mazimadu

Hi, I am currently working for a large US based company and the team I am working with want to grab a copy of the Master Collection for corporate use. However, the Yoyogames site does not make it clear if the purchased copies are for individuals nor dies it mention what royalties have to be paid if companies make over a certain amount. This was asked since my boss is coming from a Unity background where licensing the engine for corporate use is a bit restrictive.

I tried to tell them that GM has no such restrictions but they wanted to be doubly sure that this is the case. Is this the best place to ask this question?

One of the features I like the most about classic Game maker is its ability to make use of DLLs and extensions native to the platform it is running on. Now that we have the Android version, I was wondering how (and eventually when) GM might eventually make use of native Android java files and libraries. I know that the extension system is being improved upon, but I was wondering if anyone has found a means to implement Android extensions in GM Studio yet. If not, could the team give me an idea on how Android extensions would eventually work (If that has been discussed yet).

I am bringing this up because I have noticed quite a large number of upcoming devices that will make use of the Android OS (Google TV, OUYA, Android mini pc to name a few) and would like to take full advantage of these devices when they come out.

Here is another comic that I made using the new art style I created. I actually drew this comic WAY back in 2011, but never got around to actually writing dialog until yesterday. Because of my rather busy schedule, I decided to scan them in, adjust the contrast and use Multiply to color in the few details. The result is a rather artsy look. Still needs some work, but better than my last comic in my opinion.

I unfortunately scanned the comic in at a rather LARGE resolution. Since I also didn't do any inking, the thing came out to a 1600x1198. Because of this, I have included a small preview of the comic below. Click in the link for the full thing.



[LINK]

I have been an avid Game Maker user for years, making my first game way back in 2006. Over the years I have seen many games get made and many users highlight who their favorite game Makers are. But one thing I have not seen arise from this community are teams of people who are known for getting together to create Game Maker games. Sure there are a few collaborations here and there, but team building isn't very common in this community. Why is that? This is especially worrying since GM has now become a professional tool, and one of the things it encourages is collaboration between users. To understand this little problem, we need to look at GM's history and see the attitudes and expectations the community built itself around and how we might solve this problem.

As you know in the game industry, almost every game is made by a team of specialized people. Each person possesses a set of skills that he has to contribute in order to help make a successful game. There is usually at least a programmer, graphics artist, sound technician and play tester who each works deliver the product. Game Maker games on the other hand, can be made usually by one person. This had created the impression that every person who has made something using the program (combined with the peculiar nature of GM) should be able to make an entire game by themselves. This has led droves of GM user to emulate the perceived qualities of these people only to fail due to their own limitations. Naturally most of us lack all the skills/resources needed to make a full game, so we ask for help. Now while the GMC has been helpful in getting users started on their first game, there seems to be a greater emphasis on providing resources for others to use rather than getting users together to make games they like. If you look at the forum Tutorials and Examples section along with the Resources section, there are hundreds of engines, code resources, graphics and sounds provided by the users. In stark contrast the Team request page, designed to attract those with skill who want to help others, barely gets read. In fact of all the sections on the site, Team request is the only one that actually has more post than it has replies. His is troubling because this means that there are way more people on this site seeking a team than those willing to join a team. Very sad indeed.

There are a few ways we can fix this problem. One way is to attract more people from other communities (such as DeviantArt) by making this community known to them. If more spriters on DeviantArt know that there are many people on this community that want their skills, odds are some of them will be willing to answer our request. Secondly, those of us on this community should be willing to be more open to direct communication. Since teams are built by working closely with others, users should not be afraid to make themselves more accessible to those who are willing to help. I am not saying we should give out our emails and Facebook profiles. I am saying we should make more use of Skype, chat, IM, even Twitter if you want to see more collaboration. Finally, we need more community projects. This is great way to attract users of different skills. Sites like Newgrounds frequently have COLAB events, where different users show off their skills. Bonds are formed when people work to a common goal.

If we can solve the team building problem on the GMC, I believe we will not only see better games being made, but also more games being made faster.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the topic as well as advice you have on team building.

Take care y'all.

Created this comic using Sai and Fireworks. First comic I have made using a newer art style compared to my last ones (to compare, 2006 - 2011).

Enjoy.