Power Game Factory Beta
Note: The Power Game Factory beta is a zip file. It can be
decompressed by Mac OS X 10.3 or newer, or by the latest version
of Stuffit Expander.
The Power Game Factory beta is available
to all customers who have already paid for any prior version
of Power Game Factory. When you launch the beta, you will be
asked to locate your older copy of Power Game Factory. This allows
us to verify that you are a valid customer. Users are invited
to submit bugs and feature requests on the Sawblade Software
forum.
The Power Game Factory Version 1.1 Beta provides the following
enhancements to Power Game Factory version 1.0.5:
Power Game Factory now compiles Universal Binary game applications that
run at native speed on both Intel and PowerPC based Macs. This provides
a multifold performance increase over the previous version on Intel
based machines.
The new Image Editing Window implements the core functionality of a professional
graphics application within Power Game Factory. It may be used to create and
modify sprite graphics for characters, scenery, background tiles, and virtually
all other game objects. The Image Editing Window features ten painting tools,
including a Pencil, Paint Bucket, Zoom Tool, and Marquee Tool. Also included
is a customizable color palette and a range of image adjustment options for scaling,
rotating, and flipping sprites. Users may switch between the standard Image editing
mode and a Mask editing mode, which is used for defining semitransparent areas.
A Preview pane provides a fully composited view of each sprite, complete with
animation.
The new Content Library Manager window offers a collection of ready-made game
objects such as characters, animated scenery, and background tile sets. Now whenever
a new object is created, the user is offered the option of importing it from
the Content Library. Objects may also be moved from a game project to the Content
Library. Additionally, individual objects can be exported and imported to and
from the Finder as stand-alone documents, so that they may be shared with other
users.
The compiler now identifies and merges sets of duplicate image and sound files.
This reduces disk space and memory requirements in most game projects, as well
as loading times.
A new compiler option allows game graphics to be compressed using the PNG file
format. Games using optimized images occupy less disk space, but may take longer
to load.
Property names are no longer included within compiled games. This makes it more
difficult for players to cheat by altering the contents of game resources.
Frame rates during gameplay have been significantly improved, particularly in
levels containing large numbers of characters and other objects. This is the
result of a rewritten depth sorting algorithm.
Background tiles now contain built-in solid material masks. When a tile is placed
in a level, its solidity is altered accordingly. These masks are edited using
a simplified painting interface that appears when the Levels Window is set to
Tiles mode. This feature streamlines the process of designing tiled backgrounds
by significantly reducing the amount of time that must be spent in Mask Mode.
Background tiles may now be set to either 32 by 32 pixels or 64 by 64 pixels.
Parallax background layers may now be animated. This is achieved by assigning
an animated scenery object in place of a background layer's main image. To maintain
consistency between parallax and non-parallax backgrounds, it is now possible
to designate a normal animated scenery object as hidden while in parallax mode.
Parallax background layers may now be quickly repositioned by dragging the mouse
while holding down the Command key.
Large non-tiled level background images may now be stored in the JPEG and Targa
image file formats.
Certain sound effects are now played in an active panning stereo format. For
example, when a projectile shoots across the screen, its "Flying"
sound effect pans from one speaker to the other.
Resizable objects such as force fields, hot zones, and lighting effects are now
easier to select and manipulate when overlapped by other objects.
The location of the cursor is now displayed in the upper right corner of the
Levels Window.
Performance has been improved when switching from the Levels Window to other
editing windows.
Several cosmetic improvements have been made throughout Power Game Factory. The
About Box and Preferences Window have been completely overhauled.
Respawn locations now resemble ghosted versions of the player sprite image in
the Levels Window.
When the player loses a life, the camera may now either scroll or jump to the
nearest Respawn Location. If a level does not have any Respawn Locations, it
reloads and starts from the beginning when the player loses a life.
The controls used to configure level scrolling options have been simplified,
and the scrolling algorithm itself has been improved. The new system allows for
smoother scrolling while ensuring that the player always remains on screen, even
when falling significant distances.
The handling of Screen Settings has been completely overhauled. In addition to
offering support for nonstandard screen aspect ratios, the system now makes screen
settings easier to configure and more convenient for the end user. Now instead
of always filling the screen, the game display scales to the user's preferred
size. By default, the screen scales to the largest possible even multiplier of
its native size without exceeding the size of the display. This behavior may
be overridden, however, if the designer wishes to enforce a more limited set
of display options.
Games may now be configured to use an alternative weapon selection scheme, in
which pressing the Next Weapon key fires weapon 2, while the normal Attack key
fires the player's most powerful weapon. This is similar to the weapon selection
scheme used in Metal slug, in which the grenade serves as the Alternate Attack.
Several weapon properties have been added. Now it is possible for a weapon to
disappear from the player's inventory when it runs out of ammo. A weapon may
also have built-in ammo, so that it can be used even if the player has not collected
any accompanying ammo packs. Additionally, a weapon may be disabled when the
player is jumping, and its ability to fire at diagonal angles may be controlled.
If the player is using a weapon that does not allow running while attacking,
the player is forced to remain stationary until after the point in the attack
sequence at which the projectile is released.
If the player is riding in a vehicle that enters within the blast radius of a
projectile launched from the vehicle, it is no longer susceptible to damage.
Certain weapon configurations no longer cause incorrect animation frames to appear
when the player lands from a jump-attack and starts running.
It is now possible to specify whether a projectile that is placed in a level
or created by a routine will detonate upon hitting the player, an enemy character,
both, or neither. Previously it was only possible to specify whether such a projectile
would detonate upon hitting the player or an enemy character.
When a projectile with a sufficient Area of Effect detonates, it will now destroy
any nearby projectiles with differing Collision Class values, causing them to
detonate as well.
It is now possible to specify whether a projectile moves more quickly if the
attacker is running while firing.
The new projectile property "Collides With Solid Material" determines
whether a projectile impacts solid material or passes through it.
Projectile sprites no longer appear upside down when facing towards the left.
When a bouncing projectile comes to a rest on the ground, it no longer vibrates.
The new "radius" property determines the physical thickness of a projectile when
it is airborne. If the projectile comes within this distance of a character or
other object with which it may collide, it will detonate.
A new projectile property, Never Rotates, makes it possible for a projectile
sprite's orientation to remain constant regardless of the direction in which
the projectile is facing.
A character that is hit by a projectile while jumping is no longer launched upwards
at an excessive speed.
The Attack Range property has been made functional.
The mechanics of Touch Damage have been significantly improved. The new "Injures
Player By Touching Him" property determines whether a character is able to damage
the player independently of other characters. This makes it possible for a character
to damage the player without necessarily hurting other enemy characters with
differing collision class values. A new Character Type property, "Touch Damage
Rises When Character Is Moving", makes it possible to specify whether a character
inflicts greater damage by running into a victim instead of merely touching the
victim. If this option is enabled, the amount of damage inflicted and the speed
at which the victim is thrown horizontally and vertically will be multiplied
by the character's speed. Otherwise, the damage and horizontal and vertical tumbling
speed remain fixed.
The Touch Damage Resistance property has been split into "Touch Damage Resistance
Horizontal" and "Touch Damage Resistance Vertical" properties,
making it possible to create a character whose vulnerability to touch damage
attacks differs depending upon the angle from which he is hit. This change makes
it easy to set up breakable blocks that can be hit from below but not from other
directions.
A new player type property, Stomp Launch Speed, determines the speed at which
characters are launched upward after the player stomps on them. This value operates
independently of the Touch Damage Launch Factor property, which is used for horizontal
collisions.
Enemy characters are now capable of inflicting touch damage whenever the player
makes contact with them; it is no longer necessary for the enemy to actively
approach the player for touch damage to occur. This change does not apply to
characters that have a Horizontal Acceleration Rate of 0 (such characters are
assumed to be non-living objects; a rock for example, can only injure the player
if it is being propelled toward him at the moment of contact.)
Characters that inflict touch damage no longer injure the player if stomped on.
This change allows the player to perform clean stomp attacks upon enemies that
may not be contacted in other ways.
If a Character's Behavioral Preset is set to "Maintain Patrol Route", or the
character is otherwise patrolling an area, and if his "Avoids Touching Other
Characters" property is enabled, he will reverse direction after coming in contact
with another character. (In order for this to work, the two characters must have
differing Collision Class values, or each Collision Class value must be set to
256.) This makes it possible to reproduce the behavior of Super Mario type enemies.
A dying character may now leave the plane on which the gameplay occurs and tumble
downward in front of the level background. This is implemented through the new "Collides
With Solid Material When Dead" property.
Character Sets now support a "Mirror Left Frames" option, which reduces the number
of animation sequences needed. This improves load times and decreases disk space
requirements.
Items with gravitational acceleration rates that are not whole numbers no longer
vibrate when resting on the ground, nor do they continually emit "landing" sounds.
It is now possible to specify the maximum distance from which a switch or a door
may be manually activated.
Lighting effects are now available in twelve basic shapes, representing spot
lights and flood lights of varying sharpness. Additionally, lighting effects
may now be configured to illuminate only foreground objects, leaving background
layers unaffected.
Routines are now unable to change the properties of a dead player unless triggered
by the event of the player's death.
It is now possible to configure a routine that sets a custom respawn location.
It is now possible to configure a routine that sets, increases, multiplies, or
divides a variable by another variable. Previously it was only possible to change
a variable with respect to a fixed number.
When configuring a routine's performance conditions, it is now possible to establish
a test to determine how a variable compares to another variable. Previously it
was only possible to compare a variable to a fixed number.
Random sounds no longer continue to play after a level ends. Additionally, it
is now possible to specify a given random sound even if the preceding one has
been set to "No Random Sound".
New checkboxes in the Status Bar Window make it possible to specify whether large
or small digits are used to create the Status Bar's various numerical displays.
It is now possible to individually specify the visibility of the player's health
bar, the lives remaining display, and the timer, in addition to the player's
score display.
|