Hi everyone, I thought that maybe I should tell you about my latest mega project: the M484 Game Creation System. :)

M484GCS Website:
http://m484games.ucoz.com/index/m484gcs/0-34
M484GCS IndieDB Profile:
http://www.indiedb.com/engines/m484-game-creation-system

The M484GCS is a free open source "game construction kit" which focuses on easy and fast 2D action game creation. There is no programming needed; the games are made by using simple "visual editors" and by changing values in various "attribute lists".

Right now the program is at Version 7, and it can already produce good quality shoot'em ups, such as this little "Side Blaster" game:
http://m484games.ucoz.com/index/side_blaster/0-36

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Some features of the program include:

- Vertical and Horizontal scrolling Levels, either Push or Auto, with an optional Margin Scroll feature
- Static non-scrolling Levels
- Special "Cutscene" Levels for in-game storytelling
- Pre-made game Menus, Options screens, HighScore Tables and Status Panels, all freely customizable
- Pre-defined game object categories such as "Player", "Enemy", "Enemy Bullet", "Stop Wall", "Boss Head" etc, each of which have 100+ freely changeable variables
- Pre-made scripts such as "follow player", "goto coordinate", "random move" etc, which you can freely mix and edit to create complex object behaviours
- Power-ups and many different "player weapons"
- Player "Allies" and "Parts"
- Pixel perfect collision
- Smooth 50 frames per second screen update rate, capable of displaying hundreds of moving objects without slowdown
- Both Keyboard and Gamepad support
- Make standalone games that can be run without the Editor
- ++ lots more

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It's a fast and "relaxed" way to produce basic games, in this video I make a simple "Space Invaders" game in 10 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYiZnKwdNh4

But also more advanced stuff is equally easy to make; for example here we have a procedurally generated "infinite game", which uses the M484GCS "shot system" to continuosly generate new content:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz9rVstd8cE

Right now the program is just a "shoot'em up construction kit", but if everything goes as planned, then soon it should be able to make platformers as well...Version 8 will most likely be released this month, and it should have at least the basic platformer capability on place. :)

So, it's exciting to see what comes of this project. My plan is to eventually upgrade this to the point where one can easily make replicas of "commercial quality of the Amiga-era" 2D action games, with all 3 main genres included: shoot'em ups, beat'em ups and platformers. The ultimate "click-click-solution" for retro 2D game creation. :D

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