MMF2 Build #249 - Beta #9 (updated)

Hi everyone,

The 9th beta version of the build #249 is available :

MMF2 Standard
MMF2 Developer

This build is a BETA version, please make backup copies of your applications before loading them with this version!

Only fixes in Java runtimes and objects in this build.

Let us know if any problem with this build, thanks !

Yves.


New features and bug fixes in this version

- Run Application : in Java Stand-alone and Java Applet mode, if you press the CTRL key while clicking the Run Application button, MMF2 will build the JAR/HTML file and run it instead of launching the editor runtime.

- Java runtimes (all) : Min and Max expressions used to return a floating point number, even if the parameters were integer.

- Presentation Movement (Java) : simple appear movement did not work.

- Space Invaders movement (Java) : all the objects now animate.

- Clickteam Movement Controller object (Java) : Sinewave / Reset movement used to crash.

- MobileFont object (Java Mobile) : set text color now works multiple times.

- Active and Background System Box objects (Java) : click on a button had an effect when pressing the button, not when releasing it.

- Active and Background System Box objects (Java) : could crashing upon loading.

- MobileUtilities object : new "Refresh display" action, forces a complete redraw of the screen.

- MobileUtilities object : new "On screen orientation change" condition.

- MobileUtilities object : new "Get screen orientation" expression.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yves

- MobileUtilities object : new "Refresh display" action, forces a complete redraw of the screen.

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How does it differ from the "force global refresh" option available under Properties/Windows?

If the Force Global Refresh option is selected, the entire screen is refreshed all the time. This action allows to refresh it only when you want, for example if you know that the screen won't be correctly refreshed at a given moment.

Thanks, sounds like a useful feature to have.

This is a great update, thanks!
Could you correct the Edit Box bug before releasing the build 249? It's quite an important feature (horizontal autoscroll does not work in Java).

Still there is problem with jumping toolbars, and sometimes in my old files with that unproper transparency.

I haven't downloaded yet, but if it hasn't already been added, could you make the loopIndex(<Insert Text Here>) become loopIndex("<insert Text here>") for consistency with most other features? It also gets monotonous with lots of loops to have to type the (",") every time. I'm not even sure if you can use expressions in there.

Eh Jacob? I use loopindex("blah") and that works just fine? Are you even using mmf?

what he means is that when you select the expression "get loop index" in the expression editor, the default value will be:

LoopIndex(>Enter name of the loop<)

When it should be:

LoopIndex(">Enter name of the loop<")

This wouldn't change the input/output of the function whatsoever, it would just make it give you a different default value to make it easier to edit.



However, this would not be consistent with the other functions in MMF2; all functions, whether they use a string or value, will have their default input as the form
>Enter value<
not
">Enter value<"

This is mostly because these functions can take the output of other functions as their input, for example:

LoopIndex(left$("hello",2))

Hence whenever you want to write a string in the expression editor, you need to write the parentheses too

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pixelthief

Hence whenever you want to write a string in the expression editor, you need to write the parentheses too

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And this is certainly good as it is.

Quick update: there was a big bug in the min/max functions in Java, sorry... I've uploaded a new version and changed the links in the first post, I didn't want to make a new thread for that.

I just want to give a big Pat on the Back to Clickteam. I finally got around to downloading Build 249 and love where MMF2 is heading. One of the best new features (that I've noticed) is that when you switch to Java Mobile or Java Applet, objects and extensions that aren't compatible are removed from the insert list - thank god for no longer needing to check online for the list of compatible extensions. Great work and I'm looking forward to all the Blackberry, Mac and Mobile features in the pipeline!

Okay, that makes sense. Happy Birthday Yves!

Didn't anybody report this yet?

The font flags in the Mobile Font object (Bold, Italic, Underline) at the very bottom are not loaded/saved in the same way.
If I only leave Bold on, click somewhere in the frame and then on the Mobile Font object again, either Bold and Underline OR Bold and Italic are both checked.

Ouch... will be fixed in next update...

Another simple bug, but probably not worth fixing (and something tells me other people have noticed this before and reported it):

Built in movements do NOT scale with framerates. If I set an application to 1000 frame per second objects will move across the screen with a ball movement at the same speed as 50 FPS. Seems very unintentional, but also I doubt this could be easily remedied, and its very rarely a problem (since most higher end applications will not use any built in movements, and most lower end applications won't mess with framerate)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pixelthief

Built in movements do NOT scale with framerates.

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I think you have to check 'timer-based movements' in the frame's runtime properties.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Olivier

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pixelthief

Built in movements do NOT scale with framerates.

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I think you have to check 'timer-based movements' in the frame's runtime properties.

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I think you were trying to say he needs to uncheck timer based movement. While we are on the subject, I always uncheck this option because the animation speed is not consistent with it turned on. The animations seem to randomly play slightly faster or slower with it on. I noticed this because I had events that were triggered when an animation finished, and timer based movements caused problems with it. However, when using just machine independent speed, the animation speed is much more consistent.

[BUG] Paralax for java mobile!

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4...alaxlag.th.jpg

The only way you can create paralax (for layers) causes delays in the game, making it slow in the mobile! (lag in game)

Tested:

Nokia 6120c
CPU Class:ARM11
CPU MHz:369 Mhz
JVM Type:JIT
Resolution:240x320

Sony-ericsson w380i
CPU Class:ARM9
CPU MHz:117 Mhz
JVM Type:AOT
Resolution:176x220

Tested games:All in 256 colors - frame rate 50 - machine-independent speed ON

2 bugs in animation editor. If I create 3 additional animations and try to delete second one only all directions will be deleted and I cannot delete it so I had to copy all dirs and frames from last one to second one and then delete last one to move it in this case one space up.

Second one sometimes invisible colour changes itself to different one (I've got video for this one!) when I only change animations.

Creating a paralax display invokes a lot of drawing of the different layers. Mobile have a very small processor. The lag is normal on certain mobiles.

Quote:

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bugs in animation editor. If I create 3 additional animations and try to delete second one only all directions will be deleted and I cannot delete it so I had to copy all dirs and frames from last one to second one and then delete last one to move it in this case one space up.

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It's not a bug, it's by design : the event editor uses animation indexes and it's difficult to know if you just want to shift the animations or just remove the images from the current animation without modifying all the events that use the animations with a higher index. We could add an option for that, I agree this might be improved, but in any case this is not a bug, this works like this that's all.

Please send me the video for the second issue, thanks!

I think it's fine like it is, but maybe rename 'Delete' to 'Clear' for clarification?

Yea Jacob this one would be great, but for last animation it's delete and not only clear. But yea Yves I just thought that it could be by design but I didn't check it previously and I just wasn't sure of that.

I will give you link in two days Yves because now I'm out of FTP access.

The mojos adventure game in nokia 2660 (old phone - 128x160) has paralax and less than 100kb (.jar size), and it doesn't gets slow, if I use a spread quick backdrop it doesn't gets slow, it only gets slow when I use layers (with or without paralax) and independently of the mobile hardware the slow is the same; it doesn't get slower or less slow.

Mojos adventure aminated GIF
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5...deomojo.th.gif

You are mistaken! As you can see in the example that I've done, in a game that only has actives I've made a paralax and it runs perfectly. The problem is the lack of an extension that creates paralax in the java mobile. What I'm actually questioning is that the runtime presents problems with layers!

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5...xactive.th.png

Perfect parallax with actives (Java mobile resolutions 176x220 and 240x320)
Example
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N0MNS50K

Layers and Parallax really only works if you're using HWA.

Animations with low speeds (I found this bug on speed 1) do not work in V-Sync. They just stay on the first frame.

I think these features would be also useful in MMF2's Java:
- Only a specific .wav file works in Java. As MMF2 converts all of the audios into the correct format in Java mobile, it would be useful if they were converted also when user builds a Java internet applet or a standalone Java application.
- Special characters (for example á, é, ó) work on PC when you save to Java but they aren't displayed correctly on Mac. However, this can be corrected by loading all of the texts from an external file. This can be done only in standalone Java applications, though.
- Just to remember: "horizontal autoscroll" option for the Edit Box object does not work in Java. This is a feature that can be necessary for many MMF2 users.