GameMaker Blog

YoYo Games have today released version 8 of Game Maker.  The interface remains the same as in previous versions but there have been a number of improvements with completely rewritten Sprite and Script editors and some new features.  This is the first version of the game development software to be made available since Game Maker 7 in February 2007.

Download it now (.exe Installer, 10.4MB)

Changes:

• Improved Script Editor – A completely rewritten script editor includes new default colour coding settings (can be changed in preferences), line numbers and a pop-up box to help complete functions.
• Enhanced Sprite Editor – Support for alpha transparency is perhaps the greatest new addition to the graphics capabilities of Game Maker but the editor has a whole host of new features including a magic wand selection tool, anti-aliasing and additional image effects such as glow and shadow options.
• The limit on the number of vertexes allowed when drawing 3D models has increased from 1,000 to 32,000.
• Updated Collision Mask Options - Sub-images of a sprite may now have different collision masks.  Masks can also be created in new shapes including diamond (useful for isometric games) and disk and can also be drawn by hand.
• Additional Time Line Features – Time Lines can now be paused and even played in reverse.
• Speed Improvements
• New! Trigger Event – If a condition that you input in the Trigger editor becomes true an object can be made to perform any action you desire.  You may wish to check whether a variable has a certain value or if the player is in a certain location within a room.
• New! Bundled Resources – A new collection of free to use sprites, backgrounds and sound effects are included in the Game Maker 8 download. These updated resources have been created by users of Game Maker and can be distributed within games without any usage restrictions.
• New! Resource Exporter – Sprites, sounds, backgrounds, paths, scripts, fonts, time lines, objects and rooms together with Game Information and Global Game Settings can all be exported in just a few short clicks to a .gmres file.  Any combination of these game resources can then quickly be imported into a new or pre-existing project.
• New! Splash Screen Options – Drag-and-drop actions to display a splash screen consisting of text, image or video and an online or local webpage have been added to the main2 tab.
• New! Variables and Functions – gamemaker_version variable stores a number relating to the version of Game Maker used to create the game (Game Maker 8 is 800). Functions added to return the size and amount of free space on a specific drive: disk_size(drive), disk_free(drive). Also additional random functions and mouse_wheel_up and mouse_wheel_down.
• New! Game Maker News – Official updates from YoYo Games regarding the software are now shown at startup (can be disabled).
• New! Tutorial Sidebar – Tutorials can now be displayed in a sidebar on the right hand side of the IDE.  This means that there is no longer any need to switch between windows when getting started with the software.  There is no news so far as to whether user created tutorials will be able to utilise this feature.

This is not a full list of changes and additions.  For that please see the official change log.

Screenshots of changes and new features (click to enlarge):

Free/Lite and Upgraded/Pro:
Users who purchased the Pro version of Game Maker 7 at any time during 2009 will receive a free upgrade to Game Maker 8 Pro.  If you upgraded prior to 2009 you will need to purchase the upgrade (current cost $25) if you wish to make use of the benefits provided to supporters in the new version.