Jan 2023 update

Hey folks!

So, to start off the new year, I discovered Fusion's UWP exporter uses JavaScript - it actually looked very similar to the HTML5 exporter. So it took only two hours to figure out the differences between UWP's JavaScript environment and HTML5 environment, and port Blue Client to UWP.

Unfortunately, UWP JavaScript was discontinued by Microsoft, so I doubt the exporter will get much love. UWP C# and UWP C++ is still alive and kicking, but not a priority to MS, so I doubt Clickteam want to go for that.

So now Blue Client comes in Windows XP+ (with Unicode), Android 4.4.4+, iOS 10.0+, HTML5 (all WebSocket browsers), and UWP.

Blue Server comes in Windows XP+, Android 4.4.4+, iOS 10.0+, and supports all Client platforms on any of those.
There's some extra work for HTML5/UWP client support, as they require secure connections on secure webpages. But that's all documented, along with guides on how to set up for each platform.

DarkScript

I produced a version of DarkScript recently, and it works really well. Nesting foreach loops, delayed functions, passing parameters, temporary values, keeping object selection in called functions... it's an amazing ext, definitely a game-changer.

Unfortunately, Fusion does go berserk when you use DarkScript functions in an event that has Create New Object actions.
For some reason, it picks an event above the running one, and just repeatedly calls it, over and over.

Not sure why, as from the runtime files I've poked at there's no visible difference in Create New Object, outside of selection - which doesn't pose a problem.

So I reported it to Yves... on 9th Nov 2022. He's not gotten back to me yet. He's either next-day response, or "lost your email" response.

Mac extension SDK

I'm looking into Mac SDK and how to build for that. Took several days and the Mac key I was using had to be install count reset, but on my 64-bit M1 Mac Mini, I now have a working Fusion running on a 32-bit Mac emulator.

Specifically, the UTM emulator. UTM is not fast, but I'm not using it for games and I haven't looked into improving performance anyway.

Apparently the Mac exporter is based on iOS, so I should be able to re-use the DarkEdif iOS layout, and we'll have an ext SDK that can reuse code for Windows, Android, iOS and Mac exporters.
Easy ext porting might breathe some life back into Mac platform. And the existing Blue Server shouldn't need any adjustments, as Mac would use the same type of connection as Windows/Android/iOS (raw socket).
And of course crossplay would be possible. Apple and Microsoft could finally play together like friends! ❤️

However, this is more a curiosity about if it's possible, not a high-demand thing. Judging from activity and update frequency, very few people use the Mac exporter.

New SDL Joystick beta

The SDL Joystick object offers a simpler joystick support, based on the well-maintained and all-joystick-supporting SDL library. The library is even used as part of Steam.

Over the last month, I updated this to a nice open beta that uses the cutting-edge SDL3 and Gamepad interface. The issues from before 2023, namely SDL causing a keyboard/mouse lag issue
in Fusion's built-in mouse & keyboard events, have already been fixed.

If you want to try out the new beta, just join the Discord thread! I'm planning to make it simple to use, with the standard joystick actions.

PkR has also been working on his variant, and it now supports Gamepad too, and has bugfixes that my variant already had.

New Patreon pricing

I've also updated the patron pricing in two ways.

First, if you signed up, you'll still get charged instantly. The old way it worked was if you signed up on 14th Jan at $5, you'd get immediately charged $5, then charged $5 on 1st Feb, 1st March, etc.

New way it works is, if you sign up on 14th Jan at $5, you'll be immediately charged $5, then charged $5 on 14th Feb, 14th March, etc.

So now your first payment is worth what it should be.

Second, I've changed the pricing tier list.

My Discord is pretty inactive, and half the Fusion users seemed to come from third-world countries and found $15 to be half their monthly paycheck. Now, you can get:

• $5: an extension on one platform
• $10: two extensions, or one ext on two platforms; or one pre-release extension
• $15: Many pre-release extensions

Currently, on month 2 of $5 tier, you can switch and ask for a different platform or extension. However, that means you won't get updates for the first extension.

Obviously, please do pay more if you can. $400/mo is not a living wage in Western countries, by far. In the UK, it wouldn't even pay a week's rent, let alone utilities. It is possible to customize your payment to less than $5 or an in-between stage.

I've had some users leave my Patreon because I'm "not doing enough". Simply put, I am doing plenty - I pour dozens of hours each week into Clickteam projects, but it's not all fanfare and stuff I can report on. Sometimes it's hours to debug a small chance error that brings the whole extension crashing down.

As an example, here's changes I did in half of last year:

If Clickteam community isn't sustainable income, I'll be moving my efforts to another community or to other projects. I like the Clickteam community, but optimism doesn't pay the landlord.
(Maybe there's a Clickteam user who wants to have me as a tenant...)

I will still aim to port my extensions to Fusion 3 if that's doable, even if I switch community. I don't know when F3 will be coming out, and at this point it feels like Firefly over again.

Current to-do plans

So, here's the current plans I'm doing this year. I might not do it in this order, because often I'm more motivated to do my second-to-top priority. Of course, if someone pushes money my way it'll rearrange too.

• Ext list update - add Mac exporter, add paid extensions
  Currently CEM has some extensions that Darkwire ext list doesn't have.
• Mac SDK investigations, port of Lacewing Blue and DarkEdif extension SDK to Mac, if it's doable
• SDL Joystick object - add extra features, port to Android/iOS
• Web Query Object - port to Android/iOS
• DebugObject - roll out the smart logging and all its features
  This has been waiting a long time, and was suspended because I realized the Windows console wasn't very useful as it couldn't accept input commands without mangling it inside the displayed output text. My new approach would be creating a sub-window.

Thanks for being a patron!

Cheers,
~Phi