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Newbie here. Should I start with Gamemaker 1.4 or 2?

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xHaydenx

Guest
Hi guys.

So, I played around with GM 1.4 I think it was ages ago. Didn't get far with it and I remember none of it. I now want to get back into using GM and I see that there is GM 2 out now.

I assume 2 is better than 1.4, but what about for beginners? I learn best when I'm following along in tutorials, so would 1.4 be better for now as there would surely be way more tutorials out there for it than 2?

I plan to hopefully use 1.4 for a while and then eventually move onto 2.

Cheers.

- Hayden.
 
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xHaydenx

Guest
Everything you can do in 1.4 you can do in 2. It's not easier or harder. It's a new UI.
So in terms of following along in tutorials, all the ones done for 1.4 will be easy for me to follow along in 2 just as easily then?
 

mimusic

Member
By principle, GMS2 will eventually be the better choice for everything as GMS1.4 approaches obsolescence and loses platform support, but that's quite a while off.

I personally like 1.4 more, and between the 2 I think 1.4 would be slightly more beginner friendly due to the larger pool of tutorials/resources, but I don't think either of them is better for starting off than the other as long as you can dedicate yourself to learning the way it works. Functionally they are very similar, the biggest change is the way you actually interact with the system.

Edit: in regards to using 1.4 tutorials for GMS2, there is the chance that you'll run into specific inconsistencies. For example, GMS1.4 uses "view_xview[a]" to refer to the current X position of your camera, while GMS2 uses some incredibly long thing like "camera_get_view_x( view_camera[a] )" to do the same thing. You'll have to learn to make these changes if you use 2 while working alongside a 1.4 tutorial, but they should hopefully be an infrequent thing.
 
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X

xHaydenx

Guest
By principle, GMS2 will eventually be the better choice for everything as GMS1.4 approaches obsolescence and loses platform support, but that's quite a while off.

I personally like 1.4 more, and between the 2 I think 1.4 would be slightly more beginner friendly due to the larger pool of tutorials/resources, but I don't think either of them is better for starting off than the other as long as you can dedicate yourself to learning the way it works. Functionally they are very similar, the biggest change is the way you actually interact with the system.

Edit: in regards to using 1.4 tutorials for GMS2, there is the chance that you'll run into specific inconsistencies. For example, GMS1.4 uses "view_xview[a]" to refer to the current X position of your camera, while GMS2 uses some incredibly long thing like "camera_get_view_x( view_camera[a] )" to do the same thing. You'll have to learn to make these changes if you use 2 while working alongside a 1.4 tutorial, but they should hopefully be an infrequent thing.
Hmm, ok. Makes sense that 2 will eventually be the better choice.

I didn't immediately realize that 2 had a trial. I didn't really want to pay 100 for something that just might not be my thing. Is the trial version really all that restrictive? Or as a beginner, will I most likely not run into those limitations for a long time?

I found a great tutorial series to follow for GM 2, so I downloaded it and I think I'll just start with that for now. Might use 1.4 if I find tutorials that are made for that that pique my interest.

Thanks.
 

rIKmAN

Member
Hmm, ok. Makes sense that 2 will eventually be the better choice.

I didn't immediately realize that 2 had a trial. I didn't really want to pay 100 for something that just might not be my thing. Is the trial version really all that restrictive? Or as a beginner, will I most likely not run into those limitations for a long time?

I found a great tutorial series to follow for GM 2, so I downloaded it and I think I'll just start with that for now. Might use 1.4 if I find tutorials that are made for that that pique my interest.

Thanks.
The GMS2 Trial has restrictions on the number of objects, sprites etc you can use and doesn't let you use some features at all - details can be found here: https://help.yoyogames.com/hc/en-us/articles/230407528-GameMaker-Studio-2-Trial-Limitations

With 7mths left until 1.4 stops being supported I would advise starting with 2.
A lot of the GML will be the same, but if you spend time learning 1.4 then move over to 2 you will have to get used to the new IDE layout, room editor, layers, tiles etc so you may as well just start learning and using GMS2 from the beginning.

If you aren't sure if you'll like it or use it going forward and the trial,is a bit too limiting you can get the Creators Edition will will allow you to export to Windows OR Mac (choose your version) and is a 12mth licence for $39.

If you don't like it then you only spent $39, but if you do and decide you want to upgrade to the full $99 Desktop licence then the cost of the Creators Licence is deducted from the cost of the full Desktop Licence and you only pay the difference.
 
X

xHaydenx

Guest
The GMS2 Trial has restrictions on the number of objects, sprites etc you can use and doesn't let you use some features at all - details can be found here: https://help.yoyogames.com/hc/en-us/articles/230407528-GameMaker-Studio-2-Trial-Limitations

With 7mths left until 1.4 stops being supported I would advise starting with 2.
A lot of the GML will be the same, but if you spend time learning 1.4 then move over to 2 you will have to get used to the new IDE layout, room editor, layers, tiles etc so you may as well just start learning and using GMS2 from the beginning.

If you aren't sure if you'll like it or use it going forward and the trial,is a bit too limiting you can get the Creators Edition will will allow you to export to Windows OR Mac (choose your version) and is a 12mth licence for $39.

If you don't like it then you only spent $39, but if you do and decide you want to upgrade to the full $99 Desktop licence then the cost of the Creators Licence is deducted from the cost of the full Desktop Licence and you only pay the difference.
I see the Creator's license is for 12 months and the others are permanent. Nice that going from Creator's to Desktop is only paying the difference.

Just saw it's on sale now on Steam until I'm guessing the 5th. Going to just go flat out on the trial and see how I feel about it by then.
 

hogwater

Member
I was in the same boat, and bought GMS 2. I used 1.4 until I reacquainted myself with coding somewhat and just moved to 2 recently.

I can see the appeal of using 1.4 for a little while to get back into the swing of things, because the interface in 2 is wildly different.
 
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xHaydenx

Guest
I was in the same boat, and bought GMS 2. I used 1.4 until I reacquainted myself with coding somewhat and just moved to 2 recently.

I can see the appeal of using 1.4 for a little while to get back into the swing of things, because the interface in 2 is wildly different.
Well, I tried to buy GM 2 but it just goes to an error page at the moment so that sucks. Hopefully it's sorted out soon. I figure I may as well get the Desktop version now while it's a bit cheaper.
 

rIKmAN

Member
Well, I tried to buy GM 2 but it just goes to an error page at the moment so that sucks. Hopefully it's sorted out soon. I figure I may as well get the Desktop version now while it's a bit cheaper.
In case you didn't know - you can buy it through the YYG website or Steam and get access to both versions, so it doesn't really matter which you purchase.

Just link your Steam account to your YYG account in your account settings.
 
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xHaydenx

Guest
In case you didn't know - you can buy it through the YYG website or Steam and get access to both versions, so it doesn't really matter which you purchase.

Just link your Steam account to your YYG account in your account settings.
Got it off Steam and linked my account. Looking forward to getting stuck into GameMaker and giving it a proper crack this time.

Thanks guys!
 
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xHaydenx

Guest
Go for GMS2, why not start with the best version? :)
Just because there's way more tutorials for the older version. I found that series by Tom Francis, the maker of Gunpoint and Heat Signature last night, but they're made in 1.4 not 2. Probably just going to download the older version as well.
 
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