Alright if any of you have tried my latest project http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=496929 you know that there is no way in hell this is just a "tutorial suite". I've actually been masking it's true purpose - to create not just a Flash exporter…but an entire Flash Engine.

Stretch it a little further, it will be a real-time Flash Engine Dev Suite. It's hard to explain how it works, but basically it will allow you to create a game while running the game. Try the program and you'll see exactly the direction I'm headed. I'm deciding to start from scratch using a much more expandable GUI system (no dll's) that I came across.

The project will be able to save to it's native file, .fgm, export/import .gmk to be edited in gamemaker (why?), and of course .swf

Native import/export? Pftt easy, the only reason I haven't released it is because I'm not sure if I want to commercialize this yet or not (prob not but better safe than sorry).

.GMK import/export? http://www.ismavatar.com/lgm/index.php Nuff Said

.swf import/export? That's what this project is all about baby

The only dilemma is, how cross-platform do I want to be? Should I make the client in Game Maker where only windows users will be able to create games, or should I create the project in Flash? If I create the project in GameMaker I can probably get to were the OITS (including native import/export) without the tutorial section in about a week…considering it took me about 2 weeks to get the OITS to where it was from scratch. If I create it in Flash it will take me significantly longer (read: months), but then anyone can create games with almost anything…even a phone and play them on almost anything that has a web browser.

What do you think? Is creating a crossplatform engine really necessary if the end-product will be cross-platform anyways? I can code GML like I can breath, flash however is a little more difficult…

[EDIT]

Thanks guys. I started the project in GM and a friend of mine gave me a brilliant idea so the engine will be browser based. The way it will work is users will log in with their profiles. Each profile has an assigned amount of space on the server to save their projects in, upload resources to (sounds, images, etc), and host the game. From the browser, when you want to compile the project the file is sent to the server, parsed into flash, compiled, and then a link to the file returned to the user.

The program will use a language similar to GML, in fact what I plan on doing is literally going through the help menu and implementing all the commands with changes to ones I feel need changing. I have literally never used flash to code something like this, but other than the commands it's really not that different from anything I've ever used.

The GUI is a piece of cake and I should have the GUI up either tonight or tomorrow. Then commands will probably be added at one command per day or 2.

I plan on keeping the whole thing free, and the way I'll do that is by showing an ad while the server compiles…so instead of a loading screen you see an ad - kinda lilke youtube. I hate ads but really its the only way Ill be able to support a project like this lol. I'll also be using Amazon S3 for the file server, as it only cost like a penny per gig lol.

I can already see a bunch of issues with security, sooo I have to keep all that in mind when creating the commands.

/end novel