@Darkstar it appears you don't seem at all interested in my offer of android porting. Might I ask why? =P Either you want your games on android or you don't it's a little confusing.

There are 2 things I am looking to do, initially I want to focus on learning more skills and experiments.  It will be windows for now as I would really like to work on original/unique, big projects and those will be windows exclusive.  Later on when I am comfortable and more advanced, now that I have a good platform to work with   I would really like to eventually be able to release some apps and games to android.  All these are projects, I do not have anything ready yet to export to android.  Right now I am hoping to do some big stuff on the windows side, and the smaller games initially for android.

Yes I read your replies and was about to write a reply, and it's ok I don't have to check or ask YYG, I believe you, I do know you from the GMC forums remember seeing you there.  Thanks very much for your offer,and confirmation that you have a the green light for doing so (legalities and all), I appreciate that.   However, those are all projects.  For now I need lots of time, and am focusing on experimenting and getting more advanced with game making / GML etc, and will initially work on big projects for windows, (lots of resources, etc.) things that will be windows exclusive....Eventually in the future for the smaller games I would like to include some of those in the google play store or other (android markets).   I read your requirements and so you don't want blocky sprites and retro type games can't blame you for that, I think the same, however, people around me love those, I might make a few of those for friends and family    But as far as my projects I'd rather not do anything than make crappy games OR work on things with UNIQUE, original elements (original music scoring, weird twisted ideas, etc.)

I will keep your offer in mind,  I also have absolutely no problem giving you credit inside my projects regardless of which options I choose.)

I would trust that my source code and game resources not be shared or used as well

Structure programming are not my strong points, if you saw my source
you'd probably go nuts and certainly tell me there are faster, better ways
to compact code a little.  I want to learn all that stuff and get more advanced
before doing the more serious stuff.
I want to focus more on educational software in many areas rather than flashy graphics at first.....  See the thing is I am aiming for quality and not quantity.

Thanks.

Very interesting, so with this you can have a loading screen, background music playing and loading of resources in memory at the same time right ?

On Windows, there is disk_free and disk_size. You can get the version of Windows from the registry under HKLM "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion".

However, OS / disk space seems like a silly thing to bother checking. The program would probably crash before it could run those checks if it was on an unsupported OS, and if the program is already downloaded than disk space is a moot point unless you plan to uncompress, create, or download more data.

Far from moot   Some commercial games PACK their game assets inside single files, either in full or compressed form.   In the future when I work on my big projects I intend to use this method and through functions I would create, extract these assets from the packs, I would use a cache area on the disk, as some big commercial games do to load assets, etc.

Point taken about OS, but checking RAM, free space left, sound, graphics, display and CPU would be important for some projects requiring it.

For very big games with lot of resources, I definitely will not load everything in memory, and I definitely will not the native files stored in plain view.  I would like them encrypted and packed into resource files.  Sure it would be even better if one could extract direct to memory but that's unsupported.

I would like to make a suggestion for adding some functions that allows a game developers to check the following:

System OS
RAM / RAM available
Disk space available
Sound Card capabilities
Graphic card + capabilities (OGL1,2,3, DX9/10/11( etc.
Monitor / driver / supported resolution etc.

So that if you are making a really good game that uses OpenAL, D3D11, OpenGl3, etc, HD screen size, that it would be possible check if the user's system can support your game.  I think this is a standard practice in commercial games.

It means a number of things, it also means you could use HLSL and do special hardware accelerated effects, and also render the video to a 3D billboard or as the texture of an object.

Interesting. 

But I don't think threads are implemented to Windows yet, I think only Linux has script_thread right now.

Indeed, and I am a windows user

I've yet to see any game using the new features that warranted the massive price increase that weren't already in GM8.1. Take for instance vertex buffers, the only example I've seen is there official one, and there is one on the GMC 3D editable subforum showing how to draw basic shapes with it. In fact there hasn't been any significant example posted on that specific subforum for quite some time.

Interesting !  The massive price is more towards exports for those who need it.  Personally have no regrets for buying GM:S from GM8.1 (which I purchased too and barely used )  I did not like at all the way full screen was handled in GM8, and I remember when you changed game resolution it messed up people's desktops.  I don't see this problem in GM:S.......also they have a new audio engine, no regrets, in fact I remember there was a good deal / special for GM8.1 to GM:S, even got the HTML5 deal too.

The legitimately authenticated version, the pirated version is actually known to work better and have less bugs believe it or not

LOL.  That's inspiring   But I read long topics where Mike mentioned how they track cracked copies and they have some code that calls home (?) or exposes your compiled games made with a cracked version.  Regardless, maybe one day I might be tempted to use it just for fun just to play around and see what I am missing,   but I would never release stuff (free or otherwise) made with a cracked version, ever, whether it can be tracked or not.   I read on the GMC forum a topic (now locked) where someone exposes someone openly bragging and using it to release many games and even profiting from it.  That is really disgusting and I heard from other sources that it was alleged that some people made far more than the software worth ....  That's not me.   

Well I can provide examples, one was TKG's game, another was egofree's game, it wrote his shaders into his sprites folder and placed undefined objects all through his rooms everywhere he placed a tile, was pretty annoying to clean up. There is also the case of GMK 820, where they didn't version the format and instead of trying to fix it just completely dropped support causing me to follow suit.
http://enigma-dev.org/forums/index.php?topic=1444

Well I intend as much as possible to build my future projects from scratch using ENIGMA through the LateralGM.  There are certain things I notice are present in the GM IDE that are not in LateralGM such as autocomplete / suggestion box that pops up when you type a GML command, and proper syntax checking.  I'm still not 100% fluent in GML, and far from the advanced stage so I have no problem running both program in parallel and using the official GM as reference /guide
until it all gets incrusted into my brain cells

Well that's up to you, I tend to be overly critical, and I am not here to tell you how to spend your money, I am only here to educate and inform. However, at least you have a place to go if you do end up with a corrupted project, which is here, where LateralGM and its contributors have a history of fixing broken games and aiding people in fixing them.

Don't worry about that, I am well aware of all the criticism regarding game maker and yoyogames.   You would not be the first or last.  Personally I have lots to say on those topics but less vocal than some.  I'm not as active as many in the GMC community, but I do read some topics, and am aware of the sometimes not so friendly people responding there, I try to stay far FAR away from these type of topics

Unfortunately I was banned from the GMC for insulting a moderator repeatedly over something completely unrelated to android porting.

Yes so they don't take criticism well, sometimes the forums there are full of such topics and they don't always get the proper responses from the staff. 
Personally I have never had any issues with anybody there, member or staff, nor did I have issues with the license.

This is another thing I'd like to point out as well, although you were not aware Darkstar2, you are not allowed to discuss competing projects on the GMC.

That is standard on most company forums.  I personally never discussed competing products on the GMC forum, I am very discrete when it comes to that. 
If you discuss any competing products you would probably be perceived as paid shills.  I did mention though about some standard function on competing products that are not found in GM.  I think they are tolerant to some extent,
don't think they will automatically ban you if you mention other software, providing you don't over do it or praise the competition too much 

They have a huge fan base anyway I don't think ENIGMA is a threat to them.
They still make good money! 

If ENIGMA became a 100% compatible equivalent to Master Collection,  with the same exports and more then I guess maybe they will make it a felony if you even mention competition or think about it

YYG's tries very hard to stiffle competition, including the removal of myself for criticizing them in an announcement once and many others from their forums. It is a violation of the global forum rules,

I think any  good, honest, serious company (serious about their product and the very people that put bread and butter on their table and reason for existing) should openly accept criticism, providing it is genuine and constructive.
If a company will ban a member who raises facts and makes constructive criticism based on problem(s) / fact(s), then that says a lot about a company.....not in a good way.

however we here at ENIGMA, do allow your freedom of speech and you are allowed to discuss competing projects however you like (I do it all the time) we just ask that you be polite and stay on topic and not for instance hijack people's topics as our other new user Johnny D did a few days ago and spam all over the place.

I am well aware of these problems on forums, many of those on the GMC, like I said, I stay away from those and try not to get involved although some of the more vocal people have points that I may share too

BTW, if I were to compare GM Studio and ENIGMA in terms of GML, how compatible would you say is your program in terms of % ?

BTW I really like how you can trim down your compiled EXE by checking only the required extension and API for the compile......Makes for far smaller EXEs.
I experimented a little with this and could bring some EXE as small as 350k +/-.

It would be good to have the LateralGM automatically determine which APIs
to check, based on the project, to avoid having to check anything, allow
manual or automatic would be nice.  Example if a project uses audio, the proper default setting would be selected and greyed out, so you cannot disable it as your project would NOT compile otherwise.   If a program uses video, then directshow would be checked and greyed out.....if you used physics, same......etc.

Howdy darkstar2! Although I am one of the leading contributors here I can give you some unbiased advice.

Nice to meet you and thanks, I could use every bit of unbiased advice I can get

I understand the importance of this, and have been planning something similar for ENIGMA, specifically, rendering videos to Direct3D surfaces or OpenGL framebuffers.

Interesting, does this mean one could create Myst type
or games that blend CG with actual game footage ?
That's more advanced stuff, but to begin I would like to be able to add cut scenes (full screen) with ability to skip (ESC), and also include windowed (embedded in game) where I can control target size of the video, and finally allow video to be played in a mask / alpha mask, etc.
used in main menus, etc.

Unity3D also has this capability. We do however offer basic fullscreen video playback support for Windows currently provided by the DirectShow extension, it supports all formats Windows Media Player does.

Doesn't Unity3D require coding skills ? It uses languages that I am not familiar with at all.  I've used game maker for a very long time and learned GML and still not really advanced with GML but can handle it somewhat.  Unity3D is a different league.  Also don't think the free version supports video playback, and it is limited.   This is what brought me to ENIGMA and using LateralGM within it, keeping the familiar look and ability to work with something I already know

However, Unity3D's free version does allow publishing so long as you don't make over $100,000 I believe, but I am not sure if they have Android.

Don't think so, but if they don't it would defeat the purpose as I can use ENIGMA.

$100k ? lol.  No I don't think anytime soon.  And if by miracle I do, I will gladly then buy their full product 

BTW, I am more into doing 2D stuff for now and educational type apps (non game related).

This is because currently you have to have the platform you want to compile for, eg. you have to be on Linux to compile for Linux, though someone was working on a cross-compiler patch. Now as far as Android, we are rebuilding it from the ground up and still working on graphics, however, when we do get it working you will be able to build and run the game inside the NDK emulator.
https://www.google.com/#q=ndk+emulator

Well I have an android tablet (SamsungGalaxy) and a smart phone.  If there could be a way to plug in my phone or tablet, use windows to develop and run/test the product directly on my Android devices ?

As far as publishing goes, we are going to work all of that out. But basically, you don't need to worry about that, as we will help in w/e way we have the resources to do so when we get to that point. We may also look into a good free publishing solution to help indie developers get their games onto different stores and what not. Not commission based or anything, just simply community resources and the likes.

That sounds really nice for those who are started and don't have the money to spend.  I personally would not mind paying a commission after all it's fair and besides all the money saved with a free tool is a plus.
I see a lot of indie game releases.........Some are really bad and many are really good.  I recognize a few that were made with studio.  I really wonder those who spend the $800, are they really making good money from their work ?  I heard stories about the popular apps being ripped and distributed in the black market, is it common for an apps store developer to become rich from their apps ($100k ) let alone even $10k ? I am a skeptic about that.  Personally not looking for a get rich quick scheme, I'd be happy to do it as a hobby and if I can eventually make some $ out of it I will be happy, and if someone is willing to make me rich out of it, I would not mind either, but that's not what I am after.

Yes I would like to add all of that but I do not have enough time on my hands. 

I hear you, I wish days had more than 24h, I can relate to that too.

I am going to have to go ahead and suggest you don't bother with that software it is pretty bug and has even corrupted peoples projects.

Are you talking about the pirated GM that is circulating or the GameMaker Studio itself ?    I am a legit owner of GameMaker Studio, personally it has not corrupted or caused me any issues so far, only thing it is missing specific functions I am after, also want something with better performance since my larger project will use more computing power and resources.  I don't think I will be purchasing any further version of their software if I can do everything I want to inside ENIGMA

The company is also known for lawsuits against indie developers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameMaker:_Studio#Digital_rights_management

interesting read.  I knew about the skull thing, luckily I was not affected by it, but it would not have been an issue as I always keep a backup of all my game assets and project files and they are stored on a different physical drive.  I don't recall exactly what triggered this to happen to some people.  What amazes me is that they use this to combat piracy but it did only the opposite.  it sure did not stop GameMaker Studio and Master from being pirated.  Nothing stopped major games with the heaviest protection to get pirated.  I remember they had issues with softwrap going back.

I was not aware of the IOS / decompiling thing.  At the time I was aware of some GM5/Gm6/GM7/GM8 decompilers going around where people could decompile and steal resources ..... That was my major gripe at the time as the last thing I wanted was for my projects to be decompiled.

I guess I would not have to worry about that with ENIGMA right ?

You're right, it is isn't worth 199$, it is pretty buggy and as I

Good to know   So I guess this would mean $799.99 for the master collection would be out of the question too I guess ? yikes !

We're glad you're enjoying ENIGMA. While I do not know about ENIGMA's video playback support, I can answer your questions about Android.

There is no current supported ENIGMA Android port. There was a WIP one, but it's no longer being developed (the lead developer of it has abandoned the project). Although we'd like to have Android support, ENIGMA does not yet support OGL ES yet (but the devs are working hard on this!). Someone on this forum was offering to compile to Android from GM Studio for free. You can contact him if interested.

Hmmm ok thanks, but I am wondering of any legal implications by doing that.  Doesn't the program grant a one user license ? Also this means the person would have to have my source code and they would also have all my in game assets.  Since some of the projects I am working on are unique and have not been done with this type of tool I think I will pass on that. Guess I will have to wait for
android support !  /update:  I clicked on the link I recognized that user from the GMC community, nice offer he's making there   and his requirements are reasonable, but that post dates from august 2013, I don't know if his offer still stands, I will think about it, but for now I will just focus on my windows projects.

Some on the GMC community (in private) are telling me I should use a cracked version with all the exports, they use as arguments that if I will use it to publish free apps/games that nothing bad will happen.   In fact I became aware that some publishers in the play store allegedly use a cracked master collection.  (!)  I have
heard and read (coming directly from YoYoGames) that they can track if a compiled app was made with a legit version, then some other people said there are embedded signatures in the final compile, which can be decoded back to the license holder's serial........then some rumors about callbacks, etc.  So if a free app becomes too popular this can be trouble too.  I want to remain 100% legal in my projects since they are big and eventually looking for them to be used on a wider scale.

I would have gladly offered all my efforts and free time to contribute to this open source project myself but lack the
programming knowledge.  I think your project is exactly what many people are looking for.  Right now I am aiming to get better, experiment and make free apps.  Nothing would justify me paying $199 for the android export.

More so, even if I could pay the $199, there are functions I would require in my projects that are not available in studio.

Meanwhile I really hope the video playback functions will be supported, as many people are after this function from what I read on the forums.   Some have mentioned this in the GMC forums as well.

First I'd like to say I am happy I found this site, as I accidentally stumbled upon it by reading online about game engines!   I am not familiar enough with programming to do
the things I want to......and game maker is the first, easy game making tool I used on a PC so far, and probably the easiest to learn!  I was looking for something that was not a 100% click and build type of app, where you use prefabs etc, but something that was easy to learn and at the same time allowed me full freedom to customize my projects.

I am actively seeking rapid development tools to help me reach certain goals.  I would like to eventually write some educational / interactive apps/ games and publish them (some free, some commercial) but to start mostly just as a hobby /free stuff.

Times are a bit difficult and so my budget is very limited, happy I found this site.

There are several things I want to do that I cannot get done with gamemaker studio,

1) I would like to do interactive apps/games that use cut scenes/cinematics/videos.  I would like the ability to embedd videos inside my game window and choose the size of the frame within the game, and also have full screen playback. 

2) I would like to publish some of those to Android (compile to APK ?)    Right now for what I need be done, $199 is not something I can afford.  I just want to get into this a little and further get better with GML and such.

I asked some help in the GMC community, and unfortunately nobody could help me with the specific things I was looking for.   One day someone contacted me by PM there and offered to help with a DLL to allow the video playback, but as I soon discovered, even with much tweaking and modifications to the code, that the results where really bad.  After doing some key searched in google I stumbled across enigma. !

I used enigma for some time now, impressed by how easy it is to use and it is very familiar to what I'm using so that's a great plus.

However, I have a problem and was wondering if anybody could help.  Video playback, the only way to use video playback is through the splash video functions......When I use this function, the video plays, but it has to play to the end... There is no way to abort playback.  In many games you can skip cut scenes by hitting ESC or whatever keys they have configured.  I don't see any commands where I can set video playback to stop once a key is pressed (stop as in exit the video playback).  Also I see no commands for customizing video playback (target size, window size, etc.)
I've seen reference to such commands in your wiki but they are not recognized by the parser when I compile them, even when I have the API enabled.

Any help there would be much appreciated.

Also, the only compile option I see is windows, I am using windows, but would also like to export my project to android eventually, now these are serious projects once they get done, which I can publish in the google play store,
setting up an account there is not a problem, how would I be able to generate a store compatible file format ? I heard there are signatures and special requirements for the app to be sent ? Any help there would be appreciated.

Back to video playback, I also found out the video add, video stop, etc commands that you support, however,
these load up the video in memory.  Is there a way to modify them to allow streaming the video from an external file ?  the video splash allows this but is not flexible, and does not allow stopping / ESCaping the video.

Thanks.

P.S.  Oh yeah one more thing, I got some rather odd suggestions from some GMC community members to use a cracked edition of studio, (for the android export) !  so I let them know clearly that it is out of the question and not an option at all and will never be even considered.