Goji Editor the game IDE is integrated into Marmalade SDK tool chain

The Goji Editor has undergone some major changes over the past few months with the biggest change being tight integration into the Marmalade tool chain and removal for direct support for Gideros and Corona.

If you are a Marmalade SDK developer and want to see a quick overview of the new Marmalade SDK integration features then take a look here

Why have I taken this route? Firstly, Marmalade recently released a free license making the Marmalade SDK freely available to all developers enabling tight integration of Goji into the Marmalade build and deployment system, this enables developers to use Goji to create games for a much wider range of platforms. Secondly, the next release of the Goji Editor will add support for HTML5 and I simply cannot keep up support for Marmalade C++, Marmalade Quick, AppEasy Core, Corona, Gideros and HTML5, so something has to go.

So here are the main changes summarised:
* Tight integration into the Marmalade SDK, including deployment and application configuration settings than can be set in the editor such as specification of which extensions / modules to include, drag and drop icon / splash screens and much more. You can also compile, test and deploy from the editor.
* Support for Marmalade C++, Marmalade Quick and AppEasy Core
* AppEasy is now distributed in source form and compiled by Goji (the old player has gone because it took way too much time to update), this allows you to change the underlying engine quite easily to extend it to add your own features and / or mix C++ and Lua. It also allows you to deploy your games to ALL Marmalade platforms and not just iOS / Android
* Assets can now be exported to sub folders
* Tonnes of bug fixes

You can download a free copy of the Goji Editor from www.gojieditor.com

Booty5 – Free HTML5 Game Engine

I’ve finally branched out into HTML5 game development, I’ve been avoiding it for years but finally took the plunge. Funnily enough my first creation with HTML5 is the Free Games Bandit, a service to help game developers get their mobile games noticed. I found myself actually enjoying working with JavaScript, CSS and HTML5. I’ve changed my whole mindset regarding HTML5, where I once saw it as a tool for creating gimmicky web site widgets I now see it as a valid way to make games and proper slick interactive web sites.

With the previous paragraph in mind I have begun the long journey of creating an HTML5 game engine, which I have randomly named Booty5 and is hosted on Github. I’ve already made some headway putting together the basics of scene / actor management, support for sprite atlases / sprite animation, Box2D physics and animation via GSAP etc..

My plans for the engine in the future are to support a majority of features from the AppEasy Core SDK. I am also in the process of extending the Goji Editor to enable support for building, testing and deployment of HTML5 games.

You can find out more about the free game engine here

Compile Programs Online

On my travels I came across a brilliant tool that’s very useful, especially for programmers that want to learn a new language. The tool is called Compile Online. The tool allows you to write code into the browser, compile and run it. The main advantages of this type of service is a) You don’t need to install any tools or IDE’s b) You can try out a new language very easily. It supports all sorts of languages including the likes of C#, C++ 11, Objective-C, Lua, PHP, JavaScript, Ruby and a whole boat load of other languages.

New to the Marmalade SDK?

So you downloaded the Marmalade SDK, but you haven’t quite got around to using it yet. Maybe you plan on developing full on native speed games? Maybe you want to develop apps that run across a large number of platforms? Or you just want to avoid XCode and Mac to develop iPhone and iPad games. Regardless of why you downloaded it, why aren’t you using it yet? Maybe it seems a little daunting at first and you just don’t know where to start? Well I have some news that may just help you.

Marmalade are running a series of Getting started with Marmalade webinars which will help you get up and running quickly. The webinars are hosted by Marmalade expert, developer and support engineer Nick Smith and will cover an overview of how Marmalade works; a number of practical demos and examples that show you how to start a project in Marmalade, or import an existing C++ project. Members of Marmalade’s support team will also be available throughout the webinar to answer questions. The webinars will last for 30-45 minutes.

Marmalade are hosting three Getting Started with Marmalade webinars on Friday 15th of August:

  • 13:30 India ST / 16:00 China ST (09:00 BST)
  • 17:00 Central European ST (16:00 BST)
  • 10:00 Pacific DT / 13:00 Eastern DT (18:00 BST)

To register use the links below:

9am BST

Audience Log-in URL: https://www.anymeeting.com/651-699-060
Registration Form URL: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EA58D78189493D

4pm BST

Audience Log-in URL: https://www.anymeeting.com/386-680-255
Registration Form URL: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EA58D78189493E

6pm BST

Audience Log-in URL: https://www.anymeeting.com/268-006-473
Registration Form URL: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EA58D78189483B