Adventure Maker is very easy to use right out of the box. You don't need to know how to program to build a decent game. But here are some other things to consider, especially if you are thinking about other gaming tools.
Plugins:
AM has been around for a long time. Because of this, there have been numerous plugins created. A plugin adds additional features to AM and many do not require any programming knowledge to use. If there is some programming needed, it is generally very little and the developer almost always has some documentation to help you along the way. Worse case is that you will have to go to the Adventure Maker forums to get help. But, you will find that it is one of the most helpful forums for gaming tools.
Some plugins to consider:
Water Effect
- Create ripples of water anywhere on the screen. (not supported in Win7)
Cubic Panoramic
- Allows you to create a 3D environment where the player can move 360 degrees by moving the mouse.
KeyGuard
- allows you to program the keys on your keyboard, and the mouse buttons and wheel.
- created animated mouse pointers of any size
- better control of hotspots
- new version will give you more options including odd shaped hotspots
Hotspot Magic
- Allows you to build a grid of hotspots (or multiple grids)
- provides other options to aid in manipulating hotspots
AMSaveLoadGame
- With this, you can build a custom Save and Load Game screen.
- Other features include a custom "game saved" image
There are many other plugins. Please go to the Adventure Maker forums to view all of them.
Adventuremaker.com
VBA Programming:
Like other gaming packages, you have the ability to extend the features of your game by programming. AM uses VBA for its programming language. Not only is it one of the simplest languages, but there is a lot of resources of VBA to make learning it easier.
FORUMS:
Adventuremaker.com
If you get stuck during game creation, there is plenty of help on the AM Forums. This is probably one of the best features of AM. The AM community is very helpful. You can also share your thoughts and games at the forums. At times, there are contests you can participate in. There is also an online magazine that is published bi-monthly. All members are encouraged to submit their articles to the magazine.
Finally, be sure to download some of the adventure games created with Adventure Maker. I would suggest trying out "The BlackWish Cemetery". It was recently released and shows many of the features that you can do with Adventure Maker. Download at: Adventurecollection.webnode.com
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