Thank You
Welcome to Power Game Factory, a tool for the production of side-scrolling action/adventure games for the Macintosh. Featuring a polished graphical user interface, Power Game Factory is capable of producing games similar to many of the most highly regarded side-scrolling games for the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Neo•Geo, but with far superior graphics and sounds. Best of all, no programming is required. Sawblade Software thanks you for your interest in Power Game Factory, and we hope you will find it to be an effective outlet for your creativity.
Creative Possibilities
Power Game Factory offers a range of new game design possibilities by eliminating the usual requirement of programming expertise. Complex game designs are still possible thanks to a wide range of object properties and configurable routines, but Power Game Factory's graphical user interface streamlines the production process. With the technical challenges of game design overcome, the emphasis switches to design and content creation. We hope that Power Game Factory will give artists and musicians a way to express their creativity through a previously inaccessible medium.
Features
The following are just a few of the features built into Power Game Factory. Any game created in Power Game Factory can take advantage of these technologies without additional development effort:
| • | Non-repeating level backgrounds with parallax scrolling | |
| • | Realistic physics including gravity, collisions, and particle dissipation | |
| • | Support for detailed and fluidly animated character graphics | |
| • | Customizable event-based game routines | |
| • | Customizable event-based game routines | |
| • | Colored Lighting Effects | |
| • | Animated QuickTime cut screens | |
| • | 15 level objects including doors, switches, force fields, and animated scenery | |
| • | Message panes containing character dialog | |
| • | Game screen scaling and gamma fading | |
| • | Unlimited saved games | |
| ...And much more! |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Power Game Factory different from the competition?
Power Game Factory has a narrow focus: 2D side-scrolling action games for the Macintosh. Some other game development programs are capable of creating a wider variety of game types, but in using such versatile software you may confront the problem of not knowing where to begin. Power Game Factory's straightforward interface never leaves you wondering which mode to enter or which window to open, and many of the tools will feel familiar if you have experience with graphics and page layout software. Since no programming or scripting is involved, you will not be burdened with syntax issues.
How well does Power Game Factory run on older computers?
Power Game Factory will run on almost any computer with Mac OS X. Games made with Power Game Factory however are often more demanding, requiring more memory and a relatively recent graphics card to maintain a smooth frame rate. Any computer in Apple's current product line is more than powerful enough to run most games made with Power Game Factory. This includes the iBook and the Mac Mini.
Can I sell the games I make using Power Game Factory?
Sawblade Software does not place restrictions on your right to sell finished games, and you may charge any price you wish. You may sell games independently, or you may work through a publisher. You will never have to pay us royalties.
What features can we expect to see added to Power Game Factory in the near future?
Power Game Factory is likely to be fine tuned in the future. Any bugs that are discovered will be fixed, but we do not expect to add any huge new features. The reason for this is that major changes to Power Game Factory would necessitate a new game project file format, breaking compatibility with older game projects.
List some examples of games that can and can't be made with Power Game Factory.
Power Game Factory is used to make 2D side-scrolling action games in which the main character can run left and right, jump, and aim and shoot in up to eight directions. Games that could have been made in Power Game Factory include Contra, Metroid, Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ninja Gaiden, Donkey Kong Country, and Metal Slug. It is not possible to make games such as Final Fight or River City Ransom, in which the main character can walk up and down along an isometric plane, nor is it (officially) possible to make vehicular based side scrolling shooters such as Gradius. Finally, it is not possible to make games with overly complex RPG elements such as experience points and large inventories.
Why doesn't Power Game Factory create games for Windows?
We found it very difficult to create Windows applications that were robust and stable enough meet our standards. Lots of little things were going wrong early in the development cycle, and we gradually abandoned our Windows ambitions. Since then, more Mac-only libraries and frameworks have been incorporated into our game engine, strengthening it tremendously while preventing it from ever working on the PC.