Tag: YYG

Could a build farm be coming to GameMaker Studio?

Interesting.

Earlier today, I posted an idea I had to the GameMaker Community Forums Suggestions board: for YoYo Games to provide a Build Farm service to GameMaker: Studio users who would like to build their games for platforms that they do not own.

Currently, while GameMaker: Studio enables users to build to multiple platforms, certain of those platforms have fairly steep requirements in terms of a physical device to connect to in order to build, and even membership in developer programs. Maintaining all these devices and memberships is prohibitively expensive for anyone who isn’t making a living by doing it.

Providing a Software as a Service model for building to remote cloud-hosted virtual devices that are configured and maintained by YYG themselves would greatly simplify the effort required to build to non-Win32 platforms, making it far easier for GameMaker Studio users to reach all of the platforms that GM:S allows them to reach. Suddenly, it becomes feasible for a solo developer studio to release a game on all platforms without having to own a Mac, an iPad, an Android device, etc.

Further, I suggested that once the build farm was up and running, the next logical step would be to allow developers to submit their newly-built games to various App Stores for whatever target they have built to, enabling GM:S users to bring their games to market far more easily. YoYo Games could have their own store, and GM:S users who have accounts with other app stores could connect their accounts to their YYG Store account, which would enable them to submit their games to the other stores very easily.

Shortly after posting my idea, YYG CTO Russell Kay commented “Squirrel!” — which, apparently, means that I’ve suggested something that YYG has plans to do.

I’m not sure how much of the above ideas they are working on, or how closely what they are working on will resemble what I’ve outlined above, but it’s extremely exciting to think that this may be coming at some point in the indefinite future.

Anything that makes it easier and cheaper for a game developer to bring their products to market — without having to handle all the other aspects of running a business — makes it possible for small studios to compete and do business and make money without having to grow and support a full staff in order to handle these functions internally.

GameMaker Studio Standard now Free

Today YoYoGames announced that they are discontinuing the much-derided free edition of GameMaker Studio, GM:S Lite. In its place, GameMaker Studio Standard is now free. Previously, Standard was $49, but often discounted to free for special promotions. The Lite edition was not favored by users for being too limited in features and resource constraints.

This is a good move for YYG, as it serves to strengthen their position among neophyte developers who want a first tool they can use for free. GameMaker has long been a “gateway drug” for many indie game developers and programmers, and making a free version that is actually useful will continue to ensure that new users will have little reason not to give it a try.

Their official announcement is copied below:

YoYo Games Ltd.

Today, YoYo Games announces that a powerful version of GameMaker: Studio is now available to developers for FREE. We’ve taken the resource-limited “Free” version of GameMaker: Studio and replaced it with a feature-rich version of GameMaker: Studio called “Standard.” The newly launched GameMaker: Studio Standard puts the full power of GameMaker: Studio at the fingertips of games developers everywhere!

If the cost of GameMaker: Studio was holding you back before, there isn’t anything holding you back now.

For more info, visit https://www.yoyogames.com/studio.

Game on!