This, 8.1, or LateralGM?

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I'm just curious about a few things between this version and the last one. Namely: Aside from multiplatform support built-in, are there significant changes in the GML scripting system between 8.1 and Studio? I ask because I am shopping around for a good intro to programming (that is preferrably also fun, I'm an artist and I don't come from a code junkie background) and I have used 8.1 before, but am unwilling to put up with the bogus limitations of Studio. (Seriously, why are they there? 8.1 didn't have them)

I was also looking at LateralGM http://lateralgm.org/ as a potentially free alternative. I am not sure if it's just meant to be a companion to GM or if it just works like it and you can use it separately, but its appeal to me was that it's completely free (unlike any version of GM) so I thought I would ask about it.

Would like some constructive opinions and advice from people who have used at least two of these before.

If anyone is curious about why I am asking about GM as an option to learn basic programming practice: Because it's visual and easy to test, not to mention I can really have fun with the sprites if I get bored. (No proper language is easy to draw images on a screen.)

[Alainxyz]

Been using Game Maker since it was on Version 5, and I can say, GM:S is the best of the three, just because of the proper programming practices and cross platform testing.

8.1 is great for stability and if you want to use a lot of DLLs to expand your programming and performance. LateralGM doesn't exactly look useful, it's better just to use a gaming java library.

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Publicado originalmente por Alain Galvan:

Been using Game Maker since it was on Version 5, and I can say, GM:S is the best of the three, just because of the proper programming practices and cross platform testing.

8.1 is great for stability and if you want to use a lot of DLLs to expand your programming and performance. LateralGM doesn't exactly look useful, it's better just to use a gaming java library.

Thanks for the feedback, but I thought you could not use DLL files on the free version of 8.1?

[M.S.T.O.P.]

Publicado originalmente por Kaze:

Publicado originalmente por Alain Galvan:

Been using Game Maker since it was on Version 5, and I can say, GM:S is the best of the three, just because of the proper programming practices and cross platform testing.

8.1 is great for stability and if you want to use a lot of DLLs to expand your programming and performance. LateralGM doesn't exactly look useful, it's better just to use a gaming java library.

Thanks for the feedback, but I thought you could not use DLL files on the free version of 8.1?

Nope, you can't use extensions on the free versions of both GM8.1 and GM:S.

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Publicado originalmente por M.S.T.O.P.:

Publicado originalmente por Kaze:

Thanks for the feedback, but I thought you could not use DLL files on the free version of 8.1?

Nope, you can't use extensions on the free versions of both GM8.1 and GM:S.

Well, maybe I should have been more specific: Between the free versions of both, did significant things change in the in-built language that would make it more ideal as a learning tool when sacrificing the unlimited resources of the older version?

I mean if barely anything has changed within how you use GML I will likely just use 8.1 like I did before, but if significant things have changed that would make 8.1 obsolete then I will consider using the free version of GMS in spite of its crippling limitations as a learning aid.

[Alainxyz]

The only real changes between GM:S and 8.1 are that, we can't execute GML in game, some functions are obsolete, and you must initialize variables prior to using them. (No more "Initialize unnamed variables as zero")

8.1 also has more support with DLLs, which is why I suggested it first there, but yeah, both support extentions.

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Publicado originalmente por Alain Galvan:

The only real changes between GM:S and 8.1 are that, we can't execute GML in game, some functions are obsolete, and you must initialize variables prior to using them. (No more "Initialize unnamed variables as zero")

8.1 also has more support with DLLs, which is why I suggested it first there, but yeah, both support extentions.

Thank you for the information, it's been really helpful.

[Shark]

http://enigma-dev.org is much better than lateralgm.In comparing 8.1 and studio you should consider that studio can be up to 10 times faster in executing scripts and it supports a lot more platforms.

[Jokoff Schön]

if you planning to use free version gm keep on using 8.1, Studio restrict you amount of object, sprites, codes etc, to a set number.

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Publicado originalmente por TayO:

if you planning to use free version gm keep on using 8.1, Studio restrict you amount of object, sprites, codes etc, to a set number.

I am aware, and this is pretty much my biggest issue with it. I guess the developers got sick of people publishing suitable content with the free version and wanted to get more money out of that crowd.

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Publicado originalmente por Wouter:

http://enigma-dev.org is much better than lateralgm.In comparing 8.1 and studio you should consider that studio can be up to 10 times faster in executing scripts and it supports a lot more platforms.

I looked at that as well. I've been screwing around with love2D for a few days now I guess trying out both LUA and C++ would be beneficial to my understanding. However, I didn't find that particular link since all the Google searches I did just took me to lateralGM. Will give it a second look.

[Zombie Parts]

That's because you compile the files made in LateralGM with Enigma.

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Publicado originalmente por Zombie Parts:

That's because you compile the files made in LateralGM with Enigma.

Yeah, I noticed that when I read into it more - ENIGMA seems to be the actual language(?) and lateralGM is a UI I think. (Correct me if I'm wrong, I'd like to know what I'm talking about :P)

Edit: The word I was looking for was IDE, for LateralGM, I think. Does that make ENIGMA an API?

By the way, I looked at the list of missing functions from ENIGMA just now and while most of them seem irrelevant or redundant, the things missing from the constants section seem like they would be important:
http://enigma-dev.org/docs/Wiki/Unimplemented_GM_Functions
Specifically, the delta_time function. Maybe my understanding of code is limited, but doesn't delta time account for the time between a "tick" in an application, and wouldn't updating something within that tick be important? (Such as player movement) or am I missing something? (I have a basic idea about what delta time is from screwing around with (read: breaking) a test project in love2D (LUA based) and am not sure if this applies to C++)

[76561198072806781]

I recommend ENIGMA 100%. Three of my latest projects work in it exactly how it does in GMS and GM 8.1. The ENIGMA project has come a very long way over just the past two years. The unimplimented functions list is very outdated almost everything works other than the mobile exports and mobile functions like IAP, etc.

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Publicado originalmente por Samuel Venable:

I recommend ENIGMA 100%. Three of my latest projects work in it exactly how it does in GMS and GM 8.1. The ENIGMA project has come a very long way over just the past two years. The unimplimented functions list is very outdated almost everything works other than the mobile exports and mobile functions like IAP, etc.

this thread is quite old. To be honest I hate programming, and if I ever become interested in game design again, I'll most likely use something like MMF2/clickteam fusion 2.5 or something else with a heavy emphasis on graphical UI so that I don't have to do math or any other hard stuff related to code, or look for a programmer to do it for me so I can just worry about the art.

But I didn't know ENIGMA's list was outdated for unimplemented features, I'll mention that to someone I know who was curious about it.