Chapter Master - Adeptus Dominus

Chapter Master (aka CM) is a strategy/simulation game, written in Game Maker Language, originally designed and developed by Duke.
This project aims to continue development on the game, fix any bugs, expand and add features.
Adeptus Dominus is just how the team of collaborators calls themselves.

Links

• Discord Server
  • Where most of the development talk, features suggestion and just general 40K talk takes place.
  • If you can code, design, draw or just love WH40K then you'll have a great time with us. :)
  • GitHub issues are not used at the moment, as such we use #bug-report-forum in this server to handle bug reports.
• 1d6Chan Wiki
  • With some helpful pages that explain new systems added in the Adeptus Dominus version.

Building and/or Contributing

There are generally two main ways of working with a GameMaker project: through Visual Studio Code or through GameMaker.

• Working through GameMaker may prove to be a pure torture, as their IDE is very bad and the app itself generally has very bad performance, as such generally is not recommended if you plan on working with the code. Only use if you have to.

• The preferred alternative is to use Visual Studio Code with the Stitch extension, that is available via the Visual Studio Marketplace. (huge thanks to guys who made it)

• You can also use any other IDE to work with the code, but you'll have to use one of the above apps to build, as no other building method is available at the moment.

• Other IDEs have no extended support for GML and as such generally are not recommended, unless you know what you're doing.

Nonetheless, some things will have to be done through GameMaker, even if you use other IDEs, including VSCode, such as:

• Most of the sprite management.
• Debugging with breakpoints, function steps and realtime debugging are not supported by Stitch at the moment.

The Visual Studio Code + Stitch way:

0. Download the project, by finding the green "<>Code" button and selecting "Download ZIP".
   • (Optional) If you want to contribute and know how to use Git/GitHub - fork and/or clone the repository, otherwise check some basic Git guides first.
1. Get the Visual Studio Code (VSCode) installed, if not already.
   • (Optional) It's recommended to get the Insider version, as it's the most frequently updated one and gets all new features first.
   • (Optional) Get a hang of VSCode by reading some guides on the internet, installing some useful QoL extensions, configuring various settings, etc.
2. Get the Stitch extension installed.
   • (Optional) Watch this guide video that covers basic features of Stitch, made by its creator.
   • (Optional) Edit various Stitch specific settings, to improve your QoL.
   • (Optional) It's recommended to disable "Run in Terminal" Stitch option. This will allow you to goto error lines that come up in the output window and custom color output lines. The explanation is in the "Stitch Runner Panel" section on this page.
3. Press "Ctrl+Shift+P" when in VSCode and write "Stitch Set GameMaker Version", select the option with the same name, in the list, find and set the version to v2023.11.1.129.
4. Run the game by pressing F5 or finding the run button on the Stitch panel.
5. Wait for it to download the GameMaker version you've selected and build the game.
6. Play the game!
7. (Optional) Read the code, modify it, test, repeat.

The GameMaker way:

0. Download the project, by finding the green "<>Code" button and selecting "Download ZIP".
   • (Optional) If you want to contribute and know how to use Git/GitHub - clone the repository, otherwise check some basic Git guides first.
1. Get the GameMaker installed.
   • Only version up to 2023.11.1 are working with this project, as of now.
   • Here is a direct link for the GameMaker v2023.11.1.129, that most of collaborators use at the moment.
2. Find ChapterMaster.yyp in the cloned/downloaded project folder and open it with GameMaker.
3. In GameMaker, click the Run button or press F5 to build the project and start the game.
4. Play the game!
5. (Optional) Read the code, modify it, test, repeat.
6. (Not Optional) Use any other IDE to work with the code or you'll suffer.

(Optional) Git Features:

If you are new to Git, then it's recommended to read the Pro Git book. You only need to read the first 3 chapters to comfortably work with Git, optionally chapter 6 to get more info on GitHub.

If you prefer a more comfortable, graphical user interface based approach to Git, instead of command line, then it's recommended to use one of the options bellow, both are free and popular:

• GitKraken + Tutorials
• SourceTree + Tutorials

Exporting and creating packages

Creating packages (i.e. creating an .exe with the game) and exporting them is allowed for non-commercial use.

Everything else must be covered by paid GameMaker subscriptions:

• GameMaker subscriptions comparison
• Setting up GameMaker export for Windows