Post by IsmAvatar on Jul 23, 2007 20:46:03 GMT -5
I myself am getting a little confused with all the different extensions, so here I list them with a brief description of their purpose.
Quick Sheet
GMK - Game Maker 7 file
GM6 - Game Maker 6 file
GMD - Game Maker 4-5 file
DAT - Extension Maker data file (gml, dll, etc) and early GM runner data file (for compiling)
GMP - Extension Maker 1.1 file (GM7 Beta)
GED - Extension Maker 1.2 file (GM7)
GEX - Distributable form of Extension Maker 1.x file (GM7?)
LIB - GM Library file by Library Maker.
LGL - LGM Lib file (not supported by GM), compressed version of LIB
LGM - LateralGM, a third-party IDE for Game Maker
Acronyms
GM - Game Maker, a game development interface and compiler programmed and maintained in Delphi by YoYoGames and Mark Overmars. GM may sometimes be followed by a number to indicate the version.
YYG - YoYoGames, a programming team and company recently created to help maintain GM, led by Mark Overmars. Prior to YYG, GM was developed solely by Mark.
GMC - Game Maker Community, a forum for discussing and assisting with GM.
LGM - LateralGM (formerly Linux Game Maker, the GM of course stands for Game Maker, but is rarely spelled out anymore) is the name of the general project to understand and document GM's file formats and inner workings. It is also a third party interface designed in Java to emulate and extend Game Maker functionality and support Game Maker files for development in areas otherwise unsupported by GM (such as using it on the Linux platform, and being Free and open source), although it may be used as an alternative to GM, even on Windows. It is officially developed and maintained by the LGM Dev Team, led by IsmAvatar, although being GPL, anyone else is welcome to branch off. LGM may sometimes be followed by a number to indicate the version. Notice that this is THIRD PARTY, which means that it is not intended to be an official plugin for GM, and has no support from GM or YYG or Mark whatsoever, and any questions about it should be directed to the LGM forums, and not the GMC.
G-Java - Not really an acronym (although originally the G stood for Game Maker and the hyphen stood for "to"), this project was the parent project that spurred many other similar projects (sometimes referred to as G- projects). G-Java 1 was only a compiler/converter with a basic interface designed solely to aid in accessing the compiler/converter. It converted GM games to Java and then compiled them. Originally written in Visual Basic, it is now written in Java. It was the primary reason why GM decided to encrypt the GMK files. LGM hopes to adopt the G-Java1 compiler with the LGM interface. G-Java 1 is no longer maintained by the G-Java team, as they began G-Java 2, which is a general game development interface for Java, written using NetBeans with heavy inspiration from GM. It may or may not support GM files. Both projects were led by TGMG.
TGMG - Formerly "The Game Maker Guru", he now prefers the shortened version TGMG. He is the leader of the G-Java project and registered contributor to LGM (although currently inactive).
GM Version File Types
GMK - This is the Game Maker file produced by Game Maker 7. It was the first GM file to be encrypted, much to the chagrin of the populous. It is unclear what the K stands for, but it may be "enKrypted", since GME was already used and GMC is the GM forums (community), or it may be Game MaKer.
GM6 - This is both a GM version and the file produced by that version. It was the original version targeted by many third party products like G-Java1 and LGM. It is unclear what it was about this version over prior versions that spurred their development, but they tend to maintain this support since it is the latest version that is not encrypted.
GMD - This is the file produced by Game Maker 4 through 5, and it stands for Game Maker Document.
I am unfamiliar with any version file types prior to GMD, as I started using GM in 4.3c.
ad hoc GM File Types
(A reminder that "ad hoc" is latin for "for a specific purpose")
LIB - This obviously stands for Library File, introduced in GM5.0 so that users could create their own Actions to be used in Object Events and Timelines.
GML - This contains Scripts which may either be imported into a GM game or imported via an Extension (introduced in GM7). This may also refer to the general programming language provided by GM, called Game Maker Language.
SAV - This obviously stands for a Save File, produced when the end-player saves the game during in-game execution. This file may or may not contain the extension SAV.
GMP - This is an Extension Package introduced in GM7 Beta 1 and produced by Game Maker Extension Package Builder/Maker v 1.01. This format is deprecated.
GED - Probably short for Game maker Extension Data, it is an updated version of GMP produced by Game Maker Extension Package Builder/Maker v 1.2 first appearing in GM7 Beta 2 and kept for GM7.
GEX - Probably short for Game maker EXtension, although the X may stand for EXtract or EXecutable. It is the distributable form of an Extension Package which is encrypted and allows for easy installation. When installed, it extracts a GED, DAT, and possibly CHM (help) file.
DAT - This is a generic term for any Data file. Game Maker uses this to store the Runner Data in early versions (used to compile the games), and in GM7 it was re-introduced as Extension Package data, containing the DLL, Script, or other such data which is then compressed and possibly encrypted so that the Extension user may not modify them.
I am unfamiliar with any other types not commonly understood (eg "hlp" and "chm" are commonly understood) prior to GM4.
LGM File Types
JAVA - A file written in Java language, not specific to LGM.
CLASS - A compiled java file, not specific to LGM.
JAR - The executable version of LGM, usually produced only for stable versions. Not specific for LGM, it is a generic executable zip-like package usually intended for Java, and usually containing multiple files. May or may not be compressed. Readable by WinZip, although usually intended to be run AS-IS, without extracting the contents.
LGL - A LateralGM Library file, containing the same information as a LIB file but in a much more compressed fashion, so that LGM only has to carry around 50 some KB of library files rather than GM's bulky 1 MB of library files.
If you know of a format that I did not mention that pertains specifically to GM, please mention it with a brief explanation of what it is and I'll add it. If you have any corrections to make to this, please tell me and I'll fix it.
Quick Sheet
GMK - Game Maker 7 file
GM6 - Game Maker 6 file
GMD - Game Maker 4-5 file
DAT - Extension Maker data file (gml, dll, etc) and early GM runner data file (for compiling)
GMP - Extension Maker 1.1 file (GM7 Beta)
GED - Extension Maker 1.2 file (GM7)
GEX - Distributable form of Extension Maker 1.x file (GM7?)
LIB - GM Library file by Library Maker.
LGL - LGM Lib file (not supported by GM), compressed version of LIB
LGM - LateralGM, a third-party IDE for Game Maker
Acronyms
GM - Game Maker, a game development interface and compiler programmed and maintained in Delphi by YoYoGames and Mark Overmars. GM may sometimes be followed by a number to indicate the version.
YYG - YoYoGames, a programming team and company recently created to help maintain GM, led by Mark Overmars. Prior to YYG, GM was developed solely by Mark.
GMC - Game Maker Community, a forum for discussing and assisting with GM.
LGM - LateralGM (formerly Linux Game Maker, the GM of course stands for Game Maker, but is rarely spelled out anymore) is the name of the general project to understand and document GM's file formats and inner workings. It is also a third party interface designed in Java to emulate and extend Game Maker functionality and support Game Maker files for development in areas otherwise unsupported by GM (such as using it on the Linux platform, and being Free and open source), although it may be used as an alternative to GM, even on Windows. It is officially developed and maintained by the LGM Dev Team, led by IsmAvatar, although being GPL, anyone else is welcome to branch off. LGM may sometimes be followed by a number to indicate the version. Notice that this is THIRD PARTY, which means that it is not intended to be an official plugin for GM, and has no support from GM or YYG or Mark whatsoever, and any questions about it should be directed to the LGM forums, and not the GMC.
G-Java - Not really an acronym (although originally the G stood for Game Maker and the hyphen stood for "to"), this project was the parent project that spurred many other similar projects (sometimes referred to as G- projects). G-Java 1 was only a compiler/converter with a basic interface designed solely to aid in accessing the compiler/converter. It converted GM games to Java and then compiled them. Originally written in Visual Basic, it is now written in Java. It was the primary reason why GM decided to encrypt the GMK files. LGM hopes to adopt the G-Java1 compiler with the LGM interface. G-Java 1 is no longer maintained by the G-Java team, as they began G-Java 2, which is a general game development interface for Java, written using NetBeans with heavy inspiration from GM. It may or may not support GM files. Both projects were led by TGMG.
TGMG - Formerly "The Game Maker Guru", he now prefers the shortened version TGMG. He is the leader of the G-Java project and registered contributor to LGM (although currently inactive).
GM Version File Types
GMK - This is the Game Maker file produced by Game Maker 7. It was the first GM file to be encrypted, much to the chagrin of the populous. It is unclear what the K stands for, but it may be "enKrypted", since GME was already used and GMC is the GM forums (community), or it may be Game MaKer.
GM6 - This is both a GM version and the file produced by that version. It was the original version targeted by many third party products like G-Java1 and LGM. It is unclear what it was about this version over prior versions that spurred their development, but they tend to maintain this support since it is the latest version that is not encrypted.
GMD - This is the file produced by Game Maker 4 through 5, and it stands for Game Maker Document.
I am unfamiliar with any version file types prior to GMD, as I started using GM in 4.3c.
ad hoc GM File Types
(A reminder that "ad hoc" is latin for "for a specific purpose")
LIB - This obviously stands for Library File, introduced in GM5.0 so that users could create their own Actions to be used in Object Events and Timelines.
GML - This contains Scripts which may either be imported into a GM game or imported via an Extension (introduced in GM7). This may also refer to the general programming language provided by GM, called Game Maker Language.
SAV - This obviously stands for a Save File, produced when the end-player saves the game during in-game execution. This file may or may not contain the extension SAV.
GMP - This is an Extension Package introduced in GM7 Beta 1 and produced by Game Maker Extension Package Builder/Maker v 1.01. This format is deprecated.
GED - Probably short for Game maker Extension Data, it is an updated version of GMP produced by Game Maker Extension Package Builder/Maker v 1.2 first appearing in GM7 Beta 2 and kept for GM7.
GEX - Probably short for Game maker EXtension, although the X may stand for EXtract or EXecutable. It is the distributable form of an Extension Package which is encrypted and allows for easy installation. When installed, it extracts a GED, DAT, and possibly CHM (help) file.
DAT - This is a generic term for any Data file. Game Maker uses this to store the Runner Data in early versions (used to compile the games), and in GM7 it was re-introduced as Extension Package data, containing the DLL, Script, or other such data which is then compressed and possibly encrypted so that the Extension user may not modify them.
I am unfamiliar with any other types not commonly understood (eg "hlp" and "chm" are commonly understood) prior to GM4.
LGM File Types
JAVA - A file written in Java language, not specific to LGM.
CLASS - A compiled java file, not specific to LGM.
JAR - The executable version of LGM, usually produced only for stable versions. Not specific for LGM, it is a generic executable zip-like package usually intended for Java, and usually containing multiple files. May or may not be compressed. Readable by WinZip, although usually intended to be run AS-IS, without extracting the contents.
LGL - A LateralGM Library file, containing the same information as a LIB file but in a much more compressed fashion, so that LGM only has to carry around 50 some KB of library files rather than GM's bulky 1 MB of library files.
If you know of a format that I did not mention that pertains specifically to GM, please mention it with a brief explanation of what it is and I'll add it. If you have any corrections to make to this, please tell me and I'll fix it.
