Learn to Code in Game Maker Language

Learn how to display text with the show_message(), show_debug_message(), and draw_text() functions.

Comments are an important part of coding. They allow notes to be created within your code to remind yourself of how the code works. Learn how to create single-line and multi-line comments.

Variables are the easiest concept in programming, and the most important as well. Learn what a variable is, how to create one, the different types of variables, and how to access them.

Learn about the importance of using a naming convention when creating a new variable.

Arithmetic, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, can be performed on variables. This is a common thing, and something you will do often. Learn about performing these operations on variables, as well as the shorthand for each operation.

When performing arithmetic, you must follow an order of operations. This is the same as in algebra. Learn about the order using PEMDAS.

Some variables are only accessible in certain parts of your code; this is scope. Learn about instance variables, local variables, and global variables.

There's another way to create global variables, but its usage is highly debated. It's considered bad practice to use this method, but it is a part of GML, nonetheless. Learn how to create a global variable using the globalvar keyword.

Macros are similar to variables, except their value does not change. Learn how to create macros and use them in your code.

In many types of games and applications, string manipulation is very common. The simplest form of string manipulation is concatenation. Learn how to take two strings and conjoin them.

Conditionals allow you to make decisions. For example, you may only want to show a message if the player's health is above a certain amount; you would use an If Statement for this. Learn about flow control with If-Else Statements.

There are many other comparison operators. Learn about each one.

Conditional operators allow you to evaluate many expressions in one conditional. Learn about the conditional operators.

Boolean expressions are not limited to conditionals. You can evaluate expressions as true or false anywhere in your code. Learn how to evaluate an expression and store the return value in a variable.

Switch Statements are useful when you need to evaluate an expression and then execute one of many different blocks of code based on the value. For example, you may want to display a message to a user in their native language; you could use a variable to store which language is being used, and then display the appropriate message using a Switch Statement.

Dive a little deeper into what a function is, what return values are, and how to use them.

When you need to execute code multiple times, you should look at loops. The For Loop is the most common, and also allows for very dynamic code when used in conjunction with arrays.

Sometimes you need code to execute indefinitely. That's where While and Do-Until Loops come in. Learn to use these loops while avoiding the infamous Infinite Loop.

Arrays allow you to store many values inside of one structure. These are useful for many things, such as inventories in RPG games. Learn what an array is, how to create one, and how to access its data.

Two-dimensional arrays expand upon one-dimensional arrays, and allow much more content to be stored. Learn what a two-dimensional array is, how to create one, and how to access its data.

Learn about the most common events, Create, Step, and Draw, their subevents, and when they're executed.

Sometimes you need code to be executed, but not immediately. In these cases, you can set an alarm, much like you would before you go to sleep, that will execute code when it goes off. Learn how to set an alarm, execute code when it goes off, and how to tell if an alarm has already been set.

Learn how to create your own event.

Learn how to detect key presses through code.

Learn about X and Y positions.

Scripts allow you to create your own function. Learn how to create a script, add arguments to it, and supply a return value.

Sometimes you need to allow optional arguments. In this video, learn how to allow those optional arguments, and how to add Intellisense to your script so that you can see which argument you are on inside of the editor.

When you allow optional arguments, it's often a good idea to supply a default value to be used when no other value is supplied. Learn how to do that in this video.

Accessors allow you to directly access and modify arrays. Learn about the array accessor, how scripts accept arrays as arguments, and how to modify an array from a script.

When thinking about the relationship between objects and instances, you can think of a blueprint and a finished product. In this video, dive deeper into what objects and instances are.

Instances have built-in variables. Learn more about instances, instance creation, instance destruction, and instance IDs.

Maps are associative arrays, which means that each entry has a key and a value. Learn how to create a map and access the different values it contains.

Learn how to use asynchronous messages, and execute code once the user has read the message.

Wrapping up Section 2.

Gummy's Maze sprites.

Learn about what we will be doing in this section.

Import all of the sprites you will need.

Learn how to create a main menu for your game.

Learn how to make Gummy move.

Learn to create a view and make it follow the player.

Learn how to animate Gummy when he walks.

Learn how to create enemies that can move in different directions.

Learn how to add lives and allow Gummy to die.

Learn how to add a game over screen.

Learn how to create a simple background from the wall sprite.

Learn how to create a goal that moves the player to the next room upon contact.

Learn how to create collectibles with a parent object.

Learn how to create a collectible blockade that will only disappear once the player has collected every collectible.

Learn how to add an end game menu and add a finishing touch to the game.

Commented project.

End of Course.