Better GameSalad Online Documentation

BobDBobD Member, PRO Posts: 374
edited November -1 in Working with GS (Mac)
I am new to GameSalad and I find it very hard to find information in the documentation. I am sure it must be somewhere but finding what you need is very hard. Example: I wanted to look up the "Blending Mode" definitions for an actor. What is the difference between "Normal", "Opaque", "Additive", "Screen", "Multiply".

Please consider improving the online documentation.

P.S. I love GameSalad and I think it is a wonderful product. I also love all the YouTube help videos.

Comments

  • olster1olster1 Member Posts: 396
    The search function on these forums isn't all that great either. For future reference just type
    'site:gamesalad.com' and then your key search words. I always find what I am looking for that way.

    I hate just sending you to a wiki page but
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blend_modes

    I think the main reason you won't find any obvious documentation on this in particular is because it's not really a GS specific thing, more of a general digital art thing.

    Hope this helps
  • BobDBobD Member, PRO Posts: 374
    Thank you!!
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    http://gamesalad.com/wiki/interface_reference:actor_attributes

    Heres some info on the Blending Modes.

    This is a good Question to ask in the cookbook. Thats GameSalads attempt at increasing the reference materials. I think people just see and try to use it as another forum so people have stopped using it. but if we can just go single Questions and Answers and not conversations it has a ton of potential.
  • LumpAppsLumpApps Member Posts: 2,881
    That would work when every question had one answer but that isn't always the case.
    Are the old information pages still somewhere?
    They where very helpful. There was a list of behaviors and attributes there if I am not mistaken.
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    LudwigHeijden said:
    That would work when every question had one answer but that isn't always the case.
    Are the old information pages still somewhere?
    They where very helpful. There was a list of behaviors and attributes there if I am not mistaken.

    Exactly It has a purpose but not to conversate back and forth. You can even give multiple answers if different ppl have different ways. The problem I saw was people were posting very, their game, specific stuff and then the answer section was a back and forth convo. If the question needs that then it should be on the forum.

    And yes the wiki is still there alive and well.
    http://gamesalad.com/wiki
    its the getting started link at the bottom under support.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    BobD said:
    Please consider improving the online documentation.

    One of the main reasons why I wrote The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook was because the community wanted better documentation. It's a paid app in the iTunes App Store. Yet, a lot of work has gone into that book... and I'm preparing yet another update! (I'm waiting for the next version of GameSalad to launch the next version of the textbook app.)

    Should GameSalad have a resource like that for free? I think with the Cookbook, this forum and the free videos, that's pretty good support. To do much better than that, they'd have to divert resources from improving the software to improving documentation.

    Sure, my opinion might be biased, but I think it's better that they improve the software. HA HA :)
  • wormilwormil Member Posts: 127
    Photics, do the updates comes free if the book is purchased?
  • LumpAppsLumpApps Member Posts: 2,881
    @tenrdrmer Thanks. I wonder why I never bookmarked that ;)
  • GruntGrunt Member Posts: 109
    Take an hour to understand the way GS is documented. Almost all the answers are there but you need to see which index, tutorial, video or forum is relevant for you.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    wormil said:
    Photics, do the updates comes free if the book is purchased?

    Updates are not guaranteed, as I don't know how long I'm going to support the book.

    OK, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, Another update is very likely and there's no additional charge for that. One of the main reasons why the textbook was turned into an app is because it's easier to update. I'm really looking forward to the next version, because it should have text zooming, like in Revisions. I'm waiting for another major update to GameSalad before launching the next update.
  • lildragnlildragn Member Posts: 105
    Photics, I'm interested in your book, but very hesitant to shell out $25 without fully understanding what's actually in the pages. Is there a review available online for your book? Some more preview pages?

    Thx

    ~t
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    lildragn said:
    Photics, I'm interested in your book, but very hesitant to shell out $25 without fully understanding what's actually in the pages. Is there a review available online for your book? Some more preview pages?

    Well basically, it's a linear guide. The book starts from the very beginning, with just installing the software and starting with a game concept... and then moves through the process of creating and publishing a game with GameSalad. The feedback here has been pretty good.

    But in addition to being a great tutorial for beginners, It was designed to be a quick reference. Heh... and even I use it while creating my games. Sometimes, it's like a message from the future. Just about everything that went wrong with BOT was covered in my book — BEFORE THE GAME WAS PUBLISHED. Maybe I should have listened to me :)

    The explanation of behaviors, math and physics in GameSalad is at the heart of the book. This helps to build a great foundation for using the software. Apparently, it's been used in several classrooms too.

    There are examples in the book, but it's more object-orientated. The idea is that you can take these pieces and build your own game. The idea is to expand your mind as a developer, not just simple cut-and-paste. Here are some examples...

    • There's a tutorial for a great on-screen analog controller (as an alternative to CodeMonkey's template)
    • Parallax scrolling
    • Application of the scary math stuff... like cos / sin and other functions.

    There are lots of optimization suggestions, and other cool tips, throughout the book. And in general, it was not written to be boring. I like GameSalad. It can be lots of fun to use. The book was written with a style to match that.
  • lildragnlildragn Member Posts: 105
    The idea is to expand your mind as a developer, not just simple cut-and-paste. Here are some examples...

    • Application of the scary math stuff... like cos / sin and other functions.


    This I like, I even posted a thread with some questions regarding this very thing. http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=32642

    I came back to GS after exploring Stencyl, and although there's a lot of things I like about Stencyl, I still find GS comforting to an artist such as myself ;) . So I want to make sure I apply $$$ appropriately to it. Looks like you'll have a new customer.

    Cheers,

    ~t
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