Does anyone know of a robust GMS2 course?

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Mr_Ward

Guest
I really want to get good with GMS2 and learn about it in a focused environment. I haven't found a very good gms2 course or tutorial out there in terms of depth. I just have to piece my knowledge together from whatever I can find on the internet. So it hit me this weekend when trying to do a game jam just how little I can do in game maker on my own. I would like to take a course or maybe read a more in depth version of the documentation. I don't care if it's free or payed. If it helps me improve and learn how to really use the tool then its worth paying for.
 
Y

Yotzer

Guest
I really want to get good with GMS2 and learn about it in a focused environment. I haven't found a very good gms2 course or tutorial out there in terms of depth. I just have to piece my knowledge together from whatever I can find on the internet. So it hit me this weekend when trying to do a game jam just how little I can do in game maker on my own. I would like to take a course or maybe read a more in depth version of the documentation. I don't care if it's free or payed. If it helps me improve and learn how to really use the tool then its worth paying for.
i have the same problem as you do. i do the tutorials i find on you tube and i fell as i can understand most of it and learn a lot every time but when i want to do something on my own i feel insecure and not sure what what to use when or in case i made a mistake and i have to fix it i get frustrated.
also there is this "i don't know what is it that i don't know" and "what is the correct order of the things to learn".
what i am doing (don't know if it's the correct path) is : i use weeklygamejam.com as a reference for what i need to make/learn this week and i search for tutorials with the same theme ,sometimes i find exactly what i was looking for and sometimes i don't ,then i do the tutorial and after i am done i start to change the graphics and add my own code if i have the time and/or the knowledge,in case i did not find the correct tutorial for the weekly theme i just go to the closest one to what i needed and seei i can make it fit.
the general idea is that i will be learning something any how and adding some code lines to my vocabulary .
"if you don't know what to do,do what you know"
 

Toque

Member
I couldn’t really find a learning resource that really fit me. I did a few udemy courses, you tube videos and it helped.

I just started a simple game and pay experienced users to to put up with my stupidity. But they are really helpful and great people!! Nice group here.

Interesting. My goal is also to do a gamejam next year. So I’m giving myself a year to get functional with it.
 

Llama_Code

Member
The primary problem with learning from video tutorials is that you are usually just following along with the instructor with no real depth to the material. Imaging if a math teacher taught you how to do math by writing a complex problem on the board and told you to follow along on paper while the work out the problem. You may walk away knowing how to solve this one very specific problem, but you didn't really learn how to solve the problem so if someone presented you with a different problem of the same type you would not be able to solve it.

A lot of tutorials present this same issue. I am not saying there are not good teachers out there, some do take the time to explain what they are doing, but most just do it and have you follow along. So again, you finish the video knowing how to do the specific tasks completed in the video but you didn't really know how to make a game. On the plus side you may pick up UI tips or learn things you didn't know prior about the program by watching someone else so they are not always a complete loss.

Honestly the best way to truly learn it to make something. Read/watch some tutorials to get your bearings if you need to but then make something, don't make games make demos of pieces. Decide something you want to do and use the manual to find relevant functions related to what you want to do and figure out how they work, or use Google, and this forum as a resource. If you have tried and your completely stumped then ask. Doing and failing and resolving the failure is how you learn.

I am not saying video tutorials are all bad and I know heartbeast among others do put out some great material, but you won't learn to make a game from most of them, you will probably just learn to do very specific things and even then that is only if you can truly comprehend what you are doing outside of just following along and making something that works.
 

MissingNo.

Member
Learning through following tutorials video or written was actually what helped me learn Game Maker years ago. I would actually encourage it.
because I find that if you take the time to experiment with the project that you were constructing with the tutorial that you will learn invaluable
information. It gives you a basic framework to add change and tinker with. If it was not for those videos and tutorials and the written Mark Overmars
tutorials I would probably not still be using Game Maker to this day.

One tutorial In particular that was written by Mark Overmars actually challenged the reader to add some new features to the example you already built by following
the tutorial. That was some of the most effective learning I ever had.
 
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Alessio

Guest
Imaging if a math teacher taught you how to do math by writing a complex problem on the board and told you to follow along on paper while the work out the problem. You may walk away knowing how to solve this one very specific problem, but you didn't really learn how to solve the problem so if someone presented you with a different problem of the same type you would not be able to solve it.
I don't even have to imagine that because it happened in reality with me. One of the main reasons i struggle at math is because of mediocre teachers who didn't like their job (one couldn't wait for retirement, no joke) and rushed through it. The result is that i don't remember most of what i was supposed to learn at school and that even if i remembered, it wouldn't be useful anyway.

That's also why i can't stand most video tutorials either. And actually, Heartbeast isn't really that good either. From what i've seen, he proposes the same things over and over, and seeing him using physics to save time on collisions instead of using an actual collision code was the most disappointing thing ever. No, i wouldn't recommend him at all: many just say they learn from him but i think the truth is that they just learn how to write code, not how to understand it (it can take some time). Regarding one of the most commonly shared collision code in the community (i even made a thread about it time ago), i think it being overrepresented discourages new users from doing something of their own, but that's not just about collisions. While it's mostly fault of the users who want to find the easy way, the people who propose learning resource could do more than just video tutorials where they don't explain what they're doing accurately.

The last time i used Game Maker i wanted to understand different approaches to arrays: while the concept of them is easy to understand, i feel i might take time to master them. There were very few written tutorials and i mostly had to look for videos. Few of them were good, but god, the rest were absolutely awful. At last, i wrote code from one of them (seriously, the worst clickbait i've ever seen, the thumbnail showed pretty graphics just to make people believe it was a quality tutorial, they used bland black text instead), tried to customize it the way i preferred and tried to understand every line of them. Couldn't find any better way so far.
 
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maxm2

Guest
Everyone has their own preferences concerning learning, but it's not easy to know what those are when learning a new subject. I found YouTube tutorials to be very valuable, but was kind of overwhelmed when I did searches that came back with hundreds of hits. Below is my current list of subscribed channels; they may be helpful in starting out.

All channels are GMS-specific unless otherwise noted. I include the date of the most recent video because that's an indicator of how active the channel is.

Beyond Us Games
"We are a small games development company with a passion for game development and helping others learn to do the same. Here you can find tutorials for common GameMaker questions, example projects, and eventually sneak peeks and previews of current games we are developing..."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 weeks ago

Code Workshop
"How to make games using Game Maker Studio."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
10 months ago

Electric Donkey
"Hi! I love to code and that's why I made this channel. I want to give all of my GameMaker knowledge away to you guys."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 days ago

Extra Credits
Not GMS-specific, but generally excellent game dev topics.
"Join us on Extra Credits every Wednesday as we take a deeper look at games: how they are made, what they mean, and how we can make them better."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
1 day ago

FriendlyCosmonaut
From her Patreon overview:
"Right now, I'm making tutorial videos for Game Maker Studio 2, a game development engine. I've covered topics including dialogue, cutscenes, object states, optimisation, and more. I'm also making a long-term tutorial series on making a Farming RPG, taking inspiration from games such as Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and Animal Crossing."
The videos are excellent and the creator is a woman, so if you want to encourage more tutorials from an under-represented section of the game dev community, you might consider supporting her work by contributing on her Patreon page.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
3 weeks ago

GDC
Not GMS-specific, but generally excellent game dev topics.
"Welcome to the GDC YouTube channel, where you'll find clips and full length videos from GDC.
GDC is the world's largest professional game industry event, where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games and virtual reality gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry.Take in in-depth talks, inspirational lectures and more from experts."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 days ago

Gloomy Toad Studios
"Learn GameMaker Studio and Game Design from an industry employed professional and 12 year GameMaker veteran. I try to teach more advanced concepts that are not readily available elsewhere."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
5 months ago

GM Wolf
"This channel is here to provide quality programming tutorials for both beginners and intermediates for GameMaker. The videos feature tutorials to help complete beginners into learning how to use game maker, as well as more advanced tutorials, covering all aspects of game development."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
5 months ago

HeartBeast
"Hi! Welcome to my channel. My name is Benjamin and I make GameMaker Studio Tutorials, Godot Engine Tutorials, an pixel art tutorials. If you want to learn to make games you are in the right place!"
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018: 2 days ago

Leaf Blower Games
No "About Us" statement. Creator says he is switching to Unity eventually (for its 3D capabilities), but has over 20 GMS2 videos for the past year and states he will do more GMS game tutorials before moving on to Unity.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 days ago

Let's Learn GameMaker: Studio
"A channel for those who wish to learn GameMaker: Studio. You'll find lessons here that cover everything from the basics of the interface all the way to advanced GML coding. This channel is not affiliated with YoYo Games."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
11 months ago

Making Games 101
"Weekly 'follow along' instructional videos for creating fun, well developed games in GameMaker Studio (GML)."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 years ago. Unclear (to me) if he is using GMS 1 or 2.

MentalArts
"GameMaker: Studio 2 tutorials and development!"
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
9 months ago

Mike Dailly
No "About Us," but seems to focus on remakes of classic retro games in GMS2.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 months ago

MikeTheTech
"Thanks for watching! I look forward to meeting and interacting with all of you. Keep an eye out for more tutorials, gaming commentaries, and how-to's."
Wide variety of topics, including lots of GMS2 tutorials, plus game industry, Unity, Unreal, etc.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
3 days ago

PixelatedPope
No "About Us" statement.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
9 months ago

Rainy Day 3210
"Hello everyone! Wanting to know how to create your own indie games? You've come to the right place! I'll attempt to post at least one, maybe two uploads every week."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:

RealTutsGML
"I'm a game developer that demonstrates Game Maker Studio 1 & 2. If you're new to video game design I can certainly help you with new tutorials every week. I look forward to your success."
Also has Java game programming tutorials.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
1 month ago

rm2kdev
"Indie Game Development Tutorials, Let's Plays and Indie Projects. Welcome to Rm2kdev a place where I share my knowledge, projects and gameplays for you to enjoy and learn from."
Also has equipment reviews, live streams, many GMS2 tutorials.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
3 weeks ago.

Ron Flowers
No "About Us" statement. In addition to GMS2, includes tutorials on "box modeling," "IK rigging," etc. (making characters).
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 months ago

Shaun Spalding
Includes recordings of presentations and much more. If you've done the built-in tutorials of GMS2, you're familiar with Shaun's very excellent work.
"I'm Shaun. I'm a former Ubisoft game designer who creates tutorial content for GameMaker Studio 1 & 2 and game development in general.
"I also worked for YoYo Games for 2 years as their Community Manager, and now I've returned to my roots as an independent game developer."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
3 weeks ago.

Stefan Randa
"I'm a multimedia designer with a BA in Digital concept development.
I love games, design and I make tutorials about these things from time to time, have a look!"
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
4 months ago

Talent Lost
GameMaker Tutorials
"I have a passion for teaching and making games, if you're new to game development then you've likely come to the right place. Here we cover many topics of Gamemaker and also we regularly check out how to implement game mechanics.
If you are just starting out with GameMaker then feel free to take a peak at my Let's GameMaker series. It's designed to get you going with the basics while creating a game at the same time.
I do want to help people get into GameMaker. When I first started I used to get stuck all the time, so if you have any questions feel free to ask and I will get back to you as soon as I can."
Includes dev logs.
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
6 months ago

VTR Studios
"VTR Studios is dedicated to game development and teaching, with a focus on providing high-quality Gamemaker tutorials. The studio also produces assets for the YoYoGames marketplace, and has a game in the works. Check out the channel for Gamemaker tutorials if you're interested in learning how to make your own games, plus keep up to date with whatever project the studio is currently working on!"
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
6 months ago

YoYo Games [sound familiar?]
"YoYo Games is the home of GameMaker Studio 2, the fastest and easiest to use cross-platform game development platform. GameMaker Studio 2 has been developed with usability and efficiency at its core, allowing developers to create games in a single code base and then publish them to run natively across an unprecedented number platforms including Android, iOS, OS X, HTML5, Ubuntu, Windows UWP and consoles. Together the entire GameMaker family of products have been downloaded more than five million times."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 months ago ("Made with GameMaker").
 
Y

Yotzer

Guest
YoYo Games [sound familiar?]
"YoYo Games is the home of GameMaker Studio 2, the fastest and easiest to use cross-platform game development platform. GameMaker Studio 2 has been developed with usability and efficiency at its core, allowing developers to create games in a single code base and then publish them to run natively across an unprecedented number platforms including Android, iOS, OS X, HTML5, Ubuntu, Windows UWP and consoles. Together the entire GameMaker family of products have been downloaded more than five million times."
Most recent tutorial or episode as of July 7, 2018:
2 months ago ("Made with GameMaker").
ironically yoyo games have fewer tutorials then the rest
 
D

DraXX

Guest
As backwards as it sounds, pick and learn a different main-stream programming language (Bare with me on this one). There are more in-depth books, videos, courses than you can shake a stick at. This will probably for-fill your craving for something to get your teeth in to in a more structured manner. Which language and which materials? You will know when you find them.

Come back to GM with this knowledge and most of it will fit.

My own route:

BASIC (Books)
GM 7-8.1 (I didn't have enough behind me to progress) - Possibly a similar situation to where you are now.
C++ (Books)
Visual BASIC (Previous knowledge, Youtube) - Created Advanced booking systems, a network monitoring tool (currently under review for a cash incentive from employer)
Java (Classroom Courses) - Created inventory systems linked in to SQL databases.
GM Studio 1-2 (Accumulated knowledge, Youtube, Help file) - Created workable "Serious Game". Currently building on this to expand capability.

I use Visual BASIC and GM Studio 2 allow me to throw things together pretty quickly (I still bang my head agianst the table as much as everyone else does), but depth of knowledge from other fields lets me understand what I need to do to get there.

<Edit for spelling>
 
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Alessio

Guest
@DraXX you make it look like learning real programming language is a requirement for Game Maker, when the main goal of Game Maker is helping novices program with a scripting language in the first place. If your goal is to be an über programmer you can go for it, but i think it's very unpractical and tedious for game designers. I chose Game Maker because i wanted to avoid these complex programming languages, not to actually use them because "i have to learn to be an über programmer".
 
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DraXX

Guest
@Alessio It's an alternative approach that worked for me and might work for others. I wish I could have learned Game Maker the same way as you have described, but I require structure to my learning to get there.
 
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Alessio

Guest
It's an alternative approach that worked for me and might work for others.
If you are going to move to a completely different tool sooner or later it works, otherwise it's a total waste of time, completely not worth it. It's better to spend that time reading and understanding the Game Maker manual. As i wrote before, i picked Game Maker to avoid stuff like C++, not to actually be forced to use them. Call me uneducated or boorish, but i, as many others, don't want to waste time learning countless programming languages just to learn GML. The least i can do is learning about correct approaches to programming and some basic notions about math and computer science (now these are actually important, especially math, you should actually spend time studying it or revewing what you learned at school), but i will NOT pick complex programming languages just to learn GML. When the day i decide to use C++ comes, i will learn C++.
 
R

Robzoid

Guest
I've been primarily using Shaun Spalding's YouTube channel. He has the best tutorials I've found - and they're free. I don't think *too* much education is needed to get going. You learn as you go. The main thing, in my opinion, is to not be afraid to get in there, get your hands dirty, and make mistakes. If you have any anxiety over making mistakes, then you're probably going to feel like you always need more tutorials when, in fact, making mistakes and fixing them is some of the best education you can get.
 
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Yotzer

Guest
I've been primarily using Shaun Spalding's YouTube channel. He has the best tutorials I've found - and they're free. I don't think *too* much education is needed to get going. You learn as you go. The main thing, in my opinion, is to not be afraid to get in there, get your hands dirty, and make mistakes. If you have any anxiety over making mistakes, then you're probably going to feel like you always need more tutorials when, in fact, making mistakes and fixing them is some of the best education you can get.
try Heartbeast, really good
 
YoYo Games is selling their product to people for educational purposes from what i understand it's there attempt to get there system into colleges... Please correct me if i'm wrong.

with this thought

wouldn't it be wise for yyg to have a page on there website or in these forms with a list of people/companies that have the educational version of gms2.

so those of us that would like to take an official class can.

i realize that C++ and the other popular coding system are being taught in college and have there many, many books of how to... but from what i have gathered gml is much easier to pick up and run with.. so why haven't we seen any official classes out yet.


just my thoughts on this topic.
 

YoKoNo

Member
I'd like to recommend this chap on youtube:

So far I've really enjoyed his channel, seems to have a fairly low audience at the moment which is a shame as the tutorials that he has done are really well thought out,I'd say they are just as good as Shaun's or UheartBeast. I'd like to point some interest to his channel as I would like him to continue to make further videos.


GameMaker Casts
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo1evZTK3G4C43NbKVnfTmA
 
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