Pong in Game Maker 8 video tutorial
The game Pong is an ideal game for starters wanting to learn how to make their own games in Game Maker. Pong is a small and classic game that uses all the basic concepts of the Game Maker engine like sprites, objects and rooms and the best part is that no coding is required.
The following video tutorial is also available as a written guide or a printable PDF e-book. Chose the format that suits you. It is recommended to watch the video tutorial in full screen.
To use the guide you first need Game Maker 8 installed and running.
Remember that you can always add your own graphics and sound after going through the tutorial. Changing the speed of the bats and the ball is also just a matter of change a few values.
Animated menus in Game Maker 8 tutorial
All games have menus so here is an easy to follow tutorial on how to add animated menus to your games in Game Maker. You can use this guide for any type of game and learning how to create your own buttons only takes a few minutes.
For this tutorial some stock sprite graphics are used but for the result you should design some custom button sprites in the graphical style of your game. Adding a background image and sounds also creates a great impression.
Test your game everywhere
Is your game tested and ready?
During development of your game it is easy to forget how important it is to test the game regularly. Not just on your own development pc but on lots of computers. When the game runs fine on your own pc it can be a good indication of how finished and polished the game is but it will tell you almost nothing about how the game runs on other systems. What happens when the game suddenly has to work with a much faster and newer or slower and older processor or graphics card? Does it keep its intended speed or will it vary wildly – you don’t know until you actually try it. Guessing is not an option if you are serious about letting other people play your game.
Try to test on systems that at least expose the following differences from your own pc:
Operating system. If you developed on Windows 7 then test on Windows XP and Vista. If you support Linux or Mac then remember to actually test on a variety of these systems too.
Screen resolution. If you made the game on a wide screen monitor then test how it looks on an older 4:3 format screen at different resolutions. 1024x768 is still the most commonly used resolution for games so make sure the game runs perfectly for people using this resolution.
DirectX version. Depending on your chosen game engine and what version of Windows you are using then you probably need to consider what version of DirectX will be required to run your game. Windows XP only supports DirectX 9 while Windows 7 and Vista support DirectX 11. If you need your game to run on as many pc’s as possible then avoid engines that require more than DirectX 9. A lot of pc’s don’t have the necessary software updates or the graphics card to go any higher.
A remaining problem is that you probably don’t have access to enough computers. The best thing for a hobbyist game developer is therefore to upload a demo to a website and have the most people possible play your game. Tell people to write if they experience any problems and to share any details of the problem along with their basic system specifications. One excellent website for getting user feedback is ModDB where you can create a page for your game and upload demos, videos and screenshots. Not only will you find problems faster but you will also get increased exposure for your game and hopefully some fans.
How do you get your game ideas?
Where does your inspiration for new game ideas come from? Is it from your favorite movie or book? It could also be from some real life situations. Maybe a snowball fight gave you an idea that could work out as a great game. Do you simply get ideas that seem to come from nowhere?
I know where I get most of my inspiration and ideas from. Since I was little I have always loved science fiction. It does not matter much if it is stories in movies, books, comics or computer games but I prefer the ones focused on ethical questions we might have to deal with in the future. Stories about artificial intelligence, robots, new technologies, space travel and alien life forms have always caught my attention and nearly all my favorite movies can all be found on the Internet Movie Database top 50 sci-fi movies.
Harrison Ford in Blade Runner (1982)
Even though I am not currently working on any sci-fi related game it is still where the largest amount of my ideas are and I know that someday it will turn into a real game. That or an interactive story set in something that would feel a bit like a game. The important thing is that it is a good sci-fi story that I can be proud of.
License music for your games
The joy of music
What can you do if you are not a composer and need music for your game? You can always ask for help in online forums or maybe you know someone who can do it. There is also the option of licensing music from stock libraries.
When I needed music for my hobby game in development Sands of Myth I used the website Shockwave-Sound. This is a site that has loads of stock music and sound effects. Everything can be licensed as individually or as part of a larger collection where a discounted price may apply.
Create games in your web browser
What if you want to make a game really fast that you can share with your friends or family? Simple, just use one of the many new online game development tools that will allow you to create games directly in your web browser.
Websites that offer online game development
In the last few years a wide range of gaming websites have begun offering their users the option of creating their own games. To create a game you must use their development tool and often you have everything you need inside the web based editor - no additional graphics or coding is required. Some of them will let you add your own content to create more personal games. This could be as simple as adding a mug shot of yourself or even your friends.
Take a look a the following listed websites below. Some of the sites offer very simple games and only support creation of basic shooters while others are more flexible and can create most types of games. Nearly all of the sites are for 2D games but some support simple 3D games.
