GMDictionary

GameMaker Studio 2.3+ library for word lookup in word games

Overview

This library contains two utility classes for word lookups commonly found in word games:

• CheckWordDictionary: Dictionary class for checking the validity of given words.
• PickWordDictionary: Dictionary class for pulling random words out of a list.

These classes can then load word lists in batch from line-by-line text files, or one-by-one at runtime. To get you started, the library comes with two English language dictionaries.

Requirements

• GameMaker Studio 2.3.3 or above

Installation

• Go to the Releases Page to download the latest YYMPS package.
• In GameMaker Studio, select Tools > Import Local Package, and select the downloaded YYMPS package.
• Add everything under Libraries/GMDictionary.
• Depending on the way your project uses words, you may optionally add one of the dictionary lists under Included Files:
  • Unfiltered set of English words from dwyl/english-words:
    • dictionaries/full/full.txt: The complete list of words.
    • dictionaries/full_by_length/*.txt: The list of words of a specific length.
    • dictionaries/full_by_letter/*.txt: The list of words starting with a specific letter.
  • Filtered set of English words of lengths 3-12 from the legacy game Scramble SG by Gunther Serrano, plus 108 two-letter English words.
    • dictionaries/simple/full.txt: The complete list of words.
    • dictionaries/simple_by_length/*.txt: The list of words of a specific length.
    • dictionaries/simple_by_letter/*.txt: The list of words starting with a specific letter.
• Confirm the import by clicking Import. Note: If you intend to import into the current project, make sure that Import all resources to a new project is unchecked.

Basic Usage

Example for CheckWordDictionary

Load the entire simple set

global.dictionary = new CheckWordDictionary(working_directory + "dictionaries/simple/full.txt");

Check if the user's input is a valid English word

var word = get_string("Enter a word:", "");
if (global.dictionary.check(word)) {
	show_message("\"" + word + "\" is a valid English word.");
} else {
	show_message("\"" + word + "\" is not a valid English word.");
}

Example for PickWordDictionary

Load the 3-5 letter simple set

global.dictionary = new PickWordDictionary([
	working_directory + "dictionaries/simple_by_length/3.txt",
	working_directory + "dictionaries/simple_by_length/4.txt",
	working_directory + "dictionaries/simple_by_length/5.txt",
]);

Pick a random word

var wordOfTheDay = global.dictionary.pick();
show_message("Your word of the day is \"" + wordOfTheDay + "\"");

Pick 10 unique random words

var words = global.dictionary.pickN(10);
show_message("Your words are: " + string(words));