Comments on: Goo! A little perspective http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/ iPhone Development from the Ends of the Earth Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:23:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tom http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/#comment-1315 Tom Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:07:04 +0000 http://acornheroes.com/?p=318#comment-1315 Hi George, don't get me wrong please, it's a really nice piece of coding for sure! And even if the feel and look are beta version there is no doubt that the idea behind it is great. Therefore I would like to support you guys as much as I can and I will think about it in detail tomorrow. There are some small, let me say peanuts, which will take a big effect in user perception, like smoother transitions mentioned above. I think, if you guys will update it bit by bit people are able to see the heart that beats in this project. It's definately worth it! best wishes Tom Hi George,
don’t get me wrong please, it’s a really nice piece of coding for sure! And even if the feel and look are beta version there is no doubt that the idea behind it is great. Therefore I would like to support you guys as much as I can and I will think about it in detail tomorrow. There are some small, let me say peanuts, which will take a big effect in user perception, like smoother transitions mentioned above. I think, if you guys will update it bit by bit people are able to see the heart that beats in this project. It’s definately worth it!

best wishes
Tom

]]> By: George http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/#comment-1314 George Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:38:53 +0000 http://acornheroes.com/?p=318#comment-1314 Hi Tom, First of al, thanks for buying Goo!, and also for giving us feedback, we appreciate it a lot. I agree that Goo! isn't yet everything it could be. As you'll have read above, we struggled with getting this app built around work and family commitments. As such we had to cut a few features that would have made Goo! even better. However, we have a list of new features we'd like to add in future updates, and I'll add your suggestions to it. You've given me a lot to think about. Please feel free to send through any tips or suggestions - if you send them to goo@acornheroes.com they'll automatically go into our tracking system. I can't put a time frame on when we can get an update out, we have another couple of projects underway, but I do want to get out some updates for Goo! as well. High on the list at the moment is a larger space to play in and better rendering. Another option we're looking at is the ability to load and save patterns. Thanks again for your comments - feedback (especially suggestions for improvements) is something we always look forward to. George Hi Tom,

First of al, thanks for buying Goo!, and also for giving us feedback, we appreciate it a lot. I agree that Goo! isn’t yet everything it could be. As you’ll have read above, we struggled with getting this app built around work and family commitments. As such we had to cut a few features that would have made Goo! even better.

However, we have a list of new features we’d like to add in future updates, and I’ll add your suggestions to it. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Please feel free to send through any tips or suggestions – if you send them to goo@acornheroes.com they’ll automatically go into our tracking system.

I can’t put a time frame on when we can get an update out, we have another couple of projects underway, but I do want to get out some updates for Goo! as well. High on the list at the moment is a larger space to play in and better rendering. Another option we’re looking at is the ability to load and save patterns.

Thanks again for your comments – feedback (especially suggestions for improvements) is something we always look forward to.

George

]]> By: Tom http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/#comment-1312 Tom Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:49:32 +0000 http://acornheroes.com/?p=318#comment-1312 Hi there, first of all, congrats for getting published your little game (even if it reminds me more of a simulation than a game ;-) ). I will split my feedback into two parts, the good and the bad. Let's begin with the GOOD things: I was so happy to see, that someone finally had the time to bring some mathematical sim to the iPhone. I have to say, that I'm a research member at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and I'm responsible for learning agents and probabilistic robotics (especially for intelligent movement in 3d environments) and coding. And even if it's just a kind of "game of life" simulation there is no life in it. And I ask myself why! Unfortunately we now have to come to the BAD part: Yes, it somehow looks like John Conway's idea and yes, the code seems to be fine and works somehow but there is this damn "BUT". Something is missing. Maybe it's the insufficient amount of mathematical formulas (shapes are very repetitive after a while so that I actually -after a minute or two- could make predictions that are right) or just the fact that there are very hard transitions between the states (alpha fading increases/decreases too quick even on low speed). Maybe it's the fact that the name of the game just was derived from the look of the textures but not from a dynamic, gooey behavior. I can't figure out what exactly is disturbing in this concept but something is definately disturbing. Maybe you could code some real goo (and I know cocos2d is able to handle that ;-) ) so it becomes more a game than a simulation, so people don't make that high demands after reading your description. Maybe you are considering to integrate some flocking/boids algorithms to make it more dynamically. Maybe I could send you some examples so you could see what I mean. Conclusion: As much I loved the idea when I read your description on itunes as much I'm disappointed now. So please keep up the good work, make it bigger and smoother an perhaps someday it will be really gooey for a user ;-) I'm looking forward to a few updates. best regards Tom Hi there,
first of all, congrats for getting published your little game (even if it reminds me more of a simulation than a game ;-) ).
I will split my feedback into two parts, the good and the bad.

Let’s begin with the GOOD things:
I was so happy to see, that someone finally had the time to bring some mathematical sim to the iPhone. I have to say, that I’m a research member at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and I’m responsible for learning agents and probabilistic robotics (especially for intelligent movement in 3d environments) and coding. And even if it’s just a kind of “game of life” simulation there is no life in it. And I ask myself why!

Unfortunately we now have to come to the BAD part:
Yes, it somehow looks like John Conway’s idea and yes, the code seems to be fine and works somehow but there is this damn “BUT”. Something is missing. Maybe it’s the insufficient amount of mathematical formulas (shapes are very repetitive after a while so that I actually -after a minute or two- could make predictions that are right) or just the fact that there are very hard transitions between the states (alpha fading increases/decreases too quick even on low speed). Maybe it’s the fact that the name of the game just was derived from the look of the textures but not from a dynamic, gooey behavior. I can’t figure out what exactly is disturbing in this concept but something is definately disturbing. Maybe you could code some real goo (and I know cocos2d is able to handle that ;-) ) so it becomes more a game than a simulation, so people don’t make that high demands after reading your description. Maybe you are considering to integrate some flocking/boids algorithms to make it more dynamically. Maybe I could send you some examples so you could see what I mean.

Conclusion:
As much I loved the idea when I read your description on itunes as much I’m disappointed now. So please keep up the good work, make it bigger and smoother an perhaps someday it will be really gooey for a user ;-) I’m looking forward to a few updates.

best regards
Tom

]]> By: George http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/#comment-1308 George Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:54:53 +0000 http://acornheroes.com/?p=318#comment-1308 Hi Noel, Really it has two benefits for us. The major one is that it just let us write our game code, without the overhead of testing and debugging vector libraries, texture loaders etc. When we're lucky to get three hours a week on iPhone work, we just couldn't justify spending that time writing non-app specific code. Secondly, one nice aspect is that it's easy to drop OpenGL code into the middle of Cocos2D with little trouble. We did this for drawing the grid in Goo! In our case the fact that Cocos managed the window setup and main render loop was a convenience. I can certainly appreciate wanting more control over that side of things. One day we will write our own engine for iPhone dev, and it will be awesome :) but for now it's not where we need to put our efforts. Hi Noel,

Really it has two benefits for us. The major one is that it just let us write our game code, without the overhead of testing and debugging vector libraries, texture loaders etc. When we’re lucky to get three hours a week on iPhone work, we just couldn’t justify spending that time writing non-app specific code.

Secondly, one nice aspect is that it’s easy to drop OpenGL code into the middle of Cocos2D with little trouble. We did this for drawing the grid in Goo!

In our case the fact that Cocos managed the window setup and main render loop was a convenience. I can certainly appreciate wanting more control over that side of things.

One day we will write our own engine for iPhone dev, and it will be awesome :) but for now it’s not where we need to put our efforts.

]]> By: Noel http://acornheroes.com/2010/01/goo-a-little-perspective/#comment-1307 Noel Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:51:29 +0000 http://acornheroes.com/?p=318#comment-1307 Congrats on getting Goo! out. Just getting there is huge. One thing I'm very curious about is Cocos2D. What would you say were the two two or three things that it bought you? I absolutely hate being constrained by a framework, so I've been holding off on Cocos2D until it's very clear that it's a huge win. So far I haven't seen it (but I haven't being able to stomach looking at it for more than a few minutes). Congrats again! --Noel Congrats on getting Goo! out. Just getting there is huge.

One thing I’m very curious about is Cocos2D. What would you say were the two two or three things that it bought you? I absolutely hate being constrained by a framework, so I’ve been holding off on Cocos2D until it’s very clear that it’s a huge win. So far I haven’t seen it (but I haven’t being able to stomach looking at it for more than a few minutes).

Congrats again!

–Noel

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