GameMaker
| File:Gamemaker Logo.png | |
| File:Gm interface.png The Game Maker user interface. An example of the sprite properties, object properties and script editor are visible. | |
| Developer(s) | YoYo Games |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Game development |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | YoYo Games |
Game Maker is a software application written by Mark Overmars in the Delphi programming language. Overmars released the first public version on November 15 1999. It is currently at version 7.
The primary interface for the creation of games is via an object-oriented drag-and-drop system, allowing users unfamiliar with traditional programming to intuitively create games by organizing icons visually on the screen. Users select a personally-created object and drop instances of these objects in the area of the game being worked on, and Game Maker automatically applies any global effects to that instance of the object. To extend the drag-and-drop functionality of Game Maker, users can use files called Libraries to add new drag-and-drop items known as Actions to the lists. These can be created with a special library builder.
The program is designed to allow its users to easily develop computer games without having to learn a complex programming language such as C++ or Java. For experienced users, Game Maker contains a built-in scripting programming language called the "Game Maker Language (GML)", allowing the user to further customize their game and expand features. Games can be distributed under any license subject to the terms of Game Maker's EULA, in non-editable executable ".exe" files or as .gmk (Version 7.x), .gm6 (Version 6.x), .gmd (Version 5.x and 4.x), and .gmf (Version 3 and below) (source code) source files. Users of Game Maker are allowed to distribute and even sell their creations as long as they comply with the terms of the Game Maker EULA, which prohibits a number of illicit programs such as those which involve unauthorized use of copyrighted material or those which are unlawful in general.
Game Maker is becoming more widely known and used. It has attracted a substantial number of users; mainly because of the program's accessibility to beginners while still allowing complex tasks to be undertaken by more advanced users. It is not as narrow in game creation as some other programs, as it allows the creation of many types of games, including platform games, first-person shooters, third-person shooters, massively multiplayer online games and simulation games. It is also possible to create standard applications with Game Maker.
Features
As of February 2007, Game Maker is at version 7. It still incorporates the use of Direct3D, allowing the usage of limited 3D graphics, and adds limited support for simple 3D models. Converters make it possible to use more popular 3D formats such as .3ds, and .obj for use in a 3D project. It also supports the ability to create certain particle effects like rain, snow, and clouds easily.
Game Maker is available in an unregistered version ('Lite') free of charge and a registered version ('Pro'). The registered version, which costs €15 (about $20 or £10), extends the features available in the program, such as the ability to incorporate DLLs, take advantage of Direct3D, use particles, and utilize advanced drawing functions. The free version displays a small Game Maker advertisement during the loading of the game, while the registered version removes the advertisement, giving a more professional feel to the finished game.
Game Maker's engine has improved over the years and has become much faster — especially in the graphics area — allowing the use of alpha and blending functions for games' sprites, as well as special polygonal drawing modes. Starting with version 6, Game Maker has adapted to the use of DirectX 8, making some of these effects possible, though it has led to an increase in the minimum system requirements.
Game Maker itself is not limited to the functions and abilities included in GML. Game Maker can load and utilize DLLs allowing it to perform tasks it otherwise could not. A number of DLLs have been created for the specific purpose of extending Game Maker, such as providing socket support and allowing MySQL connectivity. In version 7 of the software, a new extension mechanism allows for more extensions to Game Maker through the use of dlls, gml scripts and action libraries.
Tools for Game Maker including the Library Maker, a program to create libraries of drag-and-drop functions, and the Extension Maker, which allows for the creation of scripts and functions in GML. Several resource packs can be downloaded on the website. The older versions are also available for download.
Sprite Editor
Game Maker has its own sprite editor which can be used to make and edit sprites for games without using an external program. The basic version of the sprite editor includes a pencil tool, a line tool, a circle tool, a rectangle tool, a free-form line tool, a rounded-rectangle tool, true color format, and custom color palette creation. The advanced form includes a gradient-fill tool and a clear image tool. At the startup screen, special effects can be added to images. Such effects include: adding alpha, blurring the image, rotation, resizing of the canvas, stretching, and skewing. Animation tools include fading/colorizing, rotating and resizing, translation effects, merging images, and overlaying animated images. Advanced users can also use some of the built-in runtime drawing functions as an alternative to colorizing or scaling through the sprite editor. Sprites can also be dynamically edited at runtime using the built in drawing functions.
Game Maker Language
The Game Maker Language (often abbreviated to GML) is a scripting language within Game Maker which allows for users to further enhance and control the design of their game through conventional programming as opposed to the drag-and-drop system. The syntax of GML borrows aspects from other languages such as C, C++, and Pascal. This has led to some confusion and has caused some to believe that such languages can be used directly in Game Maker.
Originally, GML was designed to supplement the drag-and-drop interface, allowing more advanced users to add additional functionality to their games or programs. Newer versions of Game Maker actually use GML as their base, with all of the drag-and-drop functions coming as pre-written GML scripts.
GML is an interpreted programming language instead of a compiled language. When Game Maker creates a stand alone game, all GML (including drag and drop functions) is packed into the game executable. Every time the generated program is executed, an included interpreter carries out the commands indicated by the GML code. Being an interpreted language, though, GML is generally slower than compiled languages such as C++.
GML also includes support for loading and using DLLs. This allows functions and routines to be written in other programming languages such as C++, Delphi, Pascal and others.
YoYo Games
On January 26, 2007, Mark Overmars announced that he would be working with a company in the UK named YoYo Games. The motive behind the cooperation is that it would bring faster and better development to Game Maker, as well as provide a better website for its users. The website is a community in which users can upload and share their created games and review and discuss submitted games on the website. It will also provide a much extended help system and support for the sharing of resources. YoYo Games is recreating the GMC (Game Maker Community) and YoYo Games has published Game Maker 7. As of April 28, 2007, the YoYo Games Web site has been officially released to the public.
YoYo Games has also been a cause of heated discussion among the Game Maker Community. Most Game Maker users feel that the switch to YoYo Games has caused more harm than good. Much of this discussion has come from the new Softwrap registration system used in Game Maker 7 which has made registration difficult for many Game Maker users.[citation needed]
There has also been a merger with the Game Maker Showcase, creating much controversy.[citation needed] Games from the GMS are being imported into YoYo Games.
YoYo Games has recently made a website that allow people who have made games in Game Maker can put games they have made on the website, the website also has a instant play feature so people can play games on it without having to deal with unzipping it and such.
System requirements
The following specifications reflect the system requirements of Game Maker's exported executable files. The Game Maker tool has unspecified, but significantly lower requirements.[1]
System Requirements for Game Maker 7.x:
- Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
- DirectX 8 or later
- DirectX 8 compatible graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory
- Pentium or equivalent processor
- DirectX 8 compatible sound card
- 128 MB of memory or greater (noted only in official Game Maker help file documentation)
- 800x600 (or greater) screen resolution with 16-bit or 32-bit colors
System Requirements for Game Maker 6.x:
- Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista (see below)
- DirectX 8 or later
- DirectX 8 compatible graphics card with at least 16MB of video memory (32MB or more recommended)
- Pentium or equivalent processor
- DirectX 8 compatible sound card
- 64 MB of memory or greater (noted only in official Game Maker help file documentation)
- 800x600 (or greater) screen resolution with 16-bit or 32-bit colors
System Requirements for Game Maker 5.x:
- Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP
- DirectX 6 or later
- Pentium or equivalent processor
- 800x600 (or greater) screen resolution with 16-bit or 32-bit colors
Note: Versions 6.x used to not work with the Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System, due to an incompatible compression implementation in its creation of executable files. Version 7 of the program, however, works correctly with Vista, as well as most supported functions in versions 5.x and prior. As of June 24th, 2007, Mark Overmars made a converter to work with the Windows Vista Operating System.[2]
Educational use
Game Maker was written by Mark Overmars, a professor of the University of Utrecht, partly as a teaching aid for his students. It is gaining recognition as a useful teaching tool in primary and secondary schools because of its easy entry and sophisticated scripting language.[citation needed]
Game Maker Community
The Game Maker Community (commonly abbreviated "GMC" by its users) is an online forum with over 50,000 members, made for the discussion of Game Maker. The current forum was created by Mark Overmars on September 18,2003, and is now a subdomain of the official Yoyo Games website. The forum currently has six administrators and eighteen moderators. The forum is powered by Invision Power Board v2.0.4 software. In 2006, an announcement was made stating the forum software would be upgraded, and that the forum would start fresh without any posts. The announcement indicated the switchover would occur sometime within the next few months. Since then, there has been no public announcement or indication that the forum software will be updated, nor is there any indication that the forum will start again from scratch.
Extensions
Game Maker supports the use of both DLL extensions and specialized Game Maker extension files. This allows Game Maker to have many more useful features than are provided by default. Among the most popular extensions are 3D engines and sound and music packages.
See also
References
External links
- Game Maker - official website.
