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Game Maker 8 Decompiler Released

A Game Maker 8 decompiler has been released together with the decompiler’s source code, documentation on the Game Maker 8 executable file format and a list of issues with the way game data is stored.

The decompiler (original GMB post) is fully functional and converts executable files created in Game Maker 8 to a .gmk file.

An explanation given by the author as to the reasons behind the project is full of anti YoYo Games sentiment.  “YoYoGames since they’ve been founded has done, nothing for GameMaker except mooch off of Mark, make a website and get more people to use it.”

The project is still active as the author states “I’m actually going to be using this information to fix the GM runner seeing as how YYG still neglects the Windows version”.

YoYo Games are expected to use a rewritten runner for Game Maker 9 using knowledge they have gained whilst working on runners for the PSP and iOS.  A Game Maker 7 executable decompiler, which also decompiles games made in GM5.3a, 6, 6.1 and instant play versions, was created by a different author and still functions.

Schreib’s Obfuscator is not compatible with Game Maker 8 but you can protect your games using an anti-decompiler tool by score_under.

What do you think?

31 Comments

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  1. i think if decompiling becomes avalibe to the public it would be a great idea if GM adds a option for a anti decompiling setting when you make your exe

  2. The point is, if there is a decompiler, there should at least be an obfuscator.

    But at least the anti-decomp still works. Thats the main concern.

    The decompiler isnt important until you get into theft of coding or online interactions.

  3. I changed my mind completely about it all. I love the idea of the compilers. I was able to get back 2 of my lost games. and they’re great for learning how other people made games and using them to fix or add features to games for your own personal use. Don’t get me wrong this could definitely be used for the wrong reasons, but there’s not much someone could do with your source to harm you unless you have an online playable game. It wouldn’t even affect you if your game was commercial.

    and I realized that most of the people who would use something like this.. wouldn’t use it for the wrong reasons, this is game maker after all no ones gonna wanna hack ans steal a bunch of free games.

  4. Awesome work. Thanks! I just decompiled a prog of mine and everything worked perfectly, EXCEPT the “Game Information” page did not make it…still very very cool.

  5. I don’t think yyg or Mark Overmars will change the gm runner for this…
    They never did for GM7 when the decompiler for gm7 was released.
    So I don’t think they will do anything…

  6. I’ve been trying to find the GM7 DC so I can get a gmk of Plob from before I went and mangled the save system beyond repair. Given that I’ve been searching a week and still haven’t found a working download, I don’t get why everyone is so worried for their games.

  7. I’d have to side with him on the anti-YYG sentiments. I don’t use GM anymore, but from what I can see, it hasn’t gotten a considerable boost in capabilities since circa 2005 or so. This is 5 years development time people. After they got 3d and surfaces in, everything else was mainly trivial little additions we could always work around. How about rewriting most of the program so that it’s considerably faster than it is now and happens to have much, much smaller file sizes? How about better resource management, since no one wants to compile hundreds of sprites in the executable and quite frankly having to write our own encryptions seems a little silly.

    • I don’t know, YYG hasn’t touched the runner. I don’t think they’d care if someone fixed something they weren’t involved with.

  8. Don’t be a DENIALIST! This is a serious issue! This decompiler is going to raep you!

    He’s climbin in yo code, snatchin yo intellectual property up! So hide yo objects, hide yo children, and hide yo sprites cause he’s stealin every game out there!

    Really though, you be a DENIAlIST, Kid!

    ~Zargy Z. Cat

  9. I admire the skills required to figure this stuff out and the patience to put it all together, but the issues list is so full of crap it’s not even funny. There’s almost no constructive criticism, a lot of complaints aren’t even problems (GM does pretty well with backward compatibility, and it stores dates in a standardized way, for example) and it’s overall rather useless.

    • No the format is horribly done.
      Right now the format is very large, now this doesn’t seem all that important, it sounds like something to complain about for the sake of complaining.

      But this means that instant play actually is far slower than it could be, it could be nearly instant because the files would be much, much smaller and therefore, would take less time to download.

      This also means your final EXEs are larger than they should be.

      But, yes, when that list was written I was rather mad at something else, I need to rewrite the list and actually provide solutions to everything in there.

      Plus, it’s a mix of actual problems and suggestions I need to break those up into subgroups.

    • Generally speaking, in a large GM game most of the file-size is made of high-res images and mp3 music. Packing the other data more efficiently quickly becomes negligible in comparison.

  10. Hopefully, YoYoGames uses this itself as a motivation for improving the runner. These exploits that the creator of this decompiler hopes to improve in Game Maker should also be viewed by YoYoGames so they can in turn learn themselves. It would better yet if the creator joins YoYoGames as he supposedly knows about the faults of Game Maker.

  11. I know there are concerns about decompilers, in this instance, the one for Game Maker ! But I think we need to relax and continue to use and enjoy the product. There are always going to be people out there that will want to ; crack and hack any program. This has happened for decades, where faults and flaws are highlighted. From my point of view, Game Maker was designed to promote creativity and ease of use in game design. People that program in different languages and packages will mock any product if they see in their eyes, it’s defective. As any critic would ! So, carry on using Game Maker and keep your creativity flowing !

  12. Hey guys, the obfuscator is GM7-only. It’s useless. Go use the anti-decompiler. A tool that fixes GM’s crappy security and adds much better security.

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