How to make updater for GameMaker Game - game-maker

Question

I am using GameMaker. The game I am working on will need to be updated later on. How would I create an updater so people don't have to download the updated version. I would like it so the person playing it can push a button and the game update.

Answer 1

I have done it.
I created a file on a server, basically it can be every server. In this file I said:
[Version]
Version = 1010
So the newest version is 1.0.1.0. There is a function GM_version to check the current version of the game, but ot would return 1.0.0.1, I don't know why they done this.
So, in order to fix this, this is my create event:
//Re-order version and delete points
Version3 = string_replace(GM_version,'.','')
Point1 = string_pos('.',version3)
Version2 = string_delete(version3,point1,1)
Point2 = string_pos('.',version2)
Version1 = string_delete(version2,point2,1)
String1 = string_copy(version1,point1,point2 - point1)
Version0 = string_delete(version1,point1,point2 - point1)
Version_local = version0 + string1
//Delete old file and get serverfile
Version_online = 0
Got = 0
file_delete("your file")
File = http_get_file("your serverfile","your file")
In the Asynchronous HTTP Event is this code:
if ds_map_find_value(async_load,"id") == file {
if ds_map_find_value(async_load,"status") == 0 {
ini_open("your file")
Version_online = ini_read_string("version","version",version_local)
ini_close()
Got = 1
}
}
Last, in the step event:
if got == 1 {
if version_online > version_local {
//your code when there's an update, e.g. open your homepage.
}
Got = 0
}
Hope that helped!

Answer 2

Short answer: you can't do that in pure GM, and the easiest solution is to do it in another language and just launch it with GM.
You can't update a part of the game as it will be compiled to a single executable. Users will have to download the whole .exe of your game. Your best bet is to create another standalone program (with GM or another software/language). You can always launch that updater program through a button click in your game. You might find open-source code to make your own updater in C, C++ or C#.
If I were you, I would just make a small button "check for update" in the game and it would lead to a PHP website with the current version in the address (e.g. www.mygamesite/update?v=1.2345). Then you make the website compare the version passed in the URL to show either "your game is up to date" or "download the latest version" with a changelist.