GameMaker was a unique magazine first published by Future PLC in the UK in October 2003. It was a game development and modding magazine targeted at the general public!
It had the tagline “The world’s only dedicated game modding magazine” and featured interviews with prominent members of the PC game modding scene along with industry professionals.
Sadly, the topic was deemed too niche and only one standalone issue was ever published before it became a section of PC Format magazine for two issues (159 & 160), and then a separate supplement distributed with the magazine for a further three issues, until it was replaced in issue 165 by a Doom 3 supplement instead.
Below is a table of all the articles known to have been included in GameMaker magazine’s short run. This includes when it was a standalone issue (1), when it was a section of PC Format (2–3), and when it was a separate supplement included with PC Format (4–7).
| Issue | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WARCRAFT 3 | The basics of creating a map in the Warcraft 3 Map Editor with a hero (Hercules), an enemy (Hydra), and victory conditions |
| 1 | UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2003 | Introduction to Unreal Editor 3.0, using brushes to carve out maps, adding textures, lighting, and even creating moving platforms |
| 1 | MAKE A MOD | General advice from Kieron Gillen about modding games, including project scope and how to recruit other modders |
| 1 | NEVERWINTER NIGHTS | Introduction to the BioWare Neverwinter Nights Toolset for creating a simple adventure game, including scripting and adding factions |
| 1 | ADVENTURE GAME STUDIO | Introduction to AGS for creating a simple point-and-click graphic adventure game with scripts and background music |
| 1 | THE SIMS | Covers tools like SimShow, Facelift, HomeCrafter, Transmogrifier, Blueprint, Career Creator, and how to replace the radio station MP3 files |
| 1 | HALF-LIFE/COUNTER-STRIKE | Brief introduction to the Valve Hammer Editor |
| 1 | THE GAME FACTORY PRO | Create a simple snowboarding game (similar to SkiFree) in The Game Factory Pro |
| 1 | HISTORY OF MODDING | Covers the history of game modding, such as “Adventure”, “Ms Pac-Man”, “Castle Smurfenstein”, “Team Fortress”, etc. |
| 1 | GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY | Introduction to modding GTA Vice City using tools such as CROA, ZModeler, CarEd 1.4, IMG Tool 1.3, and ViceTXD |
| 1 | RAILROAD TYCOON 3 | Create a simple map in Railroad Tycoon 3 with the built-in editor, including adding a volcano with the Paint Terrain tools |
| 1 | 3DS MAX AND UNREAL ED | Tutorial for getting a 3D Studio Max model into UT2003, including fixing textures with Photoshop, rigging with Character Studio 3, and exporting with ActorX |
| 1 | FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2004 | Using GMax to create custom aircraft and scenery for Flight Simulator 2004 |
| 1 | NVIDIA CHARACTER DESIGN | Article by Daniel Hornick, Hubert Nguyen, and Curtis Beeson from Nvidia |
| 1 | MILKSHAPE | Tutorial for creating a 3D man with a gun that can be imported into Unreal Tournament |
| 1 | QUAKE III | Detailed guide on how to create a level in Quake 3 using Q3Map2Toolz |
| 1 | Low Poly Modelling | Creating a low-poly model of a cartoon character in 3D Studio Max 5 |
| 7 | Heart of Battle | Interview with Mike Domenighin, part of the 9-man team behind Heart of Battle, a mod for Call of Duty |
| 7 | Ground Control II | Tutorial for creating a map with the official XEd level editor released by Massive Entertainment |
| 7 | Advanced Techniques in Battlecraft | Part 2 of the tutorial on the modding tool for Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam |
| 7 | The Sims 2 Body Shop | Try your hand at genetics and start creating life for The Sims 2, months before the game’s release |
| 7 | Call of Duty Mapping (Part 1) | |
| 7 | What the Blender Saw (Part 2) | Interactive fiction |
| 7 | Homeworld 2 The Basics (Part 1) | Homeworld 2 Random Map Editor |
| 7 | In Hindsight | Interview with the developer of A Tale in the Desert (eGenesis) |
Issue 7 started tutorials Call of Duty Mapping and Homeworld 2 The Basics, but there was never an issue 8, so it’s unclear if Part 2 of these tutorials was ever published.
It appeared that a GameMaker issue 8 was planned, as it was advertised at the end of issue 7, although issue 165 instead came with a Doom 3 supplement:
From issues 4 to 7, there was a one-page section at the back of the magazine where Mark Holtham explored the weird PC game mods available at the time. For anyone looking to discover unusual old game mods, the mods he covered are listed in the table below, along with URLs that will likely need to be accessed via the Wayback Machine:
| Issue | Mod Name | Game its a mod for | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Sweet Dreams | Unreal Tournament 2003 | A surreal, psychedelic third-person mod inspired by Rayman, featuring bizarre environments and an interactive start sequence set in the player’s bedroom. | gamestudies.oslo.org/~sdreams |
| 4 | Jupiter Effect | Unreal Tournament 2003 | A futuristic city combat mod reminiscent of Sega’s Virtua On and Macross, featuring light-hearted deathmatch gameplay and destructible environments. | www.planetunreal.com/jei |
| 4 | Air Buccaneer | Unreal Tournament 2003 | A pirate-themed aerial combat mod focusing on teamwork and airship battles, combining fantasy and steampunk aesthetics. | ludocraft.oulu.fi/airbuccaneers |
| 4 | BiTurbo | Battlefield 1942 | A high-speed vehicle mod adding jet-like acceleration, visual effects, and new skins for planes and jeeps, designed for chaotic, fun LAN play. | www.hsilan.de/biturbo |
| 5 | Earth Special Forces | Half-Life | A third-person anime combat mod based on Dragonball Z, featuring playable characters like Goku with powerful energy attacks and team-based gameplay. | www.esforces.com |
| 5 | Mr. Pants Excessive Overkill | Unreal Tournament 2003 | A high-intensity mutator adding extreme weapon power and chaos to Unreal Tournament 2003, emphasizing fast-paced, large-map carnage. | www.planetquake.com/excessive/q3.shtml |
| 5 | Colosseum | Jedi Knight 2: Outcast | A gladiatorial combat mod featuring hand-to-hand melee fighting with cinematic execution and Roman-inspired arenas. | www.jakekeating.com/thesis/ |
| 5 | Battlefield Pirates | Battlefield 1942 | A naval combat mod replacing armies with pirates, featuring ship-based battles, sea galleons, and humorous physics-driven pirate antics. | www.internempire.com/bfpirates |
| 6 | Resident Evil: The Awakening Part 1 | Half-Life | A survival-horror mod inspired by the console version of Resident Evil, featuring slow-paced gameplay, puzzles, and cooperative play via Sven Coop. | www.retheawakening.tk |
| 6 | Bumper Cars | Unreal Tournament 2003 | A humorous mod recreating fairground bumper car chaos where players slide and collide across multiple maps for light-hearted fun. | www.planethalflife.com/bumpercars/index.asp |
| 6 | Duffers Golf | Unreal Tournament 2004 | A golf simulation mod blending sports mechanics with Unreal combat physics, featuring a power bar, club selection, and bunkers. | duffers.beyondunreal.com |
| 6 | Fraghouse Invasion | Unreal Tournament 2004 | A large-scale Invasion mod focusing on cooperative play against waves of mutant enemies with vehicles and expansive custom maps. | fraghous.beyondunreal.com |
| 7 | Alien Swarm | Unreal Tournament 2004 | A top-down cooperative multiplayer mod inspired by Gauntlet, featuring class-based gameplay and team-based bug extermination missions. | www.blackcatgames.com/swarm |
| 7 | Hydro Racer | Battlefield 1942 | A water-based racing mod featuring boats with missiles, torpedoes, and machine guns for competitive and entertaining gameplay. | www.bf1942hq.com/hydroracers |
| 7 | Matrix Mod | Quake III | A slow-motion “Bullet Time” mod inspired by The Matrix, allowing cinematic firefights with realistic physics and time manipulation. | www.planetquake.com/matrixq3 |
| 7 | Code Red | Quake III / Freeware | A single-player and freeware total conversion featuring Mars Attacks-inspired levels, alien enemies, and large-scale combat environments. | www.planetquake.com/codered |