Shifting Web Games from Flash to Silverlight
EnvyGames is in the final stages of developing the PlayBits Silverlight game engine. The design goal behind PlayBits is to provide an easy solution for creating games for the Web by leveraging the powerful features of the Silverlight plug-in for Internet Explorer, Safari, and Firefox. PlayBits will empower anyone with knowledge of the C# programming language to quickly create new and innovative casual games with a rich set of features. Our vision is to disrupt Flash’s grasp on Web games and help Silverlight emerge as a game development platform.
PlayBits is full of game development features and is designed to be fast and easy to use. This includes new project templates for different types of games, a rich set of game services, a flexible component model, a powerful collection of game objects, and tight integration with Microsoft’s Expression Blend. Game objects include static sprites, animated sprites, scrolling sprites, particles, tilemaps, and more. Each of which is easily dragged, dropped, positioned, and sized within Expression Blend.
PlayBits also includes a collection of game components which incrementally adds functionality to each game object. Features range from player input capture to basic AI capability, to full-blown rigid physics, powered by the Farseer Physics Engine. Game components help a lot to keep the game code. Instead of placing a lot of code in a heavy hierarchical class library, code is added to game objects as needed by picking components and snapping them together to make more powerful game objects.
But the real focus of PlayBits is on the speed and size of games. Every effort to squeeze maximum performance out of Silverlight has been taken. PlayBits also takes advantage of Silverlight’s vector graphics services wherever possible. For example, instead of using an image for a sky background a gradient rectangle can be used; likewise, a cirle shape can be used for a particle effect.
PlayBits can be used to quickly and easily create a wide range from games from classic arcades and puzzle games to isometric RPG and real-time strategy games. The PlayBits game engine is expected to release this Spring and as it draws closer to release, more information about features, images, and sample games will be released.
Click Here, for more information about the PlayBits game engine for Silverlight.
When are you guys going to open for beta?
We are still mapping out the details of our upcoming Beta test program. We’re aiming for the end of March to kick-off, but are not certain if it will be public or private and how many will be involved. We are interested in including designers familiar with Microsof Expression Blend as well as C# programmers interested in making Silverlight games. More details will be posted within the next few weeks as we step up the information flow with new images, videos, and postings.
John K.
OK. If it is a closed beta, I would like to be invited. I’m in the middle of developing a world builder type of game in SilverLight. I have the map and world editor tools and environment working fine except now I am at the stage of populating the world with autonomous characters so I’m wondering whether I should wait until I see your game engine or implementing the necessary features myself.
I’m an avid gamer so I found this post to be really interesting. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to post ! I’ll be adding your site to my newsreader and letting my users know about your site as well.
thank!
John