This is a summary of my user experience feedback for GMS2. My opinion is that 1.4 was much cleaner and easier to use. Hopefully you can make sure GMS2 feels great as well with the added aid to workflow. I have made a list of issues that I think need to be reworked. If I have missed an option for my requests, please let me know.
My largest issue is the workspace environment. You should be able to collapse the object and event window in the workspace without having them close your code window. The workspace chains are useless to me, and aren't even used in any meaningful way to show parent relationships. I'm stuck with at least 3 windows in the workspace when moving an object taking up a bunch of space. I have to drag the object window to move everything since the code window is locked to a column which is super annoying.
Everything seems to take up more space and I'm almost looking into getting more monitors as it seems GMS2 is built for that in mind.
1) With the above mentioned, scripts and events should be allowed to open in seperate windows, just like in GM1.4. You should be able to click on an event and have it open in a new window and not just in the workspace or the fullscreen editor. I know that you can drag the event to become a new window, but this doesn't help after you open another event. It can never be added as a tab automatically, even if you set the option to "open event scripts as tabs in the same window". Right now everything is opened in the workspace first, or in a full screen editor.
Example: When I click on an event for an object, have it to open as a new window (if user wants this option). If the user clicks on another event for the same object, I have the set "open event script as tabs in the same window" in preferences, this new event should be added as a tab in the window i just opened.
Currently the workaround is this: With "open object events in a full screen editor" set to false, the user must click on an event and have it open in the workspace. The user clicks on multiple events and they are added as tabs as the user has the "open event scripts as tabs in the same window" enabled. The user now has to click on the "maxize" button in the top right corner, and then drag the code tab so it opens an external window. This however, still does not solve the problem mentioned above.
So in short: "open event scripts as tabs in the same window" should work for external windows and the option to open scripts in events as seperate windows in preferences.
2) The names of tabs that are events (say 'Create') should specify the object they are called from. (objPlayer : Create). Same goes for collision events, as they are currently just named as the object the collision happens with. They could also show the icon for the event next to it.
3) The help section for GMS2 isn't as interesting or helpful to use as the one in 1.4 (and also harder to read and navigate).
4) Code Completion should have an option to not be case sensitive. The lookup is also much too slow for me ( maybe use some sort of hashing for this?).
5) Would be cool if the snippets would work by entering words to trigger them. Instead of pressing F2 + hotkey. Snippet manager inside GM would be awesome..
6) Windows cannot be closed in the workspace by rightclicks (when zoomed out for example). The same goes for maximizing the code window (user has to click on the maximize button). Opening several objects clutter your workspace pretty quickly and there needs to be a way to mange this more easily. The only way to close an object seems to be to click on the small cross in the top right corner - annoying!
7) Zooming out in workspace should give you a better overview. Maybe have object labels pop up once you zoom out far enough. Maybe just simple stuff like hovering over them with the mouse shows you the name of the resource.
8) Hotkeys to navigate multiple workspaces. Ctrl+W seems to close a tab, but I would like Ctrl+1 to select the first tab, for instance.
9).The resouces tab is difficult to read (without the use of views).
Minor annoyances:
11)When opening GMS2, all the panes that are not the workspace are dragged out to their maximum width sometimes. (layout bug?) .
12) Dragging an object from one workspace to a new one should work just by dropping the object on the tab, instead of dragging it into the workspace itself.
13) Dragging resources into folders should not collapse all the resources. This does not seem to happen all the time (bug?)
14) Move the "search resource" from the bottom, to the top.
15) You can't seem to import color coding files or specify a custom script editor?
16) External windows show the complete menu row and options to run game, etc. They are not needed if you just want to see a script in an external window.
My largest issue is the workspace environment. You should be able to collapse the object and event window in the workspace without having them close your code window. The workspace chains are useless to me, and aren't even used in any meaningful way to show parent relationships. I'm stuck with at least 3 windows in the workspace when moving an object taking up a bunch of space. I have to drag the object window to move everything since the code window is locked to a column which is super annoying.
Everything seems to take up more space and I'm almost looking into getting more monitors as it seems GMS2 is built for that in mind.
1) With the above mentioned, scripts and events should be allowed to open in seperate windows, just like in GM1.4. You should be able to click on an event and have it open in a new window and not just in the workspace or the fullscreen editor. I know that you can drag the event to become a new window, but this doesn't help after you open another event. It can never be added as a tab automatically, even if you set the option to "open event scripts as tabs in the same window". Right now everything is opened in the workspace first, or in a full screen editor.
Example: When I click on an event for an object, have it to open as a new window (if user wants this option). If the user clicks on another event for the same object, I have the set "open event script as tabs in the same window" in preferences, this new event should be added as a tab in the window i just opened.
Currently the workaround is this: With "open object events in a full screen editor" set to false, the user must click on an event and have it open in the workspace. The user clicks on multiple events and they are added as tabs as the user has the "open event scripts as tabs in the same window" enabled. The user now has to click on the "maxize" button in the top right corner, and then drag the code tab so it opens an external window. This however, still does not solve the problem mentioned above.
So in short: "open event scripts as tabs in the same window" should work for external windows and the option to open scripts in events as seperate windows in preferences.
2) The names of tabs that are events (say 'Create') should specify the object they are called from. (objPlayer : Create). Same goes for collision events, as they are currently just named as the object the collision happens with. They could also show the icon for the event next to it.
3) The help section for GMS2 isn't as interesting or helpful to use as the one in 1.4 (and also harder to read and navigate).
4) Code Completion should have an option to not be case sensitive. The lookup is also much too slow for me ( maybe use some sort of hashing for this?).
5) Would be cool if the snippets would work by entering words to trigger them. Instead of pressing F2 + hotkey. Snippet manager inside GM would be awesome..
6) Windows cannot be closed in the workspace by rightclicks (when zoomed out for example). The same goes for maximizing the code window (user has to click on the maximize button). Opening several objects clutter your workspace pretty quickly and there needs to be a way to mange this more easily. The only way to close an object seems to be to click on the small cross in the top right corner - annoying!
7) Zooming out in workspace should give you a better overview. Maybe have object labels pop up once you zoom out far enough. Maybe just simple stuff like hovering over them with the mouse shows you the name of the resource.
8) Hotkeys to navigate multiple workspaces. Ctrl+W seems to close a tab, but I would like Ctrl+1 to select the first tab, for instance.
9).The resouces tab is difficult to read (without the use of views).
Minor annoyances:
11)When opening GMS2, all the panes that are not the workspace are dragged out to their maximum width sometimes. (layout bug?) .
12) Dragging an object from one workspace to a new one should work just by dropping the object on the tab, instead of dragging it into the workspace itself.
13) Dragging resources into folders should not collapse all the resources. This does not seem to happen all the time (bug?)
14) Move the "search resource" from the bottom, to the top.
15) You can't seem to import color coding files or specify a custom script editor?
16) External windows show the complete menu row and options to run game, etc. They are not needed if you just want to see a script in an external window.
