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Gamemaker Essentials
Gamemaker Essentials

Gamemaker Essentials: Learn all the essential skills of GameMaker: Studio and start making your own impressive games with ease

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Gamemaker Essentials

Chapter 1. Introducing GameMaker

In this chapter, you will learn what GameMaker is all about, who made it, what it is used for, and more. You will then also be learning how to install GameMaker on your computer that is ready for use.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Understanding GameMaker
  • Installing GameMaker: Studio
  • What is this book about?

Understanding GameMaker

Before getting started with GameMaker, it is best to know exactly what it is and what it's designed to do.

GameMaker is a 2D game creation software by YoYo Games. It was designed to allow anyone to easily develop games without having to learn complex programming languages such as C++ through the use of its drag and drop functionality.

The drag and drop functionality allows the user to create games by visually organizing icons on screen, which represent actions and statements that will occur during the game.

GameMaker also has a built-in programming language called GameMaker Language, or GML for short. GML allows users to type out code to be run during their game. All drag and drop actions are actually made up of this GML code.

GameMaker is primarily designed for 2D games, and most of its features and functions are designed for 2D game creation. However, GameMaker does have the ability to create 3D games and has a number of functions dedicated to this.

GameMaker: Studio

There are a number of different versions of GameMaker available, most of which are unsupported because they are outdated; however, support can still be found in the GameMaker Community Forums. GameMaker: Studio is the first version of GameMaker after GameMaker HTML5 to allow users to create games and export them for use on multiple devices and operating systems including PC, Mac, Linux, and Android, on both mobile and desktop versions.

GameMaker: Studio is designed to allow one code base (GML) to run on any device with minimal changes to the base code. Users are able to export their games to run on any supported device or system such as HTML5 without changing any code to make things work.

GameMaker: Studio was also the first version available for download and use through the Steam marketplace. YoYo Games took advantage of the Steam workshop and allowed Steam-based users to post and share their creations through the service.

GameMaker: Studio is sold in a number of different versions, which include several enhanced features and capabilities as the price gets higher.

The standard version is free to download and use. However, it lacks some advanced features included in higher versions and only allows for exporting to the Windows desktop.

The professional version is the second cheapest from the standard version. It includes all features, but only has the Windows desktop and Windows app exports. Other exports can be purchased at an extra cost ranging from $99.99 to $300.

The master version is the most expensive of all the options. It comes with every feature and every export, including all future export modules in version 1.x. If you already own exports in the professional version, you can get the prices of those exports taken off the price of the master version.

Installing GameMaker: Studio

Installing GameMaker is performed much like any other program. In this case, we will be installing GameMaker: Studio as this is the most up-to-date version at this point.

You can find the download at the YoYo Games website, https://www.yoyogames.com/.

From the site, you can pick the free version or purchase one of the others. All the installations are basically the same.

Once the installer is downloaded, we are ready to install GameMaker: Studio. This is just like installing any other program. Just run the file, and then follow the on-screen instructions to accept the license agreement, choose an install location, and install the software.

On the first run, you may see a progress bar appear at the top left of your screen. This is just GameMaker running its first time setup. It will also do this during the update process as YoYo Games releases new features.

Once it is done, you should see a welcome screen and will be prompted to enter your registration code. The key should be e-mailed to you when you make an account during the purchase/download process. Enter this key and your copy of GameMaker: Studio should be registered. You may be prompted to restart GameMaker at this time. Close GameMaker and re-open it and you should see the welcome screen and be able to choose from a number of options on it:

Installing GameMaker: Studio

What is this book about?

We now have GameMaker: Studio installed and are ready to get started with it.

In this book, we will be covering the essential things to know about GameMaker: Studio. This includes everything from drag and drop actions to programming in GameMaker using GameMaker Language (GML). You will learn about how things in GameMaker are structured, and how to organize resources to keep things as clean as possible. By the end of the book, we would have made a simple functioning game and will be ready to get going with game development using GameMaker: Studio.

Summary

In this chapter, we looked into what GameMaker actually is and learned that there are different versions available. We also looked at the different types of GameMaker: Studio available for download and purchase. We then learned how to install GameMaker: Studio, which is the final step in getting ready to learn the essential skills and starting to make our very own games.

In the next chapter, we will look into creating a new project and the main interfaces of GameMaker: Studio.

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Description

This book is for users experienced with game development who now want to learn how to develop games in GameMaker: Studio in a fast-paced way.

Who is this book for?

This book is for users experienced with game development who now want to learn how to develop games in GameMaker: Studio in a fast-paced way.

What you will learn

  • Get to grips with the GameMaker: Studio interface
  • Discover resources such as sprites, shaders, scripts, and many more in GameMaker and what each one is used for
  • Create and animate sprites using the GameMaker sprite editor
  • Design your own game using GameMaker Language programing
  • Create objects and program them to use in your games
  • Set up monetization and analytics in your games
  • Deploy and publish your games online across platforms such as Android, iOS, and Windows
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Publication date : Mar 26, 2015
Length: 154 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784396121
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Length: 154 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784396121
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Table of Contents

10 Chapters
1. Introducing GameMaker Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Getting Started Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Resource Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Objects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. The GameMaker Language Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Sprites Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Making a Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Debugging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Game Settings and Exporting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.8
(13 Ratings)
5 star 38.5%
4 star 23.1%
3 star 23.1%
2 star 7.7%
1 star 7.7%
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The Fire Oracle Apr 22, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent!
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SuJo May 19, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
GameMaker EssentialsPublisher Link: https://www.packtpub.com/game-development/gamemaker-essentials/?utm_source=RajB&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=17843961255/5 - Author has vast experience on the subject matterThis book is laid out very well, has a lot of different sections that pack a punch at just 154 pages. I love how the book starts off with the foundation work with layering the various components of a game and then puts them into use with making an actual game. The book also takes it a step further and goes into promoting your game and making some money at the same time. If you're serious about making a game and want to use a framework that has boiled down the elements of game creation into one tight IDE then grab a copy of this book, brew some coffee, and get into this book. Highly recommended especially for any teens that are looking for a hobby and have a desire in video games and how they work.
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Landon Hughes Dec 06, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is THE book you need if you are starting to learn GameMaker. I love this book!
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Traveler® Oct 04, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
good book
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bc! May 20, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is an excellent primer for GameMaker Studio. It walks you through the basics (GM:S interface, resource management, creating sprites). It also gives an introduction to GML and the game you make near the end even utilizes GML. It also features chapters on exporting and debugging. It explains everything very well. It's nice to not only know how some code works but also why you would use it.Overall I'd say this is an excellent book for someone starting out or a good refresher. I had been messing around with GM:S for a couple of months now but usually doing random tutorials. This book set me on a more instructed path and explained a lot of things I had been using but not understanding.
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