Game Maker's Garage Forum

Game Creation => SilverCreator => Topic started by: Circuit on March 16, 2014, 02:13:31 PM

Title: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Circuit on March 16, 2014, 02:13:31 PM

The current way of saving and loading data requires far too much effort for newbie programmers: they have to learn text file IO, string parsing, data validation, and so forth.  I think it scares people away from SC.

What's needed is a pair of built-in methods that can save and load a group of variables in binary form.  Before calling the methods, the programmer would use an interface to assign variables to a group.  For example: game progress, high scores, and settings are all different groups of variables.  The method call would be as simple as Save(group).

Each group would be hashed and encrypted to provide some protection against tampering (i.e. cheating).  This will never be truly secure because there's no way to truly hide the secret key (it exists in the game executable and can be hacked out), so there's no point in trying to make it perfect.  In light of that, the main factors to consider are speed of execution and simplicity of implementation.  MurmurHash3 is a fine hash function to use, and RC4 is a good cipher.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Gan on March 16, 2014, 02:53:54 PM

I like how Javascript saves data.

Code: [Select]

localStorage['My Important Data'] = "poodles";

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Connors on March 17, 2014, 12:50:22 PM

I think the best way to do savegames in SC is to have a save screen that the player can only access at times when the programmer wants them to be able to save, and that uses the default built-in save-state feature. It does have a "save state" feature that just keeps all the current variables, right? That would be the easiest way...

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Circuit on March 17, 2014, 02:45:30 PM

No, unfortunately SC doesn't have a save state feature.  GM does, but not SC.  Having a save state feature of any kind (even if it saved everything in one file) would be a huge improvement.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Gan on March 17, 2014, 03:29:09 PM

When Mike resurfaces, we'll hound him.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Circuit on March 19, 2014, 01:48:06 PM

Anyway, that's my idea.  What do you guys want to see added/improved in SC?  Let's make a list.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Gan on March 19, 2014, 02:33:10 PM

• Cause objects would be probably too hard to implement, I'd like to see a Map structure similar to the Array structure. That can be stored in the array structure. So you can have an array of Maps.
Array:

Code: [Select]

array[5] = 2

Map:

Code: [Select]

myCharacterMap['positionX'] = 5

Array of maps:

Code: [Select]

var arrayOfMaps = new Array()
var characterMap = new Map()
characterMap['Name'] = "Bob";
characterMap['x'] = 50;
characterMap['y'] = 40;
characterMap['Health'] = 100;
arrayOfMaps.add(characterMap)

• Export to web/javascript ability
• Syntax highlighting


I wonder if a lot of the work in SC could be lessened by using a pre-built and modifiable scripting language like Lua.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Connors on March 19, 2014, 06:48:37 PM

Well, as long as you're not trying to use SC for something it wasn't designed for (Hint: it works good for point-and-click adventures).

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Circuit on March 21, 2014, 09:18:42 PM

I'd like to have proper 2D arrays.  I'd also like to have the option of using 0-indexed arrays (i.e. counting upward from subscript 0) instead of 1-indexed (counting up from 1).  Switching SC over to 0-indexed-only would break all the games written in previous versions, and I don't want that, so instead of switching over, they should both be supported, and the user should get to choose their preference.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Gan on March 21, 2014, 09:21:44 PM

Perhaps a new future of SilverCreator can have the old engine as well as a new engine and use a versioning system to distinguish.

Title: Re: Ideas for SilverCreator
Post by: Connors on December 12, 2014, 12:25:38 AM

Yeah, the bot user is right, I haven't heard any news about Silver Creator in ages...