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General => Internet, Science, & Technology => Topic started by: The Hand That Fisted Everyone on July 28, 2020, 07:21:34 PM

Title: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: The Hand That Fisted Everyone on July 28, 2020, 07:21:34 PM
 doodthing;
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on July 28, 2020, 08:25:58 PM
i feel like it might as well be, like you are technically programming things, just not with code
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: ikanaide on November 07, 2020, 05:37:08 AM
it is IMO cuz if it isn't then you could say that high level languages like python aren't real programming cuz they have such a high level of abstraction compared to lower levels like C and then C isn't real programming compared to like asm or literal machine code either, then it's just a bit mad TBH. game maker is just like an even higher level of abstraction but its still programming at the end of the day init
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 07, 2020, 08:26:36 AM
Quote from: ikanaide on November 07, 2020, 05:37:08 AMit is IMO cuz if it isn't then you could say that high level languages like python aren't real programming cuz they have such a high level of abstraction compared to lower levels like C and then C isn't real programming compared to like asm or literal machine code either, then it's just a bit mad TBH. game maker is just like an even higher level of abstraction but its still programming at the end of the day init
agreed
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: Samus Aran on November 14, 2020, 10:31:02 PM
Quote from: strongbad on July 28, 2020, 08:25:58 PMi feel like it might as well be, like you are technically programming things, just not with code

even then, this isn't entirely true. there is no such thing as a decent game made with gamemaker that does not use a great deal of GML - Game Maker Language, manually typed out.

a lot can be handled via drag and drop, yes, but there is a ton where this simply isn't doable, and you will have to write it manually. that's where knowledge of GML comes in.

so yes, it still involves a lot of programming, in a language specific to GM.
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 16, 2020, 08:14:33 AM
Quote from: Samus Aran on November 14, 2020, 10:31:02 PM
Quote from: strongbad on July 28, 2020, 08:25:58 PMi feel like it might as well be, like you are technically programming things, just not with code

even then, this isn't entirely true. there is no such thing as a decent game made with gamemaker that does not use a great deal of GML - Game Maker Language, manually typed out.

a lot can be handled via drag and drop, yes, but there is a ton where this simply isn't doable, and you will have to write it manually. that's where knowledge of GML comes in.

so yes, it still involves a lot of programming, in a language specific to GM.
i'm not familiar with how gamemaker works, but I'm sure GML is a heavy abstraction language too, which begs the question of at what point does enough abstraction make it not programming?

sure, drag and drop using a UI isn't "coding" since coding implies text-based code, but it's definitely programming in the sense that you are programming something

basically just regurgitating what ikandy is saying
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: Hiro on November 16, 2020, 01:35:35 PM
the majority of programming nowadays is pretty abstracted to be fair
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 16, 2020, 01:39:58 PM
Quote from: Hiro on November 16, 2020, 01:35:35 PMthe majority of programming nowadays is pretty abstracted to be fair
exactly so where do you draw the line?
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: Mando Pandango on November 16, 2020, 02:31:56 PM
who cares

The REAL question to ask yourself is "Does GameMaker's built-in programmability allow enough customization for what I want to do with it?"

if the answer is yes then haters can get fucked
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: ikanaide on November 16, 2020, 02:34:31 PM
i want to say that all programming no matter how low-level is based on some form of abstraction since we don't actually think in 1s and 0s. with this in mind, i think there is no line that can be drawn. it always will be programming no matter the degree of abstraction because programming describes a fundamental concept.

i think when people use "real programming" as a term of elitism, it doesn't actually have anything to do with the definition of programming... they're pretty much just expressing how newly introduced programming conventions feel alien to them compared to the tools they learned to program with and how much pain it delivers to their buttholes. basically when i think of "real programming" i picture some middle aged dude who spent his life coding in php and thinks it will never be replaced
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 16, 2020, 03:49:59 PM
Quote from: Mando Pandango on November 16, 2020, 02:31:56 PMwho cares

The REAL question to ask yourself is "Does GameMaker's built-in programmability allow enough customization for what I want to do with it?"

if the answer is yes then haters can get fucked
i don't think anyone is arguing against this

spelunky classic was made in game maker :3
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 16, 2020, 03:51:50 PM
Quote from: ikanaide on November 16, 2020, 02:34:31 PMi think when people use "real programming" as a term of elitism, it doesn't actually have anything to do with the definition of programming... they're pretty much just expressing how newly introduced programming conventions feel alien to them compared to the tools they learned to program with and how much pain it delivers to their buttholes. basically when i think of "real programming" i picture some middle aged dude who spent his life coding in php and thinks it will never be replaced
agreed

the more i learn about programming the less of a programmer i feel like. i recently wrote a function that handles http get/post/put requests and all i have learned about the nature of these requests is which c# library to call lol
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: Samus Aran on November 17, 2020, 09:04:22 AM
Quote from: strongbad on November 16, 2020, 03:49:59 PM
Quote from: Mando Pandango on November 16, 2020, 02:31:56 PMwho cares

The REAL question to ask yourself is "Does GameMaker's built-in programmability allow enough customization for what I want to do with it?"

if the answer is yes then haters can get fucked
i don't think anyone is arguing against this

spelunky classic was made in game maker :3

a lot of very impressive games were made in game maker. va-11 hall-a, undertale, hotline miami, katana zero, hyper light drifter.
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 17, 2020, 03:36:36 PM
yeah really it's just a testament to the idea that good game design trumps all

don't get me started on nethack lol
EDIT: i should probably put in a disclaimer that there is a lot about nethack that is definitely not good game design lol but that's besides the point
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: Mando Pandango on November 17, 2020, 06:09:21 PM
I tried playing nethack once and was in way over my head. Feel like i should try again
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: strongbad on November 18, 2020, 09:51:04 AM
Quote from: Mando Pandango on November 17, 2020, 06:09:21 PMI tried playing nethack once and was in way over my head. Feel like i should try again
Yeah to really understand it you need to be referencing the wiki constantly for a while. You can learn from trial and error but it's not really worth it imo. Some roguelikes can (should?) be played spoiler free but Nethack isn't one of them. Let me know if you want any help getting started- I basically devoted a year of my life to that game lol
Title: Re: is gamemaker really not programming?
Post by: silvertone on March 15, 2021, 01:53:12 PM
cataclysm is prolly the best roguelike for nubs imo not because its the simplest but because its so easy to get into the RP aspect that the difficulty feels appropriate.

 but also 1 page of wiki reading and messing with the hotkeys (mashing kebord) rly opens up the game