Game Prototyping

Game Maker Assistance

Let's start with the basics:

Click here to download the freeware version of Game Maker 6.1 (you'll need the registered version for the class, but it's very inexpensive)

Click here to get to the Game Maker main web support page

• For more information about what is expected in your Course Project Game including past samples of successful student projects, click here (read this page carefully)
   
• Here are some games from students in the course taught by the creator of Game Maker. They do some very cool, fancy things and you will want to check these out to get ideas for your own Course Project Game. Click here to see great assortment of game potential, including RTS games!
   
• Here are some official Game Maker resources including sounds, sprites, and editors for the same so that you can really customize your games!
   
• A great variety of Sound Effects can be had for free at this site. Scroll down to see the many sound effects categories (such as cartoon, mayhem, or instruments) and have fun!
   
• Tons of sprites can be found at these web sites:

• Video Game Sprites.net: Old Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Gameboy sprites.
• Icon Bazar: Amazingly useful; plundered with gusto by my students.
• NES SNES Sprites: Another archive of classic game sprites.
• The Spriters Resource: Extends beyond Nintendo to other platforms.
• Game Sprite Archives: Includes discussions.
• The Shy Guy Kingdom: Has some interesting sprites to browse.
• Sprite Database: Wow! Includes some sounds, too.
• Retro Game Zone v2: More classic sprites.
• Sprite Sheets: A few good resources.
• The NES Player: Lots of sprites here along with other information.
• The GM Resource: Spites plus a whole lot more.
• Molotov.nu: Original; weird.
• Reiner's Tilesets: This is the English page of a German site - and what a site!
• Charas: The online resource generators: Lots of languages; lots of bizarre stuff.
• Game Maker Community sprite forum: Very eclectic.
  
   

Now, for some advanced information as you're working on your course project:

The Game Maker Forum is a good place to get your questions answered that I cannot easily help with (i.e., those related to the class tutorials).

Here are over 400 Mini-Tutorials concerning various things that enthusiasts have discovered Game Maker can do. Maybe what you're trying to accomplish is here? This whole site has lots of Game Maker fan support.

The Resources page also includes more than just sprites and audio files; there are also animation tools, and a game 'script' database.

• Textures for floors, ceilings, walls and so forth can be found at this web site.
   
• Animated sprites for various Doom type games are on this web site.
   
• Another great resource is Simon's Game Maker Page. This is a treasure trove of scripts, sample games, additional tutorials, and articles that can greatly assist you with your course project.
   
• Here is the monster archive of Game Maker games. While these are mostly .exe files, some of .gm6 files, but the diversity of what is posted here is very inspirational and well worth checking out.
   
• Some useful scripts can be found here, including non-player character random grid movement, dialogue boxes, mouse click / release over an object, and other useful stuff.
   
• Here is a .pdf file that shows you what all the Game Maker programming icons in code. The beauty of this is that it will show you how to actually program functions in the game so you can fiddle with them to get Game Maker to do exactly what you want. You will learn a lot examining this file!