

  • Yep, a QR code can contain any URL including hashes.

  • I'd recommend using the Hash expression of the Browser object. For example you could set it up so if someone visits example.com/index.html#settings, it goes directly to the Settings screen rather than the usual title screen.