6 replies to this topic

[ControllerCallus]

Hello, all!

I am a Mac user new to GameMaker. Would you kindly entertain my newbie questions to assist me in understanding the limits/potential of GameMaker for Mac?


1) If I make a game in GameMaker version 7 for Mac, but wanted to later take advantage of the extra features offered in the Windows/Studio versions, would my Mac version 7 project open in the Windows/Studio editions or would I have to essentially rebuild my game from scratch within them?


2) Is it possible to export a GameMaker version 7 Mac project to HTML 5, or can that translation only be made from the Windows/Studio version (if the latter, the answer from my previous question will let me know if I can effectively export my Mac game to a Windows version of GameMaker)?


3) Is it possible to include, in HTML5 game code, the launching of a new web url? For example, say game embedded in a website is successfully completed by the player; I would like for the completion of the game to automatically trigger a new webpage to be loaded. Can this be accomplished with any version of GameMaker or with HTML5?


Thanks so much for your time!

[Dangerous_Dave]

Hello, all!

Hi!

1) If I make a game in GameMaker version 7 for Mac, but wanted to later take advantage of the extra features offered in the Windows/Studio versions, would my Mac version 7 project open in the Windows/Studio editions or would I have to essentially rebuild my game from scratch within them?

You can open GM for Mac files in GM 8.1 lite/standard/studio. *However*, you cannot open GM 8.1 lite/standard/studio files in GM for Mac without 3rd party tools.
Don't expect your game to run perfectly right away, you may need to rewrite parts to get them to work due to differences between the versions.

3) Is it possible to include, in HTML5 game code, the launching of a new web url? For example, say game embedded in a website is successfully completed by the player; I would like for the completion of the game to automatically trigger a new webpage to be loaded. Can this be accomplished with any version of GameMaker or with HTML5?

There is a built in function to go to a URL. This must open the URL in the current tab. Although Studio includes the ability to open in a new tab, this is blocked by the popup blocker on the browsers.


If you're wondering whether to get GM Studio or GM for Mac, I recommend GM Studio. But (unlike GM for Mac, which runs exclusively on Mac), to make Mac apps with it, you'll need to be able to run both Windows and Mac at the same time (you can't export a Mac app from Studio, then take it to a Mac to use, as Studio needs access to the Mac to compile it). Either with two different computers on the same LAN, or with Windows installed in a virtual machine on your Mac.

GM for Mac is a little past it's prime, and was great before Studio existed, but now it's really only for those with no access to Windows.

[dannyjenn]

If you're wondering whether to get GM Studio or GM for Mac, I recommend GM Studio. But (unlike GM for Mac, which runs exclusively on Mac), to make Mac apps with it, you'll need to be able to run both Windows and Mac at the same time (you can't export a Mac app from Studio, then take it to a Mac to use, as Studio needs access to the Mac to compile it). Either with two different computers on the same LAN, or with Windows installed in a virtual machine on your Mac.

GM for Mac is a little past it's prime, and was great before Studio existed, but now it's really only for those with no access to Windows.

So... is Game Maker Studio for Mac or for Windows? Or do you need a copy on Mac and another copy on Windows? And if so, does the registration code cover both copies or do you have to pay twice? (I hope you don't have to pay twice... since the cost of GMS is almost 3 times the cost of the regular GM...)

[Dangerous_Dave]

GM Studio is only for Windows, however, it exports to both Windows and Mac (providing you can run both at once, as described above). Basically you hit run in Windows, and it sends the game through the network to your Mac, where it runs it. It's pretty neat.

Extra platforms are available for purchase, so if you were willing to spend the money, you could also export to Android, HTML5 and iOS (this also requires a Mac).

[ControllerCallus]

Thanks so much for your in-depth responses!

1) Okay cool, so I can build with GameMaker 7 for Mac, and later open that project file in a Windows counterpart with minimal difference--great!


3) Perfect! I was really hoping to be able to automatically navigate the player to different web pages at certain points of the gaming experience.

Hmm . . . I am just realizing that if I were to break up my game into a few different sections, independently as if they are their own games, I guess there wouldn't be a way to transfer over game data such as item inventory and other progress-related data. One thought I had was to possibly make selectable levels (such as in Mega Man) load a different page, prompting new website ads. Hmm . . . I wonder if there is a way to transfer game progress data to 'another' game on a linked page?

Since I only have access to a Mac right now, and am presently only looking to make a game that will be embedded in a website, will I have to involve a PC at some point to transition my Mac version project to HTML code? My thing is, knowing that my end result is to have a game playable in HTML, and not to have copies of the game playable on any specific platform, I want to make sure I won't be beating myself up later, wishing I had not completed the bulk of my work on Game Maker for Mac. Other than the HTML exporting function, I think I have everything I need to make my intended game with the tools of GameMaker for Mac. So I'm assuming I could do so, and when I'm just about finished, get my hands on Studio for the HTML export?

Thanks again, everyone! Happy Memorial day!

[dannyjenn]

GM Studio is only for Windows, however, it exports to both Windows and Mac (providing you can run both at once, as described above). Basically you hit run in Windows, and it sends the game through the network to your Mac, where it runs it. It's pretty neat.

Extra platforms are available for purchase, so if you were willing to spend the money, you could also export to Android, HTML5 and iOS (this also requires a Mac).

Wait... the HTML5 features cost extra? Then what does the $99 get you? Just the ability to save for Windows (and Mac if you have a Mac)?

Hmm . . . I am just realizing that if I were to break up my game into a few different sections, independently as if they are their own games, I guess there wouldn't be a way to transfer over game data such as item inventory and other progress-related data. One thought I had was to possibly make selectable levels (such as in Mega Man) load a different page, prompting new website ads. Hmm . . . I wonder if there is a way to transfer game progress data to 'another' game on a linked page?

I'm not sure if there's a way to do that in Game Maker but in HTML5 there's a new JavaScript feature called Web Storage ( http://www.w3schools..._webstorage.asp ). Maybe Game Maker has some functionality for that... or if not then maybe they'll add that functionality sometime.
Actually, it might be possible in Game Maker Studio... I see this as one of the features -- "Import external JavaScript libraries"

[Dangerous_Dave]

Hmm . . . I am just realizing that if I were to break up my game into a few different sections, independently as if they are their own games, I guess there wouldn't be a way to transfer over game data such as item inventory and other progress-related data. One thought I had was to possibly make selectable levels (such as in Mega Man) load a different page, prompting new website ads. Hmm . . . I wonder if there is a way to transfer game progress data to 'another' game on a linked page?

You can use the file access functions to access the HTML5 local storage. It basically works the same as if you were on Windows, as GM redirects the functions. Just make sure the template of the file you are using is uploaded with the game (ie if you are saving the game info in "savefile.sav", make sure you actually create the "savefile.sav" file and include it in the game folder, you can't create the files on the fly.

Since I only have access to a Mac right now, and am presently only looking to make a game that will be embedded in a website, will I have to involve a PC at some point to transition my Mac version project to HTML code? My thing is, knowing that my end result is to have a game playable in HTML, and not to have copies of the game playable on any specific platform, I want to make sure I won't be beating myself up later, wishing I had not completed the bulk of my work on Game Maker for Mac. Other than the HTML exporting function, I think I have everything I need to make my intended game with the tools of GameMaker for Mac. So I'm assuming I could do so, and when I'm just about finished, get my hands on Studio for the HTML export?

When I develop for HTML5, I prefer to do it all in GM Studio so I can test in HTML5 each step of the way, so if something doesn't work in HTML5 like it should, it's easy to track down the last thing I added so I can fix it. However, there is no reason why you *can't* develop it completely in GM for Mac, then open it in GM Studio for export to HTML5.

And yes, you will need a Windows machine to export to HTML5.

Wait... the HTML5 features cost extra? Then what does the $99 get you? Just the ability to save for Windows (and Mac if you have a Mac)?

That's correct. For a while they were selling GMHTML5, which cost $99, and this came with a free upgrade to GM Studio with HTML5 export. But they were very clear that this was a temporary price that would only stay until GM Studio was released. In fact, they were going to charge $200 for the HTML5 export, the same as the other export options, but for some reason it's only $99 at this point.