Game Maker vs. Construct 2

First off, I hope this thread is allowed. I will not be asking people to fund a Game Maker made game this time, which got my last thread deleted, which I am okay with.

Second, this is not a blank, inflammatory comparison of Game Maker to Construct 2. I started making a Game Maker game and am converting it to Construct 2, because I can't afford the $200 Android exporter for Game Maker. So, to save $200, I am once again using Construct 2, and I will tell you my experiences.

First off, I have personally benchmarked Game Maker and Construct 2, in a many-objects test of my own. Game Maker handles loads of objects 33% faster according to my own benchmark. However, what matters more when making a game is your methods. If you can't optimize, no engine is going to save you.

Okay so Game Maker makes it easy to draw duplicates of an image to create reflections, using Image Alpha and overlaying it. I could not find how to do this easily and automatically in Construct 2, so to create the same effect, I am using Glow Shaders. So because of my methods and lazyness, not the engine itself, my game runs faster in Game Maker, because it's not using so many shaders.

Game Maker files end up being half the filesize of Construct 2 files, due to the way Construct 2 needs 3 formats of a sound including WAV while Game Maker doesn't.

Whether you want to use Game Maker is also a question of whether you want to write 5 lines of code (Game Maker), or create a detailed event (Construct 2) to perform an action.

I'm not going to even say what my preference is. I'm just stating the facts as I see them.

I don't really know what you're trying to achieve through this topic.

You admit yourself that you don't really know how to work with C2 mostly out of laziness.

For your example about image reflection, wouldn't simply making a new instance of your sprite and changing its opacity's property value achieve the effect you're looking for ?

And this wouldn't impact the performance in the end.

Also, your point about filesize does not apply on export, since when exporting to a specific platform, the sounds which aren't supported aren't exported. (For example no wav/m4a on a platform that supports ogg "only").

Maybe your facts are not that straight in the end and you should probably explore more the current version of C2 and try to follow the best practices/performance tips.

There's no problem trying to compare both softwares as this can be constructive in the end, but as a "beginner", you're maybe not in the best spot to make such a comparison.

The only reason for this post is to get yourself alienated from this software too?

Are you behind on a project and needing someone to blame, thus you hope to get thrown out?

I can't find any other meaning.

If you write something that takes 5 events, I bet you can ask in the forum, and get at least 3 ways to do it shorter. Many times in 1 event.

And by the sound of your demo, perhaps no events at all.

This thread has taken an interesting turn. I tell my opinion on converting a Game Maker game to Construct 2 and the like, get called a beginner, and have someone asking about me getting alienated from this software when I think he misunderstood to begin with.

The reason why I'm lazy is because I'm converting a pretty big game over. If I ever do focus on that 1% that needs improved, it will be once I focus on the other 99%. Do I expect anyone to understand? Not really. Especially since they mistook GML code for Construct 2 events.

Duplicate the object, rotate by 180, mirror it and pin to original object.

Was that comparing c2 to game maker's HTML 5 or native export?

Aside from that, I'm afraid I don't understand the point of this thread either.

Comparing GML and c2 events is like comparing apples and oranges, some things might require less lines of code in either (for example, in c2, pathfinding requires barely any code at all).

You say the game runs better in game maker because you don't feel like coding it properly in construct? You'd have the same problem in game maker if you didn't code it right there, too. Shaders are quite intensive, of course they're going to require more work from the computer than just using another sprite for a reflection.

If you're putting in the effort to port a large game over, which you knew would be a large task, why are you not willing to put in a little more effort to fix something important that causes a performance hit? Sometimes the stuff in the "1%" is too important to skip. Also, not putting in the effort to design your code properly from the start can sometimes cause you to end up doing more work in the long run fixing your mistakes.

Also, where did someone confuse GML for c2 events? Apparently no one in this thread...

I have GMS as well as C2 and I would be very interested to see the files you used for comparison.

Just from little testing I've done, I found I can create the GMS demos in C2 in a ridiculously short time, whereas anything of note in GMS needs to be done in GML.

But, as everyone else has noted, to get the best out of either - or any software really - takes time, effort and a lot of practice.

If you're getting disheartened, then do small prototypes of the problems and post them for others to possibly help.

Never hurts to ask for help.

[quote:3qv5jsv3]However, what matters more when making a game is your methods. If you can't optimize, no engine is going to save you..... So because of my methods and lazyness, not the engine itself, my game runs faster in Game Maker

Unfortunately, you invalidate your own 'comparison' post here.

If you put a similar effort into both, then you would have a fair & honest comparison.

I have pretty much all the game making engines and I now spend most of my development time for html5 games using construct2. I can do more, and do it more quickly using construct2.

It has taken me a number of months to learn the software (still learning) and what took 1000's of events can now be done in 100's - that is called acquired knowledge.

I preferred GM because I spent so much time with it, but now that veiw has changed and I favor C2 now.

I have pretty much all the game making engines and I now spend most of my development time for html5 games using construct2. I can do more, and do it more quickly using construct2.

It has taken me a number of months to learn the software (still learning) and what took 1000's of events can now be done in 100's - that is called acquired knowledge.

I preferred GM because I spent so much time with it, but now that veiw has changed and I favor C2 now.

Yeah. Same here buddy. Made a lot of prototypes, first in GF, then discovered C1, but even still when moved in to C2 it took me several more prototypes to really feel confident with what I was doing. Same goes for everything else really.

Each software is different.

As a beginner and deciding which software to use. I find this thread useful.

Why use Game Maker when you can use Unity? Unity 5 is now free and complete. The Game Maker business model is a joke and Construct 2 is able to create games 2d. Bad practices can impact performance but do not be obsessed with performance, it reminds me of the subjects' python vs ruby "or" java / c ". Start by mastering your tools and use those that suit your projects.

And keep in mind that the players targeted by your games are often equipped with PC ready to receive much larger production. For example minecraft has been developed in Java, I doubt that it was a choice regarding performance. The developer used the language with which he was most comfortable.

For pure 2D game on PC target, Construct2 is a very very nice product with good capability.

For mobile game for me construct2 isn't a good choice, too much dependency of crosswalk and other tiers products to make a viable export

lot of limitation and no good perfs at all (viable for low game with limited number of game object and effects).

Unity3D v5 is now free and really awesome very fast game prototype to and the 2D engine is really awesome. (and yes you can do 2.5D en 3D game but this is not the comparaison point).

For me the advantage of unity is the true performance, low size runtime.

Construct2 isn't bad but isn't good too

The only things that will make you win time is that construct2 is delivred with build-in behavior/add-on speficique for 2D game.

You need to buy/code or use free code source ressource for your 2D game on unity (very easy to find and setup for 2D game (try prime32 character controler2D for example)).

They is no perfect choice at all if you don't know to code and depending you game or platform target.

I personnatly switch to unity for the dev product and keep my construct2 license only to test some idea (game prototype)

PS: with limited knowless in code unity C# is easy as construct2 code logic (and you have great visual code pluging on unity3D (no code juste drag and drop))

megatronx and at —

I get the reset factor sucks-- it just sucks-- it's like learning to drive a four wheel car in a world that has converted to self driving cars. I've studied art to make webcomics and focusing on making games was a hard decision as it was a complete refocus for my life. Luckily those art skills help in making game art or I would feel the last 20 years weren't worth it

I tried hard coding games in 2003 but debugging lines of code in C++ and Visual Basic for hours just ate me alive inside. Gamemaker for me was too complicated. I tried it in 2010 and flat gave up on game design again because of it. Unity also seemed pretty code reliant and not code light as C2 is.

What I like about C2 is it helps me find my errors faster, and god willing, most times I get help from the community here or on Google Plus when I'm stuck, but yes I want to be better and faster at prototype to final product for things like Ludam Dare. This may take another year at the rate I'm going.

I had to take a break from C2 for a year and am trying to catch up as people I know have been making both games and are close if not over the $5,000 dollar mark of money made from their games.

I'm investing time with C2 and am looking forward to C3. However, at times, I wish this was like a Blender project, because I fear a Adobe scenario again with what happened with Macromedia where the software becomes so big and popular, a competitor buys it, raises it's price and basically changes not only the price but a bunch of other stuff. I really miss "Free-hand" :/.

In any case, there are tones of game engines to make games for free like the unreal engine, it just seems easier with C2.