How familiar are you with GML?

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OneDayDreamer

Guest
That sounds great, if I wasn't in the middle of my current project then I would definitely look into you.
Then look into me when you are done! Hahaha

Seriously, though, despite how busy I can get, I always make time for new projects. What can I say? I need the networking, the money, the exposure, and the motivation and means to create!
 
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PhenomenalDev

Guest
Then look into me when you are done! Hahaha

Seriously, though, despite how busy I can get, I always make time for new projects. What can I say? I need the networking, the money, the exposure, and the motivation and means to create!
Will do, and make sure to make that forum post ;P
 
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Storyteller

Guest
Im writing a book on GML to push myself to the next level, explore it's limits and perform recitation on what Ive learned.
Im using a book on AI for games, a book on algorithms and networking for games and a few other tomes as references, digging through the manual etc.
Im about 20% done with the first of 9 chapters, including drawing graphs, using the debugger and making music from code.


Im familiar with programming, writing this book is helping me bring it all back to GML.
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I'm one of those people who keeps picking up GML from YouTube tutorials and then moving onto other projects, so that when I remember to come back, I have forgotten almost everything. Yay! That's what I get for having too many interests.
Learning stuff by heart just makes you more effective, though... as long as you can use the tools at your disposal to get the results you want, that's all you need.
 
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PhenomenalDev

Guest
Ironically, it just was approved soon after I posted that message, haha. Updating my thread now. Either my art sucks, or I posted at a bad time.
I checked the thread and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the art but nothing that suggests your art would be usable in a game in actual gameplay.
 
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OneDayDreamer

Guest
I checked the thread and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the art but nothing that suggests your art would be usable in a game in actual gameplay.
Ha, true maybe, but I figured if anyone wanted 2d portraits for character dialogue, or even a fully animated cutscene, I could be a potential client. Maybe a bit too niche? It's hard enough to try networking around other sites. I also figured my wide array of musical talents could be very fitting for games, especially for hack-and-slash, RPG, and action games.
 
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PhenomenalDev

Guest
Ha, true maybe, but I figured if anyone wanted 2d portraits for character dialogue, or even a fully animated cutscene, I could be a potential client. Maybe a bit too niche? It's hard enough to try networking around other sites. I also figured my wide array of musical talents could be very fitting for games, especially for hack-and-slash, RPG, and action games.
Ultimately I don't know it does seem kinda like there wont be too many chances from just that.
 
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Falconsoft-Industries

Guest
Well I know how to make RPG dialogue boxes, mugshots but I am having issues with when the text finishes typing the mugshot needs to be blinking it's finished talking sprite.

Also sometimes it's keeps animating the mouth movement for 20 or 40 extra seconds after the text has stopped typing, so I use a message box object and mugshot object. What can I do to fix this?
 

Perseus

Not Medusa
Forum Staff
Moderator
What can I do to fix this?
Please create a new topic in the Programming forum to ask for help instead of posting in someone else's completety irrelevant topic. Make sure that you post all the code and related information, since without enough information to work with, nobody would be able to help you out. You can save a lot of time by spending some of it on reading these tips and heeding the advice given there.

While I'm at it, I'd point out that you guys should cut down on the number of off-topic posts being created here. Let's discuss how you learned GML and save rest of the things for profile posts or private conversations.
 
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SouthernShotty

Guest
It's all about how much time you put into it! Look up specific genre tutorials and engines to get started learning. Do some boring basic tutorials. You'll start making things in the first week. Depending on how much time you put in it, you could make a decent full game in the first few months.
 
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Falconsoft-Industries

Guest
Terribly sorry I will move this to a programming topic.
 
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ShiEksdee

Guest
I know nothing of GML, but the sad part about me is that I learn much better in a class-like environment. That's why I opened a team searching thread to make a project for the sole purpose of getting a programmer to teach/learn with me. XD I'm not sure if that's the best route for most people but it seemed best for me.

Most people I've talked to say they learn best by tinkering with other peoples' codes to see what they do and then implementing those into their own games. That or online tutorials helping them make specific features for their projects.

EDIT: Ooooh another anime-inspired artist just like me. Awesomesauce.
 
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SwegDawgs

Guest
It helps if you find a book or tutorial for a game. You learn by copying everything down
 

FrostyCat

Redemption Seeker
It helps if you find a book or tutorial for a game. You learn by copying everything down
You can get a seemingly good result once by copying everything down, but you can't learn by copying everything down.

When the time comes to face a new problem without an existing copy-and-paste answer, you'll see how worthless the approach is when you need wet-nursing for the simplest variation. It comes sooner than most rookies think, and I've seen too much of that around here.
 
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Pilocide

Guest
Mod Edit: This post was merged from another topic about the same subject.
****************

Hey there,

I'm curious to know how long have you been coding GML for? What frustrated you the most? Why did you decide to choose GMS over the many other programs out there? What makes coding in GMS fun? If not, why?
 
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John Andrews

Living Enigma
I started using GameMaker with the drag & drop system and then I used that same system to "program" code using variables and stuff, then I learned code and used it in GM, and every time I want to code in Game Maker, I read the manual searching for functions to use, and if you want to make good code, it doesn't matter how much GML you know(altough it is helpful), what matters is how good you program and code things, as we say in my country: "It's the bowman, not the arrow" :)
 
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Razvan93

Guest
I also started just with the drag and drop, and then I learned code after.
 

JackTurbo

Member
You can get a seemingly good result once by copying everything down, but you can't learn by copying everything down.

When the time comes to face a new problem without an existing copy-and-paste answer, you'll see how worthless the approach is when you need wet-nursing for the simplest variation. It comes sooner than most rookies think, and I've seen too much of that around here.
I think you're spot on here and its what I've been calling "the black box problem".

When novice GM users use tutorials, often they end up with a functional system that they simply do not understand. Its like a black box, they can see what goes in and they can see what comes out, but the how and the why it works are still a mystery. This will invariably lead to complications and problems down the line as they try and build upon this system or utilise it in new ways.

This was certainly a problem I had when I started out, and is one that I only recently really got over. I had a few of these black boxes in my project for a while and they ended up causing me significant headaches. The first thing I did once I realised this was an issue was to go through them line by line, working out exactly what the system was doing while drawing a flow diagram of the system (irl) to document it all.

Once I fundamentally understood these systems it quickly became apparent why my efforts to build upon them had failed and it didnt take too long to work out how to refactor them to better suit my personal requirements (which naturally aren't exactly the same as the tutor's).

I now no longer allow any black boxes in my project. No one should.
 
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Lerner

Guest
I think you're spot on here and its what I've been calling "the black box problem".

When novice GM users use tutorials, often they end up with a functional system that they simply do not understand. Its like a black box, they can see what goes in and they can see what comes out, but the how and the why it works are still a mystery. This will invariably lead to complications and problems down the line as they try and build upon this system or utilise it in new ways.

This was certainly a problem I had when I started out, and is one that I only recently really got over. I had a few of these black boxes in my project for a while and they ended up causing me significant headaches. The first thing I did once I realised this was an issue was to go through them line by line, working out exactly what the system was doing while drawing a flow diagram of the system (irl) to document it all.

Once I fundamentally understood these systems it quickly became apparent why my efforts to build upon them had failed and it didnt take too long to work out how to refactor them to better suit my personal requirements (which naturally aren't exactly the same as the tutor's).

I now no longer allow any black boxes in my project. No one should.
I strongly second that. Sometimes, a game developer must adopt an engineer point of view in order to solve complex problems, in a fast and elegant way. Nobody (but you and your team) will help you when your game lags, bugs and seriously need to scratch your head.
 
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JDSTIGER

Guest
About 10 months, & I still have little idea of what I'm doing. :confused: I got the basics down & some drag & drop but the physics.. I still have no clue on how to code that. o_O I think even the most advanced people on here are still learning...
 

unoya

Member
I started to use GM, is in the 5.3A version, then I like the GML syntax, simple and powerful, but not much functionality.
I remember when I used GML to create tool software (such as animation editor), not the making games.
 
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nix0nax

Guest
I'm alright, I haven't done anything to advanced and yeah I still use the manual pretty much all the time.
 

Xer0botXer0

Senpai
Syntax wise I know it good so far but I don't know what I don't know until I encounter problems that make me question these uncertainties.

You may know the ingredients that would make a good soup, if only you knew that those ingredients could make a good soup. It goes beyond knowing syntax, it's how we put it together.
 
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Kuro

Guest
For the past 2 or so months the first thing i would open when I start gamemaker is a tab to the help. Yesterday, I started a new project and forgot to open the help, and just started writing the code for a game manager object that handles the game logic and drawing. So 5 hours in when I finally needed to look up something up in the manual, i realised that the manual hadn't been open the whole time. It was a satisfying realisation that some of it has to be sinking in :D
 
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Yin

Guest
I recently switched from Construct 2 to GMS2 so I'm very new but so far I'm absolutely loving it. I'm only using GML and it's hard to grasp a few concepts (since I'm not used to scripting at all) but you have so much control over everything. I tried using GMS1.4 before but I only opened it, looked around and closed it every time lol.
 
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The Little Game Dev

Guest
Im not extremely fluent but Im able to use it quite well
 
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Rukiri

Guest
I would consider myself pretty familiar with GML, however everything I know stems from the Game Maker 5 days... who remembers gamemaker.nl? and the awesome price of $25 for each version "wow...miss those prices".

I haven't really gone over "what's new in GML" since then, am aware of DS_(maps, lists, grids) etc.

Hey, I actually enjoyed RPG Maker at the time, it was a good introduction to programming concepts for someone who's never done it before! Too bad I'm too professional to use it anymore. :p
If you're still making RPGs you could just make a RPG Maker esque kit in Game Maker. That's what I'm doing.
 
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quaymat321234

Guest
I consider myself quite fluent, and could probably have a good go at any challenge thrown my way these days.
 
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Tate

Guest
I'm not a very good programmer at all, but I can still make good games with Game Maker, it's just an easy-to-use tool.
 
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Specter

Guest
Not at all, I'm going to be using drag and drop lol
Lol Sparckman, Just in case everyone on the forums doesn't know, Sparckman is a Legend on Youtube for using non coding engines for game design such as MMF(Multimedia Fusion)mostly, and has just got in to GameMaker, and also GDevelop just recently. Love and Shoutouts to ya Sparckman.
 
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quaymat321234

Guest
Familiar with basic GML ...never messed much with the advanced stuff such as surfaces... but I know the networking... been using GM since 3.1... I know most of it I guess - Wowwwwwwww :)
 
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Kuro

Guest
Lol Sparckman, Just in case everyone on the forums doesn't know, Sparckman is a Legend on Youtube for using non coding engines for game design such as MMF(Multimedia Fusion)mostly, and has just got in to GameMaker, and also GDevelop just recently. Love and Shoutouts to ya Sparckman.
That's awesome. There seems to be more demand for content about DnD in GMS 2, than there is supply of new content. I think there's a niche to be filled there.
 

Oakleaf

Member
I've been using GM for 13 years and GML for at least 10, but I still need to check the manual pretty often. Documentation is GM's strength, and one of the main reasons I haven't switched to anything else (tried Godot but the lack of documentation there made me turn back to good old GM).
 
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BlakeNBitz

Guest
Im not a computer science guy. I'm not a programmer by any sense of the word. I'm an audio guy who wanted to try to make games. Been steadily working with gml and watching tutorials since about march of 2017. I feel your pain. Retaining this info is incredibly difficult, and tedious at times. But if you're persistent, you'll slowly begin to retain small bits of the language here and there. I'm currently working on my first full game. I am making a basic platformer and using youtube ALOT to show me how to program in gml. I'd say don't worry about learning EVERYTHING that the tutorial teaches you. The more you do it, the more it will naturally stick.

The 3 biggest things that I've picked up with learning gm/gml are:

1) DON'T COPY & PASTE: Its fine to use the same exact code if you're learning, but if you dont type it you wont remember how or what you did. This also applies when you are using multiple lines of code that may be very similar to one another (ie. doing vertical & horizontal collisions). Of course copying and pasting, then editing the code, would be more time efficient, but if you're looking to learn....don't copy/paste it.

2) Comments/Notes will be your best friend. Seriously, do it even with simple self explanatory syntax like "room_restart();" Just throwing in a simple comment explaining what you're doing, will further ingrain into your head what is happening, and how the logic/syntax works. And if you are going at a slow pace, or have forgotten what you were working on before, leaving many comments are super helpful for jogging your memory.

3) Use what you have: If you're good at writing but are just learning gml, make the mechanics really basic for a run in the mill platformer, and let the writing be the shinning factor of your game.

Just keep on keepin on my friend!
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I used to feel like I've mastered GML, then I took a GMS2 to the knee :p
I'm kinda glad how GML didn't change in the major update, but it's going to take a lot of time getting used to the new GMS2 workflow, that's for sure. And I'm still not quite trusting it to be fully stable yet, tbh... and as long as GMS1 is supported, I'll use it, because that means I can make my engines and other dev resources usable for the maximal possible audience.
 
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dannyjenn

Guest
I started using GameMaker years ago... I think 2003. When I first started I was using Drag and Drop, but somebody released a Drag and Drop to GML converter, and I began using that to transition into GML. At the same time I was taking a high school Java class, so that probably also helped me to get a hold of the syntax (since it's nearly identical). Apart from that I didn't have any other programming knowledge, but I was able to pick up on GML very quickly. It's such a simple language since all the data types are implied (unlike Java, where you need to declare everything as ints, doubles, bools, etc.). GML is one of the easiest (if not the easiest) language to learn.
That said, I always consulted the manual. Knowing GML is less about memorizing functions and more about understanding the tricks of the trade. In fact, you don't even need to memorize the functions at all, since it's all in the manual. (Though if you use the functions enough you will naturally begin to remember them.)
As for me, I stopped using GameMaker at around the time GameMaker Studio was first released. Partly because I'm on a Mac (running GMS through Parallels was kind of a pain), and partly because I subsequently began tending away from the game development field. But now I'm back in game-dev mode, and GMS has finally seen a Mac release, so I very well might refresh myself and start using it again.
 

chamaeleon

Member
Not all that experienced with GML, but with the help of the manual and past programming experience in other languages, I feel I can get through most things if I just put my (somewhat old) mind to it.
 
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Deleted member 13992

Guest
I'm not super familiar with GML, but I'm fairly familiar with programming. Having done my share of Basic, VB, and various kinds of C as a hobby in the last 20 years, jumping into GML was pretty easy. Anything I don't know is mainly what's in the library. Not a big deal, seeing how I keep the manual open all the time.
 
The natural language processing section of my brain has been replaced by pure GML.

This is useful for programming, but can make it really weird when I try to talk to people in real life.

I'm always saying to my kids:

if ( youDontEatYourFood == true )
{
youDontGetToWatchTV = true
}
 
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method72

Guest
I have a decent background with c# and python, but am fairly new to GML, although I have owned GM v7, 8, studio1.4 but never spent much time with it. Now with studio2, it seems to be in a pretty good place and I am investing more time with it. But it is taking a little while to learn GML (2D stuff) I have even touched the 3D side of it. There are a lot of little nuances, as you continue to play with it you will learn more. My best advice is to start with a simple game like a break-out clone. Start small with a paddle/ball/blocks. Get the basic collisions and bouncing of the ball worked out. Then add things like score, and lives etc. You can add in bonus items that give you power ups like, triple ball play, or an expanded paddle length. Once you get all that down, you may want to look at adding additional levels, or even start playing with the room physics.

Bottom line, like any learned skill, you need to start small and build up from there. Just commit a few hours a week and you will surely build up your confidence in coding. And once you master one thing, move on to the next, perhaps an invaders style game, its similar to a breakout game, but now you would add in firing bullets, moving enemies, maybe shields to protect the players cannon etc. After that maybe a platform game.. just keep using what you've learned and keep on learning more and more. it takes a while but it is possible. Just stick with it.
 
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ScrabbitRabbit

Guest
I used Game Maker 5.3 and then 6.0 back when I was in my very early teens but dropped it until just a few days ago as I got more into music and less into games. Earlier this year I started trying out programming with some other languages and tools and actually have a pretty okay footing on C#, C++ and Java now. Not like... professional level, but I can make games with all of them. I can also use Unity and UE4 to some degree but they're super tedious when making 2D games :p

The reason I'm blathering on with myself is because buying a couple of books and learning some programming fundamentals in more than one language has made coming back to Game Maker so bloody easy. I used it for maybe two years when I was younger? But despite not really remembering any of the functions I'm already much, much better at GML than I used to be and can easily solve problems that used to stump me.

I wouldn't say I'm amazing or truly "fluent" but I don't feel restrained by my abilities like I did when I used to use GM.

As for using the manual, I'm referencing it constantly and there's no shame in that. John Carmack tweeted out the book on C that he used to use as a reference when programming for iD in the early 90s. If John Carmack needs to reference a manual for some things then all of us do! :p

I don't think anybody truly knows any language inside and out in such a way that a reference is never helpful. What's really important is understanding syntax and being able to see problems as puzzles to be solved. It's better to think of the broad steps needed to solve the issue rather than trying to think in exact code. Most problems have hundreds of solutions!
 
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Bayesian

Guest
I can't tell if this tread is inspirational or depressing...
 
The manual is always a crutch. The manual online is even better, as they have updated and corrected typos, plus the Windows help system pales to the efficiency of Google finding exactly what you want.

It took me about 3 months to learn and memorize 90% of everything about GML. Over the next 18 more months after that I'd still find new things to learn maybe once every week or two. Nothing really stops or stumps me anymore, its just always a process and I know the steps to climb any GML mountain.

Without many more GML mountains to climb, I've tackled the year long process to get better at doing my own art.
 
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coryru

Guest
I'm at the point where I know the gml language pretty well but wielding it.... I can get things done but I know there is a better way to go about it. Just takes some time to get better at implementing it. Thankfully I'm past the where you make a game hate it but happy you finished it phase and on to the you know this isn't half bad phase.
 
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Edmanbosch

Guest
Before trying out GameMaker, I already had some experience with JavaScript, so I already had some programming experience.

I typically use the manual a lot, as it's really helpful and is incredibly detailed and allows me to understand certain things about GML. Shaun Spalding's tutorials also helped me a lot, as well as GM's tech blogs.

I feel like I can use GML pretty well, but I always keep learning new things I can do or new ways to implement something.
 
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