Tweaks so far include increased support for the discussion of non-Windows development. Subforums such as “Work In Progress” now bare three separate sections for Mac, Windows, and HTML5. This is a positive step towards the growing list of supported Game Maker platforms being better incorporated with the forum.

Three new subforums have also been introduced that focus on students using Game Maker, indicating YoYo may be wishing to further target university students and budding game developers in the coming years.

The most controverisal addition to the restructuring is the new “Off-topic” section. Some members are voicing concerns that the introduction of this subforum could dilute posting in other areas. It is generally believed that off-topic forums web-wide tend to distract veteran members from contributing to on-topic areas of websites.

Further changes to forum names and sections will continue to take place in what may be the biggest change to the website since YoYo Games took over management of the GMC. It is likely to remain a big talking point in the days to come.

GMC Faces Major Restructure is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Participants are encouraged to use an optional theme, and a special handicap has also been chosen this time to add an additional challenge. Both teams and solo entrants may compete, with the final results being judged by the community. A variety of prizes have been contributed by GMC forum members, and an official prize from YoYo Games is also expected.

For more information, head over to the GameMaker Community discussion topic.

GMC Jam #6 – 72 Hour Competition is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Boxes & Circles Don’t Make Good Characters
Creating a walking cycle (or even just requesting one) is apparently too much for some people. Instead we end up seeing endless amounts of games that substite legitimate character design with colored gliding boxes and rolling balls. Sure, at first it was cute controlling a cube with eyes. But this is 2012; I think after years of lazy character development, those offenders can try a little harder at some actual graphical work. By all means, if a sphere or box is a legitimate part of your game design, go for it. Just be warned, its easy to tell when a feature was considered, and when it was slapped together.

Default Resources
A default load screen and default icons are really offputting. They are designed as placeholders that can later be changed, and nothing more.
As much as we all love the program, you’ve failed your job as a game designer if you haven’t solidly masked that its made in Game Maker. Its another case of graphical laziness. Developing an icon only takes minutes with a free tool like GIMP. And the loading bar can be turned off if you really can’t be bothered whipping a custom one up. The same goes for GM dialogues– don’t use the default messages unless you want to tell the world you are incapable of creating popup windows.
Be sure not to use default sprites either. They are there for initial experimenting with GM. No project worth sharing has ever been made with default sprites and backgrounds.

Windowed Mode
There is a time and place for using full screen, and it isn’t utilized as much as it should be. There is no problem in using windowed mode. Its easier to work with, and depending what kind of game you make it may be the best option for you. I am currently working on an exploration game, and windowed mode is what works best for me. But in the Game Maker world there are a lot of games, especially 3D works, that missed the opportunity to go full screen. It only takes a few lines of code to adjust room sizes or views to any resolution, and adjusting GUI elements to sit correctly on any screen is a matter of simple X and Y positioning.
We really need to embrace full screen more. It will make your game appear more professional, and the end user will appreciate a more immersive experience (its hard to ‘get into’ a game in windowed mode, being constantly reminded you are looking at a computer screen).

Psuedo-Companies
There is a strange obsession with creating game companies in the GMC. New users are often guilty of this more than anyone else. You don’t need to create a logo, or a business name, or assemble a team of people you’ll never end up using (seek help only when you need it, team requests should be used sparingly). Don’t create a phoney website for a non-existent unregistered gaming company. Don’t put fake trademarks on your software (protip: trademarks aren’t free, so stop with the TM symbols). If you want an identity associated with your work, use your username or your real name. Or how about linking to a YouTube channel where you can post videos of your game when its out?
In a nutshell, splash screens and bogus company names don’t make you look credible. Since most people abandon their GM projects and teams, its best to leave any “business” details for later– and only if you plan to stick to it and produce more software. And if you want to protect your work legally and freely, copyright can instantly be applied to your work. You can also use a free Creative Commons license, if your game is freeware or opensource. As for trademarks, you don’t need them.

Short Stories
As indie developers, we have to do all the work ourselves. Sound, graphics, programming, design, and everything inbetween. And we all strive to finish our game and get it out there for the public to see. Sadly the one area that often suffers for this is the game storyline. Its typical for a GM project to feature an unsatisfyingly small amount of levels, or even have an unfinished storyline. It doesn’t matter how good everything else in the game is if the duration of play is only ten minutes.
It is hard to get people to download and play your game, and you get one chance to make an impression. Do you think they will come back to play the update after you finish the storyline a month later? Yeah, keep dreaming.
The flip side to this is having a long storyline that sucks; this isn’t a problem for GM games usually, but its worth putting that warning out there anyway.

Don’t fall into the crowded depressing world of cheap Game Maker creation flops. Tools like Game Maker make it easy to do a bad job. Its takes a good job to reach an audience of players. Its easy to cut corners; its not to create a decent game in an over-saturated indie world.

5 Game Maker Cliches to Avoid is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Money and the App store: a few figures that might help an indie developer
The Game Bakers outlines some common App Store myths and posts some details of the varying successes games have found in the store.

HTML5Haven
Game Maker Community member Dangerous_Dave‘s HTML5 game hosting website is currently serving up 100 unique game plays a day. Aside from the blocky choice of font it’s a pretty good start for a showcase of Game Maker HTML5 games.

Community Links: Game Maker Studio release “shortly after” Grave Maker is taken from: GameMaker Blog

The Filipino bagged the prizes for Innovation, Best PC game and Best Indie Game at the event held at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde in Manila.

Roan writes that the event was “the best night for me… ever, and another first for me!”.

Circle Speedster is a black and white puzzle game first released in March 2010. Trailer below the fold.

Roan Contreras collects 3 awards at Philippine Game Development Festival is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Alarm bells: ESET blocks the link.

A Game Maker creation, released under the ‘Tools & Applications’ section of the Game Maker Community, was not been dealt with by staff at the website for several days despite alarm from users at the forum.

“Easy Ragdoll v1.0″ was published by GMC member Locknar, who released the program on the 7th of December, the same day he joined the website. He has denied that the file, a corrupt Windows executable that reportedly fails to run, was intentionally infected with a malicious trojan.

The file was reported as infected by multiple virus scanners and firewalls including ESET Smart Security, and online service Virus Total. It was tested by GMC member Dylan93 who alerted topic viewers of the potential dangers. A witness to the topic YellowAfterlife warned the virus may have password stealing capabilities.

The file was reported by at least two GMC members shortly after it was posted by Locknar. However even after three days since its release, the topic and its link remained publically visible, potentially leaving users browsing the subforum risk. There was no response from any moderators in the topic.

Mike Dailly, a well known programmer and developer at YoYo games, acknowledged it was “very easy to see it’s not a GameMaker .exe” given its small size of just 250k. Although it is primarily moderators who should be handling such an issue, Mr. Dailly removed the file and dealt with the situation immediately after we contacted him.

“As to .EXEs on any forum, you always have to take your own precautions.

“… until HTML5 and browser tech is the standard, anyone wanting to share games will need to share .EXEs, and users will just have to take care.” Mr. Dailly said.

Aside from logging into his account, Locknar had not shown any further activity since the 7th of December, the very day he joined and released the corrupt file. He has since had his posts removed and been flagged as a spammer.

GMC Moderators Neglect Infected Program? is taken from: GameMaker Blog

• Stencyl also recently nice promo on the BBC’s Click technology programme, positioning itself the best way to get started in game development – something I’m sure GameMaker would like to be billed as.

• Dutch game designed Kjell ‘t Hoen, who created Rick O’Shea whilst at YoYo Games returned to Holland after six weeks in Scotland yesterday. Flying in the other direction comes Piotr Gnys who arrived in Dundee earlier today from Poland.

• Quick catch-up interview with the creators of Dustforce. The prize-winning GameMaker created prototype is being rewritten and should be available on Steam from the middle of January 2012. IndieGames.com also have a post on this which contains a gameplay video.

• The website of indieFunction, who had announced they were going on hiatus until the January 2012, is back online after earlier being suspended.  Hopefully this means that the publisher of indie(Magazine) will indeed return and continue to release new issues.

Community Links: Stencyl iOS Exporter Price, Piotr in Dundee, Dustforce is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Next year the Polish Game Maker Community, GMCLAN, turns 10 years old, and it will be celebrated during SzczecinGamesShow, together with releasing Gear-Studio games. It’s probably the biggest non-official GM community.

At what was the third game expo in Szczecin, the GameMaker stand with Gear-Studio games and GameMaker presentations was visited by more than 20,000 people.

SzczecinGamesShow – GM stand from community is taken from: GameMaker Blog

One of the new included features is sprite obfuscation whereby sprites are only constructed when the game starts running.

The Game Maker Obfuscator can be downloaded from the GMC.

Game Maker Obfuscator – Now Supports Sprite Obfuscation is taken from: GameMaker Blog

GMClan at SzczecinGamesShow is taken from: GameMaker Blog