GameGuru MAX News

[p][/p][p]Welcome to your GameGuru MAX update announcement. This month’s release brings a wealth of new behaviors and gameplay improvements to enhance your game creation experience. We’ve focused on refining scripting, adding new deployable and teleportation features, and improving stability and performance across the board. Dive in to discover the latest tools and fixes designed to make your projects smoother and more dynamic. Here’s a round-up of what’s now part of today’s release:[/p][p][/p][h3]Major Features & Additions[/h3][p]We’ve introduced several exciting new gameplay elements and behavior icons to expand your creative toolkit. New deployable behaviors and teleport nodes allow for more interactive and strategic gameplay mechanics. Additionally, we’ve added delayed shot logic and enhanced animation control modes to give you finer control over combat animations. Keys collected from chests now properly flag doors, improving gameplay consistency. [/p][p]New Deployable and Teleport Behaviors:
Deployable, Deployable Named, and Teleport Node behaviors with corresponding icons.[/p][p]Delayed Shot Logic:
Added GUNSPEC fields "delayedshot" and "alt delayedshot" for shot delay in milliseconds.[/p][p]Animation Choice Mode:
New "animchoicemode" field for attack animations with multiple selection modes.[/p][p]Key Flagging Fix:
Keys from chests now correctly interact with assigned doors.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Lua & Scripting[/h3][p]This update includes a comprehensive set of new and updated Lua behaviors to enhance interactivity and fix existing issues. New behaviors such as dispenser.lua, deployable.lua, deployable_named.lua, refill_zone.lua, prefill_zone.lua, teleport_node.lua, and process_zone.lua have been added. Numerous internal fixes and improvements have been made to existing behaviors including add_movement.lua, lightcontrol.lua, day_night.lua, resource_node.lua, exploder.lua, affected.lua, eat.lua, break_open.lua, particle_toggler.lua, level_zone.lua, remover.lua, npc_control.lua, collect_object.lua, campfire.lua, remover_zone.lua, wpe_activator.lua, countdown.lua, destroy_object.lua, and npc_monitor.lua. Debugging and script improvements now provide better AI management flags, performance data clarity, and animation assignment feedback. Legacy NPC control scripts have been fixed to maintain compatibility with older levels. [/p][p]New Behaviors: dispenser.lua, deployable.lua, deployable_named.lua, refill_zone.lua, prefill_zone.lua, teleport_node.lua, process_zone.lua.[/p][p]Behavior Updates and Fixes:
add_movement.lua, lightcontrol.lua, day_night.lua, resource_node.lua, exploder.lua, affected.lua, eat.lua, break_open.lua, particle_toggler.lua, level_zone.lua, remover.lua, npc_control.lua, collect_object.lua, campfire.lua, remover_zone.lua, wpe_activator.lua, countdown.lua, destroy_object.lua, npc_monitor.lua.[/p][p]Debugging Enhancements:
Improved object debugging with AI management flags, performance data font size cleanup, animation assignment warnings, and legacy NPC control fixes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Behaviors & Gameplay Systems[/h3][p]Behavior icons have been added for the new dispenser behavior, enhancing visual clarity and ease of use within the editor. [/p][p]Dispenser Behavior Icon:
New icon added for dispenser behavior.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]General[/h3][p]Several housekeeping tweaks have been made to the HUB, including the introduction of a new community celebrity, Extreme Strategy. We have also improved resource handling and crash logging related to terrain rendering and GPU resource management to reduce crashes and improve stability. New flags and options have been added to help diagnose and mitigate driver stalls and GPU race conditions. [/p][p]HUB Tweaks:
General housekeeping and new community celeb Extreme Strategy.[/p][p]Terrain and GPU Improvements:
Enhanced logging, resource handling, and crash logging to prevent DX11 deep crashes and GPU race conditions.[/p][p]New JustGrass Flag:
Added to test high grass usage impact on driver stalls (disablejustgrasssystem in SETUP.INI).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Editor & UI Enhancements[/h3][p]The Max_Using_Behaviors_Guide.pdf has been updated to reflect the latest behavior additions and scripting improvements, helping you get the most out of the new features. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes & Stability[/h3][p]We have significantly improved the crash log system to provide better stack traces, parameter values, and robustness during crash events. New macros and debug lines have been added to help detect driver crashes and investigate engine calls more effectively. Several fixes address crashes caused by rogue Lua scripts and missing parameters in older levels. Users can now disable crash logging to improve performance if desired.[/p][p]Crash Log System Improvements
\[Enhanced reporting, robustness, and new GG_CRASH_CONTEXT macro.[/p][p]Crash Detection:
Added extra debug lines for driver crash detection.[/p][p]Script and Level Fixes:
Fixed crashes from rogue Lua scripts and missing DLUA params in older levels.[/p][p]Crash Logging Control:
Option to disable crash logging to improve performance.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Performance & Optimization[/h3][p]Performance debug views have been improved to highlight slower elements more clearly. Issues with save game reloads not restoring spawned object visibility and playonce flags have been fixed. A new AI management view for active playing and looping sounds has been added. Performance debug elements now clear properly when switching windows. Additionally, fixes have been made to NPC control script animation speed handling. [/p][p]Performance Debug Improvements:
Better highlighting of slow elements and clearing debug elements on focus change.[/p][p]Save Game Fixes:
Restored spawned object visibility and playonce flag handling.[/p][p]AI Sound Management:
New view of active playing/looping sounds.[/p][p]NPC Animation Speed Fixes:
Corrected usage of anim speed in NPC control scripts.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Standalone & Publishing[/h3][p]Standalone builds now copy version.ini to aid crash triage and allow disabling specific features via SETUP.INI flags. This provides better control over standalone behavior and helps isolate issues during development and publishing. [/p][p]Standalone Versioning:
Copy version.ini for crash triage.[/p][p]Feature Disabling:
Flags in SETUP.INI to disable specific features when running MAX.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you have any questions, you will find a great community on our DISCORD channel https://discord.gg/DWuPM4CT and if you find a bug, it would be awesome if you could post a report on our GitHub issues board https://github.com/Dark-Basic-Software-Limited/GameGuruRepo/issues. Until next time, happy game making![/p][p][/p]

[p]Welcome to your regular GameGuru MAX development update. The latest DEVTEST release adds some welcome new scripting opportunities and gameplay behavior improvements as part of our ongoing commitment aiming to enhance overall gameplay. In addition, we've polished the HUB interface to improve user interaction and ease of use, as well as adding fresh content to build to the library of free assets.

Happy New Year to everyone from all of us here at DBS, and we wish you all the best of luck with your game making in 2026.  Let's round-up what's new with the latest release:[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Major Features & Additions[/h2][p]This update introduces several new gameplay mechanics and behavior icons to enrich your game worlds. We’ve added delayed shot logic to the GUNSPEC system, allowing you to control shot timing with millisecond precision. A new animation choice mode lets you customize how attack animations are selected, offering random or sequential options for varied combat visuals. Keys collected from chests and containers now properly flag and interact with their assigned doors, improving gameplay consistency. The HUB has received housekeeping tweaks and welcomes a new community celebrity, Extreme Strategy, to inspire creators.
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• [p]Delayed Shot Logic: New GUNSPEC fields "delayedshot" and "alt delayedshot" enable shot delay in milliseconds.
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• [p]Animation Choice Mode: Added "animchoicemode" field to GUNSPEC with modes for random and sequential attack animations.
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• [p]Keys Flagging Fix: Keys from chests now correctly flag and work with assigned doors.
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• [p]HUB Tweaks: General housekeeping and new community celeb featured: Extreme Strategy.
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[hr][/hr][h2]Editor & UI Enhancements[/h2][p]The Max Using Behaviors Guide has been updated to help you better understand and implement the new and existing behaviors in your projects. This refreshed documentation aims to streamline your workflow and maximize the potential of the behaviors system.
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• [p]Updated Documentation: Max_Using_Behaviors_Guide.pdf refreshed with latest behavior details.
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[hr][/hr][h2]Behaviors & Gameplay Systems[/h2][p]Behavior icons have been added for the new dispenser behavior, enhancing visual clarity and ease of use within the editor. These icons help you quickly identify and manage dispenser-related gameplay elements.
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• [p]Dispenser Behavior Icons: New icons introduced for dispenser behaviors to improve editor usability.
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[hr][/hr][h2]Lua & Scripting[/h2][p]Several new Lua scripts have been created to expand your scripting toolkit. These include dispenser.lua for dispenser behavior, deployable.lua and deployable_named.lua for deployable behaviors, and an updated gibs.lua that now supports gib scale adjustments. These scripts provide more control and customization options for your game mechanics.
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• [p]New Scripts: dispenser.lua, deployable.lua, deployable_named.lua added for enhanced behavior control.
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• [p]Gibs Behavior Update: gibs.lua updated to allow gib scale adjustments.
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[hr][/hr][p]If you have any questions, you will find a great community on our DISCORD channel (https://discord.gg/8eFKsXDema) and if you find a bug, it would be awesome if you could post a report on our GitHub issues board (https://github.com/Dark-Basic-Software-Limited/GameGuruRepo/issues). Until next time, happy game making![/p]

A very merry Christmas to all our GameGuru MAX community! We are happy to announce our FREE Christmas Kit DLC is currently in development and should be with you soon!



Have a wonderful holiday and happy game-making!

[p]This new DLC from prolific and talented artist WizardOfId ventures into the world of the future and provides assets to create your own futuristic bunker, hideout or hidden base.  This pack is a must have for anyone looking to develop Sci-Fi or dark future games.[/p][p][/p][p]In addition to Far Future games, this pack is ideal for post apocalyptic, dystopian, modern day and horror games, but we're sure developers will find ways to expand beyond just these genres.[/p][p][/p][p]With over 170 assets, including tunnels, rooms, vents, doors, more than 50 items to set dress your scenes, as well as an original musical score, this pack really shines.[/p][p][/p][p]Check it out here: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[h2]December 2025 Zero Bug Update[/h2][p]We are pleased to announce that for the first time since starting the development of GameGuru MAX, we achieved a zero bug count on the issues board. There are a few bugs still awaiting more information to determine if they are real or imagined, but we have never had a zero count on the outstanding reports before, and it's great to have hit this milestone![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you have Steam auto-update activated, you will receive the latest update the next time you log into the Steam client and launch MAX from there. Now that we've mostly eliminated all legacy reports, it's time to transition to the next phase of development: reliability. It's not enough that we've fixed all the known bugs; we now need to reinforce the tool and the games exported so that they perform well and meet expectations in the real world. The good news is that several large-scale MAX game projects are underway that actively find edge cases involved in finishing and publishing a game, and we will be using this feedback to make MAX stronger.[/p][p]This release represents several months of focused work and the final push that allowed us to reach a zero outstanding bug count on the issues board:[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]Core Gameplay & Standalone Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed long-standing issues with starting underwater, swimming arms, and player start positions being affected by gravity.[/p]
• [p]Resolved multiple standalone-only problems including missing quest images, custom explosions and sounds, particle effects, video playback, and music volume control.[/p]
• [p]Doors, collisions, bullet holes, lights, fog, probes, and underwater detection are now consistent across single and multi-level games.[/p]
• [p]Prevented cases where older or corrupt level data could cause crashes during export or gameplay.[/p]

[h3]AI, Navigation & NPC Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Navmesh generation is now full-level and higher quality, no longer dependent on camera position during generation.[/p]
• [p]Navmesh debug view now follows the camera, making AI navigation easier to inspect across large levels.[/p]
• [p]NPC behaviour has been refined extensively: better patrol logic, melee and ranged switching, cover usage, flashlight logic, threat states, neutral allies, and death triggers.[/p]
• [p]Default NPC movement speed adjusted to remove unintentionally comical walk animations introduced by earlier performance upgrades.[/p]

[h3]Behavior System Expansion & Polish[/h3]

• [p]Added new behaviors such as Entity In Zone, Mesh Sensor, Communicator, WPE Activator, and enhanced resource nodes with multi-spawn support.[/p]
• [p]Major internal fixes across dozens of existing behaviors including quests, weather, day/night, oxygen, stamina, food, carry objects, ladders, turrets, traps, vehicles, aircraft, and HUD interfaces.[/p]
• [p]Many behaviors now support external triggers, optional globals, better prompts, and more predictable logic flow.[/p]

[h3]Editor & Workflow Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed freezes, crashes, and UI issues when saving, loading, duplicating, or grouping large levels.[/p]
• [p]Improved handling of custom HUDs, custom fonts, storyboards, loading screens, and title screens in the project system.[/p]
• [p]Added resolution emulation and scaling tools to preview how games look on widescreen and ultrawide displays.[/p]
• [p]Reduced editor “not responding” moments by improving threading, memory handling, and background processes.[/p]

[h3]Visuals, Effects & Audio[/h3]

• [p]Added and refined blood damage shaders, environmental reflections, decal handling, and bullet hole controls.[/p]
• [p]Particle systems gained better placement controls (X/Z offsets), preview support, and export reliability.[/p]
• [p]Fixed long-standing sound slot issues and improved looping and transition logic for music and storyboards.[/p]

[h3]Performance & Memory Management[/h3]

• [p]Improved DDS conversion and texture handling to reduce VRAM usage, especially in large levels.[/p]
• [p]Freed GPU memory between level loads to improve performance and prevent slowdowns in extended play sessions.[/p]
• [p]Faster loading for decals, storyboards, objects, and editor thumbnails.[/p]

[h3]Under-the-Hood Refactoring[/h3]

• [p]Large-scale cleanup of legacy code, unused functions, and old conditional paths to improve maintainability and reduce future bug risk.[/p]
• [p]Improved crash logging now produces full crash dumps for faster diagnosis and resolution.[/p]
• [p]Multiple safeguards added to prevent deadlocks, freezes, and hard-to-reproduce edge-case crashes.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]General Observations[/h3][p]2025 has been an exciting year for GameGuru MAX, not least its transition of development from TGC to DBS. To hit a zero bug count, even for a few days, is a great way to end the year on a high note. The general feeling internally is that we can start to look tentatively at helping get a few good games out the door and out into the world. As they say, the proof is in the pudding, and maybe in 2026, we can start enjoying the fruits of a lovely game-making pie :)[/p][p]As this may be the last long-form announcement of 2025, we wish you a very merry festive holiday and look forward to bringing you more updates and news throughout 2026. Happy Game Making!![/p][p][/p]