Book Image

GameMaker Cookbook

Book Image

GameMaker Cookbook

Overview of this book

GameMaker: Studio started off as a tool capable of creating simple games using a drag-and-drop interface. Since then, it has grown to become a powerful instrument to make release-ready games for PC, Mac, mobile devices, and even current-gen consoles. GameMaker is designed to allow its users to develop games without having to learn any of the complex programming languages such as C++ or Java. It also allows redistribution across multiple platforms. This book teaches you to harness GameMaker: Studio’s full potential and take your game development to new heights. It begins by covering the basics and lays a solid foundation for advanced GameMaker concepts. Moving on, it covers topics such as controls, physics, and advanced movement, employing a strategic approach to the learning curve. The book concludes by providing insights into complex concepts such as the GUI, menus, save system, lighting, particles, and VFX. By the end of the book, you will be able to design games using GameMaker: Studio and implement the same techniques in other games you intend to design.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
GameMaker Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Adding a title screen


Of all the games you've ever played in your life, how many of them have jumped immediately to gameplay? Your answer is likely less than a few, if any. Any game that I can remember playing, personally, has had at least a title screen, if not several splash screens indicating the studios and publishers involved in the game's creation. Now, I understand why. Jumping right into gameplay without context can throw you into the mix before you're ready, causing confusion. I mean that you likely know what game you're playing at the time, but a title screen can at least set the mood or give you a clue as to what's about to happen when you start the game. In addition to this, title screens often house, or at least lead to, the main menu in which you can customize your experience, but we'll dive into this in the next chapter. For now, let's take a look at how to create a title screen.

Getting ready

Again, we will continue to use the game project in this chapter. This recipe will...