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PlayCanvas Community Part 1 - Announcing PlayCanvas Answers

· 3 min read
Dave Evans
Dave Evans
CTO

PlayCanvas Answers logo

One of our little mantras at PlayCanvas, is that making games is too slow, too hard, and too expensive, and we want to fix that. One way we're going about that is by making great tools which you can use to create games quickly, easily and cheaply.

But tools are are only part of the equation, the next important part of the PlayCanvas story is the Community. A community of smart and creative individuals can lift beginners out of the n00b backwater, push intermediates to excel, and give experts an audience to both educate and impress.

The games industry has traditionally been a secretive place where performance tricks and algorithms were handed around behind closed doors and guarded as trade secrets. Engine documentation was badly written and hidden behind expensive support contracts.

BUT NO MORE!

Introducing PlayCanvas Answers​

PlayCanvas Answers screenshot

We've seen Stack Overflow become the goto* site for asking questions about programming, and if you've used it (we have, a lot) then you'll see why. It is very well designed for asking a question, and getting an answer. It deemphasizes the chatter of a traditional web forum, and concentrates on getting being a location for canonical answers about your problems.

Which is exactly why we've launched PlayCanvas Answers, a question and answer site for the PlayCanvas developer community. Where we can help you make great games. And when we say "we", we mean "we, the PlayCanvas Community" not the staff in our office.

What is PlayCanvas Answers?​

PlayCanvas Answers is where you can go to get support from both the staff and the community. We're monitoring the site, day and night, and for now we expect it will mostly be staff from PlayCanvas answering your questions. But, as the community grows, and as you learn more about how PlayCanvas can help you make games, you are encouraged to answer questions yourselves and help other developers make games faster and more easily.

Some good PlayCanvas Answers questions:

  • How do I include an external JavaScript library in my game?
  • How can I add a HUD to my game?

What isn't PlayCanvas Answers?​

Just like Stack Overflow, PlayCanvas Answers serves a specific need. It is the place you go when you want to find the answer to a question about PlayCanvas. It is not a place to hold a long open-ended discussion.

Types of questions to avoid:

  • Can PlayCanvas be used to make an MMO?
  • How do I add two numbers in JavaScript?

Step by Step​

This is the first step in the PlayCanvas Community, we have much more to come. It'll probably be a little while before Community Part II, but in the meantime, get creating, get asking, and enjoy yourselves.

* Evil, evil goto