Development without programming: perversion or life hacking?
Today we have the beginning of a new series of articles! Yes, yes, do not be surprised. This time the main theme is game development. Let's talk about a program like Clickteam Fusion 2.5 and try to create in it a project and an assembly under UWP. But first, a review of the platform, games already released on it (among them FNAF) and interviews with developers. Look under the cat!
I give the word to the author.
')
Since the article will be large, I think it is better to immediately provide a general plan for which the article will be built:
I also want to immediately note that the article is devoted to the review of version 2.5 specifically and to some of its additions. On previous / future versions, I will not particularly focus.
Release CF2.5 was held at the end of 2013. The developer was the French company "Clickteam". At its core, Clickteam Fusion 2.5 is a continuation of Multimedia Fusion 2.
The engine is a designer with the ability to develop for Windows, Mac, Windows Mobile, Android, iOS, HTML5, Flash, Ouya, Xbox 360, Xbox One (yes, CF2.5 supports the development of projects for consoles. By the way, as far as I know, CF3 which is now being worked on at Clickteam will support Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch!), etc.
"Constructor" - means that in it you do not need to write code. Almost everything happens by making up events. If we really exaggerate, the principle of such development may somewhat remind you of work in Scratch, Hour Code, Kodu and Construct 2. By the way, if you worked with the latter, then it will be much easier to deal with CF2.5. These programs are very similar. Butlet's not talk about who stole the idea from anyone, back to the review.
Let's talk about the possibilities of the engine. I hope that my time spent in this program allows me to be fairly objective.
To some extent, CF2.5 can be called a “modular” engine, because in it you acquire only those “modules” that you need. For example: do you want to make simple 2D games or experiment with creating pseudo-three-dimensional graphics on a PC (like Doom)? CF2.5 is enough for this. Want 3D? Purchase an add-on Firefly. Want to develop under iOS? Buy iOS Exporter.
Or maybe there is a desire to go to UWP and develop for Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile and Xbox One? Then take the UWP Exporter. How to treat this - how to not pay for the extra and save, or how to “pumping out money in the form of a heap of DLC” - is up to you. Let me just say that if you compare prices with the prices of the closest competitors, the price with this approach turns out to be much more pleasant than that of others.
In general, the CF2.5 functionality is at a decent level, and the tutorials, the community and the built-in ClickStore store (with free and paid materials) are excellent for studying it, which allows you, if you have a desire, to study the engine well in a fairly short time.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the community of this engine. It can be described as: "actively growing and responsive." If you go to the official forum or fan resource, you can quickly get answers to all your questions (by the way, in the case of an official forum, a Clickteam representative can be among the respondents) and you can find lots of useful information - project sources, tips, recommendations and links to sites with free licensed materials. (music, sprites, etc.).
If we talk about “for whom” this program, then, perhaps, here, first of all, we can include creative people and designers who have ideas, but cannot write / write code for one reason or another.
And now I propose to talk about stereotypes. I am sure that after the first lines, most of these thoughts crept in like this: “Another engine for creating bad games and clogging up stores”. Perhaps I will try to "restore equilibrium justice." To begin with, I will say this - in my opinion, the quality of the final product in almost all cases depends on the author, so if you have the desire, perseverance and creative approach, you can make a candy that really surprises. The same game dev of the 20th century proved to us perfectly. Remember: the program - only a tool. So please - do not associate the engines with the quality of games. In almost all cases, the author is not the engine responsible for the final quality of the product.
Continuing the theme, I propose to draw attention to a small selection of noteworthy games made in CF2.5:
Especially for you I managed to take a mini-interview with several developers from the list presented above.
Why click Click Fusion 2.5?
Because it is as simple to learn as possible and does not require knowledge of languages, roughly speaking, a low threshold of entry.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
Advantages - ease of development as in P1, cons - this is limited. For example, in order for a player to change the resolution of a game, I will have to go through about 9 circles of hell in order to do this normally. In the ports on ios and linuh, many extensions of clictymus are unavailable, people on ios will not be able to get achievements and everything related to Steam api.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
I can advise beginners to be inventive, because even to create something simple, sometimes you have to go well with a tambourine, but on the contrary, sometimes something, at first glance, something difficult is done in a couple of clicks if you're lucky. Well, developers can be said to have scored on the engine, while their competitors are releasing new versions.
Why clickteam fusion 2.5?
I chose Clickteam Fusion 2.5, because four years ago I wanted to make games. But programming knowledge was only superficial from the category of "3 years in college."
Long and hard watched and identified three leaders: Unity, Clickteam Fusion 2.5, Game Maker. Unity - gone into the background because of the very large (for me) works with C # code or JavaScript.
Game Maker - went into the background because of the large (for me) works with the code, and also I could not understand the meaning of this action, it was necessary to learn a programming language that would not be needed anywhere except this Game Maker. And, finally, Clickteam Fusion 2.5 - remained for the reason that it is enough just logic and learning the interface to make games.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
He has only 2 advantages, a low threshold of entry and the use of logic to create games. I spent in cooperation with Clickteam Fusion 2.5 for 4 years, or more precisely, 5307 hours. He released on it 3 full-fledged games and about 12 closed prototypes with different stages of readiness from 30 to 80%.
But everything once came to an end, in the last game I began to degrade, working with him. I began to understand that I need to move on, because if all my indie journey ends, then I will not attach myself to the skills of this program, so now I work on Unity and began to learn C #.
Leaving Clickteam Fusion 2.5, I directly told the developers of this program thanks for everything that their creation has done for me. And the most important thing that it did for me was the movement and the desire to grow and develop in the field of indie gaming.
Also, working with a click has honed my logic programming skills to a very good level. It really helped me realize that the programming language is 90% of what I did in the click + 10%, knowledge of the syntax of the language and any of its chips. BUT the basis does not change.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
If you already know how to organize everything logically and correctly, then learn a programming language. If you are a complete layman, as I was 4 years ago, then feel free to buy and install Clickteam Fusion 2.5. You will be proud that your enemy is now able to jump over obstacles, and this is your personal artificial intelligence created without using programming on your part.
As for the community, I rarely turned to them for help, most often stayed in the shadows and read, found a lot of sites with the source code of a particular action, downloaded, parsed and, thus, understood the chips that can be done using normal logic.
So I repeat. If you are sure that your logic, sharpened at a good level, then learn the language and work with Unity, if you are a layman, then start developing with Clickteam Fusion 2.5.
Why click Click Fusion 2.5?
Because I do not know how to program. I was looking for a designer who already has a lot of lessons, stable work and there is an export to the necessary platforms. I did not use the extract, I do not know if it is better or not.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
Advantages: After a series of lessons on YouTube, you can begin to create your first game. Many ready-made solutions. There is an official forum where you can easily communicate even with the developers of the engine (in English), a group in VK and several other sites where you can ask for help from other developers.
Disadvantages: I was developing a game for a mobile platform, so I can only say on this topic. Found a lack of solutions related to the integration of the API of social networks, Google Analytics (or similar). Without these simple things to go on mobile platforms is not serious.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
- Before asking stupid questions in public and on forums, look at the lessons on YouTube. Fortunately, there are many of them in Russian.
This is only the first article in the series. In the following we will consider the creation of a project on the platform, as well as an assembly under UWP. Stay tuned!
Lev Bulanov is a student at Tchaikovsky Industrial College and Udmurt State University, Microsoft Student Partner, C # developer, CF2.5 developer, Unity developer, computer operator (5th grade). The main area of ​​interest is the development of mini-games, utilities and MR-projects.
I give the word to the author.
')
- Introduction: platform overview, famous games
- Part 1: Start Development
- Part 2: the final draft and publication in the store
Since the article will be large, I think it is better to immediately provide a general plan for which the article will be built:
- Overview
- An example of work in the engine
- Development Toolkit
- An example of the development and assembly of a small project (from A to Z)
- Publication
- Conclusion
I also want to immediately note that the article is devoted to the review of version 2.5 specifically and to some of its additions. On previous / future versions, I will not particularly focus.
Overview
Release CF2.5 was held at the end of 2013. The developer was the French company "Clickteam". At its core, Clickteam Fusion 2.5 is a continuation of Multimedia Fusion 2.The engine is a designer with the ability to develop for Windows, Mac, Windows Mobile, Android, iOS, HTML5, Flash, Ouya, Xbox 360, Xbox One (yes, CF2.5 supports the development of projects for consoles. By the way, as far as I know, CF3 which is now being worked on at Clickteam will support Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch!), etc.
"Constructor" - means that in it you do not need to write code. Almost everything happens by making up events. If we really exaggerate, the principle of such development may somewhat remind you of work in Scratch, Hour Code, Kodu and Construct 2. By the way, if you worked with the latter, then it will be much easier to deal with CF2.5. These programs are very similar. But
Let's talk about the possibilities of the engine. I hope that my time spent in this program allows me to be fairly objective.
Promo
To some extent, CF2.5 can be called a “modular” engine, because in it you acquire only those “modules” that you need. For example: do you want to make simple 2D games or experiment with creating pseudo-three-dimensional graphics on a PC (like Doom)? CF2.5 is enough for this. Want 3D? Purchase an add-on Firefly. Want to develop under iOS? Buy iOS Exporter.
Or maybe there is a desire to go to UWP and develop for Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile and Xbox One? Then take the UWP Exporter. How to treat this - how to not pay for the extra and save, or how to “pumping out money in the form of a heap of DLC” - is up to you. Let me just say that if you compare prices with the prices of the closest competitors, the price with this approach turns out to be much more pleasant than that of others.
In general, the CF2.5 functionality is at a decent level, and the tutorials, the community and the built-in ClickStore store (with free and paid materials) are excellent for studying it, which allows you, if you have a desire, to study the engine well in a fairly short time.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the community of this engine. It can be described as: "actively growing and responsive." If you go to the official forum or fan resource, you can quickly get answers to all your questions (by the way, in the case of an official forum, a Clickteam representative can be among the respondents) and you can find lots of useful information - project sources, tips, recommendations and links to sites with free licensed materials. (music, sprites, etc.).
If we talk about “for whom” this program, then, perhaps, here, first of all, we can include creative people and designers who have ideas, but cannot write / write code for one reason or another.
And now I propose to talk about stereotypes. I am sure that after the first lines, most of these thoughts crept in like this: “Another engine for creating bad games and clogging up stores”. Perhaps I will try to "restore equilibrium justice." To begin with, I will say this - in my opinion, the quality of the final product in almost all cases depends on the author, so if you have the desire, perseverance and creative approach, you can make a candy that really surprises. The same game dev of the 20th century proved to us perfectly. Remember: the program - only a tool. So please - do not associate the engines with the quality of games. In almost all cases, the author is not the engine responsible for the final quality of the product.
What has been done on CF2.5?
Continuing the theme, I propose to draw attention to a small selection of noteworthy games made in CF2.5:
- Five Nights at Freddy's - perhaps FNAF can be called a truly cult work. The first part received rather high popularity and good reviews from critics, which allowed eventually to pour out into several more parts, 5 books, an attraction in Las Vegas (as part of the Fright Dome, you can look here ), a sea of ​​fan fiction and art, tons of merch, dozens of indices games, parodies and fan.filmov (and of different quality, as not very, and worthy of attention).
Also, preparations are underway for the filming of the official film (Blumhouse [Astral, "Judgment Night", "Paranormal Activity", "Sinister", "Wadji", etc.] took up the shooting. The director was Chris Columbus ["Alone at Home 1, 2 ”,“ Harry Potter 1, 2 ”,“ Bicentennial Man ”, etc.]).Screenshots from different parts of the series
- Concrete Jungle is a beautiful city-planning puzzle game in which you can kill an hour or two with interest.
Other screenshots
- room13 is a fascinating kazualka, which in style resembles the old “Madness Day”.
Other screenshots
- The Escapists - of course, this game was developed in Multimedia Fusion (ancestor of CF2.5), and even then only the PC version, but I could not mention it.
Other screenshots
- Boom Slime - a beautiful mobile puzzle from the Ukrainian developer.
- Rock Rock Rocket - as far as I know, this is a pseudo-three-dimensional game from one of the authors of CF2.5. Since this project was not heard for quite some time, I made a request to Clickteam and received the following answer:
I’m the developer of the last humble bundle package.
Jeff Vance is signed on as the “CEO of Clickteam United States” on the English wiki.
Jeff vance
As you can see: the fate of this project is somewhat sad - the developer canceled it, but the source was included in the composition of their last bundle on the HumbleBundle.
Although the game did not come out as a standalone product, I could not help writing about it, since games of this type and quality in CF2.5 are not that rare, but something out of the ordinary.Other screenshots
- Zup! - minimalist beautiful puzzle from a Russian developer. It was well received by the audience, which allowed to turn into a whole series of games. At the time of this writing, there are 9 parts and 8 DLC.
Other screenshots
- EvilMorph is another game from a Russian developer. EvilMorph is a pixel platformer in the spirit of "old school" games.
Other screenshots
- Freedom Planet is a multiplatform game in the spirit and style of 16 bit games of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game received positive reviews and high marks on resources such as Metacritic and GameRankings.
Other screenshots
Interviews with developers
Especially for you I managed to take a mini-interview with several developers from the list presented above.
Alexander Skulkin, Quiet River
Games: “Zup!”, “Qop” series, etc.
Why click Click Fusion 2.5?
Because it is as simple to learn as possible and does not require knowledge of languages, roughly speaking, a low threshold of entry.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
Advantages - ease of development as in P1, cons - this is limited. For example, in order for a player to change the resolution of a game, I will have to go through about 9 circles of hell in order to do this normally. In the ports on ios and linuh, many extensions of clictymus are unavailable, people on ios will not be able to get achievements and everything related to Steam api.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
I can advise beginners to be inventive, because even to create something simple, sometimes you have to go well with a tambourine, but on the contrary, sometimes something, at first glance, something difficult is done in a couple of clicks if you're lucky. Well, developers can be said to have scored on the engine, while their competitors are releasing new versions.
Sergey Makrushin, ClickGames
Games: EvilMorph, Slash or Die and Tailwind
Why clickteam fusion 2.5?
I chose Clickteam Fusion 2.5, because four years ago I wanted to make games. But programming knowledge was only superficial from the category of "3 years in college."
Long and hard watched and identified three leaders: Unity, Clickteam Fusion 2.5, Game Maker. Unity - gone into the background because of the very large (for me) works with C # code or JavaScript.
Game Maker - went into the background because of the large (for me) works with the code, and also I could not understand the meaning of this action, it was necessary to learn a programming language that would not be needed anywhere except this Game Maker. And, finally, Clickteam Fusion 2.5 - remained for the reason that it is enough just logic and learning the interface to make games.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
He has only 2 advantages, a low threshold of entry and the use of logic to create games. I spent in cooperation with Clickteam Fusion 2.5 for 4 years, or more precisely, 5307 hours. He released on it 3 full-fledged games and about 12 closed prototypes with different stages of readiness from 30 to 80%.
But everything once came to an end, in the last game I began to degrade, working with him. I began to understand that I need to move on, because if all my indie journey ends, then I will not attach myself to the skills of this program, so now I work on Unity and began to learn C #.
Leaving Clickteam Fusion 2.5, I directly told the developers of this program thanks for everything that their creation has done for me. And the most important thing that it did for me was the movement and the desire to grow and develop in the field of indie gaming.
Also, working with a click has honed my logic programming skills to a very good level. It really helped me realize that the programming language is 90% of what I did in the click + 10%, knowledge of the syntax of the language and any of its chips. BUT the basis does not change.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
If you already know how to organize everything logically and correctly, then learn a programming language. If you are a complete layman, as I was 4 years ago, then feel free to buy and install Clickteam Fusion 2.5. You will be proud that your enemy is now able to jump over obstacles, and this is your personal artificial intelligence created without using programming on your part.
As for the community, I rarely turned to them for help, most often stayed in the shadows and read, found a lot of sites with the source code of a particular action, downloaded, parsed and, thus, understood the chips that can be done using normal logic.
So I repeat. If you are sure that your logic, sharpened at a good level, then learn the language and work with Unity, if you are a layman, then start developing with Clickteam Fusion 2.5.
Victor Vovk, PolyWolf Games
Games: Boom Slime
Why click Click Fusion 2.5?
Because I do not know how to program. I was looking for a designer who already has a lot of lessons, stable work and there is an export to the necessary platforms. I did not use the extract, I do not know if it is better or not.
What advantages and disadvantages do you see after so much time working in it?
Advantages: After a series of lessons on YouTube, you can begin to create your first game. Many ready-made solutions. There is an official forum where you can easily communicate even with the developers of the engine (in English), a group in VK and several other sites where you can ask for help from other developers.
Disadvantages: I was developing a game for a mobile platform, so I can only say on this topic. Found a lack of solutions related to the integration of the API of social networks, Google Analytics (or similar). Without these simple things to go on mobile platforms is not serious.
What can you advise beginners on this engine?
- Before asking stupid questions in public and on forums, look at the lessons on YouTube. Fortunately, there are many of them in Russian.
Future series of articles
This is only the first article in the series. In the following we will consider the creation of a project on the platform, as well as an assembly under UWP. Stay tuned!
about the author
Lev Bulanov is a student at Tchaikovsky Industrial College and Udmurt State University, Microsoft Student Partner, C # developer, CF2.5 developer, Unity developer, computer operator (5th grade). The main area of ​​interest is the development of mini-games, utilities and MR-projects.Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/359374/
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