Tutorials on the YoYoGames website

chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
The YoYoGames tutorial page has a number of very useful tutorials.

Most are aimed at beginner to intermediate users, and include examples of GML scripting language, as well as "drag and drop" tools. But the tutorials cover a wide assortment of Studio features, so even more experienced programmers can benefit.

The tutorial series at the top is a good starting point for beginners. Examples include adventure games, space shooters, brick busters and platformers. Examples of player interfaces and graphics effects are also included.

Below that, all the tutorials are listed with a sorting tool so users can search for specific examples.
 
Last edited:

applec0re

Member
I try to download the tutorial templates and get a "Error Loading Template The remote server returned an error: (505) Internal Server Error" when pulling the game templates down. I am on 2022.6.0.23 Steam version of GM. Are the template servers down? I ended up downloading the files to "Little Town" in order to do that tutorial, but I would love to down load the assets to "Hero's Trail", but have not found the link to the downloads for that one.

Any assistance would be great.

Thx

Applec0re
 

chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
Not sure what's going on with the templates for their tutorials. I'll mention this to Nocturne and perhaps he can notify the appropriate admin.

I haven't seen any asset links for Hero's Trail either. It's possible the assets for that particular tutorial are only available from within the template. Assets for some tutorials contributed by volunteers are available on their own website, or on the Marketplace.
 
I've decided to take sometime away from my own ongoing projects after releasing one on the play store, and so decided to pick up a tutorial (Windy Woods) to learn some things I've never done before. I was disappointed at first on downloading the yyz package, turn out most of everything been done for us. But given the state of where my skills are compare to where I was some 4 years ago; from knowing absolutely nothing to releasing multiple apps, at least I can still learn from the pre-made tutorial. But still I'd have hope the package merely contain the assets (sprite, sound file), where we then have to work our way from nothing (create a blank project) following along an online tutorial or pdf. So it's kind of a bummer to start from the middle. But I can make do, since some of the stuff I wanted to check out are in the additional tutorial materials using Windy as its base. However I'd still wish to suggest that tutorials should be one where we start from a blank project armed with the needed assets and written or video tutorial to follow along not one where we have to skim through the codes, as I've also downloaded the Fire Jump tutorial and found it was in similar state. Other than that, I look forward to more useful tutorials, maybe one involving isometric or a card game.
 

bar1tech

Member
I'm curious about The Gesture Events tutorial by @Nocturne. Has the downloadable project source code been removed? If so, is this true for other tutorials on the site and is there a cut off date for what would be considered no longer supported?

I am using macOS 13.3.1 and Safari 16.4 which I have to admit sometimes does not display everything.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
I'm curious about The Gesture Events tutorial by @Nocturne. Has the downloadable project source code been removed? If so, is this true for other tutorials on the site and is there a cut off date for what would be considered no longer supported?
Project source is still available, but it's not linked in that article. You can get it here: https://marketplace.yoyogames.com/assets/5127/the-gesture-events

As for the "cut off date", that will depend on the changes to GML. All the tutorials on the website that I wrote which are still visible are there because they still work. As the GML language evolves, these (and every other tutorial) will fall behind and no longer be relevant. However, I think that if any tutorial was particularly popular then it would be maintained and updated along with GML.
 

bar1tech

Member
Project source is still available, but it's not linked in that article. You can get it here: https://marketplace.yoyogames.com/assets/5127/the-gesture-events

As for the "cut off date", that will depend on the changes to GML. All the tutorials on the website that I wrote which are still visible are there because they still work. As the GML language evolves, these (and every other tutorial) will fall behind and no longer be relevant. However, I think that if any tutorial was particularly popular then it would be maintained and updated along with GML.
Why didn't think of the Marketplace in the first place! Thanks!
šŸ˜Š
 

FrostyCat

Redemption Seeker
As for the "cut off date", that will depend on the changes to GML. All the tutorials on the website that I wrote which are still visible are there because they still work. As the GML language evolves, these (and every other tutorial) will fall behind and no longer be relevant. However, I think that if any tutorial was particularly popular then it would be maintained and updated along with GML.
If the changes to GML is not zero, the cutoff date can't be forever like the way it is on the tutorials page. The one you wrote may still be reasonably up to date, but some others aren't if you scroll down or right. Friendly Cosmonaut's Space Rocks (and Space Mods) and Shawn Spalding's 2D Platformer tutorial are easy examples of obsolete content on that page.

And even if the code still works, it can still fall behind in terms of best practices and become a headwind to GML's evolution. For example, the options argument to instance_create_layer and instance_create_depth is about to celebrate its first birthday, and to date people are still not using it properly (if at all). They aren't moving past the old with (instance_create_layer(...)) { variable = value; } habit that tutorials taught and are still teaching, and using Variable Definitions instead of the Create event for variables set with the options argument still seems to be rare knowledge. Especially with the function updates in 2022.5 (options argument), 2022.9 (string and array utilities) and soon 2023.400 (struct utilities), the tutorial scene is a hindrance to the adoption of superior latest techniques.

Tutorials in other places can have any editorial standard they like, but as an official resource, YoYo/Opera need to be more stringent as to how up-to-date entries on the tutorial page are. Things on that page should go through annual reviews at the very least, and be taken off automatically if they are not reviewed or updated in 18 months. The Collaboration section could be leveraged if there is not enough capacity at YoYo/Opera to handle internally.

Alternatively, take a page off Software Carpentry and host the tutorials' source material on GitHub. Then let people open issues and PRs on them when things go out of date instead of going through the Helpdesk.
 

Heathenlamb

Member
Can we possibly get the previous multiplayer tutorials added back to tutorials page. The only multiplayer tutorials currently on there deal only with rollback. Thanks.

PS. Yes I know there are a myriad of other multiplayer tutorials on the interwebs, but I am trying to find the previous ones made specifically by YoYo and I think it would be helpful to have them up there for people who want to use something that's NOT rollback.
 
Top