Markup is the company used by default for tracking Windows 8 Store games and apps, and it offers users an insight into a games performance and usage over time. Like the other analytics providers supported by GameMaker:Studio, signing up for an account is free, and very easy. All you need do is go to the MarkedUp page and fill in some details about yourself to create the account.
NOTE: You will be sent a verfication email with a link. Failure to verify will result in the account being closed.
Getting Started
The moment that you sign up to the provider, you will be presented with the following page:
Here you can define an app to track, giving it's name, a unique url for the MarkedUp page, a brief description of your game, and the primary platform. This last one can only be set to the C#/XAML as that is what GameMaker:Studio compiles to for native Windows 8.
Once you have completed filling out the required details, you should click the "Create App" button. This will then take you to a new screen that displays your unique app key, which you should copy and paste into the Global Game Settings Analytics Tab for Windows 8. Make sure to tick "Enable MarkedUp" otherwise you will get no data.
NOTE: When using analytics you must have the "Internet" option ticked in the General tab for the Windows 8 Global Game Settings.
Using MarkedUp Analytics
Unlike the other available analytics providers for GameMaker:Studio, MarkedUp is only available for the Windows 8 target platform, meaning that once the app key has been added into your game, it will start to generate data which can then be reviewed on the site.
For a general view of things you have the Overview tab which will show a graph plotting the (default) Monthly usage. This can be changed to show different time-scales by clicking on the date button underneath the title.
If you scroll down the page you will also see a graph plotting crashes or errors, and if you click on the legend beneath the graphs you can filter the results to concentrate on a specific data type.
For a more detailed view of individual statistics data, you should use the Users tab (for information about countries, daily use, and app installs), the Engagement tab (for custom events and page views), or the Commerce tab (for your in app purchases).
Custom Events
There are a functions available to you in GameMaker:Studio to generate Custom Events for your game, and these events will then be shown on the MarkedUp Dashboard under the Engagement tab. However, it is worth noting that unlike Google and Flurry, MarkedUp does not permit any parameter key/value pairs to be sent, so no matter which of the functions are used, you will only get the initial string that was used with the function, nothing else. This string can be used to send specific (and punctual) information to MarkedUp, like when the player finishes the game, or is rewarded with an achievement etc...
For information on how to set up and use the GameMaker:Studio functions, please see Coding Analytic Events.