Do you even realize how long it would take to write a good 3D engine in C++? You've got to be kidding me. It takes twice, maybe three times as long to write a 3D engine in C++ than in GML. Even though the 3D capabilites in Game Maker are not exceptional or even above average, it is still possible to make a decent 3D
game with the 3D functions. And in my opinion, Game Maker creams Sphere and
Verge very easily. No match there.

 

 

 

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some people only think that game maker is only side scrolling games but thats not true iv been working on it for a few years and im 14 now and iv started 2 develop 3d 1st person shoot em ups! Its an awsome software but the best one is 5.3a cos u dont realy need 2 register it you get most of the features 4 free.

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Actually, GM is quite good with 3D, allthough it does not do real 3D. It does Psuedo3D which uses 3d graphics, image scalling, etc... And contrary to belief, it is possibel to support 3D models, and even create them within GM itself. Another thing that is misconception is that you can't do 3D collission checking, and that Mark overmars should include it in the next version, but with a few simple scripts you can easily create 3D collisions.

 

 

 

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Well, I'm not too affluent to these new 3D functions. I don't work with GM6 or its
3D functions. So you would know better than me. But anyways, you're right. The 3D graphics are "pseudo-3D". Maybe in the future, I might actually look into using the 3D functions. Not now though. I have a few projects of my own to keep me busy.

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Sure Game Maker creams it but those are OPEN SOURCE OMG!!! And a buncha people work on them. It would be easy to advance them. By the way 3D in Game Maker is pretty good but takes way to long. You could read a whole C++ book by the time you finish and example or game!

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Actually, most C++ books I have seen are quite large, and unless you just pittle through the book without actually learning anything, then I would say you are incorrect. At the very least you are right about perhaps creating a whole, completed game in 3D taking longer, I would partially agree with you on that because someone might want to create a very large game and that could take a while. However, a 3D example could only take a few hours to create perhaps, but not more than a day. Furthermore, you can't expect a game-making program aimed at beginners to allow you to create fantastic 3D games as well as a mainstream programming language like C++. You're comparing apples and oranges, in my opinion.

I have been using Game Maker for a while, I own a registered copy of Game Maker 6.0. I have seen my fair share of "game-creating" programs out there to help people make games with ease, but I must say that Game Maker has the closest balance between programming flexibility and beginner usability (if that's a word).

Not only does GM allow you to program in GML (which is very similar to java or C), it also has a visual drag-and-drop programming system that is very useful and very easy to use. Both of these methods combined allow you to create anything you can think of with ease. There are basically no limitations to what you can do with GM, no limit on what type of game, no limit on how big it is, and most importantly - no limit to what you can do with your completed game. Even free users of GM are allowed to sell their games that they create.

All in all, I'd say Game Maker is at LEAST worth checking out. If you don't know where to start, there is lots of help available at the forums (http://forums.gamemaker.nl). I think the current registration fee is ~$18, and let me tell you that even though that seems somewhat steep, it is worth it.

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The current registation fee is $20 or 15 Euros (how do you make a Euro symbol?) 3D game programming in GM isn't very time consuming, if you read the manual and practice you will be pretty good, I managed to make a massive jungle for my first game in a few days, it is much more difficult getting the 3D models... GM-University is correct though, there is 3D model support if you take the time, also, if you have a finished 3D model, I can create a .dll based off of that (by converting the model to C code by hand, then setting it up to draw when functions are anounced) for free if I have the time.

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Let me also point out that Game Maker's abilities can't really be judged by looking at 95% of what the Game Maker community produces. No offense to anyone whot hinks they may fall into that category but it is true. Game Maker has an amazing game-building base and can provide a very pragmatic and detailed designer the tools with which to create a commercially recognizable game. I say you can't jusge the program's ability by looking at 95% of the community's games because 95% of the community can't buld a decent game compared to what Game Maker can accomplish. The games (or programs) people produce with Game Maker depend solely on the designer(s) behind the project. I believe anyone can agree with that -- for any piece of development software. Most of the users of Game Maker fall into the program's target users - people who have little to no programming knowledge who, more than likely, experiment with the program for a few days, make some simple childish game, and then uninstall Game Maker from their system.

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Game Maker isn't limited to just games though, I've found that many of the creations that really show it's true potential are programs like Copa Online, Easy PC Security, and Fruit Face. Their are great games though like Jumper, Liquisity, 2000X, and others.

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Yes. This is what makes Game Maker such a productive and efficient program to use versus others. With Game Maker you aren't limited to a certain genre of game (like an RPG or 3-dimensional shooter) -- and you are not even limited by what type of program you create. Though the Game Maker software and code is geared toward developing small (or even large-scale games), you can still use the code as well as other helpful functions to create a neat utility or helpful program such as those you have mentioned. Sometimes people just make things that are pointless, but interesting. This allows people to develop their abstract ideas and to further test them before they use them in a professional environment or on a registered product. For example, there is a program out there that will let you load an image and it will generate HTML markup that, when viewed, is nearly identical to the picture you loaded. While this is almost completely useless on its own, it might be incorporated into another project in the future as a special feature or even as the selling point of a mainstream program.

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