Game Editor: Mobile Device Gaming, Amazingly Low Price

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.game-editor.com' target='_blank'>http://www.game-editor.com</a><br /><br /></div><i>"If you ever wanted to create games on Pocket PCs or Smartphones, there's no easier way than with the powerful Game Editor! Game Editor is the game design software that gives you the power to create the games of your dreams, with little or no programming or technical knowledge required. Game Editor lets you design and develop 2D games for personal computers and mobile devices. No need to worry about system issues or compatibility, no need to do anything other than come up with the ideas! Game developing has never been easier!"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/westfall-20051122-gameeditor.jpg" /><br /><br />Perhaps the most interesting thing about this new product is it's price: licenses available for $14.95 - cheaper than some full games. They also have a trial version, which I'm thinking might be a great way to spend the rest of my free time this week! Check it out and let us know what you think.

[sponge]

Slow.

While it's great for PC, and prototyping (although it's not exactly leaps and bounds over Kilk n Play) games such as the Abuse sample were downright unplayable on PocketPC.

As always, you pay for ease of use with speed and flexability.

If you're looking for something similar, check out PPL which is in beta. It's substantially tougher, but you pick it up quickly.

[Raphael Salgado]

I beg to differ. I've used Game Editor to design Bubble Buster Advanced and am now in development of Battlestar: Fate of the Galactic Commonwealth.

If you try Bubble Buster Advanced or view the trailer of Battlestar, you'll see an average PocketPC (400MHz) is able to achieve full speed (24-30fps) on full action games.

[sponge]

I wouldn't call 24-30FPS full-speed by any definition of the word, generally you need at minimum 45 FPS, and if you have a fast paced game, 60 is preferable. Game Maker just can't pump out the frames for what it's doing. (This whole debate came up in PCs many years ago (http://www.daniele.ch/school/30vs60/30vs60_1.html).)

I'm certainly not blaming the product for that, as it's a very high level 'language' and I've often thought about buying it simply as a way to show prospective developers something in action (what's more attractive: "hey I've got an idea" or "hey, I've got an idea that plays something like this")

But when it comes down to it, it's just not flexible enough, and not fast enough to do some things I would like: I tried mocking up a basic SMB1 clone, and that barely hit 30FPS with no special effects or anything-- basically NES quality graphics, but with higher resolution sprites.