I'm interested to hear who is using GM over Unity. I never really liked GM when I tried it ages ago, and haven't tried it recently so I don't know how they compare, but since Unity has added 2D I have seen a friend of mine seemingly switching over.
I actually love game maker still, I use. I mostly for prototypes now and I then take my interesting ones and rebuild them in Unity. I do have GM:S professional, however adding easier 2D was a great move for Unity. The best part about GM is it helps people that lack strong programming skills to learn the simple building blocks and start working through the drag and drop interface to build games I feel. I work exclusively in script in game maker and I do still like some (unfortunately not all) of the way they do things.
The one main drawback of GM is that you still have to open object, and event windows, and script windows before you can start typing code. DnD is actually a waste of time, but it does help children learn to make games, however this reputation is one big reason why people believe GM is subpar. There are community software, like Parakeet, which allows a pure code based engine used ontop of GMS - which I hope in later versions yoyogames will incorporate as well. I've been very happy over the past year, that they are starting to listen to their users and adding requested features.
GM is an amazing tool for 2D games, and with the frequent updates and low cost compared to other tools, and multi platform support, I like it. But if I started with Unity I would have loved that as well. There is just this point I believe that you should stick with what you know and improve your skill level with a tool, since the feature gap between tools are closing rapidly..
But if you want to start with GMS, maybe wait for 1.3 due to release soon...since it will change many things in the core engine, like multiple draw events, and access to the background render surface..which could potentially cause headache for older games made in previous versions.
I love GM. The one place where it really falls down is production and finishing. Otherwise it's the fastest prototyping you can do on any tool. That's the bottom line.
The only reason I'm not currently prototyping a concept in GM is because the built in physics timestep isn't editable, so I can't do slow motion stuff easily... Aaaaand I'm too lazy to just copy-pasta in one of the old physics DLLs because of reasons.
Won't this work for you in GMS: physics_world_update_iterations(iterations) and physics_world_update_speed(speed)
Not last time I checked...
The iterations parameter controls how many times a physics update runs per frame, this affects accuracy of motion and not speed. I'm not sure if update_speed was exposed earlier, is that new.
I'd not be making games if not for GM, period. I used it exclusively for the first six years of my dev "career", starting with rudimentary programming knowledge, and managed to build everything from turn-based strategy games to puzzle platformers to JRPGs to text adventures to Myst-style exploration slideshows to ill-advised 3D metroidvanias. It's a damned flexible package, and super accessible if you're just starting out, and It still can't be beaten for rapid prototyping provided you can work within its (wide) functionality.
BUT... If you need more precise control, more performance, custom systems, or want to do things outside of its existing functions, that's when I'd advocate moving to Unity or some other engine.
@Tuism I disagree with your bottom line and would like to have a race with you some time. I would use construct and you GM and we would see who can create the best game in 3 minutes. There will be a jury of 3 randomly selected people.
Won't this work for you in GMS: physics_world_update_iterations(iterations) and physics_world_update_speed(speed)
Not last time I checked...
The iterations parameter controls how many times a physics update runs per frame, this affects accuracy of motion and not speed. I'm not sure if update_speed was exposed earlier, is that new.
It is new, but I myself have not yet had a chance to play with it properly, here is the explanation:
Comments
I never really liked GM when I tried it ages ago, and haven't tried it recently so I don't know how they compare, but since Unity has added 2D I have seen a friend of mine seemingly switching over.
GM is an amazing tool for 2D games, and with the frequent updates and low cost compared to other tools, and multi platform support, I like it. But if I started with Unity I would have loved that as well. There is just this point I believe that you should stick with what you know and improve your skill level with a tool, since the feature gap between tools are closing rapidly..
But if you want to start with GMS, maybe wait for 1.3 due to release soon...since it will change many things in the core engine, like multiple draw events, and access to the background render surface..which could potentially cause headache for older games made in previous versions.
physics_world_update_iterations(iterations)
and
physics_world_update_speed(speed)
The iterations parameter controls how many times a physics update runs per frame, this affects accuracy of motion and not speed. I'm not sure if update_speed was exposed earlier, is that new.
BUT... If you need more precise control, more performance, custom systems, or want to do things outside of its existing functions, that's when I'd advocate moving to Unity or some other engine.
mwahahahahahahahaha
Long live construct and long live freedom.
@ the debaters of engines (to death again) here is latest ratings in the world:
http://content.yudu.com/A2xcc7/Dev100TechList2014/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=
Game Maker can in #35 and Unity #3, but I love GMS and only plan on making 2D small games in any case.