Messages

1

NGUI 3 Support / Re: NGUI 3.0.9f7 multiplatform app

« on: February 27, 2014, 05:18:48 PM »

While sure, there may be many people using NGUI who aren't technical, I doubt that's a good enough reason to not include more in depth info. The link you mentioned ( http://www.tasharen.com/forum/index.php?topic=6754.0 ) is the exact reason I posted it in the first place —perhaps for you, the creator of NGUI, you feel this covers everything, but it doesn't cover the tiny nuances which end up taking up a lot of time. I would say it's insufficient. For example, I tried figuring out the right way to do anchoring & multi-res handling in NGUI v3x, and I read that, and still couldn't find definitive answers (hence coming to the forums).

Definitely keep the videos though, as they are helpful for some people, but there's a reason why almost every other software company does *not* rely on just videos to teach programming concepts.

Telling someone to "read the source" is even less helpful, and goes against your first hypothesis that "most people using Unity aren't technical".

I think more needs to be done. I want the NGUI bible. The one doc that will 9 times out of10 have the answer to whatever operation I'm trying to do. It's your company/product so do as you will doc-wise, but I may have to switch UI libraries if it looks like there's no real urgency on your end to resolve this. I ultimately have a business to run as well, and I can't train new engineers in your software by telling them to spend hours re-winding YouTube videos and trying to get answers to each question on a forum.

Thanks though!

2

NGUI 3 Support / Re: (!!!) Improving NGUI: Voice your opinion

« on: February 25, 2014, 12:10:20 PM »

All I want for NGUI is a definitive programming guide. The NGUI "Bible" of sorts. The definitive place where all forum hooplah can be resolved with a simple answer like "Read Chapter 10: Constructing Multi-Resolution UIs".

That would make my day.

I voiced this here: http://www.tasharen.com/forum/index.php?topic=7463.msg39076#msg39076

3

NGUI 3 Support / Re: Looking for documentation

« on: February 25, 2014, 12:03:48 PM »

Funny, I just finished posting about how we need more a significant documentation solution for NGUI. I'm a long time user of NGUI and the 3.x barely makes sense to me. Lots of paradigms changed, there's new little "aha" boxes you have to check and stuff like that —— all things that aren't immediately intuitive and thus merit documentation.

NGUI is awesome when it works as you expect it to And frustrating when it doesn't and you're left on your own

Request for Documentation: http://www.tasharen.com/forum/index.php?topic=7463.msg39076#msg39076

4

NGUI 3 Support / Re: NGUI 3.0.9f7 multiplatform app

« on: February 24, 2014, 11:38:17 PM »

Hi ArenMook,

I'm a fan of NGUI but there absolutely needs to be a full-written programming guide on how to anchor/position/handle multiple resolutions --- or pretty much everything. I created an account today for this purpose because it's just too big of an issue for me to remain a forum lurker for.

NGUI needs a complete programming guide.

It needs to not just be a video. Videos are great, but some concepts are better understood when described in detail in prose, and then we can read it at our own pace. Following the videos half the time I'm fighting with the YouTube UI to center in on whatever is the particular checkbox that you're talking about, meanwhile missing half the point and having to rewind. This gets frustrating and feels like time/energy wasted (including wasting your time making those videos, though I guess they might seem easier than writing something more substantial).

I've been using NGUI for years now, have followed your success (kudos to you), and have seen it evolve. I think it's about time you do a real set of programming guides --- not just class references, and not just videos, not just examples, and not just a few more detailed forum posts writeup here and there about some topics, but a definitive programming guide.

As a former tech writer for Apple and a long time customer of yours, I can tell you that it will alleviate a bunch of support issues and your audience demands this. Just think about how many developers today are trying to do what OP posted:

+ Develop for 3.5" iPhones
+ Develop for 4" iPhones
+ Develop for who-knows-the-hell-what" Androids

...and no dedicated NGUI programming guide that's updated to the latest version of NGUI? And you pulled in over $300k? Perhaps some more of that could go to documentation. Plus one of your greatest gripes in your (pleasure to read!) forum post about your unplanned for successes with NGUI was just how much of a beast it came to support. First off, I applaud you as this is a great beast to have --- but also this beast is your own creating — more so if you do not resolve the documentation problem in a more thorough approach. You can reduce the barrage of "n00b" questions that go on and on before a solution is finally resolved (only to have a new poster come the next day with the same question and unable to extract the same answer) by just giving your ass-kicking UI library & it's adoring fans the documentation they all deserve.

And to not be one to point out problems and not have a solution: I would be willing to work on this with you if you need some help. As again stated, I wrote guides on fairly complex stuff such as kernel convolution and vector processing for Apple back when Steve was there. Here's an Apple-approved Programming Guide (different from a Class Reference) that I personally wrote. https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/performance/Conceptual/vImage/Introduction/Introduction.html

You can even see my dog Cookie in it

Anywho, hopefully we see some better documentation soon because I am going through too many hoops to get my UI to render correctly since the new 3.x stuff. Looks like I'm definitely not alone here.

Your's truly,
jtfrench