GameMaker-first game by Matthew Gowen

Norton Knatchbull School

Game Maker Creating your first game Miss C Thompson

Contents Getting Started........................................................................................................................................ 3 The Game Maker Interface ................................................................................................................. 3 Running Game Maker ......................................................................................................................... 4 Creating Your First Game ........................................................................................................................ 5 Evil Clutches Design Document........................................................................................................... 5 Terminology: Sprites ........................................................................................................................... 5 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Creating Sprites ............................................................................................ 5 Terminology: Objects .......................................................................................................................... 7 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Creating Objects ........................................................................................... 7 Terminology: Events and Actions........................................................................................................ 9 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Boss Object .......................................................................... 9 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Dragon Object.................................................................... 11 Terminology: Rooms ......................................................................................................................... 12 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Creating A New Room ................................................................................ 12 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Running The Game ..................................................................................... 14 Terminology: Instances ..................................................................................................................... 15 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Fireball Object.................................................................... 15 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Demon Object.................................................................... 17 Terminology: Steps ........................................................................................................................... 19 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Summoning The Demons ........................................................................... 19 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Baby Dragon Object ........................................................... 20 Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Background and Sounds ............................................................................. 22 Game Complete! ............................................................................................................................... 23

The tutorial in this guide is based upon Chapter 2 of ‘The Game Maker’s Apprentice’ by Jacob Habgood and Mark Overmars.

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Getting Started Game Maker is a program created by Marc Overmars, a Dutch professor of computer science. It allows people to create games using a drop and drag interface. It also includes its own programming language (GML) that can be utilised by more experienced users.

It is a piece of freeware and can be downloaded from www.yoyogames.com

The Game Maker Interface Many of the parts of the interface will be familiar to the average user - for example, common buttons such as save, open and new file. The basic layout is shown below:

These icons can be used instead of the add menu These folders will eventually show all the resources you will create

Figure 1: The Game Maker interface

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Running Game Maker In order to run Game Maker we will have to start Virtual PC. This can be found under Start Menu > All Programs > ICT VPC. When it is running it is just like having one computer running inside another.

Figure 2: Virtual PC

There are several important things to note: 1. Game Maker is also on the main school network in most rooms (under Start > All Programs > DT). However due to the set up of our network you cannot run the actual games although you can still create them. Games can only be run in Virtual PC.

2. Any files you create in Virtual PC will be deleted when you close it down therefore you will need to drag and drop them from the VPC environment back to your normal My Documents area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if in doubt, ask your teacher. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t risk losing your work!

3. Virtual PC can be run in full screen by pressing Right Alt + Enter. This will also revert it back to the windowed mode. 4 Once in Virtual PC, the link to Game Maker is clear on the desktop.

Norton Knatchbull School | Miss C Thompson

Note: We are using Game Maker 5 due to limitations in what Virtual PC is capable of running. If you download it for use at home you will find they have the latest version instead (currently 7.0). This includes a slightly changed interface and a few new features but all the basics remain the same.

Creating Your First Game Evil Clutches Design Document We will be creating a game called Evil Clutches.

Whenever we create a game it is a very good idea to have something that tells us what is supposed to happen in the game to remind us of what it is we’re trying to create. This is called the design document.

The design document for this game reads...

You play a mother dragon who must rescue her hatchlings from an unpleasant band of demons who have kidnapped them. The band’s boss sends a stream of demons to destroy the dragon as the hatchlings make their escape. The mother can fend off the boss’s minions by shooting fireballs, but must be careful to avoid accidentally shooting the hatchlings!

The arrow keys will move the dragon up and down and the spacebar will shoot fireballs. The player will gain points for shooting demons and rescuing young dragons, but will lose points for any hatchlings that accidentally get shot. The game is over if the dragon is hit by a demon and a high score will be displayed.

Terminology: Sprites The first thing we have to do when creating a game is set up the graphics that we are going to use. All pictures in Game Maker are called sprites. They are one of the types of resource used in games They can be any type of picture – one created yourself or downloaded from the internet (there are a number of websites that offer simple, free sprites suitable for game making).

Game Maker includes a sprite editor so you can create your own if you wish. 5

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Creating Sprites Firstly we will create the sprite for the dragon Norton Knatchbull School | Miss C Thompson

1. Choose Add Sprite from the Add menu

Figure 3: Add Sprite menu

2. This will open the Sprite Properties form

NOTE: Sprites should always have the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spriteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in their name. This helps you and Game Maker tell the difference between them and objects. Never use spaces, use underscores instead.

Figure 4: Sprite Properties form

3. In the Name box, name it sprite_dragon 4. Click Load Sprite. Browse to the Evil Clutches resource folder (can be found in My Documents) and choose Dragon.gif 5. The Sprite Properties box should now look as follows:

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Figure 5: The Sprite Properties form for the Dragon.gif

Notice the little arrow next to show – this tells us this is actually an animated gif made up of a number of different images. Also note that transparent is checked – we want to keep this checked as we want the blue background to be see-through.

We have now set up our first sprite.

1. Click OK to save that sprite 2. Using the same method, set up sprites for the Boss, Fireball, Baby Dragons and Demons 3. All of your sprites should now be listed in the sprites folder on the left hand side of the screen

Terminology: Objects Sprites of course do nothing on their own and must be given instructions on how to react and behave in given circumstances. Objects are parts of the game that control how sprites move and react to each other.

First we will create a new object for the boss and assign the appropriate sprite to it.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Creating Objects 7

1. Choose Add Object from the Add menu

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Figure 6: Add Object menu

2. The Object Properties box will open

Figure 7: Object properties form

Note: We give objects the name object_ to help Game Maker tell the difference between them and sprites. Having two different things just called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; would be confusing for both us and the program

3. In the Name box, name it object_boss 4. Click the icon at the end of the Sprite box to show all the available sprites. Choose sprite_boss 5. Click OK

We now have the basics of an object resource although it has not yet been told how to react and behave.

1. Create object resources for Dragon, Fireball, Baby and Demon, using the correct sprite for 8

each.

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Terminology: Events and Actions These specify how an object should behave. Events are important things that happen in the game such as objects colliding or the players striking a key on the keyboard. Actions are how objects react to different events such as changing direction, setting the score or playing a sound. For each object we must define the events it reacts to and which actions to take in which circumstances.

In other words this is us setting up how the game actually works.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Boss Object Before we set up the Boss object we must decide what it is actually going to do. At this point we would look back at our design document and use it to help us make a list of events and actions for the Boss. We would end up with: 

When it first appears it must start moving up the screen



When it hits the top edge of the screen it must move back down again



When it hits the bottom edge of the screen it must move back up again

Now we can work on programming this in to Game Maker.

1. Reopen the Object Properties form for the Boss object 2. Click the Add Event button and the Event Selector appears

Figure 8: Event Selector Form

3. Click Create to add it to the list of Events. The creation event gives the object instructions for 9

what it must do when it first appears on the screen 4. Our first action to program is to tell the Boss to immediately start moving up the screen when it appears. We do this by using the Move Fixed action. Click and drag it into the actions list for the Create event you have just made. Norton Knatchbull School | Miss C Thompson

5. This will cause the properties box for this action to appear, allowing you to set the specifics. We have to tell it both the direction we want it to travel in and the speed. Select the Up arrow and set the speed value to 8. Your box should now look like this:

Figure 9: The filled in Move Fixed properties box

6. Click OK to confirm your choices.

We now have a Boss object that will move up the screen as soon as it appears. Now we have to tell it what to do when it hits the screen edge.

1. Again, select Add Event, but this time choose Other and then Intersect Boundary. This is the event for when the object crosses any edge of the screen.

Figure 10: Choosing the Intersect Boundary event

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2. Drag and drop the Reverse Vertical action into the actions list. This will cause its properties box to appear.

Figure 11: Reverse Vertical Direction Properties Form

3. The settings we already have here are fine so click OK 4. We have now set up the only two actions required for the Boss (for now!) and so we can click OK to close the Object Properties form

Tutorial: Evil Clutches â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Setting Up The Dragon Object The dragon will actually move in a similar way to the Boss (up and down the screen) except this time movement is controlled by the player rather than being automatic.

Simply put we want the dragon to travel up the screen when we press the Up key and down the screen when we press Down. We want it to stop when no keys are being pressed and we want it to travel faster than the Boss to give the player a better chance of success.

1. Open the previously created object_dragon 2. Select Add Event, choose Keyboard (NOT Key Press or Key Release). From the popup menu 11

that appears, select <Up>

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Figure 12: The Keyboard Event menu

3. Drag and drop the Move Fixed action into the Actions list 4. Set the direction to Up and the speed to 16 5. The same process should be repeated for setting the down action, although this time obviously choosing <Down>, setting the Move Fixed action to Down and the speed again to 16 6. Finally we must tell the dragon to stop when no key is pressed. To do this, select <No key> from the Keyboard Event menu and set the Move Fixed action to Stop (the square button in the middle) and leave the speed at 0.

Terminology: Rooms Objects only work when placed inside a level. Levels in Game Maker are called rooms. Putting objects into a room defines where they will appear at the start of a game.

Not all game objects need to be placed in a room as some of them will be created during the game e.g. in our case, the fireballs.

The Boss and Dragon do however need to be in the game from the start and so we will now create a room and add them. 12

Tutorial: Evil Clutches â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Creating A New Room 1. Choose Add Room from the Add menu

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2. The Room Properties form will appear:

Figure 13: The Room Properties form

3. Like sprites and objects it is good to name rooms with sensible names. Click the Settings tab and in the Name field, name it room_one 4. You can also set the Caption for the Room (this appears in the title bar at the top of the window when the game is run). Set the caption to Evil Clutches

Now we have the basics of the room set up we need to add the Dragon and the Boss to the room in order for them to do anything.

1. Select the Objects tab in the Room Properties window. 2. Notice around half way down the left hand side it says Object to add with the left mouse and the box shows that the Dragon object is currently selected. This means that left clicking on the room will add a 13

Dragon to it. 3. Add a Dragon to the left hand side of the room, making sure it is not crossing any of the boundaries Norton Knatchbull School | Miss C Thompson

NOTE: Where you click denotes the top left hand corner of the Dragon (since this is the pictureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s origin). If you accidentally put an object in the wrong place, right click on it to delete it again.

4. Change the Object to add with the left mouse box to the Boss object and add one of these on the right hand side, again making sure it doesn’t cross the boundaries of the room. 5. Your room should now look something like this:

Figure 14: The completed first room

Now that we have a room and some object in it we can actually run our first version of the game.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Running The Game First Save the file – it is good practice to save often. Ensure that the file name you give is sensible. The game is called Evil Clutches so...

To run the game choose Run normally from the Run menu (NOT Run in Debug mode).

Use this to test what you have so far: 14

Does the Boss move up and down on its own?

Does the Boss reverse direction when it hits the bottom or top of the screen?

Does the Dragon move up the screen when you hold the up key?

Does is it continue to move until you let go of the key?

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Do the same two things happen when you hold the down key?

Does the dragon stay where it is when you aren’t pressing any keys?

Does the dragon appear to move more quickly than the Boss?

The ‘game’ is workable but not much fun to play. We will now add goals and objectives for people to achieve simply by adding more events and actions to our objects.

Terminology: Instances Once an object has been made and set up we can put as many versions of it as we like into the game and they will all behave in the same way. These are called instances. A good analogy is jelly and jelly moulds. The object would be the mould. Once you create it you can make as many jellies (instances) from it as you wish, all identical to the original.

In our game we only have one instance of the Dragon and one of the Boss, but there are going to be many instances of the Fireball, Demon and Baby. Due to the way Game Maker works however we only have to set up one of each and all will behave identically to the original.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Fireball Object As with the previous objects we first need to decide very clearly how the Fireball must behave – after all we can’t set something up if we don’t know what it’s supposed to be doing!

The fireball is going to appear on the left hand side of the screen (created by the dragon) and travel across to the right. When it goes off the screen it will need to be destroyed – we do this because if we don’t Game Maker will keep drawing the Fireball even though we can’t see it which is just a waste of system resources and will eventually slow your game down.

We don’t actually need to tell the Fireball how it is created (the Dragon will create it and we’ll set this up in a moment) but instead what to do once it is on the screen. In other words, the Fireball doesn’t care how it gets there it just needs to know what to do.

1. Open the Object Properties form for the object_fireball 15

2. From Add Event, choose Create 3. Drag and drop the Move Fixed action into the Actions list and set it to travel right at a speed of 32 Norton Knatchbull School | Miss C Thompson

4. Select Add Event again and this time choose Other and then Outside Room 5. Select the main1 tab from the right hand side of the Object Properties form. From here drag and drop the Destroy Instance action into the Actions list. 6. Default settings are fine so select OK from the properties box. 7. Click OK to close the Object Properties form

We now must edit the Dragon object in order to tell it when to create fireballs. Here we have to be careful about which of three available keyboard events we choose from. The options are:

Keyboard – The actions continue for as long as the key is held down i.e. the fireballs will fire in a continuous stream as long as the key is held down.

Key Press – When you press the key, the actions take place once. To make them happen again you have to release the key and re-press it i.e. when you press the key you get a fireball and to make another you have to release the key and press it again.

Key Release – Holding the key down will make nothing happen. The actions will only occur when the key is released again i.e. when you lift your finger off of the key one fireball will appear.

We must think carefully about which is most suitable for the situation. For example, when setting the movement for the Dragon we just used Keyboard because we wanted the Dragon to keep moving in that direction unless we said otherwise. To have to keep constantly repressing the key for every tiny movement wouldn’t work. However in this case to have someone able to hold down a key and get a constant stream of fireballs would make the game far too easy. It makes more sense to have them have to press a key for each one. It also gives them more control over when they fire. We are then left with the choice to use Key Press or Key Release. Key Press makes much more sense – it will match people’s expectations of what they are supposed to do and hence make the game easier to pick up. After all we don’t want people to give up on our game just because it’s annoying to control!

1. Open the Object Properties form for the Dragon 16

2. Choose Add Event then Key Press and <Space> 3. From the main1 tab drag and drop the Create Instance action into the list 4. Set the dialogue box up as follows:

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Figure 15: The Create Instance form

5. Click OK to close the form and then again to close the object_dragon properties.

In the previous section x and y are co-ordinates in pixels. Since we have selected Relative these are not general co-ordinates but relative to the position of the dragon. This is measured from the top left corner. X at 100 moves us to a place just in front of the dragon’s eye, y at 10 moves us down to her snout – this seems like a sensible place for the fireballs to appear from.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Demon Object The demons’ movement is very similar to the fireball with a few exceptions. They will be created by the Boss and so travel from right to left. They will also be able to move diagonally as well as horizontally. If those moving diagonally hit the top or bottom of the screen they need to change direction. When they pass the left end of the screen they must be destroyed.

1. Open the object_demon properties 2. Add a Create event and the Move Fixed action 3. Select all three of the left pointing arrows and set the speed to 12 (note: with three possible directions selected, Game Maker will just randomly select one of them) 4. Add an Intersect Boundary event (found under Other) with a Reverse Vertical action in it 17

5. Add an Outside Room event (also in Other) and include Destroy Instance action

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Now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the Demon moving we must decide what else can and will happen to it. Firstly, fireballs may collide with the demons. When they hit, the demon must be destroyed and the player is rewarded by an increase in score. For this we are going to use a new type of event called Collision â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when we choose a Collision event we have to define which other object we will be colliding with before we set the actions.

1. Add a Collision event, selecting the object_fireball from the menu that appears 2. First action to include is Destroy Instance from the main1 tab 3. Second action to include is Set Score under the score tab. 4. In the dialogue box set the value to 100 and ensure that relative is ticked so that 100 is added to the current score

Lastly, if a demon hits the dragon then the game should end. A high score table should be displayed and the player should be able to enter their name if their score qualifies. The game should then restart.

1. Add a Collision event with the dragon object 2. From the score tab include a Show Highscore action (default settings are fine) 3. Include Restart Game action from main2 tab

The final Object Properties form should appear as follows:

Figure 16: Object Properties form for object_demon

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Terminology: Steps Steps are Game Maker’s way of measuring time and your way of controlling how quickly things happen. A step is just a short period of time. But default there are 30 steps in a second.

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Summoning The Demons Like the Fireball object, the Demon doesn’t decide when it appears it just knows what to do when it is on the screen. The Boss will control when the Demon appears but unlike with the Dragon and Fireballs this won’t be in response to a player’s action. We also don’t want Demon’s to appear on a regular basis otherwise it would make the game too easy

At each step of the game (remember a step is just a short period of time and in GM the default is 30 steps per second) we want there to be a random chance of a demon being created. We’ll set the chance to 1 in 50. This means that at every step the game will roll a 50 sided dice to decide whether or not to create a Demon – it will only create one if it rolls a 1.

1. Open up the Boss object’s properties 2. Add a Step event, choosing Step again from the popup menu 3. From the control tab choose Test Chance and set it to 50 4. From the main1 tab chose Create Instance, ensuring to set it to the object_demon and ticking Relative so it appears in the same position as the Boss 5. Click OK to save the changes

Now run the game again to test the new additions and ensure what you set up previously still works:

Does the Boss move up and down on its own?

Does the Boss reverse direction when it hits the bottom or top of the screen?

Does the Dragon move up the screen when you hold the up key?

Does is it continue to move until you let go of the key?

Do the same two things happen when you hold the down key?

Does the dragon stay where it is when you aren’t pressing any keys?

Does the dragon appear to move more quickly than the Boss?

Does a Fireball appear when you press the Space key?

Does a second Fireball only appear if you release the Space key and press it again?

Does the Fireball travel to the right?

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Does the Fireball appear from the Dragon’s snout?

Do Demons appear from the Boss?

Do Demons appear randomly rather than at regular intervals?

Do Demons travel left across the screen?

Do Demons travel both horizontally and vertically?

Do Demons bounce back into the screen if they hit the upper or lower borders as they move across?

Are Demons destroyed when hit by the Fireball?

Does the score increase by 100 when the Demon is hit by a Fireball?

Does the high score screen show when the Demon hits the Dragon?

Does the game restart after the high score screen is shown?

Notice that for even our relatively simple game there are lots of things to test – is it any wonder then that large commercial games go under so much testing (and yet some are still released with bugs!)? Testing a game doesn’t mean just playing it. It means trying out a set of actions given to you by the creator, often doing the same action over and over with slightly different criteria to test all possible outcomes. Being a games tester is neither as glamorous nor as fun as it sounds!

Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Setting Up The Baby Dragon Object The only object left for us to set up now is the Baby Dragon. These are added to increase the challenge. Shooting a baby dragon will lose you 300 points. Rescuing one will gain you 500 points.

1. Open the object_baby properties form 2. Set a creation event to start it moving left with a speed of 8. 3. Set it up so it is destroyed if it goes outside the room. 4. Set it up so it is also destroyed if it is hit by a fireball and the score reduces by 300. 5. Set it another collision event, this time with the dragon. This also destroys the object but gains the player 500 points.

The baby dragon is now set up but has not been added to the game. These must randomly appear from the Boss in the same way as the demons do but less often. 20 1. Open up the Boss object and click on the Step action

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2. Add a test chance action with the die set to 100 and create an instance of the baby object with it set to a position relative to the Boss

Now the game needs retesting to check all of the following: -

Does the Boss move up and down on its own?

Does the Boss reverse direction when it hits the bottom or top of the screen?

Does the Dragon move up the screen when you hold the up key?

Does is it continue to move until you let go of the key?

Do the same two things happen when you hold the down key?

Does the dragon stay where it is when you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pressing any keys?

Does the dragon appear to move more quickly than the Boss?

Does a Fireball appear when you press the Space key?

Does a second Fireball only appear if you release the Space key and press it again?

Does the Fireball travel to the right?

Does the Fireball appear from the Dragonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s snout?

Do Demons appear from the Boss?

Do Demons appear randomly rather than at regular intervals?

Do Demons travel left across the screen?

Do Demons travel both horizontally and vertically?

Do Demons bounce back into the screen if they hit the upper or lower borders as they move across?

Are Demons destroyed when hit by the Fireball?

Does the score increase by 100 when the Demon is hit by a Fireball?

Does the high score screen show when the Demon hits the Dragon?

Does the game restart after the high score screen is shown?

Do Baby Dragons appear randomly from the Boss?

Do Baby Dragons appear less frequently than Demons?

Do Baby Dragons move left across the screen?

Are Baby Dragons destroyed when hit by a Fireball?

Does the score decrease by 300 when a Baby Dragon is hit by a Fireball?

Are Baby Dragons destroyed when they collide with the Dragon?

Does the score increase by 500 when Baby Dragons collide with the Dragon?

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Tutorial: Evil Clutches – Background and Sounds The game now works fine except for the fact it is rather dull. A background image and sounds can be added to improve this. These all must be added as resources in a similar way to sprites.

1. Select Add and then Add Background 2. Rename it background_cave 3. Load the background image and click OK to close the form 4. Open the room properties for room_one 5. In the backgrounds tab, use the button next to where it says <no background> to set it to background_cave 6. Click the tick to save and close the room

Setting music is done in a similar manner. We have two different types of music to set here – the background music for the game and the sound effects that occur when certain events happen. First, the background music – this has to start when the game starts therefore it would make sense to make it an action that happens when either the Dragon or Boss appears since they are there at the start of the game.

1. Select Add and then Add Sound 2. Name it sound_music and load the file Music.mp3 3. Click OK to close the form 4. Open the properties form for either the Dragon or Boss object 5. Select the existing Create event 6. Add a Play Sound action from the main1 tab 7. Set the sound to sound_music and loop to true (we want the music to keep playing) 8. Click OK once to close the dialog box and a second time to close the properties form

The sound effects are set up in a very similar way...

1. Create two new sound resources, one called sound_demon (using the Demon.wav) and one called sound_baby (using Baby.wav) 22

2. Open the properties form for the Demon object and select the collision event with the Fireball 3. Add a Play Sound action, set to the sound_demon and no loop

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4. Close the dialog box and properties form 5. Open the properties for the Baby Dragon object 6. In the collision event with the Fireball add a Play Sound action, choosing sound_baby and no loop 7. Close the dialog box and properties form

NOTE: Executable files (.exe) are sometimes known to contain viruses and therefore some email providers will not let you send them. You will either have to embed the file in a zip or (better still) transport it using a USB memory stick.

Game Complete! We now have a working game. It should be tested one more time to ensure that all elements of it work, including the newly added sounds. Once you are happy with it you can save it as a standalone executable file (File > Create Executable) so it can be used on any computer.

Of course the game isn’t necessarily finished as enhancements and improvements could be made in order to make the game more challenging. For example you could:

Change the movement speed of different elements

Change the number of sides of the die in the Test Chance actions to make things appear more or less frequently

Add a new object called ‘Evil Baby’ (resource supplied) that tries to fool you, giving you points for shooting it and taking away points if you ‘rescue’ it

You must be careful though...Make the game too hard and people will get frustrated and not want to play it. Make the game too easy and there will be no challenge so people will get bored quickly and will not want to play it. Balancing out the difficultly is something that even professional game creators struggle with at times – how do you keep both your novice and experienced gamers happy?

One way of doing this is to have a learning curve. A game starts off relatively easy, allowing people to get used to it, but the challenge gradually increases hence keeping more experienced players happy. Our current game does not include this and so has a limited level of interest. In later games we will look at how we can utilise this to make games with a longer life span.

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