Extensions (Click)
Extensions are segments of code added to an application in modular nature to increase its capabilities. Extensions help expand the functionality of The Games Factory and Multimedia Fusion by providing extra events, conditions, and actions. A list follows:
Contents
Graphical
Lens
The Lens Object is an extention that allows the user to distort an area of the frame as if it was behind glass, either zooming in like a magnifying glass, or refracting. The Lens Object features many customizable options, allowing effects such as reflecting another location of the screen or the illusion of ripples on the screen, however, it takes a proper understanding to get the right effect, and it can cause much slowdown if used at a decently large size, or in high count. A possible alternative for some of the effects one may want this for is the Perspective Object, ironically by the same creator as the Lens Object. The Perspective object is usually much faster but at the cost of not allowing custom distortion maps.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion(?), Multimedia Fusion 2
Mode 7
The Mode 7 Object is an extension that provides a "Mode 7" type of effect. Many complain about its low framerates, but its performance can be increased greatly by disabling interpolation and mip-mapping.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
Perspective
The Perspective Object is an extension that allows users to distort the perspective of a location on the frame, though it appears to not act properly if not fully on screen. Unlike the Lens Object, the Perspective Object uses much less power, but also has that much more limitations. The effects it can create include Perspective, which gives a Mode 7 esqe flattening effect, Panorama, which gives an impressive kind of "barrel" type effect, such as one segment in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Sine Wave, an effect comparable to the effect used in water levels in games such as Yoshi's Island, and Custom, which lets the user control how each "line" of the object is distorted. While impressive, these effects are somewhat lacking in customization, for example, the Sine Wave can be used for a heat wave or underwater distortion, however, the center of the Sine Wave appears hardly distorted while the outer areas are highly distorted. Skillful use of this object can produce a striking 3D illusion.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
Sound and Music
DMC
The Direct Media Control object is an extension allowing one to load Modules, Samples, or Streams and play a large number of them simultaneously and across frames, as well as modifying the system's volume settings. A second revision of this extension, DMC2 was also released.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion
ModFx
See above
ModFusion
See above
Note: Multimedia Fusion 2 has built in playing of many of the audio types that the above extentions were commonly used for.
Data Storage
Array
An Array is any organised collaboration of data, whether a list, table, or block. Values or strings can be written to an X position in a 1D array, XY positions in a 2D array, and XYZ positions in a 3D array. Arrays are highly useful for storing information such as external level formats, where the grid-like nature of a 2D array can store tile information exactly where it would be located in-game, and a 3D array can additionally store Z-depth data. 1D arrays can be used to store player input, which can then be reloaded as replay data. Arrays, especially 3D arrays, can become quite large very quickly, so it is important to use them with care.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
Data Store
The Data Store (or Data Store 2) object reads and writes numeric values to any type of file.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion
Global Store X
The Global Store X object functions like a more complex version of the several 1,000 Global Values/Strings type objects used to bypass MMF's limited global value count. It can store integers, Boolean switches, and strings -- however many the user chooses -- in both 0 and 1-based modes. It also has the ability to save some or all the values to either an INI or a raw binary file, letting it be used as both a global value object and a save game object.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
INI
INI objects allow rudimentary saving of data. However, the data can easily be changed in a text editor unless encryption is used. The INI object does not include encryption, so it has to be done externally. Windows INI objects are limited to 64KB.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
SaveGame
The SaveGame object is similar to the INI Object, but is more complex to use. It is also more secure than using INI files.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
Functional
FastLoop
Fastloop helps speed up certain events by running them many times per MMF/TGF loop. Thus, they are useful for static engines, where they are normally used to push objects out of floors and walls without an overlap being seen. Fastloops are also useful when many objects need to be created or positioned at once. The Fastloop extension assigns an ID number for each loop that is run. MMF 1.5 includes built-in Fastloops, however these use assigned ID strings instead.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
Platform Object
Replaces the built-in platform movement, and provides a quick and easy alternative to static engines. The Platform object gives the user many features to adjust, such as acceleration, gravity, one-way platform emulation, and slope detection.
Compatibility: Multimedia Fusion 2
Pop-Up Window Object
Allows games to display a pop-up window after a certain event is triggered. Available for both TGF and MMF, the pop-up window object isn't used often in games, mainly just for RPGs or the occasional sprite lib.
Compatibility: The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion, Multimedia Fusion 2
