Two random questions:

Hey guys!

I know this is super random, but I honestly don't know the answers:

1. Can you apply proper scaling to a game easily in the end of the process?
Or is this a bad idea, since you would possibly have to reprogram a lot of the draw events? (I don't know about this)...

2. Let's say you have a finished game, with not so much complex stuff and only little controls going on, would it be possible to have someone who is familiar with that port it over to for example PS4 or Nintendo Switch? Or would you have to make a second version of the game?

thanks in advance!
 

TsukaYuriko

☄️
Forum Staff
Moderator
The first one really depends on what your definition of "proper" encompasses. Scaling depends on a lot of things.
If "proper" means that the game will enter full screen and scale to at least one of the dimensions, that much can be done in a few lines.
If you also want it to scale evenly so there will be no distortion, or even want to avoid having any black bars at all, you'd have to adapt the camera's view to a size appropriate for the target device's resolution. This may not only encompass a change in the amount of pixels, but also aspect ratio - in which case you would have to carefully plan game logic that somehow roughly depends on the camera, such as activation and deactivation, to not break in the event of drastic aspect ratio and view size changes.

You can use the same code base to export to different target platforms. Any platform-specific functionality will have to be programmed specifically for that platform. Most of the generic stuff does not need to be adapted, to put it as simply as possible.
Note that having someone else export a game for you would constitute a breach of the EULA - it would have to be you owning the module and exporting the project. This of course doesn't disallow you from consulting other people for help with the process.
 

MissingNo.

Member
Note that having someone else export a game for you would constitute a breach of the EULA - it would have to be you owning the module and exporting the project.
What if the project owner and the 3rd party owns the target platform module? Would it then be okay to have them make a port?
 

TsukaYuriko

☄️
Forum Staff
Moderator
No, this is not allowed under any circumstances.
3.6. Exporting to other platforms and third party content. IF you hold the appropriate level of GameMaker: Studio licence, you may export your content to third party platforms such as iOS and Ubuntu as permitted by us (further details can be found at https://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker). In no circumstances are you permitted to, at the request of a third party, export that third party’s content. Nor can you request a third party who holds an appropriate level of GameMaker: Studio licence to carry out such activities on your behalf.
Especially with mobile or console platforms, which each require their own respective developer licenses (from the respective third party, not from YoYo Games), that's a no that goes far beyond the GMS EULA.
 

MissingNo.

Member
No, this is not allowed under any circumstances.
Obviously you didn't make the EULA but that is strange, it's very common in the gaming industry to have a third party make a port of a game.
It seems strange they would go against the majority like that.

I couldn't care either way since I only make PC games and have no desire to export for other platforms but it's strange regardless.
 
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Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
Obviously you didn't make the EULA but that is strange, it's very common in the gaming industry to have a third party make a port of a game.
There is a difference between making a PORT of the game, and making an EXPORT of the game. When you port a game, you don't use the same tools to do it, you are "porting" the game code to another set of tools to build it for that platform. This was previously how gamemaker games were ported to consoles... they'd be basically re-written using something that compiled for the target other than GameMaker. However, what is being discussed here is using GameMaker to EXPORT a project for a target that actually exists in GameMaker... so the licence is quite correct and designed to prevent people setting up "Export farms". The software would soon die if that happened, as only a few people need to do all the exports for all the targets for a minimum fee and less and less people would be buying any of the licences to do it themselves. :)
 

MissingNo.

Member
so the licence is quite correct and designed to prevent people setting up "Export farms".
That does make a lot of sense for the restriction, forgive me I know nothing about making a port as I am PC centric. But how does one hire a 3rd party to make a port of a GMS2 game without breaking the EULA?
It sounds like it's impossible? Again I'm ignorant about the porting process so I might be missing something.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
That does make a lot of sense for the restriction, forgive me I know nothing about making a port as I am PC centric. But how does one hire a 3rd party to make a port of a GMS2 game without breaking the EULA?
It sounds like it's impossible? Again I'm ignorant about the porting process so I might be missing something.
Essentially, you give the 3rd party all the assets for the game (including the source code from GM) and then they remake the game using another engine or whatever, like Visual Studio or Xcode ro one of the other development tools available. That doesn't break the EULA as they are then porting the game and not exporting the game. For example, you could make a game in GMS2 for windows and then use PortingKit to make it playable on Mac from the EXE. This is fine as, they do not use GMS2 to make the Mac executable. However you cannot give me the project and have me make you a Mac executable using GMS2 as that is against the EULA as I would then be exporting and not porting.

Spelunky Classic is a great example of this. It was made in GM8 (iirc) but is available on multiple other platforms thanks to people porting it to those platforms - using multiple different tools and basically re-writing the game in many cases - even though GM8 couldn't export to those platforms.
 
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