TGB and TGE GUI building system is the same?

#1 It is.

Imagine TGB as nothing more than TGE without the 3d bit, and a new GUI Widget, called T2D, instead.

Gary (-;

#2 Thanks Gary.

Actually I feel that would be harder to learn to use the GUI builder than programm a game :( but I know that this is a matter of time and practice and practice and practice. It would be great to have more info about the GUI in the TGB documents (actually I can't find anything there, except for some not too easy to follow tutorials online).

I hope to learn to make a GUI soon.

#3 In TGB you can also build gui's just like you build games. The GUI system is cool, but has some serious limitations. So, I only use it for dialogs, or when i need one of the components (like a listbox). The rest of the GUI is a "level". You can then animate everything, move things around, add particle effects etc.

#4 Ah!

So I will forgot the GUI builber and make everything as a level? that sounds better, at least easy and comfortable... :) I should try this method.

Thanks

#5 Ah. The GUI is for the interface to your game. The game itself, in its entirety, should be done using TGB as TGB; ie, when you start it, you get pointyclikky options to drag stuff into the level. Do that stuff. Try the TGB tutorials.

Gary (-;

#6 Gary:

You mean I use tgb to do the game and GUI builder to do the interface?

#7 Yeh, but like I said, if you don't need components like the listbox etc, you can also code your GUI in TGB. That way you can make cool effects in your GUI. Check "Rack'em up road trip" for example, the GUI in that game seems to be scrpted in TGB, and not using the GUI system. That's just one example of how you can do it.
Like I said, personally, i just use the GUI system for dialogs... everything else (including animated menu's etc) I script using sprites, animated sprites and particle effects.

#8 So, this way I will be able to do a Main Menu just like in flash? placing sprites, effects and so on maybe in level one and then buttons to go to startGame and to another places in the game?

#9 We're slowly extending TGB to support much of the GUI f unctionality (plus all the flexibility and power of TGB)... so if you can accomplish it with the current text object and capabilities then definatley do it in TGB's level builder. If you want lists and more complex (though much more bland and static) GUI aspects then you will still need to use the GUI system... we're getting there.

#10 I'm currently using TGB to make two games. The game I am working on the most is entirely UI, and it's been frustrating. Mostly this is due to lack of centralized documentation, since I feel the UI builder is actually already fairly powerful, but figuring out how to use it is VERY difficult. Once you start to get the hang of it though it's pretty cool.

#11 I have been practicing: I have my interface without the GUI :)

#12 Yeah that was the first thing I tried. Then I decided to put some effort into figuring out the GUI and I think it's working well.

#13 Isaac Barbosa wrote:

Quote:It would be great to have more info about the GUI in the TGB documents

Anyone wanting to master the Gui tools will be interested in the thread
Working GUI Reference for you..., where amaranthia's initiative is being discussed.

Considering that the entire TGB Level Builder, Gui Editor, and all of the mini editors are implemented using these Gui tools, one would think that a game developer could accomplished a great deal with them as well. Why code up an idiosyncratic and clunky UI to your game when you can get one for free with TGB? (ambiguous humor ;-)

Aaron Goselin wrote:

Quote:Then I decided to put some effort into figuring out the GUI and I think it's working well.

That's the spirit, Aaron! I hope you will take the time to share your expertise with the rest of us as you deepen your understanding of TGB. Developing the online documentation on TDN is a great way to help ourselves and others at the same time.

#14 Using a t2dguiscene is still interesting for those who want to keep the GUI at the same relative size in any resolution (I know it can somehow be done with the GUI editor, I tried it and found it very, very buggy, using a guiscene is way better).

#15 @Benjamin: Just for the record, I cannot find a "t2dguiscene" anywhere in the source of TGB (1.1.3) or TGE (1.5).

"Scratches Head"

#16 Huh, that's not it, It's about creating a scenegraph which I name "t2dguiscene" on top of the main scenegraph. Then I build my GUI with the level builder and load it with the "t2dguiscene" (or whatever name you give it).
It's usefull if yu want to keep the GUI at the same relative size in any resolution (and have some good FX in it, like particles).

#17 Now that you explain it, I begin to see its utility. Thanks for taking the trouble!

#18 It's also very useful if you want to have animated and dynamic elements in your GUI (like in the Rack em' up Road-trip GUI).