Scratch
archived forums
#1 2010-07-25 19:55:57
- MabonBaladevaKain
- Scratcher
- Registered: 2010-07-25
- Posts: 80
Scratch Limitations?
I'm NEW to Scratch, and while it seems possible to code a decent game with it, I'm concerned greatly with the SLOW speeds that I've encountered even after downloading the projects and playing them in presentation mode. That "Turbo" mode seems to just make it even slower; unbearably so in fact.
Several of the projects that I've viewed so far, (stuff that would be simple to make and real fast in TGF1), are considered complicated and highly regarded here by the Scratch community but run irritatingly slow. My computer isn't that old and other programs run fine, so is it Scratch itself that limits the speed?
A good example of this is the game "Sonic Advance 2" which runs like a turtle in presentation mode, and a turtle with a few broken legs in the smaller views.
I don't have Java installed, could that be the problem?
Does it absolutely need Java even when you download it and view it that way?
How can I make it run faster?
Is it just slow because of the way they code their projects?
If that's the case, then why are such projects so highly regarded?
Could someone tell me if games like "Sonic Advance 2" run fast on their computer please? I'm confused and irritated by this slowness.
Am I missing something here?
Is it even possible to make an advanced game with lots of areas that runs fast in Scratch?
Offline
#2 2010-07-25 20:01:46
Re: Scratch Limitations?
Yes, Scratch does as a known fact run unbearably slow. Installing Java won't help; you don't need Java to view projects offline, and there is no true way to make it run faster; though Turbo mode often helps. Making the Scratch process have higher priority in the Task Manager can help it from crashing, but doesn't make it faster as far as I know. It is slow in part by the way they code their projects (too many forever scripts, etc) but Scratch does get laggy when a lot of scripts are running at once. Coding it differently can help, but is rarely regarded as a solution because it is mostly due to the fact that Scratch is incredulously slow. There is nothing wrong with your computer - those projects run slow on *all* computers. It is possible to make advanced games run relatively quickly so long as you make scripts start and stop only when they need to, as excessive scripts running at the same time definitely slows down Scratch - most projects have almost all of their scripts running whether they need them to or not. You aren't missing anything, Scratch is just really slow 
Offline
#3 2010-07-25 20:34:04
- MabonBaladevaKain
- Scratcher
- Registered: 2010-07-25
- Posts: 80
Re: Scratch Limitations?
Ok, Thank You coolstuff!
I learned from this that Scratch forces you to learn the right way to code or be ravaged by the lag monster. It is good to know that coding a complex game to run quickly is possible even if it's not easy to do.
Guess I'll need to figure out how to run only a few scripts at a time.
Scratch seems like a great learning tool to me, and to think that I almost passed it up because it is so different to other Klik style programs such as Klik & Play, The Games Factory 1 and 2, Multimedia Fusion 1 and 2, GameMaker, and Construct.
While those programs are more powerful in many ways, they lack this huge community, the ease of sharing projects, and most important, teaching you the right way to code things, which I believe that Scratch might just excel at doing.
I'm hopeful that this is the case and will be trying to make some games in Scratch!
Thank You kindly for the advice and wonderfully quick response!
Offline
#4 2010-07-25 21:07:12
Re: Scratch Limitations?
No problem! Happy to help!
Scratch is designed as a learning tool, and it is a much more programming-oriented and open-ended learning tool than some of the others you described. From what I understand, it's easier to use, too.
Part of the great challenge to making nice, lag-free games is to have as few scripts running at one time as is possible, but alas, if you plan on making a giganormous project, the lag will most likely get to you regardless. But making less scripts run at once is an enormously helpful technique and reduces about 95% of the lag.
Offline