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Welcome to the Orbinaut Framework wiki!

About

This wiki is relevant only to the latest iteration of the framework (version 2).

Orbinaut Framework 2 is the ultimate solution for creating an accurate, classic-style Sonic game. While that is its primary focus, Orbinaut is flexible enough to be adapted for non-Sonic platformers as well.

The framework offers a range of custom systems, from animation to collision handling, which means some of the default GameMaker systems will not function within this framework (but some can work simultaneously with them).

Important: this wiki will NOT teach you how to use GameMaker. We assume you are already familiar with the basics of the engine. If you're not, we highly recommend spending a few days learning and solidifying the following topics:

• GML Features
• Basic Code Structure
• Variables and Variable Scope
• Expressions and Operators
• Arrays
• Event Order
• Tiles and Tile Set Editor
• Cameras and Viewports

Installation

Note: this process is not required for the playable build — it applies only to the GameMaker project itself.

Orbinaut Framework 2 is designed to work with the LTS'24 version of GameMaker and the preceding regular release, v2024.11.

It is strongly recommended that you re-export the project under a new name. Using the default project name can cause file conflicts with other projects that haven’t been renamed.

The framework relies on a custom distortion effect filter as a dependency. You can find the required effect and installation scripts for both Windows and macOS in the _dependencies folder located at the root of the project.

• For Windows:
  Simply run the executable file provided.
• For macOS:
  Drag the .sh file into Terminal and press Enter. If necessary, grant the file write permissions.

The distortion effect must be reinstalled after every GameMaker runtime update. Without this effect, the compiled game will not include distortion effects.

Please note that GameMaker may change the project structure in a future update. If this happens, the game may fail to compile and throw an error. To resolve this issue, open the effect project, save it, and then reinstall the effect.

Getting Started

The first thing you'd want to do is to take a look at the scr_fw_game_setup() script. It contains the core settings for the framework and the Sonic-related features.

It’s also where you can enable developer mode, which grants you access to the shortcuts and Room Select option.

Developer Mode Shortcuts:

• F1 — in-game profiler
• F2 — in-game console
• 1 — cycle through collision overlay modes: tile collision, hitbox collision, and solid collision
• 2 — toggle low FPS mode
• 9 — restart current room (room_restart())
• 0 — restart game (game_restart())
• ESC — go to dev menu (rm_devmenu)

Ctrl+Shift+F is your best friend. It's the global search within the project. If you come across a variable or function and want to find where it's used, just hit this key combination.

Asset search is your second best friend. When you know the name of the asset you’re looking for, simply type it into the search bar instead of manually expanding folders. It’ll save you a lot of time!

Orbinaut also has a complete Feather support, however, the Feather itself is still isn't really a stable system on its own and some fake errors and warning may appear, so we suppress them. If you have Feather enabled, open the FeatherConfig() script to apply the rules for the current session.

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