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

• GameMaker must appeal to more serious developers
• Publishing games will showcase the potential of GameMaker
• Need to shed reputation of being a “kids play site”
• The current YoYo Games website will be kept and fixed – how this will fit in with the new site is not announced.
• YoYo Games’ Instant Play plugin will be made open source since it takes too much time to maintain (and will be replaced by the ability to produce HTML5 games in GameMaker.
• Games created in GameMaker 8 and beyond will be allowed on new website

Reading the post adds confusion over which versions of GameMaker will be able to be used to create and upload games to the new website.

An earlier blog post by YoYo Games suggested that the new YoYo Games website would restrict uploads to games created in “GameMaker 8.1″ before Russell Kay replied to the comments and stated that YoYo were “considering allowing GM8 and GM8.1 files”.

However in today’s post YoYo Games’ Community Manager Kirsty Scott blogs about the reaction to a proposal for “making game uploads restricted to Standard 8.1″.   I think this is the first anyone has head about such a proposal to limit uploads to upgraded GameMaker users.  Kirsty continues stating that GameMaker 8.1 Standard users are paying for the website and adds “while we understand that there is a great many users of GameMaker 7 and Lite, we cannot place priority on supporting these over the latest (full) version users”.  Despite these comments after clarification from YoYo Games it seems that “uploads by all users of 8/8.1″, including the free Lite versions, will be able to upload.

GameMaker 8.x Uploads Only at New YoYo Games Website is taken from: GameMaker Blog

A large number of bugs have been fixed in what is the first update made using the new distribution system. An option has also been added to allow the new parameter checking system [gmc] to be disabled. This had caused some games created with Game Maker 8 to stop functioning, particularly those which accessed DLLs. Full details are at the official blog and in the release notes.

A number of users have reported problems with GameMaker Standard reverting to the free Lite version and throwing “license verification” error messages, a fix for these should be out “1st thing tomorrow” according to Mike Dailly.

First Automatic Update: GameMaker 8.1.69 is taken from: GameMaker Blog

GameMaker 8.1 has today been released.  The update brings bug fixes, IDE improvements and new functions and variables to Windows users.

In addition there is a new registration system, an built-in updater, the restrictions on the free version have changed and a new higher price comes into effect from June 1st.

Download now (13.8MB installer)

The software can be installed and used alongside Game Maker 8, with editable games saved using GameMaker 8.1 given the .gm81 file extension instead of .gmk.

Usability Improvements

• Adding /// followed by a comment on the top line of a GML script will make the comment appear alongside the script in the Action box of the Object editor.
• Right click priorities have changed in the room editor and you can now zoom into and out of a zoom and pan around it. Using the mouse to pan and zoom have also been added to the Paths and Sprite Editor.
• You can use [F2] to rename resources instead of [Ctrl]+[R]

See: Video including these usability improvements

New Functions and Variables

• New rules apply to script argument passing
• New constants and functions relating to device type
• draw_self()
• dot_product(x1,y1, x2,y2) and dot_product_3d(x1,y1,z1,x2,y2,z2)
• point_distance_3d(x1,y1,z1,x2,y2,z2)
• d3d_light_define_ambient(colour)

Improved Font Support

The font system has been rewritten and fonts are now anti-aliased. Additionally a character set can be specified to improve support for foreign languages and accented characters.

Bug Fixes

With a menu option to report bugs and a built-in system to distribute new updates any identified bugs should be fixed quickly and pushed out to users.

Lite Restrictions

A required in-game watermark and end of game splash screen have been added. The ability to create distributable executable versions of your games remains. Some previously pro-only sprite functions become available including image_angle.

See: GameMaker 8.1 Lite Restrictions

Removal of Softwrap

The Softwrap DRM which controlled access to the upgraded features has been removed and replaced with an in-house version. Upgraded users can convert their Game Maker 8 purchase reference number into a GameMaker 8.1 license key.

Safe from decompilers, for now

Executables exported from GameMaker 8.1 are now encrypted so – currently – games are safe from Game Maker decompilers.

Submit your games to the YoYo Game Store…

GameMaker 8.1 is also the version of the game development software required in order to submit games for publishing in the YoYo Games Store. Although the store is not yet open to submissions one of the biggest hurdles put in the way of this happening has now been overcome.

A full list of changes can be found in the official release notes.

GameMaker 8.1 Released is taken from: GameMaker Blog

To do so click here to visit the YoYo Game Store and press the “Upgrade” button. You will be prompted to enter your purchase reference number for Game Maker 8. If you don’t know what your purchase reference number is you can request it to be emailed to you at Softwrap.

Once you’ve entered the purchase reference number at the YoYo Game Store a $25.00 upgrade discount is applied which makes the purchase free.

You are then presented with your GameMaker 8.1 License Key which should be entered into the software alongside the email address tied to your YoYoGames.com account.  The form for doing this is located under the Help menu.

When your valid details have been entered the software instantly upgrades to GameMaker 8.1 Standard.

Upgrading Game Maker 8 to GameMaker 8.1 is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Understandably the announcement of this intended change was unpopular and many thought this branding of games would drive new users away from GameMaker rather than encouraging them to stick around and upgrade. Whilst it was understood that in order for the development of GameMaker to continue the software would have to pay for itself, some vocal respondents viewed the removal of the ability to create .exe files as a restriction too far.  It has to be said though that the Game Maker 8 logo debacle received more attention than the indented removal of such a key Game Maker component.

What you may have read up to now will probably have given you the impression that the restrictions on GameMaker Lite were only heading one way – harsher. However there have been a couple of restrictions removed in the change from Game Maker 8 to GameMaker 8.1

Additional Restrictions

Whenever an executable file created using GameMaker 8.1 is closed a splash screen advert appears behind the game. It cannot be closed and automatically disappears after displaying for 3 seconds. The message currently displayed encourages upgrading your copy of Game Maker with only the small URL at the bottom of the ad clickable which takes you to a placeholder page on YoYoGames.com. This advert would have little relevance for those not already familiar with Game Maker, whether or not the message shown varies depending on who it is shown to is unknown.

A semi-transparent GameMaker watermark, labelled a “TV logo”, appears throughout the duration of the game in a corner of your choice. The default location is the top left of the screen but this can be altered in GameMaker’s preferences. The logo cannot be repositioned between rooms which I imagine could become quite annoying for some users. The image below shows the four positions in which you can select to place the GameMaker TV logo, only one can be chosen per game.

The 4 possible positions of the GameMaker Lite logo watermark. Only one is used per game.

Retained Restrictions

The majority of restrictions remain the same as for Game Maker 8 and previous versions. These include the lack of 3D and multiplayer support, disabled drag and drop actions and GML functions, the inability to use extensions and the forced display of a GameMaker banner whilst the game is loading.

Removed Restrictions

image_angle – this local variable, used to control the rotation of an objects sprite, is available in GameMaker 8.1 Lite. image_angle became available to upgraded users only following the release of Game Maker 6 and led to workaround solutions for users of Game Maker Lite including using a large number of sprite subimages and inefficient rotation scripts.

draw_sprite_ext(spr,subimg,x,y,xscale,yscale,rot,col,al) - this function allows scaled, rotated and partially transparent sprites to be drawn.  Though in GameMaker 8.1 Lite the sprite can only be blended with white.

Room editor improvements, including the ability to zoom and pan around game rooms, which will appear in the upgraded version of GameMaker 8.1 will now also be available in the free version.

GameMaker 8.1 Lite Restrictions – Final Decisions is taken from: GameMaker Blog

A consultation took place via the GMC where users could put forward their own viable alternative solutions which would “clearly mark” games created using the free version of Game Maker. The removal of the “create executable” option in Lite and the subsequent replacement suggestions were devised to “encourage you to upgrade, but not piss you off and drive you away” from Game Maker according to Mike Dailly.

A new version of the Game Maker 8.1 beta has been pushed out to testers and the “Create Executable” and “Publish your game” File menu options have both returned to the Lite version, along with the full room editor improvements.

In exchange a semi-transparent “Made with Game Maker” logo now appears in one of four pre-defined positions above all game rooms in similar style to the identifiers affixed by some television channels in the corner of the screen. On closing an exported game a Game Maker advert is shown for 3 seconds. The image, which is currently a placeholder, appears behind the game and any other running applications.

The Game Maker watermark and exit splash screen are not shown whilst testing your game from within Game Maker and are only added when you choose to save your game as an executable file.

Game Maker 8.1: New Lite Restrictions is taken from: GameMaker Blog

A list of bug fixes can be found in the Game Maker 8.x changelog.

Transcript follows
“Opening up Game Maker 8.1 one of the first things you may come across is the automatic updater. This has has just popped up alongside a warning to beta testers. The updater lists all the changes that have been made to Game Maker since the last version Upgrading is very easy – providing your antivirus software doesn’t detect the new version as a virus and remove it!

When you first open Game Maker 8.1 you are met with the new larger Game Maker news screen. It displays the same information as before.

On the background you’ll notice that the Game Maker text has gone.

There is also a new Game Maker Tech News blog.

I have open the final example GMK file from the 1945 tutorial. I’m using the lite version and as you can hopefully see the new room editor buttons that control the zoom are disabled. You are also not able to pan around the room as you can do in Game Maker Standard. More significantly. The “Create Executable” and “Publish Your Game” options are disabled.

However if you hit [F5] the game runs. It does this by opening a temporary executable file generated by Game Maker which can easily be located and copied. If you think that this will let you distribute an EXE of your game you are mistaken. A message reading “LITE .exe has expired” pops up when you try to open the file.

So now I’ll upgrade to Game Maker Standard and show you the differences. Upgrades are handled via the YoYo Games store but I already have a key so I’ll just go ahead and enter it.

Instantly the disabled options become available.

Now we’ve got that all sorted lets take a look at the improvements that have been made to Game Maker. We’ll start in the room editor with the zoom function controllable by these toolbar buttons and also the mouse scroll wheel. There’s also the ability to pan around the room which you can activate by pressing and holding the middle mouse button.

The right click priorities have changed. In Game Maker 8 right clicking on an object deletes it. Now it brings up a context menu. There’s a new “Edit Object” option on this list which opens up the Object Properties window. To delete an object the shortcut is [Ctrl]+Right Click

The script editor now supports block indenting so selecting a portion of code and then pressing [tab] will not delete it but will indent it, and reverse indent is [Shift]+[Tab]

Renaming resources now uses the standard [F2] shortcut instead of [Ctrl]+[R]

Adding a piece of GML code as an action for an object event normally results in ‘Execute a Piece of Code’ appearing in the action window. However you can change this to something more descriptive by placing a comment prefixed by three forward-slash characters on the first line of the script.”

Game Maker 8.1: Video of Changes [Part One] is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Whilst testing the software I had entirely overlooked the removal of this feature until this morning when registered upgrade keys were cancelled for a test. This had the effect of converting Game Maker 8.1 Standard installations to Game Maker 8.1 Lite until the key was re-entered.

If you are thinking it might be possible to circumvent this additional restriction by locating the .exe in your temporary files whilst testing the game – you can’t. This file will not run.

The Lite version of Game Maker 7 for Mac has always been unable to export games in a format playable without having Game Maker installed.

The “Publish your Game” menu option is also not currently enabled in the Lite version of the current beta however this will return before the public release enabling Game Maker 8.1 files to be uploaded to YoYoGames.com.

Update 16:13 BST: Mike Dailly on twitter: “After a little discussion… looks like we’ll try that [enabling creation of .exes but limiting them to a short period of play] Perhaps 10min before timing out…. That long enough? We’ll try that then and see how it goes. I’m very aware that being a world wide produce means we sell in less well off areas. Actually as a rule… we’re happy to listen to reasonable discussion and argument. If you can persuade us; we’re happy to change!”

Game Maker 8.1 Lite Cannot Create Executables (Updated: Change of Plan?) is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Bugs reported so far have been fixed by Mike at a good pace. Hopefully the “report a bug” toolbar option will remain present after the initial public release so that any issues which remain can be rectified using the new built-in updater.

With a brief glance the room editor looks identical to that present in Game Maker 8, however there are a number of changes. A zoom has been added which can be controlled by buttons above the top of the room or the mouse scroll wheel. Pressing and holding the middle mouse button enables you to pan around the room. These changes have also been added to the image and path editors.

So far the switch to [Ctrl]+[Right] to delete an object from a room (previously just [Right]) has caught me out a few times. The removal of the “import code snippets” option in the script editor has enabled [F2] to replace the old [Ctrl]+[R] to rename resources – something which always annoyed me.

There is no word yet on if or when the beta will be expanded.

[Show as slideshow]

Game Maker 8.1 – Limited Beta Begins is taken from: GameMaker Blog