Windows Clicked Export Project and now my game is gone

[DowneySpence]

Hello,

I recently made a small game for an assignment and went to turn it in, and thought I may need to export the project, so I clicked on that option. Now, my game will only load as a base game and I have no idea why that is happening or what I can do to fix it. As far as I can tell, all the assets are still there and so is the game file itself, but the game is just nonexistent. Please help, this is my first game I've made and I don't want to lose it just like that.

 

[Maa2007]

you should provide some snapshots, otherwise its not obvious what the problem is

 

[gnysek]

What you mean by saying "base game"? If you exported game, and your project was cleared, just import exported game, all should be there. Except you mean you made an executable (exporting is packing project to zip with .yyz extension, making executable/distributing is making build of game).

 

[FrostyCat]

Do you know the difference between File > Export Project (which creates a backup) and Build > Create Executable (which creates a final product)?

This is something that even a complete novice should know from the first one or two tutorials they do.

 

[DowneySpence]

Yeah, sorry here is a screenshot of what it looks like every time I try to open the game that I was originally working from.



I definitely went to File > Export Project, and it created a .yyz file, but every time I try to import it, it gives me the same screen as above. So far, all I can find that I can do is import the sprites that I made one by one, but if I try to add an existing object or and existing room through their .yy files, I get the error message "Blank IdReference found - could be that the project is corrupt".

Like I said, I'm new to GameMaker and this is my first game, and I've been working on it for about a week, I just kind of dove right in and learned as I went.

 

[Evanski]

Did you export the project, then open it on the same system?
if so, im 90% sure you broke file paths,
go to where your project is stored, NOT THE YYZ FILE YOU MADE!!!
Where the base project is, and open that .yyz file.

 

[DowneySpence]

Did you export the project, then open it on the same system?
if so, im 90% sure you broke file paths,
go to where your project is stored, NOT THE YYZ FILE YOU MADE!!!
Where the base project is, and open that .yyz file.

Yeah, I did. When I try to open the original game file that I've been using this whole time, I essentially get a blank canvas which is in the screenshot above. Also, it's a .yyp file, not a .yyz file.

EDIT: New questions: Would it be possible to reroute the file path for my current game back to the folder that it is in so that it would recognize all the objects, sprites, etc. as its own? Or would it be possible to copy those files over to a new game and that game build everything from those files?