It’s been a while since I’ve been impressed by a computer application. Most of the software that I use today is basically the same from 10-15 years ago. Where’s the revolutionary software that changes how I work — for the better? I remember the days when I first learned of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. With these programs, I dramatically improved my career. That’s great for design, but what about Web Development? While Adobe is trying with programs like Muse and Edge Animate, I wasn’t feeling the same excitement. With all the rumbling about the death of Flash, where’s the replacement for creating online interactivity?
Category: Development
WordPress vs. Drupal
Recently, I switched this website to Drupal. And even more recently, I switched it back to WordPress. What’s with the struggle between two robust content management systems? For many years, there wasn’t. I didn’t think fondly of Drupal. Maybe it was the Drupal icon. Sunglasses on a drop of water seemed odd to me. Maybe it was the high maintenance. I had trouble getting the software to do what I wanted. But with the launch of Drupal 7, things started to change. I saw the power of Drupal and I liked it.
ROUND 2: GameSalad vs Stencyl
A little over three months ago, I posted an assessment of two powerful game creation applications. Which one would win in a fight? I didn’t really declare a winner, as choosing between Stencyl or GameSalad is essentially a matter of preference. Yet, things did not stand still. During the last three months, one of the competitors dramatically improved. That competitor is GameSalad. Is there a clear winner in the game development battle now?
GameSalad Template – Dual Controllers
While frequenting the GameSalad forums, I spotted an interesting thread. Apparently, the default template for creating dual controllers is a bit buggy. I know the frustration that this can cause, as my first GameSalad project didn’t go so smoothly. The virtual joysticks would jam, creating a rather broken gaming experience. Fortunately, I designed my own system to resolve this problem. A free template is available for download.
Stencyl Officially Upgraded to 2.0
Production level — what does that mean to you? When is software ready to leave beta or be labeled with a new integer? When should software hit the point-0 mark… 1.0, 2.0, 3.0? If you’re GameSalad, three years is not enough time. If you’re running Firefox or Chrome, it seems like every other Monday. But with Stencyl, I think that they’ve got a good pace going. The numbers are ticking by quickly, but so are the new features. Version 2.0 is a significant change from the previous 1.4 version.