Omega Metroid

Alright, I was updating to the latest version of the HTML5 program today, and it downloaded fine, and seemed to install fine, however it got to the end of the status bar and locked up totally. I waited ten minutes, thinking it might just be a long time, and had no choice but to force it to shut down. I believe this may have corrupted it, as the updater crashes every time I try to open GM HTML5. Should I just reinstall, or is there a workaround to skip the updater altogether?

Edit: Alright, I think I found the problem. A process called Spicied or something like that had locked up, and ending the program caused the GM HTML5 to pop up. Hope this helps others.

I want to start a discussion on a subject that I've wondered for years:

Why do these forums allow fangames, which blatantly violate copyright and trademarks? Is there a loophole people are exploiting or is it just the community looking the other way?

Because, well, it's been the one nagging problem that's been on my mind these last few years about this place. Sonic games, Mario games, Halo knock-offs, why are we permitting these blatant offenders to continue infringing copyright?

I have been using Game Maker for a decade, and seriously since version 4.x.

I am a proper English speaker located in the US, have done scores of projects, have been mentioned in Gamasutra for my project Narwhal 2, and worked extensively with teams around the world. I have great experience in almost every form of game, from puzzles to RPGs to platformers. In fact, at my school I've given guest lectures on how to use Game Maker in preparing my peers for the Global Game Jam. I have since entered in every single one with varying success.

My code is elegant and simple, with ample commenting. I've built over 300+ engines over the past decade, and contributed to a large number of projects with my direct assistance. I have made engines such as a perfect copy of Pokemon generation 4 battle engine (not being released due to lawsuit concerns), and I've studied game design as a major extensively. What does this mean? I know GML, I know game design, I know how to work with teams, and I know how to get things done.

I've also got experience writing narratives, a strong background in the sciences and art, and fairly extensive pixel art experience. Keep in mind though, I am not an expedient spriter. I can easily speak in the terminology of graphics, narrative, and programming. It is this reason why you would benefit from my addition to your team. I'm very good at leading projects, but I am not so arrogant that I cannot follow instructions and take initiative.

I have MSN, G+, Facebook and Skype; I am not against getting other messaging methods for communication. For payment, I have a paypal account. Payment can be discussed in private messages, and remember you do get what you pay for. I would say that with my experience, I am more than capable of all but the most complex tasks that your game will require. Thank you for reading this, and I hope that we can do business soon.

Alright, I am running a script.

load=file_text_open_read(argument0)
show_message(string(load));
bgnum=file_text_read_real(load);
show_message(bgnum);
file_text_readln(load);

repeat(bgnum)
{
bgcur = file_text_read_string(load);
file_text_readln(load);
bgfile=file_text_read_string(load);
show_message("Replaced " + string(bgcur) + " with " + string(bgfile));
background_replace(bgcur,bgfile,false,false);
file_text_readln(load);
}

Which runs off of this file.

2
bg_title
backgrounds\bg_title.png
bg_intro
backgrounds\bg_intro.PNG
0

The problem is that the first background loads the second file, and the second background doesn't seem to load anything at all. What am I doing wrong?

I used to be able to open a file browsers for the user to select the file they wanted to load, like for the purposes of loading their own skins for models, but I can't seem to find the way to do that in GM8. Could anybody help me, I want to make a user-friendly way to load a file for file converter (basically from a BMP to convert it into a map file for a game).