M
Mark
Guest
Is there an offline version of the manual available? The loading time as you navigate through it has already become a trial of patience for me 5 minutes in to trying out GMS2.
-
Hey Guest! Ever feel like entering a Game Jam, but the time limit is always too much pressure? We get it... You lead a hectic life and dedicating 3 whole days to make a game just doesn't work for you! So, why not enter the GMC SLOW JAM? Take your time! Kick back and make your game over 4 months! Interested? Then just click here!
-
Hello [name]! Thanks for joining the GMC. Before making any posts in the Tech Support forum, can we suggest you read the forum rules? These are simple guidelines that we ask you to follow so that you can get the best help possible for your issue.
M
Mark
Guest
Ah, that is the one I have been using, but I assumed that it was pulling data from the net based on how slow it is. Any updates planned to increase its performance?
No, it is entirely offline. Only things that require internet are embedded components. The new manual is slower and more sluggish than the last one in spite of being built using the same framework, since I believe it is now distributed and rendered as web pages instead of being compiled as a single CHM file. That's why it is noticeably slower. But there's little you can do about it.
M
Mark
Guest
I would give my first born to YoYo if it meant I could have a chm version of the manual. Seriously though, I use the manual a lot and having it be this sluggish is a real deal breaker for me.
N
Nikles
Guest
The manual is indeed converted by YoYo from CHM to standard html via chm2web, a tool from aklabs, because the CHM format is Windows specific.
Opening the manual via external browser actually lets you see clearly that there's a local http server running (port 51290 by default) to serve html files.
To keep the CHM "aspect" the rendered pages uses frames and javascript.
The resulting loading time on my 3rd gen Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM notebook are the following: 9 seconds to open the index.
What I'd like to ask is this: can't we have both the source CHM and the rendered html files?
(loading https://docs2.yoyogames.com/ takes less than loading the local copy. Just 6 seconds)
Opening the manual via external browser actually lets you see clearly that there's a local http server running (port 51290 by default) to serve html files.
To keep the CHM "aspect" the rendered pages uses frames and javascript.
The resulting loading time on my 3rd gen Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM notebook are the following: 9 seconds to open the index.
What I'd like to ask is this: can't we have both the source CHM and the rendered html files?
(loading https://docs2.yoyogames.com/ takes less than loading the local copy. Just 6 seconds)
Last edited by a moderator:
I suspect the answer is "no". The manual is huuuuuuuge already, and having it duplicated would just balloon the installer size...
N
Nikles
Guest
You're right. Dumb idea. Also a separate downloadable CHM version would not be integrated in the IDE (namely the F1 shortcut and the help menus).
Assuming the GMS2 codebase is different for Mac and Win, why not use the server+html manual on the Mac and the CHM file on Windows?
Obviously this scenario becomes taxing if the codebase is indeed the same (different help menu actions, different shortcuts, a whole different way to serve the manual...)
M
Mark
Guest
I hope YoYo seriously consider this and don't just brush it off as some sort of nonissue raised by eccentrics. I was excited to see what GMS2 had to offer, but I guess I'll just go back to 1.4 until this is resolved or I need something only GMS2 can do.
Sorry, the Mac IDE is fundamentally the same program so we don't want to have to do the manual in 2 different ways - which would also require checking a huge project twice. Sorry, it's not going to happen cutting down on maintenance was one of the reasons we did it in the first place.
I don't get this. You don't spend all your days in the manual, you'll look up parts and read it now and then. To dismiss such a massive update because the manual is a little slower is beyond me.
S
Storyteller
Guest
something that gets me, you have to have GMS2 open to read the manual. there is a server not found error if GMS2 is closed, so you can't read the manual by itself. Is there a way to export everything to a file so you can read up on things or use it as a reference while not using GM?
in my case, Im writing a book on GMS2, and I needed to look up the various draw_line functions, their arguments and such. Basically I needed to see if draw_line_color/colour used one or two colors in its argument, I had the help open, but had closed GMS2 while writing that part of the chapter, and could not look up said function. It can be a pain to have to open the software, to look up a simple bit. Imagine if it had taken that moment to go online to check for my license?
(also, I like your hobby @Mike)
in my case, Im writing a book on GMS2, and I needed to look up the various draw_line functions, their arguments and such. Basically I needed to see if draw_line_color/colour used one or two colors in its argument, I had the help open, but had closed GMS2 while writing that part of the chapter, and could not look up said function. It can be a pain to have to open the software, to look up a simple bit. Imagine if it had taken that moment to go online to check for my license?
(also, I like your hobby @Mike)
M
Mark
Guest
There are a lot of little quality of life things wrong with the manual from my perspective. The way it flashes blindingly when going to a new page, not being able to read it without opening GameMaker, not being able to use the search if what you're looking for is only two characters long, the colours/layout make it difficult for me to read.
As far as I'm aware the only thing that would benefit me in GMS2 right now is the new code editor and I don't care enough about it to stick around. Like I said 1.4, while not perfect, is good enough for me to do what I need to do.
N
Nikles
Guest
Pity. But I understand.
Offline Manual Without GMS2 Running
- Download this tiny executable called Mongoose (free edition): https://www.cesanta.com/products/binary
- Put that executable in the manual folder (like "C:\Program Files\GameMaker Studio 2\chm2web")
- Execute it.
Offline GMS2 manual without GMS2 running.
To close the server, look for the Mongoose icon in the taskbar. Right click and stop it/exit.
This method actually cuts the manual loading time in half (for me, at least). From 9 seconds to just 4.
Last edited by a moderator:
S
Storyteller
Guest
Actually thank you, having looked in the folder, I can probably just hunt through the folders to find the HTML page Im looking for.
I may check out mongoose, looks handy.
Part of why I am writing the book Im working on, is to better understand GMS2 && to explain part of what I think is missing.
There is something about a good book to keep alongside what you are working in.
G
Guest
Guest
You can just go to C:\Program Files\GameMaker Studio 2\chm2web, open the YoYoStudioHelp.zip, copy all the files, and paste them into a folder somewhere else. Then you can just truly read it locally, without the odd web server thing. All the links are relative, and it's worked well for me.
G
GameBoy_obj
Guest
I'd pay $39.99 for a bound, indexed paper copy of the manual...