GameSalad Creator is an
authoring tool
An authoring system is a program that has pre-programmed elements for the development of interactive multimedia software titles. Authoring systems can be defined as software that allows its user to create multimedia applications for manipulating m ...
developed by GameSalad used by educators and non-programmers alike. It consists of a
visual editor
A visual editor is computer software for editing text files using a textual or graphical user interface that normally renders the content (text) in accordance with embedded markup code, e.g., HTML, Wikitext, rather than displaying the raw text. ...
and a behavior-based logic system. GameSalad is used in over 223 schools for teaching
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...
concepts,
logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...
based thinking, and
problem solving skills without all the pain of
syntax. GameSalad is used by consumers and
creative professionals such as graphic designers, animators, and game developers for
rapidly prototyping, building and
self-publishing cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software ...
games and
interactive media
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user's actions by presenting content such as text, moving image, animation, video and audio. Since its early conception, various f ...
. The application runs on both
Mac OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...
and
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
computers. Access to a Mac is required for publishing to iTunes, but all other supported publishing platforms are accessible for both Mac and Windows users.
On December 21, 2009,
Macworld Expo
Macworld/iWorld was an information technology trade show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It was held annually in the United States during January. Originally ''Macworld Expo'' and then ''Macworld Conference & Expos ...
partnered with
Gendai Games
GameSalad Creator is an authoring tool developed by GameSalad used by educators and non-programmers alike. It consists of a visual editor and a behavior-based logic system. GameSalad is used in over 223 schools for teaching computer science concep ...
, the developer of GameSalad, for the Macworld 2010 GameSalad Challenge to promote Mac and iPhone game creation before and during the Macworld 2010 conference.
On November 20, 2010, GameSalad unveiled a new "Free to Make" model, making basic membership free to all users, including iOS publishing. It discontinued free memberships in 2015.
On June 11, 2012, GameSalad unveiled a Windows port of the Mac program, allowing Windows users to create games for iPhones. The basic concept is the same, however major changes to the layout were made and some features are as of yet unsupported.
Between October 3, 2012 and November 27, 2012; GameSalad laid off approximately half of their staff.
Behavior system
GameSalad provides a
graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inst ...
for describing the rules and the behavior of game objects, called Actors, without knowledge of programming or
scripting language
A scripting language or script language is a programming language that is used to manipulate, customize, and automate the facilities of an existing system. Scripting languages are usually interpreted at runtime rather than compiled.
A scripting ...
s.
Behaviors are components of an actor that can either instantaneously, or persistently, affect the actor depending on the rules and conditions that govern them. The application comes with a library of behaviors (for movement, changing attribute states, affecting collision, saving, etc.) that can be inserted into rules and other behavior groups to create new effects.
Major features
Multi-Platform publishing
GameSalad has one common web-based interface for publishing to multiple platforms such as the iPhone or Mac. GameSalad can also publish to Android-based devices such as the
Nook, and to
HTML5
HTML5 is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. It is the fifth and final major HTML version that is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation. The current specification is known as the HTML ...
.
Tables/arrays
Users can use tables to access mass amounts data efficiently. These tables are readable and writable.
Game preview
GameSalad has a specific preview mode for
debugging and testing the performance and functionality of games. There's a GameSalad Viewer application that can be installed separately onto a users mobile device so that they can click a toolbar button inside GameSalad to preview a project directly on their device through a wireless network.
function startGame()
var myGameArea =
Scene editor
Users can place and manipulate actors in a scene. Actors are added to the scene by dragging and dropping. Actors in a scene can be organized into different
layers
Layer or layered may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Layers'' (Kungs album)
* ''Layers'' (Les McCann album)
* ''Layers'' (Royce da 5'9" album)
*"Layers", the title track of Royce da 5'9"'s sixth studio album
*Layer, a female Maveric ...
to change how actors are visualized (rendering order,
parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a technique in computer graphics where background images move past the camera more slowly than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D scene of distance. The technique grew out of the multiplane camera tec ...
, etc.).
Integrated physics
GameSalad uses a
rigid-body physics simulator for handling realistic motion and collision. Users can manage and optimize how objects collide by organizing actors with
tags. Users can choose to have an actor collide with a group of many other types of actors.
Expressions
For advanced users, GameSalad has an expression editor to define complex behavior and state changes with
mathematical expressions and a library of
functions.
References
External links
*
{{Video game engines
Video game engines
MacOS programming tools
Video game development software