126 replies to this topic

[NakedPaulToast]

With today's GM:Studio update the manual has documented all kinds of functions that have been removed and considered obsolete.

This has obvious relevance to current Studio and HTML5 users, but is also important to GM8.1 (or earlier) and GM4Mac users.

GM Windows and Mac users, if you ever plan to move to Studio (HTML5, Windows c++ runner, Mac c++ runner, iOS, Android Symbian, and any future export) then you should stop using them now. Even if you don't plan on moving to Studio, but do plan on moving to GM:9, it's probably a good idea to stop using them and consider them deprecated, as they have a high probability of not being supported beyond GM:8.1 and GM4Mac:7.

You should also be aware that not all of the functions associated with their respective categories have been removed. For example Particles, particles are still supported but only some of the particle functions have been removed. The documentation has also documented some of the broad reasons that these functions have been removed. Including:

• Not conducive to multiple platforms
• Usage requires taking control of device
• Require code to be created dynamically
• Block the execution of the runner
• Horribly slow or poorly implemented
• Not compatible with newer methods of doing things

If your current project does use any of the above, and you not plan on porting it to a future version of GameMaker, continue using it.



Obsolete Functions:

Spoiler

Triggers

Registry Functions

• registry_exists
• registry_exists_ext
• registry_read_real
• registry_read_real_ext
• registry_read_string
• registry_read_string_ext
• registry_set_root
• registry_write_real
• registry_write_real_ext
• registry_write_string
• registry_write_string_ext

CD Functions

• cd_close_door
• cd_init
• cd_length
• cd_number
• cd_open_door
• cd_pause
• cd_paused
• cd_play
• cd_playing
• cd_position
• cd_present
• cd_resume
• cd_set_position
• cd_set_track_position
• cd_stop
• cd_track
• cd_track_length
• cd_track_position
• MCI_command

Display Functions

• display_set_all
• display_set_colordepth
• display_set_frequency
• display_set_size
• display_test_all
• screen_refresh
• screen_wait_vsync
• set_automatic_draw
• set_synchronization

Splash Functions

• load_info
• show_info
• splash_set_adapt
• splash_set_border
• splash_set_caption
• splash_set_close_button
• splash_set_color
• splash_set_cursor
• splash_set_fullscreen
• splash_set_interrupt
• splash_set_main
• splash_set_position
• splash_set_scale
• splash_set_size
• splash_set_stop_key
• splash_set_stop_mouse
• splash_set_top
• splash_show_image
• splash_show_text
• splash_show_video
• splash_show_web

Particle Functions

• part_attractor_clear
• part_attractor_create
• part_attractor_destroy
• part_attractor_destroy_all
• part_attractor_exists
• part_attractor_force
• part_attractor_position
• part_changer_clear
• part_changer_create
• part_changer_destroy
• part_changer_destroy_all
• part_changer_exists
• part_changer_kind
• part_changer_region
• part_changer_types
• part_deflector_clear
• part_deflector_create
• part_deflector_destroy
• part_deflector_destroy_all
• part_deflector_exists
• part_deflector_friction
• part_deflector_kind
• part_deflector_region
• part_destroyer_clear
• part_destroyer_create
• part_destroyer_destroy
• part_destroyer_destroy_all
• part_destroyer_exists
• part_destroyer_region

Sound Functions

• se_chorus
• se_compressor
• se_echo
• se_equalizer
• se_flanger
• se_gargle
• se_none
• se_reverb
  
• sound_3d_set_sound_cone
• sound_3d_set_sound_distance
• sound_3d_set_sound_position
• sound_3d_set_sound_velocity
• sound_background_tempo
• sound_discard
• sound_effect_chorus
• sound_effect_compressor
• sound_effect_echo
• sound_effect_equalizer
• sound_effect_flanger
• sound_effect_gargle
• sound_effect_reverb
• sound_effect_set
• sound_get_preload
• sound_restore
• sound_set_search_directory

mPlay Functions

• mplay_connect_status
• mplay_data_mode
• mplay_data_read
• mplay_data_write
• mplay_end
• mplay_init_ipx
• mplay_init_modem
• mplay_init_serial
• mplay_init_tcpip
• mplay_ipaddress
• mplay_message_clear
• mplay_message_count
• mplay_message_id
• mplay_message_name
• mplay_message_player
• mplay_message_receive
• mplay_message_send
• mplay_message_send_guaranteed
• mplay_message_value
• mplay_player_find
• mplay_player_id
• mplay_player_name
• mplay_session_create
• mplay_session_end
• mplay_session_find
• mplay_session_join
• mplay_session_mode
• mplay_session_name
• mplay_session_status

Message Functions

• text_type
• button_type
• input_type
  
• caption_health
• caption_lives
• caption_score
• get_color
• get_directory
• get_directory_alt
• get_open_filename
• get_save_filename
• highscore_set_background
• highscore_set_border
• highscore_set_colors
• highscore_set_font
• highscore_set_strings
• highscore_show
• highscore_show_ext
• message_alpha
• message_background
• message_button
• message_button_font
• message_caption
• message_input_color
• message_input_font
• message_mouse_color
• message_position
• message_size
• message_text_charset
• message_text_font
• show_health
• show_lives
• show_menu
• show_menu_pos
• show_message_ext
• show_score

Dynamic Functions

• execute_string
• object_add
• object_delete
• object_event_add
• object_event_clear
• room_set_code
• script_get_text
• variable_global_array_get
• variable_global_array_set
• variable_global_array2_get
• variable_global_array2_set
• variable_global_exists
• variable_global_get
• variable_global_set
• variable_local_array_get
• variable_local_array_set
• variable_local_array2_get
• variable_local_array2_set
• variable_local_exists
• variable_local_get
• variable_local_set

Transition Functions

• transition_define
• transition_exists
• transition_kind
• transition_steps

Miscellaneous Functions

• discard_include_file
• error_last
• error_occurred
• export_include_file
• export_include_file_location
• gamemaker_pro
• gamemaker_registered
• gamemaker_version
• secure_mode
• set_application_title
• set_program_priority
• sleep

The above list shouldn't be consider definitive, some might have been overlooked, and others might be added. You should still be able to get a good feel for the type of functions that are no longer being supported.

Edited by NakedPaulToast, 20 April 2012 - 08:09 PM.

[Smarty]

Most of the stuff I see on this list is predictable and reasonable. I'm a bit surprised and disappointed to see some particle functions go, it will rather limit what you can do with them. I hope alternatives are going to be provided for.

I'll also really miss the pop-up menu and the file dialogs. They're not interesting from the perspective of a game, but I do use them when building a level editor and I need a quick selection box or a simple way to load and save external files. I hope they're at least going to push them into extensions, so we can keep on using them.

One other thing:

set_automatic_draw

This isn't a display-specific function, it's a engine-level control function. It was very useful to be able to decide ourselves whether to draw or skip drawing a certain step, so that the game could be throttled somewhat if a game step couldn't be made. Again, I hope some alternative throttling method is going to be provided.

[chance]

...it's probably a good idea to stop using them and consider them deprecated...

If they work in my current version of GM, I'll use them.

I'm that guy who stays in the right lane, even after it says "right lane closed 1 mile ahead." ... and then cuts you off when the lane ends.

[Smarty]

So... What happened with the angry mob carrying torches and pitchforks?

[Robert3DG+]

So... What happened with the angry mob carrying torches and pitchforks?

I think most of us just accepted it or stopped caring. Then again this thread is still fairly young.

I did make a post in another thread regarding these things though:

Will any losses in the name of Studios multi-platform focus be returning for GM9 Standards package either the same or better (If you even know that far ahead yet)? Or is GM8.1 the last full windows Dev experience?

But I think it's too early for anyone to even begin to answer it. Extension packages with some of the removed features coming out in the future sounds like an interesting way to go.

I'm not too wrapped around the axle about it though

Edited by Robert3DG+, 20 April 2012 - 11:16 PM.

[Dangerous_Dave]

I'm that guy who stays in the right lane, even after it says "right lane closed 1 mile ahead." ... and then cuts you off when the lane ends.

I think you'll find it's GM in the right lane, cutting you off

[chance]

I'm that guy who stays in the right lane, even after it says "right lane closed 1 mile ahead." ... and then cuts you off when the lane ends.

I think you'll find it's GM in the right lane, cutting you off

Good one, D_D. +1

Personally, I won't miss any of the listed functions, except for the functions for deflecting and destroying particles. Those I've used many times, so I'll have to find alternatives when/if they disappear (the functions, not the particles).

EDIT: ambiguity fixed

Edited by chance, 21 April 2012 - 09:21 AM.

[Erik Leppen]

99% of this is "good riddance" but there are a few things I will really miss.

get_open_filename and get_save_filename - ideal for prototyping (I didn't see them in your list by the way, probably because they went earlier.

As long as the file_find_* functions are still there however, it can be replicated with scripts.

I hate to see custom room transitions going. I really hope there will be some kind of replacement, maybe "create surface from other room" so that we can create the surfaces and use a script on that. By the way room transitions don't work right now. Not sure if they will come back or not.

object_add and object_event_add - needed for GML-based extensions that have an extension controller. I used this extensively in a large project with many extensions. This project is practically infeasible without objects in extensions.

Also, mouse_wheel_up and _down are not working anymore. Not sure if there's a device_* or other new function replacing this. Does anyone know?

 

By the way, that list contains a few things I didn't know even existed

[Mike.Dailly]

I'll also really miss the pop-up menu and the file dialogs. They're not interesting from the perspective of a game, but I do use them when building a level editor and I need a quick selection box or a simple way to load and save external files. I hope they're at least going to push them into extensions, so we can keep on using them.

We have reconsidered these, for exactly this reason. But they will only be available on Windows and possibly Mac. Not sure about the pop ups yet, but load/save dialogs will make a re-appearance.

But like you say, anything we don't provide, can usually be done via an extension.

[Erik Leppen]

load/save dialogs will make a re-appearance.

That would be great!

[Cakefish]

Oh no... they killed the particle deflectors, changers and attractors?

B-b-but they were actually useful! ... R.I.P.

*Currently in mourning*

[TeamSteeve]

Stop using mplay functions? I think most people use 39dll anyway but at this stage there is no multiplayer functions for GM:S.

Hopefully they come up with something fairly soon and hopefully GM9 and Studio will both have the same (or similar) multiplayer functions so it won't be too difficult for people to port their multiplayer games to studio!

[Smarty]

object_add and object_event_add - needed for GML-based extensions that have an extension controller. I used this extensively in a large project with many extensions. This project is practically infeasible without objects in extensions.

Considering adding events to objects requires adding scripts at runtime, that's just not going to work for any non-Windows and non-Mac platform. On the other hand, the only reason you need it is because you can't pack objects with extensions. So maybe you need to turn this into a feature request.

(...)
We have reconsidered these, for exactly this reason. But they will only be available on Windows and possibly Mac. Not sure about the pop ups yet, but load/save dialogs will make a re-appearance.

But like you say, anything we don't provide, can usually be done via an extension.

Excellent, thanks.

There's one thing though - one way or the other, GM Studio is going to have functionality that is only appropriate for a subset of platforms, so whatever you do to align a project across all platforms, not all functions are going to work on all of them. I'm thinking of the built-in mobile device functions for example, assuming you're not going to put those in an extension.

Which brings me back to a suggestion I've made earlier in the Mantis: just leave those functions in and use a different color-coding for functions that aren't cross-platform. Then it's up to us to put such functionality under filter for a platform, and think of what should happen in place if the game isn't running on that platform.

You should probably also do that for extensions, since not that many extensions are going to be cross-platform to begin with.

[BattleRifle BR55]

I haven't been keeping up with GM since the announcement of HTML5 - with the Display, Sound, and variable_* functions going, what are the replacing equivalents, if any?

[kburkhart84]

Considering adding events to objects requires adding scripts at runtime, that's just not going to work for any non-Windows and non-Mac platform. On the other hand, the only reason you need it is because you can't pack objects with extensions. So maybe you need to turn this into a feature request.

I actually had put in exactly that feature request, because my kbinput extension uses exactly that so you don't have to call the update functions yourself. It is one of the simpler uses, but valid nevertheless.

The response was that it may come in the future, but not anytime soon.

[makerofthegames]

So... What happened with the angry mob carrying torches and pitchforks?

I'm here for that!

I can't believe this! All my functions! My beautiful functions!
This seriously hampers my enthusiasm for upcoming versions of Game Mak-cghk-GameMaker!

Honestly, if I can't expect all my function I use in GM6 to work in GM9, then what's the world coming-wait, what? You say that not all of my functions even work in the current version of GM, much less GM9?

FFFF-

[time-killer-games]

It would be cool to instead of removing object_add() and such all together, there could be an extension for them, for both mac and pc, so that people will know its only available for those two platforms that support extensions (besides html5 js extensions)

dynamic object and room creation is very important for making extentions, so why not just make that an extension in itself?

[faissialoo]

some of the extra functions like the CD functions, dynamic parsing and registry functions can be replaced/mimicked/emulated using various tricks! But I am sad to see splashing go, they are really helpful

Edited by faissialoo, 23 April 2012 - 03:50 PM.

[time-killer-games]

bye bye video splash... I'll miss you baby...

[Derme]

I'm not sure want the point of making games is anymore, I mean now that I can't open and close people's CD drives randomly... *cries*