Ok, so this question has been popping up lately around some GM forums, mainly because of me posting this question there, lol. Anyways, many regular people still believe that GM is nothing but a newby program and has only pre-coded Actions/Triggers. They also believe that GM can only have Bitmap graphics and nothing more, and that it can't be played directly online like a flash game, which isn't true, there's G-Java, but it's hard to do.
So ask yourself, when it comes to making games, IS Flash(Actionscript) better than GameMaker(GML)?
The answer in my opinion: No.
Here are my reasons why, first of, GM can load almost any kind of image(except swf's >.<) aswell as it does take coding, and not just triggers to program a game. And, evne though it's kind of annoying and hard to do, GM games can be played in a web broswer. But, I also think GM is better because of the gameplay, no really, never have I played a Flash game for more than 20 minutes except a few games. But with GM, I have played many games, and I have sat and played them for even nearly an hour. Sure GM games need to be downloaded, but in a way thats good, now you have the g
ame on your computer forever, or at least until you delete it.
Now, Flash is good, don't get me wrong, but it just wasn't made to make games, end of. The coding language is called "Actionscript", and boy, is that coding hard as hell. Aswell as it takes more coding to do one thing than it does GML to do the same thing. Here, is the Actionscript for what I guess is up, down, left, and right:
onClipEvent(load){
moveSpeed = 5;
}
onClipEvent(enterFrame){
if(Key.isDown(Key.UP)){
this._y -= moveSpeed;
}
if(Key.isDown(Key.DOWN)){
this._y += moveSpeed;
}
if(Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT)){
this._x += moveSpeed;
}
if(Key.isDown(Key.LEFT)){
this._x -= moveSpeed;
}
}
(Grabbed that off a Actionscript Help Thread)
Heck, in fact that looks a bit like GML itself, doesn't it? Anyways, for GM, it would be this(these):
Left Event:
hspeed=-6 OR x-=6
Right Event:
hspeed=6 OR x+=6
Up Event:
vspeed=-6 OR y-=6
Down Event:
vspeed=6 OR y=6
___
OR
___
Step Event:
if keyboard_check_direct(vk_up)
{
direction=90
speed=2
}
if keyboard_check_direct(vk_down)
{
direction=270
speed=2
}
if keyboard_check_direct(vk_right)
{
direction=0
speed=2
}
if keyboard_check_direct(vk_left)
{
direction=180
speed=2
}
Now you see? Does the same thing, only GML took less coding, was less confusing(In my opinion), and more neat
Now, I also believe that GM, can make any game that Flash can, and maybe even more. Like Movie gif makers(Beneton Movie Gif 1.0), Paint programs(Myself, lol) Icon makers, Userbar makers(Ultimate Userbar Creator), Web browser, ect! Gamemaker can make more than just games, Flash, well Flash can only maybe do a few things that aren't games, including animations, lol. *wink*
But before we go off topic, many people still believe Flash is better than Gamemaker when it comes to making games, because of a few reasons, here's some:
Flash games graphics are always good.(Which isn't always true)
Flash games can be played in a web browser.
Flash games get seen by people more.
Now, before you go saying something like: "OMFG GM FTW!!1!1!!!eleveny!!1!" here are some threads about Flash vs GameMaker on variuos forums.
This one has a strong debate, the creator of the thread is a Flash Slave and doesn't like GM, doesn't believe its real programming.
<link>
http://stickpage.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34396&highlight=gamemaker</link>
Please, if you get tired of reading, at least read a few pages before the end of the thread, because some GM users come over the site and teach those noobs some lessons. I was at first the only guy defending GM.
Heres one where the creator of the Flash vs Gamemaker thread comes over to this site and defends Flash.
http://gamemakergames.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=16877&hl=And just another thread asking if GM is a nweb program:
http://gamemakergames.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20193&hl=Ok, now I'm getting tired, and I usually don't write alot, but here are some final words:
Gamemaker is better than Flash when it comes to making games, but overall being a program, Flash is better than GM, lets face it. However since this is about which is better at making games, I think in my opinion that Game Maker is honestly better than Flash, for several reasons:
1.The gameplay is usually better and not something you've seen a 1000 times before.
2.There are different styles of graphics, unlike Flash, Flash ahs maybe like a few different ones. Unless they person imports an image in it.
3.The coding is much simplier and neater, and can do the same thing, and in this case, because its easier, that helps make it better.
4.Flash games can't even use the right mouse button, but we can. ^_^
5.GameMaker can make many more things than Flash from what I've seen, who knows, maybe there is a Flash userbar maker, but I haven't seen any, Infact I haven't even seen a RTS flash game before, but I'm sure one is out there.
Ok, so those are my final words, but I
strongly suggest clicking on the first thread to Stickpage and reading most of that debate. And just to let you know, after that debate, many people over there stopped down looking GM so much, and infact, I teach many people over there Gamemaker myself. So it was a good debate for us GM users, and the real debates happen near the end of that thread.
(I wonder if anyone even read all that O.o)
(If you did, you deserve a cookie ^_^)
*Hands out cookie*
GAME Maker will probably be better for making GAMES.
-Arcobviously you've never sat through a flash game like ThingThing or N: Way of the Ninja if you've never played for more than 20 minutes. I beleive that though Flash is harder, it makes better games overall because it's harder, which means very few n00b games are released.
GM rocks though cause Flash costs $150+.but i agree with ChIkEnI agree with Ace.
Ace, and Melee, I know they're different, but we're not talking about the programs, we're talking about which is better at making games, in which in that case, they are pretty simular, because they both can make games.
Flash=IN BROWSER games. GM cant hold a candle in that respect. GM can make much more complicated games much quicker though.
Not completely true Game Fortress, there have been some GM games that have also been IN Browsers as well, using G-Java.
Flash is a HORRIBLE program. Trust me, when you need to use it for work, you'll understand. The program itself is buggy and crashes ALL THE TIME. Many of the features take more work to use than to not use (like shape/motion tweening) and as for making games? Half an hour with Flash will show you that it definitely was NOT made with games in mind.
For making games, GM flogs Flash like a dead horse. Just because GM has support for beginners, and is laid out in a LOGICAL way, doesn't mean its bad. And it certainly doesn't mean that GML is not a programming language. It simply means that GML is a higher level language, that it can be writen sevral different ways, and that it has been specifically designed with games in mind.Flash is NOT made for games. GM is. They do their respective functions admirably, but I wouldn't ask Flash to make a game, just as I wouldn't expect GM to make an animation of the equivalent quality as you could make in Flash given the same timeframe.