Call to action: Responding to HB's giveaway of Apprentice

[FrostyCat]

It has come to my attention that HB is handing out stock, unedited copies of GameMaker's Apprentice from 2006 in its latest sale.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/code-your-own-games-book-bundle

Some may see this as another opportunity to promote GM sales, but I see a disaster in the making.

The version of GM it's designed for (GM 6.x) has been shuttered almost a decade ago and can't be legitimately downloaded. The last version that supports it out of the box (GM 8.1) met its end a few years ago, and like GM 6.x it also can't be legitimately downloaded. GMS 1.x won't work with the legacy audio commands and removed D&D actions referenced in the book, and GMS 2.x doesn't even come with the same interface.

Once again we're seeing bad moves in the teaching community that serve little other than staining GM's name. When a popular book like this comes with instructions that no longer work, learners will likely lay the blame on the software and spread the negative feedback around. As much as this one isn't really YoYo's fault, there is still cause for alarm.

If anyone from YoYo or around here is listening, I'd like to put out a call to action to prepare against this event:

• Community reviewers: Reply on this topic indicating your interest. Once an admin/moderator is interested in administrating the review, write errata notes for parts of your assigned chapter(s) that have been deprecated or removed in GMS 1.x.
• Moderators / Admins / Community leaders: One or two leaders should get the book and divide up the chapters among reviewers. Once the erratas are in, pin them up and host the downloads somewhere for at least the upcoming year.

In as little as a week or two, we'll likely be flooded with Apprentice questions on the GMC and complaining customers at the helpdesk. What a holiday gift that would be if we aren't prepared.

 

[RekNepZ]

That is a very strange move. You'd think they'd notice that that book is super outdated. Do you know if this is the version that comes with GM6? That could be especially disastrous seeing as it doesn't work well with newer versions of Windows.

 

[FrostyCat]

That is a very strange move. You'd think they'd notice that that book is super outdated. Do you know if this is the version that comes with GM6? That could be especially disastrous seeing as it doesn't work well with newer versions of Windows.

I'm pretty certain it's the version that ships with GM 6.1 on a CD, and I don't think they noticed.

Click on the link for Apprentice on the HB sale page and see for yourself. It goes to Apprentice's page at APress, stating a publication date of 2006.

Although most people so far posting on the GMC asking Apprentice/Companion questions use 8.1 or GMS 1.x, I can't shake the thought of how many of them just gave up silently when GM 6.1 crashes on startup. You don't need a bleeding edge machine to make that happen --- XP is the last version of Windows that GM 6.1 works on.

As a historical note, I offered to work with Professor Habgood to update Apprentice and Companion 2 years ago, but he turned it down. He cited the frequent changes between GMS 1.x releases and how they mess up his course materials. So an updated version could have happened, but it didn't pan out.

 

[Jobo]

If YoYo Games spend time to edit this book, you'll probably just take that opportunity to make a new topic about how GameMaker Studio 2 has been abandoned in favor of a book for GM6. You're always looking for the next opportunity to raise alarm over something... Surely your topics are satirical at best at this point.

So an updated version could have happened, but it didn't pan out.

You just concluded your own topic...

As much as this one isn't really YoYo's fault

And again...

 

[ShaunJS]

Urgh. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Mike]

This has nothing to do with us. If Jacob and Mark want to sell this via HB that's up to them, it's their "product" and they can do whatever they like with it. Just because it's based on a older version (GM8.0), doesn't mean they have to stop selling it.
If folk come here asking, then they'll be helped just like everyone else - even if that's just to direct them to a newer version.

 

[chance]

I'm curious how these bundled sales work on the HB site. Are the contents being re-sold by a third party vendor (like traditional bookstores, for example)? Or are the original authors actively participating, and setting up these bundles?

I ask, because it's surprising that Mark Overmars would actively push such out-of-date content onto the market. I'd like to think he isn't really participating in this.

 

[Roderick]

Not only is there the oddly out of date GM manual, but they have a RPG Maker VX in the $15 tier and MV at $8. That would be like putting a GM 8.1 manual in the top tier, and a 1.4 manual in a lower tier. Not technically wrong, but weird.

I'd like to pick up this bundle, but now I'm uncertain about how many of the books are out of date.

 

[Llama_Code]

Seems like an odd jumbled mess of book anyway....

Considering its all books by the same publisher, it seems like a publisher thing they just threw together haphazardly.

 

[NPT]

This has nothing to do with us. If Jacob and Mark want to sell this via HB that's up to them, it's their "product" and they can do whatever they like with it. Just because it's based on a older version (GM8.0), doesn't mean they have to stop selling it.
If folk come here asking, then they'll be helped just like everyone else - even if that's just to direct them to a newer version.

I'm curious how these bundled sales work on the HB site. Are the contents being re-sold by a third party vendor (like traditional bookstores, for example)? Or are the original authors actively participating, and setting up these bundles?

I ask, because it's surprising that Mark Overmars would actively push such out-of-date content onto the market. I'd like to think he isn't really participating in this.

I doubt that Mark and Jacob are involved in this. Every book available is an Apress published book, and old. These are likely remainders that Apress has either donated or bulk sold to a book remainder distributer or Humble Bundle themselves. I don't see how referring them to the latest copy of Studio will help, their book purchase simply doesn't apply.

 

[RichHopefulComposer]

Sorry, FrostyCat. I have a game to make. No spare time to worry that some people might buy outdated GameMaker books.