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Editing	Debugging

Download the minigame source

Summary

GameMaker: Studio (free) trades some of the limitations of the old Windows GameMaker Lite version for a different set of restrictions. Thanks to the minigame's simplicity, the limitations on number of sprites, objects, and scripts didn't cause trouble. For more complicated games the limitations could easily be a deal-breaker.

Pluses vs. GameMaker

• The free version allows use of all programming features, including particle effects and built-in data structures like Maps.
• Assets are stored as separate files and folders in the file system, rather than packaged into the project file. Editing and saving changes to scripts externally works fine.
• Seems to be updated fairly frequently

Minuses vs. GameMaker

• The free version limits the number of resources. GameMaker 8.1 Lite allows unlimited resources.
• Has a much larger initial install size (approx. 200 MB), and a much larger download for every update. When prototyping on Windows only a small fraction of the files are required.

Hints

• I prefer the old GM8 color scheme (Skin). Select it in File > Preferences > General, if you like.

Links

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