Construct is an HTML5-based 2D game editor, developed by Scirra Ltd. It is aimed primarily at non-programmers, allowing quick creation of games through visual programming.
Features
Event system and behaviors
The primary method of programming games and applications in Construct is through 'event sheets', which are similar to source files used in programming languages. Each event sheet has a list of events, which contain conditional statements or triggers. Once these are met, actions or functions can be carried out. Event logic such as OR and AND, as well as sub-events allow for sophisticated systems to be programmed without learning a comparatively more difficult programming language. Groups can be used to enable and disable multiple events at once, and to organize events.
Unlike many traditional development environments, Construct eschews selecting specific instances of objects when adding events, in favor of filtering through all instances of an object type on screen. When adding events, the editor allows the user to specify conditions or checks that must be fulfilled by each object instance on the screen before the event will be added or run by it. Events can be chained together using sub-events, allowing for more complicated behaviors to be created.
Plans to support JavaScript as an optional scripting language were announced in May 2019, quoting the need to satisfy the advanced users' needs and popularity of existing workarounds.
Construct has the ability to export to several platforms that provide offline and native application behavior: Windows, OS X and both 32-bit and 64-bit Linux are supported by exporting to NW.js. Doing this will allow the user to incorporate several features that HTML5 apps do not normally support, such as file IO. On October 23, 2012, Scirra announced full support for exporting to Windows 8Metro apps, including the incorporation of in-app purchases, 'snap' view states, roaming data, sharing, live tiles, touch input and accelerometer and inclinometer input. Support for exporting to Windows 10Universal apps was added on August 26, 2015. Construct handles native mobile support for iOS and Android by utilizing Cordova.
Consoles
On January 20, 2014, Scirra announced that Construct would be adding support for Nintendo's Wii U system. Later that year, a plug-in was released to make Construct-based games compatible with the Nintendo Web Framework. On April 13, 2016, Scirra announced that Construct's UWP support will allow publishing games to the Xbox One.
Release history
Construct Classic
Originally developed by a group of students, Construct Classic is the free and open sourceDirectX predecessor to Construct 2, first released on October 27, 2007. The most recent release is r2, released on February 5, 2012. This version largely defined the software's visual programming language and separately supported Python scripting. Construct Classic was retired on April 20, 2013 to allow the development team to focus more on Construct 2.
Construct 2
Construct 2 entered public beta on February 4, 2011, and entered full release on August 22, 2011. This version moved from free and open source license model to proprietary with a free license option. Python scripting was retired, citing complications with running Python in browsers and general complexity of maintaining a compatible scripting system. A JavaScript plugin SDK was introduced as a replacement. As of May 2019, Construct 2 continues to be maintained and improved alongside Construct 3 development.
Steam
On October 18, 2012, Construct 2 was submitted to Steam Greenlight. Construct 2 was in the first batch of software titles to be greenlit on November 30, 2012. On January 26, 2013, Construct 2 was the second 'Greenlit' software title to be launched on Steam.
Construct 3
On January 27, 2015, Construct 3 was announced in an entry in the official Scirra blog. New features include Mac and Linux support, multi-language support and third-party extensibility of the editor. Additional details were revealed in January 2017 and public beta started on March 28, 2017. Public beta concluded in December 2017 and software entered full release, official blog post noting that improvements included overhauled manual, tutorials, and IDE translations.
