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SOLVED We need to fix the GM1.4 installer before it's too late

Hello
I'd like to talk about an idea I have, to discuss whether it's possible and if so, accumulate the knowledge to execute it.

The issue
Yesterday, Yoyogames showed us how fragile the 1.4 installer is by temporarily deleting the RSS feed that it depends on to finalise the install.

When you enter your license code, the license server verifies your key/login, and then tells you what modules you're allowed to use. These module packages are not included with the installer, and have to be installed separately next. You cannot use game maker until they're installed. The URL to these modules is contained in the RSS feed which, 24 hours ago, went offline. In that moment, it was debatable as to whether GM1.4 would ever be able to be installed again.

Luckily it's back. For now.

Although one issue remains, and it's not new. Even though the installer knows where to retrieve the modules from, that server doesn't seem to reply, resulting in this error:
Screenshot 2021-05-26 at 3.35.33 pm.png
I've emailed support about this error multiple times, and the response is always they don't know what causes it, they reset my license key, and usually by the time this exchange has happened, the servers are working again anyway. This has been such a persistent issue, to the point I wrote a tutorial on how to install game maker because every time I did, I found myself googling around the internet for hours, and eventually finding solutions in topics I'd found before, evident by the fact that I'd already liked them.

The Objective
So I'd like to call upon the lurkers that know how the insides of game maker works, to help provide the knowledge to produce a patch that fixes this bug / any other dependancies that game maker relies on to install itself. There's this, but it doesn't seem to work for me.

Also I'd like to make it ABSOLUTELY CLEAR that
I DO NOT WANT TO CRACK 1.4.

I am not looking to bypass the licensing part of game maker, as that has never caused me any problems. It's just obtaining the modules.
I understand if some information has to be discussed privately as out of context could result in... Unwanted consequences, and needs to be published in a way that doesn't allow people following the instructions to stray into illegal territory. But together we need to find a solution to this, before GM1.4 is gone forever.

Let me know how we can start this, (if it's allowed, of course).

There's also .NET3.5 that's installed when you first launch the installer for the first time, but it uses the internet to obtain this from microsoft. The only installers I can find for this component do exactly the same thing that the game maker installer does. It would be good if we could find a way to install this without internet, in case microsoft were to drop support for it.

Risk Assessment
Here are some risks I can see with this project, and my justifications / reasoning for continuing to propose it anyway.
Does yoyo Games even want people using 1.4?
It's well known that support ended for GM1.4 a long time ago. So it is absurd to expect them to make sure it works. But ending support for a product is different from actually trying to prevent people from using it. To be clear, I don't think they are. But a risk to this project is that they could be. Perhaps GM1.4 is causing them problems, perhaps it is losing them sales. Speculation is irrelevant. If this is the case, then obviously we can't go forward with this.

Evidence to the contrary:
- Yoyo games would remove the the GM1.4 install page. Sure, it's not indexed in google, but that seems more of a marketing decision so new customers don't download the wrong version.
- Yoyo games produced a final version of GM1.4 before they sunset it that fixed issues that broke it. If they didn't want people to use it, they'd have just left it broken.
- Backwards compatibility. You need 1.4 to port forward legacy project files (gm8 and older).
- Yoyo games would close the licensing servers. Which they have never done, not even for GM8 which is even older. Which brings us to:


Yoyo could stop validating GM1.4 licenses
If they did, there would be absolutely no way to obtain game maker legally. In this situation, there is nothing that could be done.

Evidence to the contrary:
- The game maker 8 licensing servers are still up, so why would they close 1.4?
- This would not be a good look for Yoyogames, and could cause the community to lose faith in future products if they know support is immediately dropped once a new version is out.


Microsoft could break GM1.4
Microsoft could release an update tomorrow that permanently cripples game maker games, or prevents the IDE from opening. Breaking the IDE is less of a problem because you could use an older version of windows before it's broken. But if it breaks final compiled games, you can't expect a mainstream userbase to move to a different version of windows just to play your game.

Evidence to the contrary:
- This actually already happened. But there is now a fix available, created by the community. Which shows that it's possible that it's not game over the second something goes wrong.
- Microsoft is obsessed with backwards compatibility. If they can avoid breaking things, they will.


We could discover a bug in GM1.4 that is unfixable.
It's possible there are some unearthed bugs lurking deep within the sourcecode of GM1.4, that would make any developer tremble to even think about how to even begin to fix. And you can be sure that this type of bug will present itself 2 days before you're release day and you're already behind schedule.

Evidence to the contrary:
- A pretty serious flaw was discovered for networked games, but it was fixed, despite GM1.4 no longer being developed. This might not be the case every time, but it shows that not all hope is lost.


Game maker 1.4 is already obsolete, why bother?
Most of the modules are arguably dead. Technology has moved on.

Evidence to the contrary:
- As of writing this, steam is peaking at 25 million users online at once. 96% of those people use some version of windows. GM1.4 still exports to windows without issues, and quite efficiently too with YYC.
- If you want to use other modules, it's not recommended at all but the game maker 2 project importer is actually very good. You could get away with only using that, with some minor tweaks.


This could violate the forum rules
I see topics that discuss similar topics get locked for various reasons. Copyright issues, speculation, violation of terms and service, brushing too close to piracy, etc. And I completely understand if this topic gets locked or is not allowed.

Evidence to the contrary:
- I'm hoping that it's clear I am operating in good faith, and I have no intentions of doing or posting anything illegal.
 
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kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
Take all my advice as you see fit. I personally think it is a waste of time, but that is just me.

Does yoyo Games even want people using 1.4?
Realistically, no they don't want people using 1.4. They would much prefer everybody updated. That doesn't mean they are actively trying to stop you from doing so, that's a separate thing. And they wouldn't do that since it is morally wrong considering you did buy the license for the software and so it should last as long as possible. But no, they aren't likely going to do anything in the future to actually prevent people from using the thing. I'm surprised honestly that they didn't just supply modules as part of the installer, but I'm guessing that this is part of the DRM.

Yoyo could stop validating GM1.4 licenses
I don't think they would do that either.

We could discover a bug in GM1.4 that is unfixable.
I don't think this is likely either...it has been a really long time and it just seem doubtful something else would crop up.

Game maker 1.4 is already obsolete, why bother?
I 100% agree with this honestly. It isn't that the module for Windows is simply not usable anymore(I understand that it still is)...it is simply that GMS2 is so much better in almost every way that the previous product is just that much inferior at this point. That's my opinion though, and I'm sure there are still some stragglers out there who are feel that they don't miss all these new features we get...that's on them I guess.

This could violate the forum rules
Yes, you very well could... the biggest issue I see is that you are wanting to bypass the module download process, but I think that this is actually part of the function of the DRM, which is linked directly to the licensing. On top of that, there is always the risk of malware getting into software that is not stored at the source, and Yoyo is not going to want to risk that(besides the fact that they don't really want people using this older version anyway).
 
We could discover a bug in GM1.4 that is unfixable.
I don't think this is likely either...it has been a really long time and it just seem doubtful something else would crop up.
Well let's hope!

I personally think it is a waste of time, but that is just me.
Of course, but this is for the 1 in 100 that would find it very very very useful. Such as myself.

I'm surprised honestly that they didn't just supply modules as part of the installer, but I'm guessing that this is part of the DRM.
It was quite possibly part of the DRM back when those modules sold for £75+ each but now that they're obsolete, the reason they weren't included in the installer was most likely because it would be too much work to change it, when they just wanted to get GM1.4 finished and move on.

there is always the risk of malware getting into software that is not stored at the source, and Yoyo is not going to want to risk that(besides the fact that they don't really want people using this older version anyway).
Well you can't have both. Either you keep your software alive officially or you drop support and force third parties to fill the gaps, which can result in malware. Third party support (malware included) is going to happen regardless, the question is will it happen here, as official as it can be, where it can be vetted, or will it have to be elsewhere.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
It was quite possibly part of the DRM back when those modules sold for £75+ each but now that they're obsolete, the reason they weren't included in the installer was most likely because it would be too much work to change it, when they just wanted to get GM1.4 finished and move on.
The problem though is that they DO still sell export modules...just for the newer software. I know you aren't trying to actually crack the software, but if the module download is part of the DRM, then providing those elsewhere in some other fashion is still a form of cracking the software. And the issue is that there is always that idea that this could compete with sales of the newer software. So really, unless Yoyo decides to do something about it(which I see as highly unlikely), the only way this is going to happen is not going to be a legitimate way to go about it.

Third party support (malware included) is going to happen regardless, the question is will it happen here, as official as it can be, where it can be vetted, or will it have to be elsewhere.
I'm not 100% convinced that it will happen...but if it does it is more likely (in my opinion) to happen elsewhere, un-officially. I don't know Opera that well to know what they will think of this concept, so I really don't have much evidence to vote a guess either way though.
 
I'm not 100% convinced that it will happen...but if it does it is more likely (in my opinion) to happen elsewhere, un-officially.
It already has, and right now it's the only option. So I'd like to bring a legitimate version to the community that's free of malware and karma.

this could compete with sales of the newer software.
It's not like new customers have to choose a version, you can't even buy it anymore. The only people that are interested in GM1.4 are the people that have already bought it and don't want it to die.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
It already has, and right now it's the only option. So I'd like to bring a legitimate version to the community that's free of malware and karma.
I'm sure cracked versions are already out there...good luck trying to get Yoyo to jump on board though. And the community can't do anything like this officially without said support.

It's not like new customers have to choose a version, you can't even buy it anymore. The only people that are interested in GM1.4 are the people that have already bought it and don't want it to die.
I disagree. I'm sure plenty of people who aren't interested in paying for GMS2 would be interested in using 1.4, depending on the availability of pirate versions of GMS2. But yes, of course, new customers would only be able to choose the new version if they purchase legitimately, that's the way it is for most software out there(with a few rare exceptions, like RPG Maker).
 
I am proposing the idea of a fix that will allow paying customers of 1.4 to still receive and use their product.

This will not be useful to a pirate, nor to potential new customers. It will not work unless you have a GM1.4 license, which are no longer for sale anyway.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I am proposing the idea of a fix that will allow paying customers of 1.4 to still receive and use their product.

This will not be useful to a pirate, nor to potential new customers. It will not work unless you have a GM1.4 license, which are no longer for sale anyway.
I DO understand what you are proposing, I promise...I'm just saying that I don't see it likely happening, not in any legitimate form anyway. Yoyo is the only ones who could provide such a thing, and it isn't in their best interest to do so.
 

TsukaYuriko

☄️
Forum Staff
Moderator
While I approve of any constructive discussion... please tread carefully here, as we have a clear "no speculation about what YYG does, may do, may not do or may plan to do" policy.

All I can say about the matter being discussed is that no plans to completely disallow usage of GMS 1.x have been announced, and anyone who has issues getting it to work should contact the helpdesk to get it sorted out, because it is supposed to work.

If you have improvement suggestions about the process of keeping GMS 1.x available to legitimate customers, please forward them to the helpdesk. You may, of course, discuss them here first - but please keep it centered around the improvement, not the potential or reasons of why it may be needed, as we wouldn't want such speculation to become rumors or be considered the official YYG point of view. :)
 
we have a clear "no speculation about what YYG does, may do, may not do or may plan to do" policy.
we wouldn't want such speculation to become rumors or be considered the official YYG point of view. :)
Understood! I hope my risk assessment doesn't do that too much, and I will refrain from any further discussion of this topic.

anyone who has issues getting it to work should contact the helpdesk to get it sorted out, because it is supposed to work.
I already have, they don't know why it doesn't work. However, we have a fix!
 

Cpaz

Member
At the risk of being *that* person, I feel like I need to ask the question I've yet to really hear an answer for,

Why do people still use 1.4?

I think at this point it's an understatement to call it outdated I most every respect. Due to the gml changes, workflow changes (ctrl - t has been a lifesaver), etc.

Ultimately, I figure it's just personal preference, but I still want to know what attracts people to it.
 
At the risk of being *that* person, I feel like I need to ask the question I've yet to really hear an answer for,

Why do people still use 1.4?

I think at this point it's an understatement to call it outdated I most every respect. Due to the gml changes, workflow changes (ctrl - t has been a lifesaver), etc.

Ultimately, I figure it's just personal preference, but I still want to know what attracts people to it.

Most probable the cost of switching to 2.3.
before the reduction, the cost of desktop, android/ios ,html5, and windows store cost was big enough.
(not that it is not now)
 
Most probable the cost of switching to 2.3.
I have a copy of 2, that's not the issue. I just don't like it in its current state.

Why do people still use 1.4?
- I am used to the workflow of 1.4. I really cannot stand the way GML code windows unfold in 2. It results in a lot of panning around. I prefer windows, like other IDEs use.
- The new interface is overwhelming. I need to create sprites scripts objects and sounds. That's like 4 buttons right? There is way too much on screen in GM2. I saw a reddit post that compared it to getting in a rocket cockpit. I think that's a great analogy.
- The 1.4 sprite editor is just better. Mostly because I've used it for so long I'm accustomed to it, but also because the new sprite editor is not intuitive. You can't even paste in an image to the canvas without using a strange specialised feature kick in.
- I prefer the old function syntax. Functions in GM2 require a huge section at the start with a line for each argument and it looks horrible
- No global project search? I use that constantly.
- They renamed a lot of variables to have __ in front of them and I don't have the energy to relearn them all when they work just fine as they are in 1.4.
- No ability to disable the Made with Gamemaker splash screen on start, so I have to sit through that every compile.
- It needs a constant internet connection to use it, or the DRM kicks in.
- It just feels clunkier. It takes ages to launch and everything else on my computer runs slower with it open.
- There are metrics and tracking that you cannot remove from your compiled project.
- The new features that it offers are mostly things I already have found/made code for, so I don't need them.

GM2 has quite a few features I'd love to use, but it comes at a cost of the above.

Edit: Found the reddit post.
 
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Cpaz

Member
- I am used to the workflow of 1.4. I really cannot stand the way GML code windows unfold in 2. It results in a lot of panning around. I prefer windows, like other IDEs use.
IDEs use windows??? I'm pretty sure most use tabs, which you can enable in the IDE, it opens scripts in a new tab instead of the workspace. But I also try to avoid using the windows in the workspace, it's awkward to work around on a 1080p display.
But I guess that's personal preference.

- The 1.4 sprite editor is just better. Mostly because I've used it for so long I'm accustomed to it, but also because the new sprite editor is not intuitive. You can't even paste in an image to the canvas without using a strange specialised feature kick in.
Can't disagree. I guess I just adapted. I use an external sprite editor anyway, so I have a workaround.

- I prefer the old function syntax. Functions in GM2 require a huge section at the start with a line for each argument and it looks horrible
- They renamed a lot of variables to have __ in front of them and I don't have the energy to relearn them all when they work just fine as they are in 1.4.
- No ability to disable the Made with Gamemaker splash screen on start, so I have to sit through that every compile.
Not sure where you got these points. As far as I'm aware, function syntax hasn't changed to the point you're describing?
Same with using "_". Dunno what variables you're referring to. All the old built-in variables are the exact same.

And you can disable the splash screen. So long as you have a paid license. (same with 1.4, IIRC)

- No global project search? I use that constantly.
It exists. I also use it constantly. It's ctrl + shift + F. Also again, ctrl + t lets you search and open assets.

- It just feels clunkier. It takes ages to launch and everything else on my computer runs slower with it open.
- The new features that it offers are mostly things I already have found/made code for, so I don't need them.
Fair. Again, this is personal preference I guess. I'd argue that 1.4 was far more sluggish ESPECIALLY with larger projects.

- It needs a constant internet connection to use it, or the DRM kicks in.
Doesn't 1.4 have DRM too? I'm pretty sure it did. Maybe it was just timed differently (maybe a once-a-week login instead of whenever it launches???).
 
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It exists. I also use it constantly. It's ctrl + shift + F. Also again, ctrl + t lets you search and open assets.
I think this just goes to show how long it's been since I used GM2 because I remember project search as being a "coming soon" thing.
But it was implemented sometime around 2016-2017. Wow.

IDEs use windows??? I'm pretty sure most use tabs,
My bad, I did mean tabs.

Same with using "_". Dunno what variables you're referring to. All the old built-in variables are the exact same.
This is so strange, I explicitly remember lots the built in variables having _ appended to the start, but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I can't find it on the internet either.

you can disable the splash screen. So long as you have a paid license. (same with 1.4, IIRC)
Oh nice! This was actually recently implemented. Good to know.

I'd argue that 1.4 was far more sluggish ESPECIALLY with larger projects.
To be honest I've never worked on a huge project (1000 scripts or more) so I can't speak on this.
But Game maker 2 was sluggish on an empty project for me. Does the current version game maker 2 not get slower, the larger the project?

Doesn't 1.4 have DRM too? I'm pretty sure it did. It was just timed differently (maybe a once-a-week login instead of whenever it launches???).
I don't know how often 1.4 DRM needs the internet, but I've never had to enter my license details after initial activation.

Game maker 2 though:
1622134811568.png
In the process of opening it to make screenshots of what I mean, it's forgotten my login details so I'm gonna have to dig out my password.
But in all fairness I'm assuming this wouldn't happen if I used it more tbh.

Honestly, after opening GM2 and seeing how it's improved in 4 years, it makes me willing to at least give it another shot. GM2 has try and catch now? That's pretty neat.

Either way, I am so accustomed to 1.4, I can't see myself using GM2 for anything other than experimentation. 1.4 already does everything I need, it just doesn't make sense to invest the time. But maybe that will change.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
This is so strange, I explicitly remember lots the built in variables having _ appended to the start, but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I can't find it on the internet either.
I don't know of any built-in variables with underscores. What you are possibly seeing are the results of the conversions to the new functions that use the compatibility converter thing(all automatic when you import a GMS1.4 project into GMS2). Yoyo basically wrote a bunch of code that converts the old code into the new code. Some things were easy one-liners(like instance_create() now having to be instance_create_layer() or instance_create_depth()). Others, like the view system, had to be converted to the new way of handling it using cameras. If I remember correctly, many of the variables they added for all of this had underscores. But no, I doubt any of the "normal" variables use underscores at the beginning.

But in all fairness I'm assuming this wouldn't happen if I used it more tbh.
I can't remember the last time I had to put in my credentials...I think as long as it has that connection when you come up to that monthly check-in(if that's what it is), things just keep working.

Honestly, after opening GM2 and seeing how it's improved in 4 years, it makes me willing to at least give it another shot. GM2 has try and catch now? That's pretty neat.
There are actually a TON of features that have came out in the GMS2 pipeline you likely missed. try/catch is one of the more minor ones in my opinion, compared to the addition of structs to GML.

- I prefer the old function syntax. Functions in GM2 require a huge section at the start with a line for each argument and it looks horrible
I don't see the big issue here. It is literally a single line(unless you want to add jsdoc). That line only needs the word 'function' and the name of the function. You can also add argument names inside the parenthesis, which allow you to never need to use var actualData = argument0; in your functions anymore. Plus, you can easily put more functions in a single script resource, which just makes perfect sense in many cases, especially for bunches of small functions that work together. Last point, this may not matter to you, but this type of function declaration is basically how it works in almost every language out there. So if you ever want to use anything that isn't GML in the future, you may as well get used to the idea.
 
Others, like the view system, had to be converted to the new way of handling it using cameras. If I remember correctly, many of the variables they added for all of this had underscores. But no, I doubt any of the "normal" variables use underscores at the beginning.
This sounds very familiar! The view functions were the first things I tried to find with an underscore, only to see they weren't there. Thanks for clarifying!

try/catch is one of the more minor ones in my opinion, compared to the addition of structs to GML.
I just looked it up, they seem like they do the same thing as instances, except you can add functions to them as well? Nice.

It is literally a single line(unless you want to add jsdoc)
Perhaps they've changed it but from what I remember, if you wanted the autocomplete to show variable names with your function, you had to have a line for each argument, starting with @

You can also add argument names inside the parenthesis, which allow you to never need to use var actualData = argument0;
Finally, is this new? That's cool

this type of function declaration is basically how it works in almost every language out there. So if you ever want to use anything that isn't GML in the future, you may as well get used to the idea.
What do you mean?
 

YellowAfterlife

ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ
Forum Staff
Moderator
Someone published another fix on Reddit, which seems to rewrite the RSS feed file to what it was before the accident.

Microsoft is obsessed with backwards compatibility. If they can avoid breaking things, they will.
Microsoft did break and not fix things a handful of times:
  • Breaking changes to DirectSound cause GM8 games to crash when playing too many (32?) sounds at once
  • DirectPlay is no longer included in new Windows installs, which causes GM8 games to either prompt module installation (even if the game doesn't use mplay_ functions) or straight up failure to start (see here).
  • The aforementioned scheduler change, which affected every GameMaker game to date
Given that other companies may also break your games, and there are plenty of unusual bugs that cannot be monkey-patched, I would consider use of GMS1 for sake of workflow alone to be unjustified risk.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I just looked it up, they seem like they do the same thing as instances, except you can add functions to them as well? Nice.
They are indeed very similar to instances, but they don't have the extra baggage of all those built-in variables, nor are they processed for the whole event system. They are basically a bare-bone thing. Similar to instances, you can copy the references around as needed. Also, note that the way you can add functions to them actually also applies to instances themselves now(and are called 'methods' in those cases). So you can make a method on some instance, copy that reference to somewhere else...and when you call the method(using parenthesis just like functions), it will automatically run it in the scope of the instance(as if you had used a with() statement). This means that the object/code calling that specific method doesn't have to know what instance actually owns that method. This comes in handy for systems where you want to implement any sort of "callback" system.

Perhaps they've changed it but from what I remember, if you wanted the autocomplete to show variable names with your function, you had to have a line for each argument, starting with @
They have in fact changed some. If you declare the arguments, the auto-correct will show that, even without all the jsdoc stuff. The only reason I use any jsdoc anymore is in cases where I'm writing code for others to use and there are optional arguments(since jsdoc let's you better show that, including even showing the default value of those optional arguments).

What do you mean?
I mean that basically every other language out there requires you to properly declare your functions, using something similar to GML's function funcName(arg1){//code}. That includes C, C#, C++, javascript, python..basically everything out there. GML was an extreme exception to that. In reality it also kinda sucked because there was no way to properly organize functions except for the resource tree(which by the way is also actually much better in the new 2.3 version, but not so much in the 2.0 - 2.25 time.
 
Someone published another fix on Reddit, which seems to rewrite the RSS feed file to what it was before the accident.
Yeah that's the one! Except I couldn't get it to work, so I contacted the creator and we worked together to get it to work for me. And then I created a tutorial on how to use it in case anyone else had the same problem.

I would consider use of GMS1 for sake of workflow alone to be unjustified risk.
I know. But worst case scenario, game maker 1.4 becomes immediately unusable and we use the GM2 project importer and work from there.

Also, note that the way you can add functions to them actually also applies to instances themselves now(and are called 'methods' in those cases).
That's amazing. Now all we need is for game maker to introduce type specific variables and overhaul the code editor to be like intelliJ 😂

They have in fact changed some. If you declare the arguments, the auto-correct will show that, even without all the jsdoc stuff.
I'm so glad to hear that, it was so ugly.

which by the way is also actually much better in the new 2.3 version,
The more I hear about 2.3 the more I become tempted to give GM2 another try. I think given 1~2 more years, all my issues with GM2 will be gone.

every other language out there requires you to properly declare your functions, using something similar to GML's function funcName(arg1){//code}.
I don't have a problem with that, I just found the compulsory commenting scheme to be really ugly. I know that Python/Java don't force you to put // @param { } whatever it was for every argument.
 
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kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I don't have a problem with that, I just found the compulsory commenting scheme to be really ugly.
You have NEVER had to do that for functions though, it was always optional. You just had to do it if you wanted the proper auto-complete. And you still had to convert your arguments to better named variables if you wanted something readable. Now you don't even have to do the jsdoc to get the auto-correct, AND you get properly named arguments. I can understand some of your complaints, but this specific thing you complain about is basically moot. I personally think the complaints about the sprite editor are also moot since you are better off using better software anyway, but that's more of an opinion of mine(that happens to be pretty popular from what I've seen).

I know that Python/Java don't force you to put // @param { } whatever it was for every argument.
Indeed, because they always had proper function declaration in the first place. But Gamemaker never required it either, it was always optional.
 
You have NEVER had to do that for functions though, it was always optional. You just had to do it if you wanted the proper auto-complete.
I would consider "autocomplete not working correctly unless you do X" not optional. Sure it won't throw an error but it's not exactly convenient either.

this specific thing you complain about is basically moot.
Yes I agree, now that it's been changed. I thought we were still discussing the practicalities of how it used to be.

I personally think the complaints about the sprite editor are also moot since you are better off using better software anyway,
What if my preferred image editing software is GM1.4's editor? lol

I do actually open GM1.4 just to use the sprite editor sometimes. Its ability to resize an image to an exact resolution is really useful. Normally I'd have to use one of those online tools. For painting a prototype I would use MS paint but the brushes are antialiased which looks nice but makes it annoying if you want to change the colour of something, which you often need to do in prototyping.

But even if it wasn't my preferred software, it seems like a flawed argument to suggest that any criticism against GM2's built in sprite editor is invalid because you shouldn't be using it anyway.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I would consider "autocomplete not working correctly unless you do X" not optional. Sure it won't throw an error but it's not exactly convenient either.
That is a fair point...as long as it is clear that this is what you mean.

Yes I agree, now that it's been changed. I thought we were still discussing the practicalities of how it used to be.
We were, except that there was also the part about why people don't want to move to GMS2, and so what is no longer true about GMS2 is certainly relevant.

What if my preferred image editing software is GM1.4's editor? lol
You aren't alone in that, though you are in the minority. Most people prefer better software, even for quicker stuff. The only thing the internal editor has going for it is that it is internal and already there. It doesn't do anything that other software doesn't generally do better. So really, yes, the editor took a nerf for GMS2, but it really isn't a factor for most people...that said, most people aren't insistent on wanting to stick with decade old(slight exaggeration of course) software either.
 

emmyarty

Member
On the subject of why anyone uses GMS1.4, I personally use it because when I was a young boy I googled 'game maker' because I wanted to make games and it was the first hit. Once upon a time it was a glorified educational toy made by a teacher called Mr. Overmars, and it takes a shocking amount of credit for the way I turned out in life.

These days when I get a bit of free time I like to check in on posts on the internet to see if anyone's stuck with anything, and I give them a hand if I can; back in the GMC days the wise elders of the boards took time out of their days to help me more often than I can count, and now that I'm a grown man who values his time and has bills to pay, it only seems proper to do the same for the next generation of curious coders.

GMS 1.4 is all I need to test drive the logic about 99% of the time. It's quite rare that I can't solve someone's problem because of a specific upgrade between 1.4 and 2.x, and tbh unless I ever get into game dev personally I just can't justify making that purchase... so here I am on my little boomerware!
 
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