Gamefroot are pleased to announce our biggest update since we launched many moons ago!
Most of our efforts have gone towards a redesigned user interface that promises to make 2D game development, and learning game development even easier.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the big changes and unpack what it means for you.
New navigation bar
The Gamefroot navigation bar has been condensed down and is less busy. The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two bars.
The top bar contains menus for saving and publishing games, as well as providing a more clear pathway to the updated Arcade and Club pages.
The secondary bar includes Undo and Redo buttons, a new drop down menu for managing levels and a Game Settings button. This is where you will configure settings that affect the whole game as opposed to level by level.
Additionally, the secondary nav bar will be contextual, for example if you select a text object in your game, the options will be displayed here.
Game Settings
Settings that affect your entire game such as its name, description, thumbnail, and resolution are now accessed via the Game Settings menu in the secondary navbar instead of the sidebar.
We did this to make the distinction between game wide settings and per level settings more obvious.
New sidebar design
While this has been visually improved we still have a lot more work to do. We are working on a search feature and we are working on making this run faster.
Sidebar: Media
We have surfaced the four main action buttons which are now visible in your game pack. These are:
- Upload assets
- Marketplace
- Create animation
- Character creator
These options have always existed but have been hidden away in a drop down button. As of now, first time Gamefroot users will be able to see ways in which they can import / make content without having to guess.
While we love this new look there are still ongoing refinements to be made (see above). Watch this space as we will continue to refine and improve interfacing with Media in Gamefroot over coming weeks and months.
Sidebar: Code
The code sidebar is largely the same. As usual this is where users can find, open and edit their existing scripts.
Sidebar: Levels
The levels sidebar is where you can change per level settings like background colours and level size.
Text tool V1
That’s right, Gamefroot finally has a text tool!!
The text tool allows you to type directly onto the stage as you are making your game. This opens up a world of game making potential.
Users can now write text directly into their game AND add scripts to their text like any other game object. To highlight this functionality we will be releasing an interactive fiction resource in the coming weeks.
New Gamefroot Dashboard
A lot of work has gone into a new Template Dashboard.
A fancy new design surfaces more Gamefroot Gamekits (Templates) and tutorials.
Additionally we’ve made it easier to create new games as well as quickly access your recent creations.
Over time this is where you can expect to find new content.
New Code blocks
Variables have now been split into “Variables” and “Global & Local” to avoid mixing them up. We’ve also increased the difference between those shades of green, and we’ve added the words “local” and “global” in front of the appropriate variable blocks.
Creating a new variable is now easily done by clicking the “Create Variable” button in the Variables sidebar.
In summary
This release signifies a massive visual overhaul, a text tool (hazah), and all kinds of improvements to make your game making experience even better.
But like the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So head on over and try it out for yourself. Please let us know what you think in the comments.