Put the "start record" feature in the events!!

For the love of God, put the feature of recording in the events!

When you created this great feature, you shouldn't have overlooked its other, very great potential. Having the record start from a Start of Frame action could let you have the ultimate beta test because the creator could watch how people play, and that's much more useful than just being able to make "attract modes" like arcade games.

You can't just hand around a large, non-compiled version to testers (and I personally wouldn't want to). It's a great feature with potential, but by putting it in the Frame Properties it's completely wasted.

Also, there really should be an End of Demo action that lets you easily end something like an "attract mode" (when the game plays itself from waiting at the title screen, for example).

EDIT: I just realised, does the feature record when and where objects are created? If it doesn't, this feature is pretty useless...

The feature records all inputs from key and mouse. So if you application create object due to your mouse and keys, they will be recorded.

I noticed, but also this proves it pretty useless.

An easy example is if enemies randomly drop health being killed, they'll drop at a different interval during the demo. That could basically kill the character during what is supposed to be a demo where the character does not die.

So this is only useful to very basic games.

EDIT: Further analysis reveals to me that a position is saved, but it's not the correct one. As in, the position is always the same running the demo over and over, but it's not the position the randomly created object had the original playthrough.

Does this involve the random number thing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Francois

The feature records all inputs from key and mouse. So if you application create object due to your mouse and keys, they will be recorded.

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Yes but what about being able to record from the event editor like he asked about. Having it external seems weird.

I found the problem, sorry for bitching.

But still, as to the title of this thread, please make the record be able to be started from events.

I think they didn't put it in, because the user would not have the development software, they would have the application you made from MMF. I can't see an MMF application having the Demo code embedded without a large portion of the MMF source included.

I doubt they'd do it, but since this could be an useful feature there should still be a way to choose to include the code to make demos (if it really does take so much space).

But I'm dreaming, right?

Well we did not put it, to prevent problems : demos only work if the application state is EXACTLY the same at the start of recording and playing. So if the only way to record the app is to have it when the frame starts (with a button in the properties), then the only way to play it back is to put the play action in the start of frame event.
If we allow users to do what they want, we will have dozens of messages telling us that it does not work. And we wanted to avoid that.
But this can easily be done.

If you make it clear that the demo recording records keypresses and inputs rather than the screen itself, then I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate it. I think allowing users to do what they want with it (or anything) should be a high priority, even though it does open up the possibility of using something wrongly.

Well, if you're skipping a great feature because you're afraid of negative feedback, just make it really clear or just a warning.

I really think being afraid that people would complain is a weird excuse. If you leave it as a button as well as an action it should make less problems for you, and when an action would be picked the action could just be called something like "Start Record (manual)" or "Start Record (professional)".

A pop-up explaining things would be best but since creating no other action makes that (that I can remember) I assume it would be hard.