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    GameMaker Essentials
    GameMaker Essentials
    GameMaker Essentials
    Ebook306 pages2 hours

    GameMaker Essentials

    By Nathan Auckett

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    About this ebook

    About This Book
    • Learn the core aspects of GameMaker: Studio to create stunning games and share them with the world
    • Learn how to create games in GameMaker using the GameMaker Language (GML)
    • A fast-paced, step-by-step guide that focuses on providing practical skills to develop applications
    Who This Book Is For

    This book is for users experienced with game development who now want to learn how to develop games in GameMaker: Studio in a fast-paced way.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPackt Publishing
    Release dateMar 26, 2015
    ISBN9781784390518
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      Book preview

      GameMaker Essentials - Nathan Auckett

      Table of Contents

      GameMaker Essentials

      Credits

      About the Author

      About the Reviewers

      www.PacktPub.com

      Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

      Why subscribe?

      Free access for Packt account holders

      Preface

      What this book covers

      What you need for this book

      Who this book is for

      Conventions

      Reader feedback

      Customer support

      Downloading the color images of this book

      Errata

      Piracy

      Questions

      1. Introducing GameMaker

      Understanding GameMaker

      GameMaker: Studio

      Installing GameMaker: Studio

      What is this book about?

      Summary

      2. Getting Started

      Licensing

      The welcome window

      The main toolbar

      The drop-down menus

      The resource tree

      Summary

      3. Resource Management

      Resources in GameMaker

      Sprites

      Sounds

      Backgrounds

      Paths

      Scripts

      Shaders

      Fonts

      Timelines

      Objects

      Rooms

      Extensions

      Macros

      Resource naming conventions

      Organizing resources

      Groups

      Sprite animations

      Importing and exporting resources

      Importing graphics and sounds

      Importing GameMaker resources

      Exporting resources

      Exporting scripts

      Summary

      4. Objects

      Events

      The step event

      Room speed

      The draw event

      Parents

      Making a parent

      Parents and collisions

      Depth

      Depth ordering

      Changing an object's depth

      Drag and drop

      Creating a sprite

      Making our object

      Creating a room

      Summary

      5. The GameMaker Language

      Variables

      Instance variables

      Local variables

      Global variables

      Macros

      Arrays

      One-dimensional arrays

      Two-dimensional arrays

      Functions

      Statements and loops

      Statements

      The if statement

      The else statement

      The else if statement

      Loops

      The repeat loop

      The while loop

      The for loop

      Scripts

      Creating a script

      Naming a script

      Writing a script

      Executing a script

      Arguments in scripts

      Argument hints in scripts

      Returning a value

      Summary

      6. Sprites

      Loading a sprite

      Sprite options

      Sprite origins

      Collision masks

      Editing a collision mask

      Texture settings

      Sprite sizing techniques

      The power of two

      Templates

      Editing a sprite

      Starting from scratch

      Effects

      Sprites in the GameMaker Language

      Setting an object's sprite

      Getting the width and height of a sprite

      Getting the offset of a sprite

      Setting the animation speed of a sprite

      Setting the frame of a sprite

      Setting the alpha of a sprite

      Setting the rotation of a sprite

      Changing the scale of a sprite

      Finding out how many subimages a sprite has

      Summary

      7. Making a Game

      Making the sprites

      Room setup

      Views

      Object creation

      Programming the game

      Collectables

      Enemies

      Summary

      8. Debugging

      Errors

      Undeclared variable

      Drawing information

      Drawing text

      Drawing lines and shapes

      Simple toggles

      The GameMaker debugger

      Summary

      9. Game Settings and Exporting

      Global Game Settings

      Analytics and advertising

      Advertising

      Analytics

      Exporting a game

      Publishing your game

      YoYo Player

      Game Jolt

      Skill summary

      Taking this further

      Games made in GameMaker

      GameMaker learning sites

      The GameMaker Community

      YouTube

      Summary

      Index

      GameMaker Essentials

      GameMaker Essentials

      Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

      Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

      Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

      First published: March 2015

      Production reference: 1230315

      Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

      Livery Place

      35 Livery Street

      Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

      ISBN 978-1-78439-612-1

      www.packtpub.com

      Credits

      Author

      Nathan Auckett

      Reviewers

      Mark Alexander

      John M. Walker, PE

      Commissioning Editor

      Nadeem N. Bagban

      Acquisition Editor

      Harsha Bharwani

      Content Development Editor

      Samantha Gonsalves

      Technical Editor

      Bharat Patil

      Copy Editors

      Relin Hedly

      Laxmi Subramanian

      Project Coordinator

      Sanchita Mandal

      Proofreaders

      Simran Bhogal

      Lauren E. Harkins

      Indexer

      Hemangini Bari

      Production Coordinator

      Conidon Miranda

      Cover Work

      Conidon Miranda

      About the Author

      Nathan Auckett is an advanced GameMaker user and has been using the software for over 7 years now. He started using GameMaker during its seventh version and has been using the built-in programming language ever since to create his own games. In 2012, he began creating small tutorials on various topics in GameMaker and has since then created over 50 tutorials helping people achieve a variety of different tasks in GameMaker.

      About the Reviewers

      Mark Alexander is a self-taught programmer and writer. He started using BASIC on an old ZX81 and progressed through the years using other languages and learning the tools of the programming trade until he discovered GameMaker in 2006. At that point, he fell in love with the software and now dedicates his time to making games and writing articles on using the program and on game design in general.

      Mark currently documents products for YoYo Games (who makes and sells GameMaker: Studio) and also has his own small software company, Nocturne Games, which specializes in small, family-friendly, and quirky games for all platforms.

      Mark was the technical editor of GameMaker: Studio For Dummies, For Dummies as well as Learning GML from the Game Maker book series.

      John M. Walker, PE is a licensed professional engineer in industrial engineering and is currently a licensed full-time teacher in computer science and information technology at Gresham High School near Portland, OR. He has been teaching full time for the last 15 years for High School and Regional Professional Higher Ed conferences.

      John worked for more than 20 years as an information technology manager for high technology firms dealing with systems administration and networking architecture and engineering. His favorite designation was Director of Technology for the Portland Trail Blazers, while designing and constructing the Moda Center.

      www.PacktPub.com

      Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

      For support files and downloads related to your book, please visit www.PacktPub.com.

      Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.com, and as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy. Get in touch with us at for more details.

      At www.PacktPub.com, you can also read a collection of free technical articles, sign up for a range of free newsletters, and receive exclusive discounts and offers on Packt books and eBooks.

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      Preface

      Welcome to GameMaker Essentials. This book will teach you how to use GameMaker: Studio to create your very own games from start to finish. You will learn the very basics, such as how to use the GameMaker: Studio interface, as well as the more advanced features such as programming, monetizing your game, and finally exporting your game for publishing.

      If you have ever wanted to create your own games for operating systems, such as Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, and more, then this book is the perfect place to start.

      What this book covers

      Chapter 1, Introducing GameMaker, introduces GameMaker: Studio by telling us exactly what it is and the basic idea behind it. The chapter also looks into some of GameMaker's history as well as showing how to install it onto your computer.

      Chapter 2, Getting Started, walks you through the GameMaker: Studio interface, teaching you what each button does and introducing you to some of the core aspects of the interface.

      Chapter 3, Resource Management, teaches you how to manage resources. In this chapter, you will learn what each resource is and also the best practices in organizing resources.

      Chapter 4, Objects, introduces you to one of the core resources in GameMaker, objects. You will learn about the object interface and also how they function.

      Chapter 5, The GameMaker Language, teaches you how to program using GameMaker's very own programming language. By the end of this chapter, you will be ready to program your own game.

      Chapter 6, Sprites, takes a detailed look at the sprite resource in GameMaker. You will learn how to create sprites, edit sprites, the good sizing techniques, and finally, how to change the way sprites act through programming.

      Chapter 7, Making a Game, walks you through the process of making your very own game using GameMaker Language (GML). You will learn more about rooms, objects, programming, and common practices in this chapter.

      Chapter 8, Debugging, teaches you about debugging in GameMaker. You will learn how to read an error report, how to draw information to the screen, how to enable simple toggles, and finally, how to use the GameMaker debugger.

      Chapter 9, Game Settings and Exporting, covers the settings available for each game in GameMaker. You will also learn how to implement ads, analytics, how to export your game, and also how to publish your final game.

      What you need for this book

      For this book, you will need:

      An active Internet connection

      GameMaker: Studio (free version or higher)

      Who this book is for

      If you are an experienced developer or a beginner who wants to enter the rich world and experience of GameMaker: Studio, then this book is ideal for you.

      Conventions

      In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.

      Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file

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