Scratch

Thanks so much for providing an update Lightin!

Will I be able to test Scratch 2.0 at the Scratch Day 2012 in Chicago?

Last edited by undefeatedgames (2012-02-16 12:43:54)

Is there any way you can cut down Scratch's bulkiness?

littlekitty5 wrote:

littlekitty5 wrote:

I love the "backpack" idea! Hmm...I think little kids like my sister and brother would prefer the word "backpack" over "clipboard" and older people would rather have "clipboard". Maybe you could make an option where you get to choose the name of your inventory?

I suggested this and I don't know if anyone saw it. I thought it might help your naming problem. :3

I did see it- thanks for suggesting!
It does seem like if you can just let people choose their own, then everyone will be happy. But the problem comes in when one Scratcher says to another:

S1: "Hey, copy this script into your backpack and you can use it for your sprite!"

and S2 is like: "Whua? What backpack? Huh?! So confused!!"

(Because Scratcher2 set theirs to be "clipboard", or someone else did when they started, and has no idea what a backpack is...)

So, that's one reason it's super important to have only one name - to avoid confusion when people are talking about the same feature.

Lightnin wrote:

RedRocker227 wrote:

Cool, I can't wait ^^

Just wondering, will the backpack (or whatever you decide to name it  ) be available for others to see? So like, a "view this user's backpack" button?

Currently that's not planned.

Okay, thanks.

Lightnin wrote:

littlekitty5 wrote:

littlekitty5 wrote:

I love the "backpack" idea! Hmm...I think little kids like my sister and brother would prefer the word "backpack" over "clipboard" and older people would rather have "clipboard". Maybe you could make an option where you get to choose the name of your inventory?

I suggested this and I don't know if anyone saw it. I thought it might help your naming problem. :3

I did see it- thanks for suggesting!
It does seem like if you can just let people choose their own, then everyone will be happy. But the problem comes in when one Scratcher says to another:

S1: "Hey, copy this script into your backpack and you can use it for your sprite!"

and S2 is like: "Whua? What backpack? Huh?! So confused!!"

(Because Scratcher2 set theirs to be "clipboard", or someone else did when they started, and has no idea what a backpack is...)

So, that's one reason it's super important to have only one name - to avoid confusion when people are talking about the same feature.

Oh...I see. Gosh, why didn't I think of that...? Sorry to waste your time. :c

littlekitty5 wrote:

Oh...I see. Gosh, why didn't I think of that...? Sorry to waste your time. :c

No way! It's not a waste! That's how good design works.    Everyone throws out solutions, and we all think them through. Most of the suggestions aren't really workable, but in the process of thinking about them, we all get a better understanding of what's important to consider for this design. But as long as everyone feels comfortable sharing, now and then a great one'll pop out and fly.

What's important is that Scratchers like you feel comfortable suggesting ideas and joining in the conversation about the design.

So: You have no reason to be sorry!    Please keep the ideas coming!

Last edited by Lightnin (2012-02-16 14:44:37)

Hmm... this  looks incredible. Do you have a set date when 2.0 might be released? Because, I am creating a videogame on Scratch, and before I make it, I need to make a plan, but if the programme changes then I might need to re-draft my plan. Many Thanks...

S A R I N A  S T A R
     P R O D U C T I O N S

Lightnin wrote:

scimonster wrote:

Why do comments need moderation on the blog? I tried to post asking about the paint/sound editors. Can we see those screenshots? *puppy-eyes*
Also, how many times have I asked you to put the Stage back on the right!?

Hmm... Probably we got spammed at some point and had to turn comment moderation on on the blog. Re: editors - We'll put that on our list of cool stuff to show in the future! (Like when they're actually closer to being done....

re: Stage to the right. 
Ah, there are some things you can ask for a jillion times, but we may not be able to provide my friend. Consider this: The script area gets as big as your screen / window size will let it. How would that work if the stage was on the right? Shift the position of the stage around everytime you resize your browser window? Euuu...... gross. 

I suppose so... If the script area gets big though, I suppose that's nice. 

Also, will we be able to zoom scripts?

Looks really cool! 

But how does the backpack work? Is it like, where you can save a script / sprite / sound from a project, and when you make a new project, it's still saved, so you can use it in a new project? 

slapperbob wrote:

Looks really cool! 

But how does the backpack work? Is it like, where you can save a script / sprite / sound from a project, and when you make a new project, it's still saved, so you can use it in a new project? 

Yep, and you can also drag stuff from other Scratcher's projects into it, and then use those bits in your projects.

vector graphics ftw

Wow! This is incredible Lightnin! There's nothing better than a big "info dump" for the Scratch Wiki.    So now for my comments on the individual changes.

In the first image, I see a new menu bar on the top. There's much fewer buttons, which I would say is good. I'm wondering what each one does -- do they show more options when you hover over them? Or do they bring you to some kind of "portal" where you can see other things related to the topic (ex. Explore would link to a portal where you can choose "most recently updated galleries, projects the community is viewing" etc.) It reminds me of ScratchEd, which has it's simple Stories, Resources, Discussions, Members, and Events. There's also the notifications button (which I assume will show the number of notifications you have somehow?) And your user is a dropdown -- I'm guessing things like Settings, My Stuff, Logout, etc.

Similarly on the project editing page, there is a "New" and "Remix" button, as well as a "More" dropdown (who knows what that might do?) The stamp and cut features return, and there are zooming buttons (presumably for scripts). And an unusual question mark (hey, maybe it links to the Scratch Wiki!)

The "See Inside" button wasn't much of a surprise. There was quite a few times where it was mentioned that the Scratch projects would be able to be remixed right from the project page. It fits well.

The "Notes" section is quite wide, but then again, I would consider the current notes section to be quite small. I also noticed the "Credits" section. What information will be there? Will Scratchers still be automatically attributed? Or will Scratchers be given the option to write out or choose who/what their inspirations/helpers were?

Below the project to the right, I see an eye and a squiggly symbol. The eye I assume is views, but I'm not sure what the squiggly symbol is.

I'm glad to also see the bar on the right for Remixes, Related Projects, and Galleries. Related Projects is a feature that I think has been needed for a long time, and I'm glad to see that it has been "planned" for Scratch 2.0.

And there's the comment system. I saw your earlier post, and the YouTube/Twitter method seems to be good. Does it mean that replies can only go 1 "tab" deep?

Onto the other picture. The scripts pane seems to be normal. Perhaps a slightly different look, but nothing major. However there are some things I'm curious about. Firstly, the "say" block is gray! Is that just a bug during testing, or what? And there's the Triggers and My Blocks sections. My Blocks is self explanatory from what I can tell, and Triggers will be either hat blocks or some sensing-like blocks.

Mentioned in the block, you have added vector graphic images. That's cool. I'm wondering how it will look for retro-style games though (ex. mario games). And sound editing is a long-awaited feature. Probably some basic cutting and changing pitch/speed, right?

The backpack is a great idea. Including the name (imo backpack > clipboard, considering Scratch's audience). Importing projects worked in Scratch 1.4 but wasn't very convenient, and had quite a few bugs (such as with variables).

TL;DR (summary)

It looks great guys. I can't wait for Scratch 2.0 to come out...