Solarball-Rookie Challenge

Intro

A. Open the Software1. Open up Game Maker 8 from your Program Files or Applications folder.2. When the title screen appears, click the button that says “Continue to Use the Light

Edition.”

B. Enable Advanced Mode1. Before you get started, make sure Game Maker is in Advanced Mode. This mode will

unlock special options for you to work with.2. Click on "File" in the Game Maker menu. 3. When the drop down menu appears you will see an item named Advanced Mode. 4. If there is a checkmark next to Advanced Mode then you are all set to go. Otherwise click

"Advanced Mode" from the drop down menu.

C. Save Your Game1. Click on "File" again and select "Save". 2. You can give your file any name you want, though we suggest you use Dropcycle

somewhere in the name to help you keep track of your file.3. Make sure to save often, just in case!

Sprites and Objects

A. Create A SPRITEA SPRITE is a simple graphical image, usually with a transparent background, that is the building block of creating the visual look of your game. Sprites can be made in a bunch of different applications. We love Pixen, which can be downloaded at http://opensword.org/Pixen/.

1. To create a sprite in Game Maker, click the red "Create a sprite" button in the toolbar.2. When the Sprite Properties window appears, change the name of the sprite from sprite0

to panel. You can do this by double-clicking the text field where sprite0 appears and typing panel.

B. Load a Sprite1. Click the "Load Sprite" button.2. From the resource files you downloaded earlier, go the the sprites folder, select the image

"panel.png" and then click "Open".3. The sprite you selected should appear in the Sprite Properties window.4. Click "Ok" to save the settings to the sprite.5. The sprite you selected should appear in the Sprites folder in the Game Maker window.

C. Create an Object1. In the main Game Maker window, click the blue "Create an object" button in the toolbar.

2. When the object properties window appears, change the name of the object from object0 to panel. As you did with the sprite you created a second ago, you can do this by double-clicking the text field where it says object0 and typing in panel. Make sure you make check the "Solid" checkbox in the Object Properties window.

> > Why Did We Do That?Sprite is the word game designers use for a picture. Since sprites cannot be told what to do, you need to create something for the picture to sit inside. This is called an object. When you give objects instructions they'll follow those instructions over and over again. That's why you make a panel sprite then make a panel object to represent it.

It’s possible to create objects that don’t have sprites at all, or even objects that are completely invisible to the player.

Events and Actions

A. Add an EventNow let's make something to happen whenever left arrow key is pressed.

1. Click the "Add Event" button in the Object Properties window.2. When the Event Selector window appears, click "Keyboard" and select "Left" from the

drop-down menu. The event you selected will appear in the Events column of the Object Properties window.

> > Why Did We Do That? An object won't follow instruction unless it's told to. Objects wait for events to happen -

these can be a mouse click, a button press, or even the creation of an object. Once an event happens, the object begins following instructions.

B. Add an ActionNow that the panel has an event to respond to, you need to tell it what to do when that event occurs. Here, you're going to make the panel move left whenever the left arrow key is pressed.

1. From the Move Tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, click and drag the "Jump to Position" action into the Actions column.

2. When the Jump to Position settings window appears, change the x value from 0 to -10 and click the "Relative" checkbox.

3. Click "Ok" to save your settings to the Jump to Position action.

> > WHY DID WE DO THAT? When you press the right and left arrow key on the keyboard, you want the paddle to

move left or right. In order to make the paddle to move left, you enter Jump to Position x values as numbers that are to the left of 0 - negative numbers such as -5, -10, or -15. In order to make the paddle move right, you enter positive numbers such as 5, 10, or 15.

You check Relative because you want the paddle to move based on its previous location.

C. Add a second actionNow let's make the panel move right when the right arrow key is pressed.

1. Click the "Add Event" button in the Object Properties window.2. When the Event Selector window appears, click “Keyboard” and select "Right” from the

drop-down menu. The event you selected will appear in the events column of the Object Properties window.

3. From the Move tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, drag the "Jump to Position" action into the Actions column. When the Jump to Position settings window appears, change the x value from 0 to 10 and click the "Relative" checkbox.

4. Click "Ok" to save your settings to the Jump to Position action.5. Click "Ok" in the Objects Properties window to save the object. You will see the object

in the Objects folder.

Animate Ball

A. Create EventThe next object you want to create is the solarball, which we will make bounce around the game space. We will also make it move faster each time it hits the paddle making the game more challenging.

1. Create a sprite and object for the ball using the image file "ball.png" from the resources sprites folder (like you did for the panel). Make sure you check the "Solid" checkbox in the Object Properties window.

2. Click the "Add Event" button in the Object Properties window. When the Event Selector window appears, click "Create." The event you selected will appear in the Events column of the Object Properties window.

B. Move Fixed Action1. From the Move tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, click and drag the

"Move Fixed" action button into the Actions column.2. When the Move Fixed settings window appears, click the bottom left and bottom right

arrow keys so they turn from red to blue. Then change the speed from 0 to 8. Click "Ok" to save your settings to the Move Fixed action.

> > WHY DID WE DO THAT? When the solarball first appears in the game, you want it to move down towards the panel

at an angle. By selecting both arrows in the Move Fixed action, you give Game Maker the option of choosing to move the ball in one direction or the other.

C. Add CollisionBefore you finish creating the ball, you need to make sure the ball bounces when it hits the paddle. You can do this by using a Collision event.

1. Click the "Add Event" button in the Object Properties window.2. When the Event selector window appears, click "Collision" and select "panel" from the

drop-down menu. The event you selected will appear in the Events column of the Object Properties window.

D. Add Collision

1. From the Move tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, click and drag the "Move Free" action button into the Actions column.

2. When the Move Free settings window appears, change the direction value from 0 to random(100)+50.

3. Also change speed from 0 to speed+0.25.4. Finally, make sure the "Relative" checkbox is checked in the Object Properties window.5. Click "Ok" to save your settings to the Move Free action6. Click "Ok" in the Object Properties window to save the ball object. You will see the

object in the Objects folder.

> > WHY DID WE DO THAT? You want the solarball to appear to bounce randomly because randomness makes things

happen in an unpredictable way and keeps players guessing. Setting the direction value to random(100)+50 means that Game Maker will select a number between 0 and 100 and then add 50 to it. You add 50 because you don't want to get a number below 50.

You change the speed to +0.25 because we want the ball to get faster after every collision. By adding a plus sign before the number Game Maker will add 0.25 every time the collision happens.

Create Rooms

A. Create a RoomNow that you have created your sprites and objects you need to create a game space or room for those objects to live in. The game space defines the setting for the game as well as the space where the game takes place. You also need to create a game space to test your objects and see how they behave.

1. Click the create a room button.2. When the room properties window appears, click the settings tab.3. Change the height value from 480 to 720.

B. Add Panel to Room1. Click the objects tab.2. Left-click in the room to place the panel object in the room. Right-clicking the object will

remove it from the room. If you want to remove the grid, click the toggle grid button.3. Next, click the objects tab and select the ball object.4. Left-click in the room to place the panel object in the room. For now, only add one panel

and one ball to your room.

C. Add Color to the RoomIn order to set the scene of the game you want to use a background color to make it look like there is sky.

1. Click the backgrounds tab and then click the color selector. When the colors window appears select a blue color of your choice.

2. When you are done click ok to save the color selection.3. Finally, click the green checkmark button to save the changes to your room. You will see

a room named room0 in the rooms folder.

D. Save and Test

Time to check out what you've done!

1. First, save your progress.2. Then click the run the game in debug mode button.3. Once the game is running, you will see two windows: one window has a set of controls

and the other window has the room you created and with the panel and solarball: o If you have set up your objects correctly, you'll see the solarball falling. When the

solarball touches the panel it should bounce off of it.o If the solar panel or solarball are behaving strangely, check the help file named

helpFile02.gmk from the resource files you downloaded earlier.o Compare your work with this file to see if you can find the problem and correct it.

4. When you are done testing close the two windows by clicking the end the game button or by pressing the escape key (esc) on the keyboard.

Add Walls

A. Invisible ObjectsYou probably noticed that there wasn't anything to keep the ball from moving outside of the game space. By using an invisible object you can create a border to keep the ball from escaping.

1. We create an invisible object the same way we do any other object - by loading a sprite and attaching it to the desired object. In this case, use the sprite file named "wall."

2. Once you've attached the sprite to a new object, make sure you check the solid checkbox and uncheck the visible checkbox in the object properties window.

>> WHY DID I DO THAT?

Many games use invisible objects that help create illusions that add to the experience of the game.

In this case, you want to use the wall object to create a border for the game space, but you do not want to see it.

To make an object invisible you simply make sure that the visible checkbox is unchecked.

B. Add Ball CollisionRemember how you set-up the collision between the panel and the ball? This will be almost the same, except this time the collision will occur between the ball and the wall.

1. Double click the ball object, then click "Add Event" in the Object Properties window.2. Click "Collision" and select the "Wall" from the drop-down menu. The event you

selected will appear in events column of the object properties window.3. From the Move tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, drag the "Bounce"

action into the Actions column.4. When the Bounce Settings window appears, change the precise value from "not precisely"

to precisely by using the context menu.5. Click "OK" to save your settings to the bounce action, then click "OK" in the Objects

Properties window to save the object.

C. Add Panel CollisionBesides keeping the ball in the game space, you want to make sure that the panel stays in the game space as well.

1. Double click the the panel object in the main GameMaker window.2. When the object properties window appears click the add event button.3. When the event selector window appears select collision and the wall object from the

drop down menu.4. You will see the event you selected appear in the events column. 5. When the move fixed settings window appears, click on the center square button so that it

changes color from blue to red. The center button means "in no direction".6. Click the ok button to save the move fixed action and ok in the objects properties window

to save the object.

D. Add Walls to Room 1. Double-click room0 in the rooms folder.2. When the room properties window appears, use the wall object to create a wall on the left

and right side of the room as well as the top. Instead of using the left-click to place one wall at a time, hold down the shift key on the keyboard while left-clicking to draw with the wall object.

3. Once you have created the three walls, click the green checkmark button to save the changes to your room, then test your game.

4. Once the game is running, you should see the solarball falling: o If you set up all of your objects correctly you will be able to use the panel to keep

the solarball bouncing around in the game space. In addition, the walls you created will keep the solarball in the room.

o If the solarball is not bouncing off the walls, check the help file named helpFile03.gmk in the files you downloaded earlier.

o Compare your work with this file to see if you can find the problem and correct it.5. When you are done testing close the two windows by clicking the end the game button or

by pressing the escape key (esc) on the keyboard.

Create Clouds

A. Create Cloud SpriteYou could make this game so that you are simply bouncing the ball against the paddle. But you can make it more challenging by adding the cloud bricks. The cloud bricks also make the game more visually interesting and help set the scene.

1. Use "cloud" image file provided in the resource files to create a sprite and object named cloud. Make sure you check "Solid" in the Object Properties window.

B. Add CollisionRemember how set-up the collision between the solarball and the invisible wall? This will be almost the same, except this time the collision will occur between the ball and the cloud:

1. Double click on your ball object to open it's Object Properties window, then click "Add Event."

2. Click "Collision and select cloud from the drop-down menu.3. The event you selected will appear in the Events column of the Object Properties

window.

C. Bounce Action1. From the Move tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, drag the "Bounce"

action into the Actions column.2. When the Bounce Settings window appears, change the precise value from "not precisely"

to precisely by using the Context Menu.3. Click "OK" to save your settings to the object, then click "OK" again in the Objects

Properties window to save the object.

D. Add Clouds to Room1. Finally, double-click "room0" in the Rooms folder.

2. When the Room Properties window appears, place a few of the cloud bricks in the room. As you have done before, use the left mouse button to place the object in the room and the right mouse button to remove it.

3. Click the green checkmark button so save the chances to your room.

Time to test your progress!

1. Click the "Run" button.2. Once the game is running, you should see the solarball falling:

o If you set up all of your objects correctly, the solarball will bounce off of the cloud bricks.If the solarball is not bouncing off the cloud bricks, check the help file named helpFile04.gmk from the resource files you downloaded earlier.

3. Compare your work with this file to see if you can find the problem and correct it.

Add Sound

A. Create a Sound1. SOUNDS help players take notice of things happening in the game and make the game

more exciting.2. To add a sound to the game, click the "Create a Sound" button.3. When the Sound Properties window appears, change the name of the sound from sound0

to bounce. You can do this by double-clicking the text field where sound0 appears and typing in bounce.

B. Load a Sound1. Click the "Load Sound" button.2. From the resource files you downloaded earlier, select the sound file named "bounce."3. To test the sound, click the "Play the Sound" button. To stop the sound, click the "Stop

the Sound" button. 4. If you'd like you can also adjust the volume by sliding the volume arrow left or right.5. Click "OK" to save the sound. You will see the sound appear in the Sounds folder.

C. Trigger SoundNow that you have a sound you want to set up an event that will trigger the sound:

1. Double-click the ball object in the objects folder. 2. When the Object Properties window appears, select the "Collision Event" with the paddle

you created earlier in the challenge.3. In the Actions column you will see the Move Free action you created earlier.

D. Play Sound1. From the main1 tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, drag the "Play

Sound" action to the Actions column.2. When the Play Sound Settings window appears, click the "Context Menu" and select the

"Bounce" sound from the drop-down menu.3. Click ok to save the settings to the play sound action and click ok in the objects

properties window to save the object.4. Now, test your game. Once the game is running, you should see the solarball falling.

o If you set up the sound correctly you will hear a bouncing sound when the solarball hits the panel. If you don't hear a sound, check the help file named helpFile05.gmk from the resource files you downloaded earlier.

5. Compare your work with this file to see if you can find the problem and correct it.

User Feedback

A. Add Game Over Trigger SpriteWhen you are playing a game it is helpful to know when you have reached your goal, finished a level or completed the game. This game uses an invisible wall that triggers a game over message when it is hit:

1. To create the wall click the "Create a Sprite" button. When the Sprite Properties window appears, change the name of the sprite from sprite4 to redwall.

2. Next click the "Load Sprite" button. From the resource files you downloaded, select the sprite named "redwall." You will see the sprite you selected appear in the Sprite Properties window.

3. Click "OK" to save the settings to the sprite. You should see the sprite appear in the sprites folder.

B. Add Game Over Trigger Object1. Click the "Create an Object" button. When the Object Properties window appears,

change the name of the object from object4 to redwall.2. Click the "Context Menu" button and select the "redwall sprite" from the drop-down

menu. Then check the solid checkbox and uncheck the visible checkbox.3. Click "OK" to save the settings to the object. You should see the object appear in the

Objects folder.

C. Add Game Over Trigger Collision

Now that you have your redwall object you want to set up a collision event between the redwall and the solarball:

1. Double-click the "ball" object. 2. When the Object Properties window appears, click the "Add Event" button.3. From the Event Selector window, click the "Collision" event with the redwall. You

should see the event you selected appear in the Events column.4. From the main2 tab on the right side of the Object Properties window, drag the "Display

Message" action into the Actions column.5. When the Display Message Settings window appears, type Game Over into the message

text field.6. Click "OK" to save the settings to the display message action.

D. Add Game Restart Action1. From the same Main2 tab, drag the "Restart Game" action into the Actions column.2. Click "OK" to save the changes to the object.3. Finally, add the redwall object to the game space to complete the game:

o Double click "room0." o When the Room Properties window appears, create a wall with the redwall object

at the very bottom of the game space below the solar panel.o You can do this by holding the shift key and left clicking in the room to draw with

the redwall object.o Once you are done, click the green checkmark button to save the room.

4. Click the "Run the Game" button to see what you have created.5. If you have any problems you can refer to the help file named helpFile06.gmk from the

files you downloaded earlier. 6. Compare your work with this file to see if you can find the problem and correct it.

> > WHY DID I DO THAT? If the solarball gets past the solar panel you want tell the player that the game is over and

give them the chance to play again. One way of doing this is by adding an invisible object, like the redwall object, below the

solar panel that can tell the player if the ball is no longer in play. If the solarball collides with the wall it triggers a message and then restarts the game for

the player.

Finish

A. Save itNow that you have completed making the game save your progress by clicking the "Save the Game" button and enter a name for it in the filename field.

B. REFINE YOUR GAME (AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN...)Your challenge is to make your own solarball level from the concepts and skills you learned about in this lesson. If you are having trouble getting started, experiment with the file by going back and changing the speed of the solarball or the panel. You can also change how fast the ball increases its speed when it collides with the paddle or add more sounds to the game. When you finished making your level, make sure to test the game out with your friends. Testing games in an important part of game design and all game designers do it because it helps them realize what players like about their game and what needs to be fixed.

C. Publish ItOnce you feel that you game is complete, upload the .gmk file to the Activate! website by logging into your account and uploading the file from the game submission page.

D. CREATE A STAND-ALONE VERSION

If you want to create a stand alone game for yourself, click the create a stand-alone button in Game Maker.