Is Hype Pro suitable for making games?

Performance
1

I’m wondering how much stuff could be going on before Hype Pro would stop being performant? Do you think it’s feasible to use it to make games that work in browser on any device and then send scores and such to a database?

I’m not thinking of any super huge MMORPG or anything like that, but classic game clones like snake, board games, short and simple platformers and stuff like that.

I realize that some custom JS would likely be necessary but I was just wondering if this would be a good tool for the job in the first place. I have some Flash game making experience back in the day, and I’m very drawn to this app for its similarities. Although the Flash technology was flawed, the idea of scenes and timelines really made sense to me a lot more than pure code does.

2

Hype is basically sitting on top of regular HTML(5) and modern browsers are capable of much. Performance is better in canvas based render and Flash was more like the latter. In my opinion Hype has much potential but lacks somewhat specialities on gaming. It offers Sprite since version 4 and has a physics engine but still hasn’t catched up to dynamic addition from the resource library (like the old attachMovie etc.). So it is limited to the assets you set on stage in the moment your building the game. You can add HTML on the fly but that then won’t be Hype managed (timelines etc.) and even requires third party solutions to animate etc.

If you need lots of entities and dynamic particles or other rather pixel based effects search for a game dev environment based on canvas or use Unity in its 2D mode with web export. Added benefit… its industry standard and you could also export to iOS, Android (, PlayStation) and others. If it only needs to be web based their are some game builder solutions (even free) based on canvas and JS.

Given that it depends on the complexity your planning for… simple games should be no problem (a simple find the coin under three cups or hit the jack in the boxes etc.)!

1 Like
3

It’s not good.

IT’S GREAT FOR MAKING WEB GAMES!

https://photics.com/files/templates/physics/jump/
(That’s a proof-of-concept)

Not enough people realize how powerful Hype has become with the latest update. While there are limits, Hype can produce web games that are similar to the heyday of Flash games.

No, that would be a lot of custom JavasScript. :smile:

Hype doesn’t support collision events. So, that’s a lot of work right there.

Hype has a Physics API, but it’s a bit confusing. So, I simplified it a bit, with the Photics-Physics-Bridge...

I already created two games with Hype 4...
https://photics.com/games/circles-with-grandma/
https://photics.com/games/cabling/

One huge advantage can be seen here...
https://photics.com/memoirs-of-a-beta-tester-tumult-hype-4-review/

Physics, combined with vector shapes, AMAZING! Huge gaming potential there.

1 Like
4

From time to time i’m doing some simple games with hype and its capabilities grow with every update. though it’s not a classical game-development-tool … and performance is of course an issue.


https://www2.aachener-zeitung.de/zva/karlo/smileyGame/
https://www2.aachener-zeitung.de/zva/karlo/pacman/

few more …

2 Likes
5

I am also a Hype Fanboy and "love Hype" but Hype isn't specifically made for gaming. If you don't have time and already own it or the task is smaller it can be tweaked todo the Job. On the other hand it lacks many core concepts a game development environment offers. So calling it AMAZING for the Job is a testament to the dedication of @Photics to the tool but I'd recommend looking at following options, too…

Unity (also supports 2D and much more, my recommendation!)

Other engines, Open Source and other stuff …

Godot Engine

G-Development

Game Salad

And maybe …
http://www.garagegames.com/products/torque-2d

These tools are also very helpful

Spine

Tiled

Texture Packer

6

No, it's certainly not about dedication. :laughing:

Tumult did the work with Hype 4. It can be great for making games.

Here's the key part...

The key word is browser.

The question wasn't... "What's the best for making HTML5 games?" ...which is a highly debatable topic. As an example, I moved away from GameSalad. If I was to create a game from scratch today, I'd easily pick Hype over GameSalad or Stencyl. I like both those apps, they're great for education, but I personally prefer the way Hype works.

Other game development tools can be fine.
Otherwise, we wouldn't have games like Hobo With a Shotgun. :crazy_face:

Are there better alternatives, that's not the main question here. If it was, then we'd get into topics of... Do you want to rent software? ...Do you want the cost of the software to change based on your revenue? ...How do you feel about metrics gathering?

Hype isn't a rental, it doesn't put any strings on my games (no earning caps, no splash screens) and it doesn't phone home. Those are HUGE and IMPORTANT features of Hype. I've been doing this for many years. I've never seen anything like I've seen from Tumult – not on this level. They listen to feedback, they get the work done and they don't lo-jack their software. Their design/development decisions are very good too... logical... clean... generally lightweight... Hype matches my style. It works the way I work.

Here's a nice site... https://html5gameengine.com ...lots of options for HTML5 game development. I suppose if Hype wasn't around, and I was looking to make a 2D web/app game, Phaser looks interesting. I liked Stencyl too. Looks like they're 4.0 too... http://www.stencyl.com/features/whatsnew/

But again, as I interpreted the question, the question isn't about the best. The question is if you can make games with Hype. Yes... you absolutely can and it is amazing. It's certainly not the most intuitive thing ever, but I feel it's similar in difficulty to Flash/ActionScript. I did write this... While there are limits ...and... No, that would be a lot of custom JavasScript ...so I didn't sugarcoat it. (I even left the typo in for historic accuracy. HA HA!) I'm not being a fanboy here. Yeah, I like Hype... but I like it because it's good.

Sure, performance is a concern... that's typically a concern with game development. But when you look at some of the features... sprite sheets, vector graphics, Physics API, scene editor, HTML / Data attributes ...that makes game development possible.

It's like I said in the review...

I don’t think we’ve fully realized how powerful this update has become.

I'm actually surprised by your response, but it shows that the statement is more true than I imagined. There's a lot of talented people here. You're one of them. Yet, we haven't really seen a Hype gaming explosion. Maybe that's what I need to focus on. The world doesn't know about the hidden power of Hype. The latest update is good. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be thinking about making games with Hype.

But hey, Tumult appreciates feedback. Why wouldn't you make a web game with Hype? What's missing? Clearly something must be wrong. Otherwise, more people would do it... no?

Ah, I think you're taking about character spawning, no?

Ah, perhaps that's why I like Hype. Heh, I've been adding particle effects to my games manually. I just used pure JavaScript to keep the code light weight. Examples are title screen of Circles with Grandma and the stars in the background of Annoyed Tomatoes... Annoyed Tomatoes – Photics.com

I suppose one could argue, "Mike, if Hype is so great at making games, why do you have so many unfinished game projects?" I didn't finish B.R.O.O.M. or Annoyed Tomatoes (Hype version) and I didn't even get started on Picopede. (Well... picopede ...I suppose that counts as a start.) The answer is supply and demand. There are so many games out there. So many of them are free. I don't think my games are good enough to compete. So, I focus my limited time elsewhere.

Basically, I'm struggling with this... You Can't Be Half an Entrepreneur ...seven years later, that article hit me hard. Because I'm not doing game development full time, my games can easily be beaten by a game from a full-time developer... or a game from team of people working full-time.

And in general, I don't play or buy games as much as I used to. Games are an art form. You need to be passionate about it. The players can feel the difference. I am passionate about "Widgets", and I'm really enjoying it. Unfortunately, I couldn't build that with Hype. It doesn't have Flexbox support. So, I am aware of the limits of Hype. But if I do get around to finishing more game projects, it's looking like those games will be built with Hype.

1 Like
7

Thanks for the long answer, totally I agree that Hype has much more and untapped potential then the market is giving it credit for. I am not dissing Hype and the Web aspect is certainly a valid point, although if a young programmer asked me what to learn if they want to get into game development I would point them to Unity. No question asked as they build knowledge that is valuable beyond their private project in that sector. For simpler web stuff Hype is mighty sufficient and particles and other stuff can be "simulated" or programmed.
In the end, a good game can be a pile of pixels if executed in an engaging way. So, the main goal should be to focus on the idea, the hook and gameplay. Meaning, the tooling should get out of the way and not limit creativity too much. The bigger tools do offer web exports and with JS getting more powerful and low-level compilers enable cross compiling (see this notes from a talk on the topic http://kripken.github.io/mloc_emscripten_talk).

I am not talking down Hype and repeat that it's great for simpler web games. Also, whatever works and does the job to make the idea come to fruition.

1 Like
8

Here is another talk on the topic of compiled games from bigger engines by Alon (researcher at Mozilla) alias Kripken… on the topic of exporting to the web from code bases (like Unity-Engine etc). Just to make the point that the future will be much more open to web exports then we currently imagine…

Some more recent talks on the developments in the sector of JS/WebAssembly as a compile target.

9

Another tool actually written with WebAssembly is

CONSTRUCT 3

10

Thanks so much for all the detailed replies guys. I really appreciate it! This is lots of good info!

3 Likes
11

Just for all the nostalgics out there. Impressive demo…

http://wasm.continuation-labs.com/d3demo/

12

YES! is my FLASH substitute

I really like hype and I’ll keep making games

Remember: “To more limits you have, more creative you become”

1 Like
13

Hallo Hans-Gerd!
Love your Smiley Game!

Played it and got hooked. It is addictive! (Und Stressfaktor 10 war garantiert da (:crazy_face:)
I guess, there is some decent amount of custom JavaScript in there? I am still a newbie in web dev and JS, with a hefty newsprint design background.
Have you been - by any chance - sharing the source .hype file of the Smiley Game? I am sure it would be super useful for JS learning purposes.

14

Just some side notes here…

  1. If I was to build a game today, I'd seriously consider Godot over Hype. 3D graphics is the main reason. I've just glanced at it and the software looks amazing. However, it's complicated, so I'm not entirely sure of the limitations. I am considering creating some Godot tutorials on Photics.TV — but right now I'm still working on the Widgets 4.0 update. (Whew, that project just had a few rough days. I've been working on some big changes!)
  2. I find it ironic how @MaxZieb is currently tied for first place in the Hype game development competition — 🕹 "Year of Fun" [VOTING NOW OPEN!] :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

See, you can build games with Hype. :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like
15

you can get it here:
https://www.hypedocks.com/category/authors/hans-gerd-classe/

1 Like
16

Hey Hans, thank you for the link to your showcase page. Amazing, great stuff to learn. I have browsed the page and noticed that there is no downloadable source file for the Pac-Man game

but only a live preview. Why so? -Ganz lieben Dank.

17

The irony being that I wrote that last minute? Either way sound could be improved (more balanced) and the detection uses a square but could use an ellipse. Also, a highscore and different levels. I even thought about laser shooting from the bird's eyes and enemies. All that is on hold until voting is over, as I want to avoid tweaking the game while this is going on. I’d consider it unfair to change an entry after the deadline.

Concerning game development: Hype is fine for some low performance stuff, but the moment you start throwing some serious amount of elements at the runtime and HTML in general, it can become pretty laggy. The main downside also that there is no inbuilt spawning and destruction of symbols.

To have the most options, I’d suggest something that is based on canvas rendering and supports Inverse Kinematics, scenes and an instance manger (like symbols but reusable).

18

Exactly! Previously, you mentioned the more standard software for game development — Unity, Godot, an another big one is Unreal. And yet, could I take that software and just throw together a game as easily as I could with Hype? :man_shrugging:t2:

When testing Godot, I could easily add a 3D object and have it display on the screen. That's where the intuitiveness of the software ended. I had no idea what to do next. Godot mainly uses it's own custom language GDScript. While there is a JavaScript module… GitHub - Geequlim/ECMAScript: Javascript binding for godotengine …from what I've seen, most people just say it's better to learn GDScript.

19

the link seems to be broken ... here it is ... keep in mind it's quite old pacman.hype.zip (1.5 MB)

2 Likes
20

please tweak :slight_smile: i'd like to see your ideas!

1 Like