Gamesalad - Game creation for the rest of us?

Well i guess that depends on who they mean by 'the rest of us'. For years i've cried for someone to create a simple drag drop click and poke app that would allow you to build upon the basic gaming templates of yesteryear. I got my hands on Sawblades Power Gamefactory that allowed users to change assets on a scrolling shootem up. This was a kool bit of software, simple idea, but lacked the vision.

Now comes Gamesalad. Looks modern, has everything a modern online sensation should have. Compatability with all major online social networks the ability to publish to iphone. So what is it?

Gamesalad gives you the basics of all the basic game templates of yesteryear, shoot em ups, platformers, scrolling driving, RPG. It has all these and allows you to change and edit in a more graphical way. No need for skills in coding, no need for complex CC+ xcodey -booby wotzits language skills. this as they say on the website, is 'game creation for the rest of us'.

Im good at the graphics stuff, im shit at the codey stuff, its a simple problem which Gamesalad is here to fix. The interface is quite easy to get yur head around, and i soon had the Asteroids template suitably modified to be Gelatinous green cubes on a beach. Changing the controls of the player character was easy, and adding new sounds. In all it all seemed to be doing what i expected.

Then i tried adding another level..... I thought adding a simple 'change to scene 2' would be appropriate. Though the software did not think so. Ok so i went online and looked through the sites wiki, and forums. In the end i had to ask on the forums how to make the game change to a next level.

I got one response and i tried really hard to understand what he was saying, but as i think i've already mentioned before, Im good at the graphics stuff, im shit at the codey stuff. So when i had done what the guy said and was confused at why it did not work, i resigned to thinking maybe i'm not in that group that call themselves 'the rest of us', outcast once again.

Anyway heres a link to the unfinished game i made http://gamesalad.com/game/play/13224

And here is a link to the browser plugin you need to play it,http://gamesalad.assets.s3.amazonaws.com/GameSalad-Plug-in-0.4.8-beta.zip be warned the plugin does not always work.

Adventures in Plymouth - September time

Sooooo, went to Plymouth, to big up me bro Jason. Josie was there too and we ended up going to get chinese food..... BAD IDEA, Jay threw up in the night and i... well... i dont wonna talk about that.

We did manage to watch the most shit film i have ever bought, Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus. This film was promoted as being so crap its funny...... WRONG it's so crap its just CRAP. No one should go near this film, its not clever! Honestly, im a big fan of films that are so crap they are kool, this film is not one of them!

Josie was very polite saying she enjoyed it, bless her. ANYWAY after that we watched Dead Snow about Zombie Nazis's vs young medical students in a small cabin. BRILLIANT blood splattering romp of a film. EVERYONE should see this, its a classic. Scary, gory, and funny. If yu like Evil Dead, Severance or Shaun of the Dead, yu'll love dead snow.

Anyway next morning i helped Jay and Josie bake cakes, and for a laugh we thought we would microwave one. BAD IDEA, took ages for the burnt smokey smell to leave the kitchen.





I then hooked up with my mate Rob who i had not seen for months and we skipped off to see District 9 at the cinema.



AWESOME, cant praise this film enough. It's a nice clever thought provoking down to earth sci-fi with awesome weapons bolted onto a fantastic very human story. I found myself unable to laugh at some stuff because i felt ashamed to be human, this of course was intentional by the film makers. The documentive style of filming was great too. I often feel that film makers do special effects films with such impossible comic book angles that it makes it feel unreal. In District 9 when the robot at the end kicks off with all its weapons, it look awesome mainly because its filmed like you are seeing it across the street. I loved the film and i will be wanting to see it again if anyone else wants to?