Spasman
Member
I've been using Game Maker for a very long time, for just about over a decade. One feature I've wanted since high school was the ability to run your dang game without a video card for server usage.
Now, the first thing you're going to tell me is to write a server in Java or some other language. Yeah, I've already done that, a friend and I wrote a server list for my last game in Python. That solution is great if all you are doing is sending and receiving data, such as an IP address and some basic server data. Or running something stat-based like a leaderboard or character database. Heck, you could theoretically make an entire player-only MMO as long as you keep things synchronized on the player's end.
However, it's just about nigh impossible to write an actual breathing game server in another language. Stuff thats pretty much necessary for server side calculation, such as enemy AI or collision detection, sounds like a tall order since you are essentially simulating the Game Maker engine in another language. Not only does that sound impossible, but I often wonder if you would also break some copyright laws along the way.
Anyhow, obviously the miracle that needs to happen is getting a headless export feature. I've talked to Mike a few times over twitter about it, and he said it's something that he wants but the team never has the time for.
Instead of asking that same question again, I was just curious what sort of work would need to happen to get this feature, especially now that GMS2 is out and about. Is it easy as flicking a switch (metaphorically)? Or would you need to rewrite the entire collision engine? I've always assumed the collision was graphics/GPU based and if you don't have a GPU to calculate it, that would make a lot of sense that the feature is a lot harder to implement then one would think since you would have to rewrite the nature of how collisions work.
This thread's purpose is also to sort of gauge for me how much this feature is wanted. I might be the only one, or maybe theres handful of us, or a lot of us. If you are interested in this feature, maybe leave a post and if it gains enough attention it could be a feature that they would suddenly have time for.
In conclusion, I think a headless export would be a pretty large step forward in terms of being taken more seriously. It would grant access to better GM based multiplayer games, while remaining the easy-to-make game tool it's been known for. With the projects I have in mind, I'm inching closer to finally learning some other language because GM just ain't meeting my requirements anymore. Although I can't blame them if I'm not their target audience.
Now, the first thing you're going to tell me is to write a server in Java or some other language. Yeah, I've already done that, a friend and I wrote a server list for my last game in Python. That solution is great if all you are doing is sending and receiving data, such as an IP address and some basic server data. Or running something stat-based like a leaderboard or character database. Heck, you could theoretically make an entire player-only MMO as long as you keep things synchronized on the player's end.
However, it's just about nigh impossible to write an actual breathing game server in another language. Stuff thats pretty much necessary for server side calculation, such as enemy AI or collision detection, sounds like a tall order since you are essentially simulating the Game Maker engine in another language. Not only does that sound impossible, but I often wonder if you would also break some copyright laws along the way.
Anyhow, obviously the miracle that needs to happen is getting a headless export feature. I've talked to Mike a few times over twitter about it, and he said it's something that he wants but the team never has the time for.
Instead of asking that same question again, I was just curious what sort of work would need to happen to get this feature, especially now that GMS2 is out and about. Is it easy as flicking a switch (metaphorically)? Or would you need to rewrite the entire collision engine? I've always assumed the collision was graphics/GPU based and if you don't have a GPU to calculate it, that would make a lot of sense that the feature is a lot harder to implement then one would think since you would have to rewrite the nature of how collisions work.
This thread's purpose is also to sort of gauge for me how much this feature is wanted. I might be the only one, or maybe theres handful of us, or a lot of us. If you are interested in this feature, maybe leave a post and if it gains enough attention it could be a feature that they would suddenly have time for.
In conclusion, I think a headless export would be a pretty large step forward in terms of being taken more seriously. It would grant access to better GM based multiplayer games, while remaining the easy-to-make game tool it's been known for. With the projects I have in mind, I'm inching closer to finally learning some other language because GM just ain't meeting my requirements anymore. Although I can't blame them if I'm not their target audience.
