Tutorial?

[Daveman]

I actually come from the other side of the spectrum. I have written a few demos and games in DirectX, but I realize that I don't have the time as a one man team to do RPGs in straight code.

GM is a dream come true for me... I think. I already have a guy walking around with monsters chasing him, but I was wondering if there are any GM RPG tutorials out there?

I'd like to start with turn based combat and storyline. Anyone have any good links to RPG tuts? I did do a search on 'RPG Tutorials' before I asked this question, but it came up with nothing.

If I can get enough info, I'm going to buy GM for the professional features.

Thanks for any info. ;D

[IsmAvatar]

I haven't seen any RPG tutorials. Anybody who gets anywhere in making an RPG keeps it for themselves, because they don't want anybody stealing their code or their engine and turning around and calling it their own.
I also don't believe there will ever be an RPG tutorial.

What you can do though, is take a look at any open source rpg's you may find (I made one, Here), and if you ever need help figuring out any part of it, feel free to ask. If you find you want something to happen, but you don't know how to do it, take a stab at it, and come back with your attempt when you fail miserably. If you find you haven't a clue how to even attempt something, you're not ready to attempt it yet; start out with something easier, and work your way up to it.

[Daveman]

Good to know I guess. I'm obviously new to the community, but I think right now, it's just figuring out some basic game maker stuff. I have an idea on how to do an engine since I've done some 3D stuff, but I figured there may be some limitations. I'll see what I can do to make some tutorials when I'm done. At least with a basic engine... I wouldn't want to give out my trade secrets

[IsmAvatar]

RPG's don't have to be 3-d. Ones made with GM rarely are.

I'm modifying your thread title, due to it's irrelavence

[Daveman]

Sure. Before 3D came along, there were plenty of 2D RPGs (I'm 34. The first game I saw was Pong), but with GM, I think I have to figure out how to translate structs, classes, inheiritance, globals, etc to gamemaker format (I've seen that they have globals), but i.e., I did a map editor before GM that was done in XML, but I wouldn't think I could do that here. I'd be interested in building external components as well to write game data to an online resource to incorporate the game with a website. A person could view his character online if so desired, search for desired weapons and items, etc. I just have to get a RPG built first . I'll think big later.

That's why I was trying to find something on a basic engine. I found a few bits and pieces just by Googling, but I was hoping someone may have made a basic game to see how it all fits together. Regardless, thanks for all the info and the Subject change.

A great book on a basic engine is "Data Structures for Game Programmers". It does a full basic 2D RPG. Anyway, thanks again for the info.

[IsmAvatar]

No problem, and welcome to the forums.
I'm sure your knowledge can do this community some good. Hope to see you (and everyone else) active.

[dwmitch]

Daveman said:

...but with GM, I think I have to figure out how to translate structs, classes, inheiritance, globals, etc to gamemaker format (I've seen that they have globals)...

If I understand correctly, GM handles the classes, structures, and inheritance.

In other words, when you create a sprite or object in GM it creates a class for those objects. Same with backgrounds, rooms, etc. When you duplicate a resource you create a derived class. I haven't quite figured out what creating a parent/child relationship between objects does (as far as classes, structures, etc.)

Whenever you create a script you're defining a function, if I understand correctly.

This is all from what I've been able to figure out from VC++ for Dummies and just studying the layout of the engine. I have no way to verify it, as I don't have the time or patience to reverse compile the software to check, plus it violates the EULA.

[IsmAvatar]

Game making is mostly a huge database, and if you know anything about databases, GM isn't too hard to figure out.

gamemaker itself tends to use a lot of sub-entities, though, which is (unspokenly) discouraged in databasing, mostly because it's hard to program.

We start out with Gamemaker itself is the database. then we have the entities of the resources (sprites entity, backgrounds entity, objects entity, and so on), and you can take the database back a step too if you want, and call a game an entity, and each gmd you create the instance. Anywhom, then we move on to specific resource the programmer handles, the subentity of each object. Each object has its attributes, such as visible, parent (a foreign key that links two instances to be duplicates of each other with your own defined variations, such as sprite), sprite (a foreign key), and of course the unique identification key, object index, and so on and so forth. Then you start placing the objects in the rooms, and creating objects throughout gameplay, and hence brings the term we hear occasionally in GM as Instances.

As for the reverse engineering etc. topic of gamemaking, while keeping on a legal note, I (even at a young age) would be able to recreate GM for the most part, with the exception of minor things here and there that I should be learning later in my education (being as mark is a professor, he would obviously already know them). Such things as direction and speed of objects is simply converted into x and y coordinates by the use of sine, cosine, and so on. Although, I might be able to recreate it, I never would for an array (heh) of reasons.

Whenever you create a script you're defining a function, if I understand correctly.

That's how you'd look at it for understanding. Though it doesn't technically fall under that name, that's the best way for people to understand it.

Now let's try to stay on topic. This is about RPG tutorials, not the structure of GM. For further discussion, I suggest the use of the PM system, or other such system (and yes, I do answer PM's)

[mayhem]

Hehe, a chance to shamelessly advertise my game. . .
I have an editable if you're interested, it was my RPG untill I decided not to use game-maker anymore.
Not a tutorial , but better than nothing.
Go to my page:
www.geocities.com/weird_mayhem_gm/
It's called Mystic Nights, hope it helps.
IsmAvatar will gladly tell you the errors

Ta-ta