Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 8
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This is likely to rant a bit. I tend to be wordy. If you use "TL;DR" a lot, you might want to click away.
I'm going to introduce myself, and tell you how I got here and what I think of your site. I don't consider this a criticism so much as an observation. Or maybe a series of observations. And a little too much personal history.
First of all, I'm in awe of what you guys are doing here. Enigma/LGM is incredible. There's literally nothing like it and believe me I have LOOKED.
I'm an old guy. I remember when computers were so new that when people asked why I wanted one, I couldn't really give them an answer. I built my first computer with a soldering iron towards the end of the computers and electronics course I took at a mom and pop vocational school.
WAY back when--when most of the computers people had were a muddy beige color and actually expected to be programmed immediately upon power up, I bought a software package called "Garry Kitchen's Game Maker" and I was in heaven.
The thing about GKGM was, you did everything with a joystick. It had a sprite editor, a music editor, sound effects maker, a (really bad) scene editor, and a code editor. You could program with a joystick. You'd pick out commands from a scrolling list, skip over to wherever variables were needed and scroll through them too. Tap, tap, click tap, click--and you were programming. OK, so it was BASIC, but BASIC was what we had back then. And we liked it. In the snow, up hill in both directions.
Early on, I figured out that I don't have one of those strange, ordered, logical, programmers minds. It's not about being smart--I'm nobody's fool. But, you guys think differently. I can pick my way through simple code, modify it to do what I want. (I'm best at Python, which reminds me a little bit of BASIC.) I understand basic programming concepts like loops and functions. I can modify Arduino code to put the servo on the pin where I want it and change the function of the different pins to what I need. . .but when it comes down to sitting down in front of a blank editor. . .My mind is just as blank most of the time. Usually, I just find something someone else has done and modify it enough that it works for me. I guess I'm uh. . .what do you call a script kiddie decades later? A script codger?
I found Mark Overmar's Game Maker *mumble* years ago, and played around with it a bit. I even dabbled a bit with GML, (other people's code of course.) I even paid a whole $15 to register it. But I never really did anything with it. I mean, I made a few simple games for myself, and my girls, but they were never really into it and I had enough trouble keeping up with the things they WERE into, so it became one of those things that used to live on my hard drive.
Lately, having time on my hands and having nostalgic memories of GKGM, I did some googling and downloading and putzing around. . .and what I found was. . .nothing. well. . .that's not true. Nothing that would work for me. That is. . .nothing that. . .
Has been actively developed in the past two years, or, Doesn't have a monthly subscription fee, or, Actually WORKS on Linux, or, (since I'm a lazy american) Tutorials and docs primarily in english, or, Lets me at least play around with a DnD or menu system without a lot of typing. (I can type just fine. But usually there's a cat sitting where the keyboard goes.)
Yep. I've tried them all. Stencyl, Construct 2, Game Develop, Game Editor, GameSalad, Tululoo, Love, Unity, Blender Game Engine. Several versions of RPG Maker. I even took another look at GameMaker Studio, and had to clean my glasses and double check the price. I installed some emulators and went back to GKGM, (the bloom is definitely off the rose) and Shoot 'em up Construction Set, and Stuart Smith's Adventure Construction Set. . .
It's even worse on my tablet. I could see myself tapping and dragging sprites around on a tablet while I'm in a waiting room or on a bus. After deep digging in Google Play, I found a grand total two examples of game making software, and they were really, really bad. OK, so there's GamePress for Ipad, and it looks like fun, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for it to get to my Android tablet.
You know what I almost didn't find? You guys. Even now that I know about you, you're not easy to find. Not much in the way of tutorials, nothing to speak of on Youtube. Makes me wonder if you like it that way.
The feeling I get here on the forums is like sitting in the home of some new aquaintences or distant relatives, while they go about their business and bitch at each other. It doesn't bother me. Not really. I don't swear (much) but I don't have virgin ears either. All of you know what you're talking about when it comes to the deep, dark mysticisms of your code. But, you seem to be civil to noobs (like me) on the forum. Most of those guys seem to be studying programming, or coming from the more advanced corners of GMS.
I'm just an old fart who's trying to recapture fond memories of figuring out how to do pacman at 2am, coding with a joystick while balancing a baby and her bottle. I'm certainly not going to get involved in the development side, with all the developer squab--uh--politics going on. Maybe if I get really ambitious, I'll do some drag and drop type tutorial Youtube vids. But honestly, I intend to keep my head down and play with my sprites. I'll certainly never write another forum post like this. You'll probably only hear from me if I have mission critical issues that haven't already been addressed in the forum.
So. . .uh. . .are we cool? Can I stay and play?
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