Practice 1: Clickball - INTRODUCTION TO GAME MAKER

- build a basic game in 50 simple steps

A) Make a wall sprite and a ball sprite

1. Resource> Create Sprite > Load Sprite Button > Maze Folder > wall.gif > Open

2. Name the sprite sprWall

3. Uncheck the Transparent checkbox for the wall sprite, since there is no background

4. Resource> Create Sprite > Load Sprite Button > Maze Folder > ball_blue.gif > Open

5. Name the sprite sprBlueBall. Keep the Transparent checkbox checked for the blue ball sprite to keep the background transparent

B) Add a sound

6.Resource> Create Sound > Load Sound Button > Sound Folder > beep1.wav > Open

7. Test the sound by pressing the green play button

8. Name the soundbeep1

C) Create wall and ball objects

9. Resource> Create Object

10. In the Objects Properties box pick the sprWall sprite from the pull down menu, as shown in the screenshot

11. Name the object objWall

12. Check thesolidcheck box

13. Click OK to close

14. Resource> Create Object

15. In the Objects Properties box pick the sprBlueBallsprite from the pull down menu

16. Name the object objBlueBall

17. Check thesolidcheck box

Keep the Object Properties window of the ball object open

D) Program Events

In the middle of the ball Object Properties window you'll see the Add Event button

18. Click the Add Event button

19. Click Create from the Event Selector pop up menu

On the right hand side you'll see all the possible actions in a number of groups (tabs)

20. From the move tab choose the Action with the 8 red arrows and drag it to the list in the middle

21. Now click all of the 8 arrows to randomize the initial motion

22. Change the speed to 2

23. Click OK to close

Keep the Object Properties window open

To program the collision of the ball with the wall:-

24. Click Add Event and this time choose Collision from the Event Selector

25. From the drop down menu of the Collision Event select objWall

26. From the actions on the right select the bounce against objects icon and drag it to the list in the middle

A window will pop up, called bounce against objects

27. Don’t change anything, just click OK

To program user interaction:

The user will attempt to click on the moving balls with the left mouse button

28. Add Event > Event Selector > Mouse > Left button

29. From the actions on the right hand side click on the main1 tab

30. Drag “play a sound” to the middle

31. Select the beep1 sound from the pull down menu

Find Set the Score on the Score tab on the right hand side

32. Drag Set the Score to the action list in the middle

33. For the score action, type in the value of1 and check the Relative box. This means that 1 is added to the current score for each successful mouse click

Stay on the left button Event

34. Click on the move tab on the right hand side

35. Find the jump to a random position button on the right and drag it to the list in the middle. Click OK.

E) Define a room

36. Resource> Create Room

37. Click on the Settings tab of Room Properties

38. Make Width: 240 and Height: 240

39. Set both SnapX and SnapY to 24, because the wall sprite has both a width and height of 24

40. In the Caption box type in Level one

41. Click on the Objects tab of Room Properties

42. Select the wall object from the pull down menu

43. By left clicking in the room place a wall object in there

44. Keep clicking to build the whole wall around the room. To build the wall quickly try shift + hold down left mouse button + drag mouse.

45. Use the right mouse button to remove bits of the wall you don't want

46. Finally place 2 ball objects in the room

F) Play the game

47. Press the Run Game green arrow

48. Click on the moving balls with the left mouse button and see what happens

49. Stop the game by pressing the <Esc> key

50. Save your game if you haven’t already, call it something like clickball1.gmk and show it to the teacher for marking

CONGRATULATION, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR FIRST GAME!

RESOURCES:

Game Maker official site http://gamemaker.nl

National forumhttp://lyris.education.tas.gov.au:8080/read/?forum=gamemaker

Kerr web site http://intranet.woodvillehs.sa.edu.au/kerrbi/g/int.htm

Forster clubhttp://edrington.haileybury.vic.edu.au/computerclub/computerclub/index.html

EdNA groupshttp://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=81

Game Maker Forum http://forums.gamemaker.nl/