Game Maker 8 Features Listed: Resource Exporter Included
Mark Overmars has posted on the YoYo Games blog with a preliminary list of features that are planned to be included in Game Maker 8.
We already knew about the improved image editor with support for alpha transparency, the new bundled resources that YoYo were seeking artists for and GMB had speculated about an object exporter to aid collaboration – today Mark announced a feature that would enable users to import and export resources to make it “a lot easier to collaborate on games”.
The remainder of the additions are listed below:
Collision checking option
Collision checking options for sprites have changed. You can now e.g. indicate whether sub-images should all have the same or different collision masks. Also you can increase and reduce the mask and use a disk as a mask.
Splash screens that show web sites and html documents
You can now show splash screens in the game that show a website or a local html file. In this way you can incorporate for example very nice help pages in your game. There are new actions to support this. Also splash screens got some additional options.Time lines
Time lines have been enhanced. They can for example be paused and they can even play backwards.Trigger events
These are a new type of event that you can define yourself and then use in your objects. For example, you can define events that happen when an object gets close to another object, or when you press a combination of keys, or when you reached a particular score, etc.A new script/code editor
The built-in script/code editor has been completely rewritten, making it a lot easier to write code. For example there is pop-up function name completion, argument help, matching brackets, improved color coding, line numbers, on-the-fly error checking, and a sophisticated find and replace functionality.Smaller changes
Some smaller changes include: Game Maker news shown in the program, much faster loading times (also when starting games), better encryption of executables, constant definition in a separate form, and some visual improvements. Also a number of bugs have been corrected.- Mark Overmars, YoYo Games blog
So like i said, there isn’t an object exporter.. but there is a resource exporter
@Chronic do we have an eye-rolling smilie?
yes
It doesn’t say there’s not an object exporter. It says “You can now import and export the various resources in your game.” The room and sprite examples were not necessarily the entire list of resources. Although the room example made it sound like they would need the gmk…
But either way, they apparently are updating the encryption so we’ll have to figure it out all over again. Dang!
Mark has updated his post with a screenshot of the code editor. Am not sure about the legalities of reproducing it here (believe it would be frowned upon) so here is a link: http://glog.yoyogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/editor.jpg
I like the resource exporter, PNG stuff, and the new code editor a lot. But I’m not sure if this warrants for a whole version number jump. I hope exciting enhancements appear that can actually improve the quality of created games. An example would include pixel shaders, etc..
@Eyas More is coming.
GM8 presumably also includes the C++ runner and Mac support. Those definitely warrant a new version number. Also, I think the alpha support in the IDE will improve the quality of created games. It will make it way easier for people to use that capability, and possible for them to animate their alpha-utilizing sprites.
hopefully this doesn’t make the syntax more noob friendly, or I will be tempted 2 stay with c++ and java only.
Yes, the syntax has been completely changed to aid noobs who know nothing about programming. It’s so easy now, you don’t ever have to hit the “shift” key, as no brackets or parenthesis are required. The plus sign is even interchangeable with a lower-case “t” at any point in your code. In fact, it isn’t even classified as “syntax” anymore. I think Mark came up with “wyntax” for the new name, “because it’s full of win”.
Have you left yet?
Oh, and Rusky, I made a post on the glog answering your question. Since nobody has done that yet here …
“But either way, they apparently are updating the encryption so we’ll have to figure it out all over again. Dang!”
They mention better encryption on the EXEs, not the source files.
“better encryption of executables”
@Rusky
He said better encryption of executables, not better encryption of the GMK.
@Rusky: I have an early version of the help file page regarding import/export. In it, it talks about how to use the feature and through out it mentions that the following can be imported/exported: sprites, sounds, rooms, objects, and time lines.
It does not mention anything about backgrounds, fonts, or paths. But from the wording on the glog post, i’m sure these will also be selectable.
I hope resource exportation was not what Sandy was hinting at when I was talking with him about GMOnline. That would be very disappointing as there is a very big difference between GMOnline and resource import/export.
“today Mark announced a feature that would enable users to import and export resources to make it “a lot easier to collaborate on games”.”
If it’s collaboration they’re looking to make easier, I guess the next step would be to make a TeamViewer-style option in GM where you can twin with another GM user and both be working with the same file simultaneously over the net (with maybe some sort of display showing what the other person is currently doing, and a chat).
@NAL
That was the idea of GMOnline, then Sandy hinted at having that level of team collaboration in GM8.
Would this mean that GM8 is shortly ?
Some overdue changes but better late than never.
@NAL @James Rhodes I was hoping for Networked Team Collaboration
@Demonic The latest word from Mark Overmars is “during or after the summer”.
Nice can’t wait, i really like the new code editor!
@Philip Gamble
At least with the resource export/import, they won’t be far off. Maybe we can expect that in GM8.1/GM9?
Philip, Its winter here (where i am), so when would be better to tell us in months, I think…
@Demonic Then it wouldn’t be a quote
“during or after the winter” would be the equivalent in the Southern Hemisphere. The ‘after’ leaves plenty of ambiguity.
Very cool! It looks really useful. I like that you’ll can use a combination of keys, so you can move to all directions you want!
But…
When it shall be available to download??
GM8 is looking pretty great so far. Stuff I’m most looking forward to:
Website/HTML Splash Screens
Trigger Events
PNG/alpha transparency support
and of course,
Increased speed and visual improvements
Instead of something like ‘GMOnline’ couldn’t you just use a shared Dropbox folder? Then any of the people working on the game could save and change the .gmk at will.
I’d like some more Global Game Settings, things like, different types of loading bars (eg. circles), whether you want your game to appear in the task bar, rotatable and sizable objects in the room editor.
Improved room editor.
And…basically make it look more modern.
I’d be VERY happy to have sizable & rotatable objects in the room editor.
)
(And more 3D functions!!
Im overly excited!
**************collision_line does not take image_angle in to account!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why not make load object information that is saved to file during gameplay(which I thought can make loading time shorter on slower machine) but I know this may impossible to be done… maybe no?
So, what about the rumour I heard about Mac and Console compatibility? What about iPhone? I guess those were all just speculation?
@Brian The Mac version is happening. The third beta version is currently available for testing. See http://gamemakerblog.com/2009/08/20/game-maker-7-for-mac-third-beta-public/
@hardcoregamer
wow your a faggot
@looool
And your a downright n00b.
It would be nice if mark would rewrite the code so that gamemaker draws triangles faster
If you could integrate flash exporter, I mean published games in flash format the whole world will turn to gamemaker
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤Will GM 7 engines work with GM 8??????????
Got the answers =)), Yes it will work, because GM syntax wount change, giggidy =D