Citrus Engine goes Stage3D with Starling
Hey folks, I’m happy to share a new version of the CE. A new view has been added to target the Flash Player 11, using Starling. It also includes a Level Manager and an abstract class to store the game’s data. This is the first beta of the Citrus Engine V3. For more informations : Aymeric’s blog. Don’t hesitate to become a contributor!
Template for PhysicsEditor’s software
Hi everyone, I’m Aymeric Lamboley a new official contributor to the Citrus Engine project. I have made many articles/tutorials on my blog concerning the Citrus Engine. They are available at : http://www.aymericlamboley.fr/blog/category/flash/citrus-engine/.
One week ago, I made a plugin for PhysicsEditor‘s software to export physical objects to use in the CE. You would like to create complex box2d shape, but don’t know how to do that? Don’t panic, here is a quick look.
PhysicsEditor allow users to create easily box2d object from png file. To create complex box2d physical object you need to define vertices which are quite complex, and determine convex / concave polygons. Actually PhysicsEditor do that.
Download the software (you can use its free version), and add my template in this folder on Mac OS X : Contents/Resources/exporters I think it isn’t too different on Windows.
Then launch the soft and select the Citrus Engine template on the right.
Add one or many png files, select the Shape tracer tools (the magic wand) and choose your tolerance. We could also modify density, friction and restitution. Then publish.
It is really easy to use an object created from PhysicsEditor’s template, for example in the State class just use it like that :
var pe:PhysicsEditorObjects = new PhysicsEditorObjects(“Pe”, {x:200, peObject:"muffin", view:"muffin.png", registration:"topLeft"});
add(pe);
Be careful, the registration point is topLeft instead of center!
Don’t forget, don’t use many vertices if it isn’t really necessary. In my case, I’ve put lots of vertices for the example, but it may be quite good with 10 vertices instead of 40. You have to think about optimization, complex shape are heavy to manage for box2d.
I hope this tool will be useful. Tell me if there are something that I can improve!
The Official Level Editor Has Arrived
After a lot of hard work, I’m proud to announce that the Citrus Engine’s Level Architect is available for beta testing starting today. The Level Architect is a level editor specially designed for the Citrus Engine. While there are other level editors available, you will find that this one is the most ideally suited for designing your levels in the Citrus Engine.
The new Level Architect features
- Start creating levels immediately, without writing a single line of code! Just install the Level Architect and start designing and testing your levels. The Level Architect makes it easy to ease into learning the rest of the engine.
- Live code monitoring puts all the game object classes right into the editor so they can be dragged-and-dropped.
- The Level Architect knows all the properties for all game objects, showing them to you automatically. No more scouring the documentation trying to figure out what properties the hero has. This even works automatically for custom-made game objects using live code monitoring!
- Automatically creates Citrus Engine projects for you by downloading and installing the latest version of the engine. And you can upgrade at any time with the click of a button.
- Test your level changes right from the editor. No need to switch over to your code to compile.
- Uses Adobe Air and works on both Mac and PC.
- A detailed Manual helps you get off the ground quickly.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Get the Level Architect.
- Read the Owner’s Manual.
- Grab some quick tips.
- Post some feedback. Being that this is a beta version, it has not been tested with a large audience (thanks to my small group of focus testers for your great feedback!). This full version will be available for free for a limited time. Once the Level Architect reaches a stable state, it will become fully integrated with the Citrus Engine. The Level Architect will become the official delivery platform of the engine, and will likely be split into a free version and a commercial version. So make sure and try it now while it’s free! I have many plans for the Level Architect if you guys make it successful. In the future, I would like to add most, if not all of these features:
- An asset store where people can create, sell, and download game objects, then start using them immediately.
- Improved layer and object management.
- New navigation features such as zooming and snapping.
- Automation of project-setup for FlashDevelop, Flash, and FlashBuilder.
The Level Architect has an auto-update feature (thanks to Adobe Air, this is easy to do). As these new features arrive, you can easily update the Level Architect.
I would love to hear feedback about your experience with the Level Architect. Please visit the forum or social media and join in on the conversation.
Happy designing!
Citrus Engine 2 Now Available
It’s here! The Citrus Engine 2 is now available for download. I will be working very closely with new users for a while just to make sure that everything get off the ground smoothly. I’m sure you want to hear about what the new features are, so continue reading below the break.
- Box2D Alchemy - The better, more stable, and faster Box2D alchemy is now the physics engine of choice in the Citrus Engine, and it’s integrated right in for ease of use. However, unlike version 1, Citrus Engine 2 is very decoupled and customizable, so you are not required to use Box2D if you don’t need it.
- Decoupled framework - Citrus Engine 2 was written with customizability and extensibility in mind, so it has a very lightweight core that can be added onto as needed. This means you aren’t locked into any one rendering method, or any one set of components, loaders, or physics engines. They’re there if you need them, and they’re not if you don’t.
- Support for Generic Level Editors - There are many great level editors that others have already built. So this time around, instead of spending all of our time writing our own level editor, we are going to be supporting the XML formats that other generic level editors use. This allows us to spend more time working on the engine, and less time fiddling with editor bugs. The first “editor” that Citrus Engine 2 supports is the Flash IDE.
- Custom Objects are Easy - In previous versions, it could be difficult to create your own custom game objects to add unique functionality to your game. Citrus Engine 2 was built with this in mind, making it extremely easy to create your own Hero, Baddy, Coin, or Laser.
More features will be on the way, so go ahead and download the new Citrus Engine and get started making awesome games today!
New Clean Forum
I’ve installed a new forum, and it’s ready for use! The old one was overrun by spam, and was virtually useless. This one should have better spam control, and I’m actually personally approving new forum members now, so go sign up, and expect me to personally verify that you aren’t a spam monster!
Version 2.0 Coming Soon
Now that I am working full-time on the Citrus Engine, I am iterating quickly on getting a brand new version of the Citrus Engine out! I expect it to be available with an updated demo and documentation in about a month and a half. If you are planning on beginning development on a game with the Citrus Engine, I highly recommend that you wait until this new version is out. Below the break are some of the new features that will be available in version 2.0.
- Box2D Alchemy - The fast, feature-full version of the Box2D physics engine will be very easy to integrate into the Citrus Engine. Additionally, it will be decoupled from the engine itself, so that developers have the option of using a different physics system, or no physics at all.
- Decoupled Rendering Code - The engine’s “game view” will be decoupled from the data and logic in the Citrus Engine, meaning that developers can build and use any rendering method that they’d like, such as Flash display objects, blitting (like Flixel), or even Molehill in the future. The engine will initially ship with traditional display object rendering, with blitting planned after launch.
- Flash IDE Level Design - I will be giving up development of the Level Architect (RIP) and instead supporting level design using the Flash IDE. This will allow my time to keep from being sucked up by tool creation so that I can focus on engine development, and make the engine more stable overall. Additionally, the community will be able to create level creation tools themselves.
- Lighter, improved API - I have spent a lot of time studying the best parts of other comparable engines, and using the knowledge to create what I believe will be the best, most diverse and scalable Flash game engine out there.
Keep an eye open for the new version! Back to work…
Full-time Citrus Engine Support!
I am pleased to announce that I have decided to begin supporting the Citrus Engine and related Blueflame projects full-time for all new and existing customers! Now that I am full-time on this project, I can now offer consulting on game projects, Citrus Engine or not (I also have a lot of experience with Flixel). So feel free to get in touch with me, and let’s make something happen!
Citrus Engine Free For Learning!
After much thought I have decided to offer the Citrus Engine for free to educational users. I receive many emails from students and educators who ask if they can use the Citrus Engine for their school project or to teach their class about game programming. At the previous price point, it just wasn’t possible to make this happen for many of them. I have decided to open up the Citrus Engine to those who are learning or teaching.
For anyone who is looking to make a pretty penny from their game, I have cut the Citrus Engine’s price in half. I believe that I will be able to reach many more people this way, which will help improve the engine, increase our bottom line, and make everyone happier overall. Please enjoy, and remember to sign up at the forum.
Tweet About Citrus Engine, Win a Free Copy
I’d like to announce the Citrus Engine “Tweet Deal”! If you are thinking about making the plunge to buy the Citrus Engine, you can snag a free copy of the Citrus Engine or save yourself literally HUNDREDS of dollars just by tweeting a little ditty about the Citrus Engine. How does it work?
Just tweet this message or one similar to it. On April 15th 2010, we’ll randomly pick one lucky sonofabitch to receive a free commercial version of the Citrus Engine.
But there’s more! Even if you don’t win, you can still save a ton of money. After you make the purchase, just let us know your twitter username. After we’ve verified your tweet, we’ll refund you $0.25 per follower (USD)*. If you end up being the lucky winner, we’re refund your entire purchase. Couldn’t hurt, eh?
Just so you know, the deal ends April 15th 2010. Oh, and if you’re not buying the engine, feel free to give us a tweet anyway! You never know, you might win.
* Maximum discount is 50%.
Like the new site? Here’s who made it
If you like the new Citrus Engine site design, you can join me in thanking Travis Clancy for such great work. He built it on the freshest version of Expression Engine, which I have already learned to love. It feels great to be in the 21st century, pulling in Twitter feeds and updating content via WYSIWYG. I’ve worked with Travis before, and I’d do it again.
