Game Maker

[Kaptin Keen]

So ..... I need to make a game. And I intend to make it in Game Maker.

So does anyone have any experience with it? Know it's ins and outs? It's strengths and limitations?

What I intend to make is a reasonably simple platformer, but I will need some special movement options to spice it up a bit. I'm sure it can be done - because Gunpoint - but I'm not sure how, or whether I can do it =)

[KillianHawkeye]

Well, I'm not sure what version GameMaker is up to nowadays, but I have used GM 7 and 8 back about 6-7 years ago.

As far as my experiences go, the drag'n'drop interface is workable, but you'll get much better results if you actually learn their programming language and do your stuff through code.

I have seen some pretty decent games made out of GameMaker, so I know it can be a fairly competent game engine. I am not familiar with Gunpoint, but if you could expand upon what specific movement options you're interested in, I'm sure somebody here would be able to help you.

Even though this is gaming related, if you're looking for coding advice, you might also want to start a thread in the Technology sub-forum because they do a lot of this sort of thing there.

[Kaptin Keen]

I'm looking to make a Spiderman-esque swing-on-a-rope sort of thing. Something I'm reasonably sure the engine of GM isn't made for.

I quite honestly don't have it in me to learn coding. I took my shot at that when I was Young - 20-some years ago - and it's not for me. I get languages fine - programming languages too - but I do not get math.

Once I've mulled it over some, I'll head over to the tech subforum and have a look around though, thanks =)

[KillianHawkeye]

I'm looking to make a Spiderman-esque swing-on-a-rope sort of thing. Something I'm reasonably sure the engine of GM isn't made for.

I quite honestly don't have it in me to learn coding. I took my shot at that when I was Young - 20-some years ago - and it's not for me. I get languages fine - programming languages too - but I do not get math.

I can honestly tell you that any game involving anything like jumping or swinging is almost certainly going to require math. Also that trying to make any game without programming knowledge is going to be challenging unless it is an extremely simple sort of game.

A single person rarely possesses all of the skills required to make every part of a video game. This is why nearly all games are created by groups of people with differing areas of expertise.

[Knaight]

I can honestly tell you that any game involving anything like jumping or swinging is almost certainly going to require math. Also that trying to make any game without programming knowledge is going to be challenging unless it is an extremely simple sort of game.

A single person rarely possesses all of the skills required to make every part of a video game. This is why nearly all games are created by groups of people with differing areas of expertise.

There are a lot of small games created by one person, starting with a number of flash games. As for jumping and swinging, there is math required, but the math can be really, really easy.

[Kaptin Keen]

Tom Francis made Gunpoint. In Game Maker. Alone. If he can do it - so can I, dammit =)

That's not necessarily true, but I intend to try. And I do agree: The game idea I have will require stuff that cannot be made in Game Maker, and I shall have to enlist some help for that. But I'll get that down too, somehow =)

The Rocket Pants in Gunpoint also seem like something Game Maker isn't equipped for. And at least that tells me it's possible to patch on something that's coded elsewhere.