Practical GameMaker: Studio: Language Projects

Gain the skills required to create fun and compelling games using GameMaker: Studio, and its GML programming language. In this full-color book you’ll learn 24 practical programming elements that are important when creating any game. Each section includes an introduction to a new programming element, some examples, a worksheet, and mini projects to allow you to test your new knowledge. After completing all elements, you will put into action what you have learned in a classic arcade style game.

In Practical GameMaker: Studio, you will create a fully featured game, with guidance and in color. After each section you’ll see how you’ll apply what you’ve learned to the final game, and discover additional projects to try. These mini projects include a separate scoring guide, and a working example for each, which is useful if you’re using this book in an educational environment. Similarly, the book also contains a number of assignments, which you may include as part of any associated coursework in your classes.

What You Will Learn

• Use GameMaker: Studio and GameMaker Language (GML) to create games
• Work with GML variables, conditionals, drawing, keyport I/O, objects, and events
• Create GML sprites, health/lives, alarms, collisions, and rooms
• Improve your game with GML backgrounds, sound and music, splash screens and menus, and effects<
• Include GML random and AI movements in your game
• Use GML loops, arrays, ds_lists, paths, and scripts

Who This Book Is For

Experienced game developers new to GameMaker or for those with at least some prior exposure or experience with GameMaker: Studio but who are new to GML.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Variables
Chapter 2: Conditionals
Chapter 3: Drawing
Chapter 4: Drawing Continued
Chapter 5: Keyboard Input and Simple Movement
Chapter 6: Objects and Events
Chapter 7: Sprites
Chapter 8: Health, Lives, and Score
Chapter 9: Mouse
Chapter 10: Alarms
Chapter 11: Collisions
Chapter 12: Rooms
Chapter 13: Backgrounds
Chapter 14: Sounds and Music
Chapter 15: Splash Screens and Menu
Chapter 16: Random
Chapter 17: More Movement (Basic AI)
Chapter 18: INI Files
Chapter 19: Effects
Chapter 20: Loops
Chapter 21: Arrays
Chapter 22: ds_lists
Chapter 23: Paths
Chapter 24: Scripts
Chapter 25: Hints and Tips
Chapter 26: Creating a Game – Outline
Chapter 27: Creating a Game – Sprites
Chapter 28: Creating a Game – Sounds
Chapter 29: Creating a Game – Backgrounds
Chapter 30: Creating a Game – Paths
Chapter 31: Creating a Game – Fonts
Chapter 32: Creating a Game – Scripts
Chapter 33: Creating a Game – Parent Objects
Chapter 34: Creating a Game – Objects
Chapter 35: Creating a Game – Rooms
Chapter 36: Creating a Game – Progress Sheet
Chapter 37: Creating a Game – Marking Guide
Chapter 38: Creating a Game – End of Projects Assignments
Chapter 39: End of Project Test
Chapter 40: Summary