Unfortunately, this system is requires the SpriteText components from EZGui for the low draw calls and sprite management.
This is a sprite based messaging system which routes messages generated by your code to formatted message displays within your HUD or within the game world.
I do have a UnityGUI version in the works, but it’s in the queue behind an Inventory Manager for UnityGUI (in C# and JS), and an Inventory Manager for EZGui.
That being said, if there is interest in MessageManager for UnityGUI, I can bump it up a notch in the queue.
Yes - you should follow the links on the page to the EZGui site (EZ GUI) as it turns out there is also an “EZGui” front-end for PowerBasic! Don’t want to get them confused…
You can also find EZGui from within Unity’s Asset Store (Window/Asset Store from the menu in Unity3D), but to be honest, you can wait for upgrades to be processed thru the Asset Store, and if you buy it directly from A&BSoft, you will have no delays in obtaining your upgrade.
So far, EZGui is still in 1.0x, so it’s been one single purchase and free regular upgrades. It’s a great bit of kit, and for mobile GUI’s is very very useful.
I just hope I’ve added a little interest to the pot with MessageManager.
EZGUI is TOO expensive. If you add up all the things you need to buy to make a game, you are better off working with Unreal Engine. This is insane: $200, plus $200 for Sprite manager, plus whatever.
Make your message or anything you do independent from any other things. In the next release if Unity makes a better management for the GUI and Sprites (which I think would be a GREAT idea) everyone who purchased these will be screwed. It happened already, it will happen in the future, nothing should cost more than $100 in the Asset store.
I have MessageManager for UnityGUI on my todo list, but currently I’m primarily targeting mobile devices and an actively involved in the EZGui community, so I produced MessageManager for EZGui first.
Unfortunately, EZGui and UnityGUI are far too different and deal with text in such fundamentally different ways that one cannot develop an independent message manager that would work with both systems. (Or if one did, it would merely be both systems wrapped up in an envelop with some sort of system detection… which amounts to the same thing… one needs two different systems.)
Unity in no way requires EZGui or SpriteManager. Or GUIManager, or SpriteUI or an of the many additional extensions available to Unity to make a game. What I think these addons do is take much of the burden off of a serious games developer for a paltry price. If a developer were to look closely at EZGui or SpriteManager2 (and don’t forget some of the solutions like the original SpriteManager and SpriteUI are free), the developer will quickly realize that EZGui is worth the price compared to cold coding a similar solution from scratch. For the independent, who could be using the free version, these prices could seem steep, but then again, there are some free alternatives.
I find UnityGUI to be a very powerful and versatile system. It’s just not adequately optimized for mobile devices. If Unity does start to support a better sprite solution, it won’t include all of the animation controls and other benefits available from EZGui. EZGui is an incredible powerful package, which just recently added drag-n-drop to its list of features. This still needs to be hard coded in UnityGUI even with AngryAnt’s help.
Wow- that’s a strong opinion. I’m sure EZGUI would be less expensive, if the market didn’t support it. The fact is that currently UnityGUI is not optimal on mobile devices, especially with layout-ing enabled. EZGUI is optimal for mobile devices, and I am sure that EZGUI author Brady is cashing in on this niche market currently, because it is no secret Unity is developing new GUI features for the future.
How many people will buy a $200 expansion? How many will buy a $50 expansion? If you get 10x time sales because you are less expensive, you make more money.
I don’t think doing Unity add-on is a full time job but I think it is a good thing to have a market place at Unity. Bottom line, I have purchased GUI for Blitz Basic, for Gamemaker, etc… they never cost +$100.
Your message system is great and I am waiting your inventory system impatiently. Just make your expansion <$50 and you will sell a lot (I would buy it)
Don’t forget the EZGui is from Brady at Above Beyond Software (http://www.anbsoft.com/middleware/ezgui/). MessageManager is an addon for EZGui. I’m a healthy user of EZGui, but I’m not involved in its development. There are some discussions about EZGui and its price. You should check out either the Unity Forum thread: http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/506...l-GUI-solution or the EZGui forum: http://forum.anbsoft.com/ Both sites have a lot to read, so you may need to do a search to find the pricing discussions.
Thanks! I’m going to give up on the Asset Store for now, and try to get it up on my own eStore next week. Just a lot goin’ on and I’d like to get as much done to it as possible.
In reverse order to MessageManager, I’ll be offering InventoryManager for EZGui, but that will have to wait for some other projects to get finished.
Don’t forget that there are at least two different UNRELATED software packages called EZGui. Make sure you are watching videos related to A&BSoft’s add-on for Unit3D!
I’m really waiting for the 1.1.1 update. Is there any timeframe that people can look forward too? The message on point is really needed in my project. Thanks for a good product.
I’ve been snowed under with a contract job. Alas, if my sub-systems could pay my mortgage.
Thanks for the nudge. I’ll see what I can get done this week. I expect to ship a version today/tomorrow, which will leave me tomorrow/Friday to look at MessageManager. I have a rough beta, but it needs polish.
If I have not released anything by the weekend, please feel free to bump me again for a better estimate.
