GameMaker Mac - Opinions?

colinGravity

I'm looking for a little advice.

I want to start developing a prototype for a new game I'm working on. I've been messing around with Unity, but its pretty complex for what I want to do. And I'm not a coder. Progress has been slow.

I somehow missed the release of Unity 4.3, which included 2d tools (its a 2d game). So I'm busy downloading that to give it a try. But I still expect it to be less straight forward than I would like.

So in the meantime I've been checking out Game Maker. Problem is, the only computer I have that runs more than an internet browser is a Mac. And the Mac version of Game Maker is pretty out of date.

Is the Mac version of Game Maker a waste of time? Should I look into dual booting my Mac so I can run the Windows only Game Maker: Studio? Should I persevere with Unity, because the 2D tools of 4.3 are totally worth it?

Tuism

Game Maker is great, it's a fantastic learning tool and accelerates the understanding of concepts and how to do things.

The only problem for me for Game Maker is production. Getting things into the web player, for example, isn't easy, especially since I'm not a coder either. And there were sometimes bugs that I just couldn't fathom, again, because I'm not a coder.

Unity is more robust, but MUCH more difficult and complex, and a lot stricter. It requires new understanding, and new syntax.

It really depends on what you're doing - I'd say start with Game Maker but give Unity a try too, and see what you're comfortable with.

Personally, I'm still learning Unity, after having started... What, 2/3 months ago, I can say the envrionment is really awesome, the level editor isn't useless, and the workflow is great. BUT. It's harder.

I don't know about the Mac version specifically so I can't really weigh in so I'll let someone else take that. I do think that the Mac version has a slower progression (update cycle) than the Windows one overall, but I'm not sure.

Pomb

The tool doesn't matter, only that you start and persevere.

Pomb

Unity 2d in 4.3 is awesome, I find it pretty straight forward and easier to use than any of the other 2d packages out there, including 2d Toolkit which was one of my favorites. The Unity website has really good tutorials that I wish were available when I started, they a great starting point for noobies, introducing the interface and basic coding. It should get you well on your way to making your prototype. Good luck!

colinGravity

Thanks for the replies guys.

Just spent the last 2 hrs watching intro tutorials for 2D Unity. Seems very promising, but still complicated. Just to be clear - I've already managed to hack together a basic prototype of the control system I want in Unity 3D, using a variety of tutorials and the code I saw there, but progress is frustrating - I'm a designer, I want to make ideas happen. Unity may be a great tool, but what I want right now is to do some rapid prototyping. Unity and me are not so rapid together.

But yeah - the 2D tools look amazing - 2hrs til the new Unity finishes downloading, so looking forward to trying it tomorrow.

Game Maker seems perfect for the kind of prototyping I want to do. What I really want is to make a prototype that I can show people, either to get them involved in working with me, or maybe as part of a pitch for funding.

But unfortunately it seems YoYo has abandoned Mac development all together. Mac version is stuck at 7.5.85, while Windows moved through 8.1 and turned into Studio, which seems very cool indeed. It loads on my PC, so I can poke around in the menus, but my PC is so weak that Game Maker won't actually render anything when I try to run a project.

But installing Windows and bootcamp on a Mac mini (no dvd drive) will be tiresome. and I would rather draw space ships and mock up stage designs.

Any feedback on worthiness of GameMaker 7.5.85 still very welcome!

Tuism

I run Parallels on my Mac and it runs even Unity fine, so... Go that route?

Stick to Studio. Vlambeer makes games in GM8. But they're pro programmers. One of them translates the GM code into code for other consoles etc, so I bet they can do things with a piece of gum and elastic band that I can't do with an AK-47 :)

colinGravity

@Tuism - thanks, I'll try that. I was on a Forum somewhere earlier today where people seemed to indicate it wouldn't work well, but they weren't very clear. They were probably just pro-bootcamp and I made an assumption.

I still feel pretty new to Mac, even though I've been on it for over a year.

Tuism

I would actually say that dual-booting would get you the best performance out of the two options, I'd go with that if I was using my own mac... I'm using the company's and so don't really have an option.

Karuji

@Tuism Vlambeer uses 8? Thought JW was still on 7. As a fun little fact: Cactus did Hotline Miami in GM6 >.>

@colinGravity it depends how far you are going to go with it. For just jamming around on prototypes there aint nothing wrong with GM 7. And there are likely a bunch of resources that pertain to the earlier versions of GM.

Most of us on MGSA are using studio, I believe. So asking tech advice and stuff here you will likely get better help in studio.

---

As an aside I too own a mac, and I cannot remember the last time it actually booted OS X (Win7 4 life yo)

colinGravity

@Tuism looked into Parallels. Seems like a good option, other than the price, which would be $70 for Parallels plus $50 for GM:Studio, because I was too stupid to take advantage of the free offer when it was around. Ouch!

so...

@Karuji - thanks, interesting to know about Hotline Miami, which I loved. I think it might be worth the $20 for the Mac version just to experiment. Can always upgrade later.

In the meantime, have been digging around in Unity 4.3.2 2D options and it looks amazing. Just as complicated as expected. But it makes Unity much more suitable to my needs.

Pomb

It's only complicated for a little while, then it becomes easy.
What specifically are you having trouble with? Maybe we can help you understand something you stuck with.

Chippit

Pomb's absolutely correct: There is no right answer to this question, and there is no best tool. I've known people to make games in QBasic, in Game Maker, in Unity, in Python, in DarkBASIC, in Flash, in Construct 2 (you might want to look into this one as a GM alternative), in Objective bloody C, and in countless other things. The second best single-man game ever made (no hyperbole) was made in Game Maker. The best single-man game ever made (definitely no hyperbole) was made in a completely custom engine by someone who did not consider himself a programmer.**

Now I recognise that this is sort of absolutely useless commentary to give to someone asking where to start, and the myriad of options is actually discouraging. So here's the best advice I know:

The right place to start is whatever lets you get something you can play the fastest, even if that means doing it on paper first. Draw some shapes. print out a picture of Trogdor, burninate some villages. Are you having fun yet? Then run with it. If not, try again.

But, perhaps most importantly of all, if Unity looks scary and intimidating and will take you a month to learn, then Unity is not the right answer for you. If it looks like you can get your game up and running in GM 6, or GM:S, or GM-whatever-the-heck-you-want-to-use, in half the time it would take you to do in anything else, then use that.

** Those games are free and you should definitely play them both.

FanieG

@colinGravity - i totally agree with what Chippit is saying. I remember that @dislekcia also once gave the following advice to another member that had a similar question regarding Unity and GM:

@xxGizmo404xx: Try both, they're both free :) Spend one weekend doing tutorials for Game Maker, then spend another weekend doing Unity tutorials, see which one you end up tweaking the tutorial games in. That'll be the one you like working with the most. It's all about what you feel you can do in each - that goes for any engine system, actually.

That stuck in my head and I am better off having followed that advice.