I found game maker harder than Java… 8)
I agree that game maker is harder because we are used to the java syntax and it is complete different.
I thought Game Maker was pretty easy before I learned Java. Now that I’m fluent in a real programming language, Game Maker feels so limiting. Haha.
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Well, as an old user of Game Maker, I’ll say that it’s not a so hard engine if you’ve got basic skills when it comes to programming.
I did make my previous engine on it, and with the knowledge I got from Java/C etc… I even think that I can improve it.
But as Cero said, you’d better just use something else if you plan to make an ENGINE. I don’t know about the new version of GameMaker (was using the 8.0), but here are the points which made me go straight to Java (or C++/C#, still wondering) :
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Full version = You pay.
As ‘normal’ as it sounds, check 2) to understand why I didn’t want to do that. -
GM is not that ‘completed’.
For example, most of the time you’ll want to add a .dll file to your project (if you’re making your OWN game engine, chances are you’ll have to create the dll yourself), and back in the days I was pissed at the fact that I had to do some heavy scripting to have something done (the previous Array didn’t have a .getSize() method, hahahahahaha… ~ahem) -
Do you Memory management?
GM will just punish you *10 if you’re doing it wrong. Besides if you have to do it that much you’d better off with C if you like that much memory headaches. -
Script MORE please.
I did SOOOOO much scripting on it, because I was making an “ENGINE” too. Then I realize that instead of coding that much in GML I’d be better off coding in something with more possibilities.
Oh well, I’m bashing it but GM is quite ok if you want to make a game actually, but it’s still a point&click engine. Yeah you can use GML but --> 4).
Why did you create an engine, if you’ve got game maker? Game maker is even more than an engine…
Game maker is only a gui which consists of a relatively small engine. But it can be extended by linking dll’s or easy actions from the large script can be made.
http://spelunkyworld.com/
The original spelunky was made in Game Maker. I always thought that Game Maker games could never be any fun, until I played spelunky. I’m still sticking to regular programming, though. 
We’re porting Titan Attacks to iOS using Monkey. Worth a look. Not quite a full-blown tool like Game Maker but not quite a simple generic language like Java either.
Cas
That’s the one. I’m watching with great interest (well not least because I’ve got a lot of money behind it :D).
Cas
Ther are some indie game devs who make quite good games with game maker. Good enough that they sell well enough to make a living from it or at least some income.
Casual games? Most likely yes, but not every gamer is hardcore. There are a lot of people who like some easy entertainment, but don’t want to invest a lot of time to learn a game, train their reactions, wade through equipement/item catalogs, consult web sites with calculators and optimizers … but - just want to be entertained for a while.
Game Maker is IMO a good tool to make games which are just that - entertaining passtimes. And I want to avoid any negative connotation with that. It’s IMO what games have always been about, and is maybe more “core” to a game than anything else.
I used to use Game Maker, and I can say, I loved it. I had no clue how to do any programming, and I mean, I couldn’t even understand LUA (on roblox). So when I found Game Maker it helped me learn how to program.
Now, since I have started using Java, I feel that GameMaker is very limiting. I don’t want to use it for my main tool. However, it does make it take a much shorter time to finish a game using Game Maker. For example, My brother made a game in one day using game maker, and it took me an entire week to get my own java port working.
Game Maker can be very powerful for different reasons than java can, but you need to know how to use it.
Haha… I love how the download sizes grow ;D
Looks like a visual basic style language. Wouldn’t a java-esque language or libgdx be more your style cas?
Actually I love BASIC, but by whatever accident for the last 15 years I’ve been using C-style syntax.
What I want is Mario to make Jack work properly and get lots of people working on it! Then we could use any language we wanted if it had a bytecode compiler. Or maybe LLVM does this already. I dunno, it’s all entrenched in Linux bollocks. Oh wait! Monkey already works! Etc.
Cas
Do you use the opengl module or just the mojo module? And do you use that jungle IDE?
Makes sense, but porting languages sucks. especially since you could spend that time improving jack. but I see your point. a bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush.