Blitzmax vs GameMaker Studio

Started by wookie22, November 26, 2019, 17:28:44

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wookie22

Is here any user of both? Can you share your thoughts about performance comparison and possible road blockers?

Thanks.
Hidden Deep - 2D Action & Exploration Sci-Fi Thriller for PC/Mac/Linux
http://www.hiddendeepgame.com

Xerra

Quote from: wookie22 on November 26, 2019, 17:28:44
Is here any user of both? Can you share your thoughts about performance comparison and possible road blockers?

When I got back into game coding I moved on from Blitzmax, which had been my language of choice (mostly tinkering) for quite a few years.

With Blitzmax I wrote a couple of games I consider reasonable efforts, a few simple tools and I had a very basic project template set up for creating new games that I spent a lot of time messing with, but never ended up really using much. Compared to other languages I'd used previously - including the original Blitz - I thought Blitzmax was great. However, if I'm honest, I struggled to really get to grips with it properly as it was my first proper experience of an object-orientated language. My productivity did improve a fair bit when I switched to using Blide instead of the original IDE, but I was almost ready to move on anyway by then.

I switched to using Gamemaker Studio 2 around the start of 2016 and haven't really looked back since.

First thing I did was work with a mate and put together an almost-finished clone of Paradroid - which we never released due to all the potential legal issues it could give us.

I followed this up with a remake of Boulderdash using a few new ideas and the same maps/graphics. Again, never going to release that as First Star are notorious for clamping down on anything that threatens their IP, even if I was just giving it away.

I did prototype remakes of a couple of my Blitz games but have never got round to finishing them.

Around then was when I found myself here and got interested in the competitions they were doing. 5 games later - 6 if you count the competition where I couldn't make the deadline - and I'm still at it.

So, TLDR: Gamemaker worked so much better for me in productivity and actually getting games done. Which is kinda the point.

Blitzmax has a decent Object system and isn't that hard a language to get to grips with but you're working from scratch unless you use a framework. It's also free now, and open-source, if you wanted to tinker with the language itself to make your work easier. No more support could be considered a downfall, although you do have places like here to help with that. But, if you were going the Blitz route, you would go with BlitzMax NG anyway as it's still being developed and has much more platform options.

Gamemaker 2 is going to cost you money but it's still very actively developed, the object system is soon going to be vastly improved and there's a much larger user base out there all using it and posting tutorials and video's. And it's just so easy to throw in some images and sound effects into a room, write a simple handler object, and get games up and running. I'd be reluctant to use anything else for games in the near future. And why would I?
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Hezkore

#2
I wasn't going to comment.
But I'll say this...

- Use Gamemaker 2 for games.
It lets you make games quickly.

- Use BlitzMax NG (don't use Legacy) for coding.
It lets you write anything, fairly quickly.

So if you JUST want to make games, then go with Gamemaker 2, or similar.
But if you want to do other things, then you'll want to go with Bmx, or C# or something similar.
My philosophy has always been that there is no perfect tool for every situation.
Use whatever language or engine fits the project, rather than the same thing for everything.
And don't pit the two directly against each other, they're both good and terrible at different things.

And as a side note, I'll add that there are other apps than Gamemaker 2, like the Defold game engine, which is free.
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wookie22

Thanks for answers. I forgot to mention - I am heavy Bmx (vanilla) user for few years and I'm making my game Hidden Deep in it (see footer). I was just curious if I can benefit something moving to other "modern" engines and will I be able to do anything I want like in Bmx. I'm definitely old school coding guy and do not like visual-tools. But in those newer engines you don't have to use that visual editors or have you?   
Hidden Deep - 2D Action & Exploration Sci-Fi Thriller for PC/Mac/Linux
http://www.hiddendeepgame.com

Derron

You do not always have to use their visual editors - but some stuff is easier to setup there for "visually" working people. Some prefer "shadow = 0.5" while others adjust a slider until they feel visually pleased.


@ BlitzMax
If you do not use custom dll/module stuff it should be easy for you to move on to NG (assume you coded "(super)strict" already). That way you gain access to the 64bit world which is mandatory for Mac these days.


bye
Ron

Xerra

Quote from: wookie22 on November 27, 2019, 09:20:40
But in those newer engines you don't have to use that visual editors or have you?

No. I've got examples where I've just created a handler object in a default room within Gamemaker and then everything else is controlled within that object for a whole game. Nothing but pure code in the project apart from assets. Gamemaker lets you use a drag & drop system to code by dragging commands into the window if you want to but I can't imagine anything more horrific. You can use as much or as little code as you want to, really.
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Steve Elliott

I think you should release Hidden Deep before looking at other development systems!
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Naughty Alien


Qube

QuoteI am heavy Bmx (vanilla) user for few years and I'm making my game Hidden Deep in it (see footer). I was just curious if I can benefit something moving to other "modern" engines and will I be able to do anything I want like in Bmx.

[ Based on your game ] In a modern engine you would be able to take advantage of 2D lighting and 2D shadows and all the whizzy visual shader and effects creation tools, state of the art physics, multi CPU core support and building for multiple devices / OS's.

But all those features a good game does not make.

Hidden Deep looks frickin awesome and has a great atmosphere about it and I would absolutely not change to another engine.

I've been waiting for it to be completed and will definitely buy on release ( BlitzMax compiles for Mac, right ;D - but I'd happily play on Windows ).

No harm in completing the game, launching it + supporting it and in the background tinker with other engines for a possible sequel.
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Until the next time.

Kryzon

I think it wouldn't hurt to make a proof of concept, some simple demo on some other engine that you're interested in to see how it would work. You have all the assets ready for it at least.

If it doesn't work for you then what, it was two days spent on it? Out of a trial of 30 days. 
But be aware that you're not going to be familiar with a new engine right from the start, definitely not as familiar as you are with your several years on BMax. 

Besides GameMaker there are other engines you could try: Love2D, and Godot.

Pfaber11

just looked at Hiddendeep and it looks really good . What is the expected time to go before release ?
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wookie22

Quote from: Qube on November 29, 2019, 06:07:27Hidden Deep looks frickin awesome and has a great atmosphere about it and I would absolutely not change to another engine.

I've been waiting for it to be completed and will definitely buy on release ( BlitzMax compiles for Mac, right ;D - but I'd happily play on Windows ).

No harm in completing the game, launching it + supporting it and in the background tinker with other engines for a possible sequel.

Thank you very much. Basically I have similar feelings about it. First I will complete the game on Blitzmax then look for other engines.
About that 2D lighting - are the any 2D shadow casting functions built in (in Game Maker or other engines) ?


Quote from: Pfaber11 on December 01, 2019, 18:20:36
just looked at Hiddendeep and it looks really good . What is the expected time to go before release ?

Thank you. Someday in 2020. I will put a note on Syntaxbomb for sure :)

Hidden Deep - 2D Action & Exploration Sci-Fi Thriller for PC/Mac/Linux
http://www.hiddendeepgame.com

Derron

You might want to try out "mky.mod":
https://github.com/bmx-ng/mky.mod

This is based on monkey-code and so has dynamic lighting/shadows ... but you might need to rework the way you are currently rendering (uses "canvas" in which you render - see examples).


bye
Ron

Qube

QuoteBasically I have similar feelings about it. First I will complete the game on Blitzmax then look for other engines.
That's the best approach as visually + gameplay wise judging by the video it looks really really great and I'd not fiddle with that.

QuoteAbout that 2D lighting - are the any 2D shadow casting functions built in (in Game Maker or other engines) ?
[ off the top of my head ] Unity has 2D lighting in version 2019.3 and I believe in version 2020.1 / 2 will be full 2D soft shadow support too. But if you're desperate there are options on the asset store. Personally I'd wait for the official built in support.
Mac Studio M1 Max ( 10 core CPU - 24 core GPU ), 32GB LPDDR5, 512GB SSD,
Beelink SER7 Mini Gaming PC, Ryzen 7 7840HS 8-Core 16-Thread 5.1GHz Processor, 32G DDR5 RAM 1T PCIe 4.0 SSD
MSI MEG 342C 34" QD-OLED Monitor

Until the next time.

wookie22

QuoteUnity has 2D lighting in version 2019.3 and I believe in version 2020.1 / 2 will be full 2D soft shadow support too. But if you're desperate there are options on the asset store. Personally I'd wait for the official built in support.

Heh, assuming this is 2019 and 3d-shadows are in games for years that wasn't too fast :)
Hidden Deep - 2D Action & Exploration Sci-Fi Thriller for PC/Mac/Linux
http://www.hiddendeepgame.com