Hi, here's my first go at building a Construct 2 (hybrid game app creation program) memory match template. I decided that I wanted to create many different versions to see which topics get the most popular so that I would spend more time developing the popular ones. So, which theme do you like the most?
Please try them all and let me know what you think. Or, maybe just 1-3 of the most interesting ones to you.
- Memory Match 3
- Memory Match: Roman Numerals
- Memory Match: Color Names
- Memory Match: Colors
- Memory Match: Numbers
- Memory Match: Alphabet
- Memory Match: Letters
- Memory Match: Wildlife
- Memory Match: Cartoon Animals
Results so far:
- Wildlife theme has the highest amount of downloads.
- Colors theme has second highest amount of downloads.
- Color names theme has second lowest amount of downloads.
- Roman numerals theme has the lowest amount of downloads. (Sidenote: These cards took the longest to create also, so good thing I didn't make more)
- My favorite, "Memory Match 3", is getting close to 100 downloads
This information could be good for any of your app that you may want to theme. Seems like people prefer the basics of wildlife and colors, rather than things that require more thinking like color names and roman numerals.. And, I have about 10 different versions that I need to organize.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
Showing posts with label compare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compare. Show all posts
2014-01-15
Why Would I Want To Scale Up Images And Keep Them Pixelated?
A few days ago I wrote a blog post on how to scale up images and keep them pixelated using Paint.NET. Today, I expand on that a little further, using more images to showcase differences.
First, here are some reasons to keep images pixelated as you resize them:
1. Creating a pixelated/retro game and you would like to scale up one of the images to be an icon that accurately represents the game.
2. Prototyping or creating a MVP.
3. Better compression and/or smaller file sizes. This in turn creates a slightly smaller file for users to download an app/game.
4. Not enough time (or skill) to create a full-fidelity/smooth image. So, you determine that a pixelated and crisp icon looks much better than a large blurry icon. (Screenshots for comparison below)
Now, let's randomly compare image sizes of each of the above four images. Each of them were saved in the same PNG, 32-bit format.
1. 542 bytes
2. 137 KB
3. 174 KB
4. 17.6 KB
The pixelated scaled-up image has about a 10x smaller file size as a regular PNG. Using any more compression techniques, the difference would be even larger.
Though, admittedly, this example is small and simple enough that any modern computer will be able to handle these. A complication would arise more probably in a small embedded system or old phones/processors with bad data connections.
Bonus tip: Instead of choosing the different scaling options in Paint.NET or Photoshop. If you want to create a large pixelated image, the regular Microsoft Paint by default already does that.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
ps - A special thanks goes out to reader Spence for the great blog idea suggestion.
First, here are some reasons to keep images pixelated as you resize them:
1. Creating a pixelated/retro game and you would like to scale up one of the images to be an icon that accurately represents the game.
2. Prototyping or creating a MVP.
3. Better compression and/or smaller file sizes. This in turn creates a slightly smaller file for users to download an app/game.
4. Not enough time (or skill) to create a full-fidelity/smooth image. So, you determine that a pixelated and crisp icon looks much better than a large blurry icon. (Screenshots for comparison below)
 |
| Initial image. 34x24 pixels. |
 |
| A "regular" scale up resizing causes image to be blurry. 1000 x 1000 pixels with some margin. |
 |
| This is how the stretched image looks if I didn't first add the margin for the gem to "grow" into. 1000 x 1000 px. |
 |
| Using "nearest neighbor" scaling. 1000 x 1000 px. |
Now, let's randomly compare image sizes of each of the above four images. Each of them were saved in the same PNG, 32-bit format.
1. 542 bytes
2. 137 KB
3. 174 KB
4. 17.6 KB
The pixelated scaled-up image has about a 10x smaller file size as a regular PNG. Using any more compression techniques, the difference would be even larger.
Though, admittedly, this example is small and simple enough that any modern computer will be able to handle these. A complication would arise more probably in a small embedded system or old phones/processors with bad data connections.
Bonus tip: Instead of choosing the different scaling options in Paint.NET or Photoshop. If you want to create a large pixelated image, the regular Microsoft Paint by default already does that.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
ps - A special thanks goes out to reader Spence for the great blog idea suggestion.
2013-05-20
First Impressions Using MoSync and Appcelerator's Titanium Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools
Last week, I did some background research into which was the best cross-platform mobile development tools. I looked over many different SDKs and have all my notes in my other blog post: http://blog.simplyadvanced.net/cross-platform-mobile-development-tools/
Today, I spent time installing both MoSync and Titanium. Then, I tried to create a basic "Hello, World!" program with them. These results have a clear winner.
Background:
I am running the free version of both programs on Windows 7 (64-bit). I only tested developing Android applications at this juncture. iOS development requires a Mac for both of them (also according to Apple licences: "can only compile and publish from an Apple device").
MoSync:
Within five minutes of installing their MoSync SDK and Eclipse-based IDE, I had a sample app running on my Android (4.0) device and felt very confident it would also easily run on other platforms. There were no problems, I was pleasantly surprised. Tip: I used http://www.mosync.com/documentation/manualpages/getting-started-html5-and-javascript
Appcelerator's Titanium:
First, the installation process took about 4 times longer and took many more steps than I thought necessary. The Android emulator didn't want to run because Titanium installed itself in a sub-directory of "Titanium Studio" and couldn't access the directory itself because there was a space in its name. So, I tried to run the sample application on my same Android device and after 30 minutes of "pre-compiling" it seemed that Titanium crashed (infinite loop). Titanium's getting started guide: http://docs.appcelerator.com/titanium/latest/#!/guide/Quick_Start
Conclusion:
MoSync's first impression is fantastic for developers. Users are able to see results very quickly.
Keep in mind, this was only a test in first impressions so far. Very important, but nevertheless, I will still be experimenting with both MoSync and Titanium as the summer goes on and be posting about my experiences.
Source
~ Simply Advanced ~
Today, I spent time installing both MoSync and Titanium. Then, I tried to create a basic "Hello, World!" program with them. These results have a clear winner.
Background:
I am running the free version of both programs on Windows 7 (64-bit). I only tested developing Android applications at this juncture. iOS development requires a Mac for both of them (also according to Apple licences: "can only compile and publish from an Apple device").
MoSync:
Within five minutes of installing their MoSync SDK and Eclipse-based IDE, I had a sample app running on my Android (4.0) device and felt very confident it would also easily run on other platforms. There were no problems, I was pleasantly surprised. Tip: I used http://www.mosync.com/documentation/manualpages/getting-started-html5-and-javascript
Appcelerator's Titanium:
First, the installation process took about 4 times longer and took many more steps than I thought necessary. The Android emulator didn't want to run because Titanium installed itself in a sub-directory of "Titanium Studio" and couldn't access the directory itself because there was a space in its name. So, I tried to run the sample application on my same Android device and after 30 minutes of "pre-compiling" it seemed that Titanium crashed (infinite loop). Titanium's getting started guide: http://docs.appcelerator.com/titanium/latest/#!/guide/Quick_Start
Conclusion:
MoSync's first impression is fantastic for developers. Users are able to see results very quickly.
Keep in mind, this was only a test in first impressions so far. Very important, but nevertheless, I will still be experimenting with both MoSync and Titanium as the summer goes on and be posting about my experiences.
Source
~ Simply Advanced ~
2013-03-11
GameMaker Versus GameMaker Studio
This post will answer the following questions and more like them:
A quick search on the Internet for the above queries and the like do not give an answer. So, I just downloaded both of them and messed with available functions to figure it out. The following gives a basic overview of the differences between the two, which would have helped me when I was first starting. These are all the problems that I encountered when beginning.
I hope this helps.
~ Simply Advanced ~
- "What is the difference between GameMaker 8.1 for Windows and GameMaker Studio?"
- "Can I upgrade from GameMaker for Windows/Mac to GameMaker Studio?"
- "Why doesn't the GameMaker licence key work?"
A quick search on the Internet for the above queries and the like do not give an answer. So, I just downloaded both of them and messed with available functions to figure it out. The following gives a basic overview of the differences between the two, which would have helped me when I was first starting. These are all the problems that I encountered when beginning.
- The regular GameMaker 8.1 for Windows (version 7 for Mac) is only for creating executables (.exe's) of games and easy exporting to YoYo Games for showcase. This is the version that can be upgraded for $39.99.
- No, GameMaker for Windows/Mac is different than the GameMaker Studio suite. I purchased the GameMaker: Studio™ Standard, got the licence key, and tried it multiple times in the GameMaker 8.1 Lite, but it didn't work.
- The GameMaker licence key probably doesn't work because you are trying to use a Studio key on the basic version or vise-versa. You need to download the GameMaker Studio version, then input the licence key there. There is also a link to download the proper version in the confirmation email that you will receive.
I hope this helps.
~ Simply Advanced ~
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