First Alien Game

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In this game we are going to control an alien with the cursor keys.  To get points the alien will have to catch a bouncing apple.  Then we will add in a bouncing asteroid that will make the alien lose a life if it hits it.  Last of all we will add in an instruction screen.

These are the steps we will follow:

If you click on the icon, you can see a video of  each set of instructions.

Some of the videos are quite long, but you can watch part of a video, then pause it to complete the steps in Klik & Play.  The videos have play controls at the bottom.

 

Step 1 – Setting up the Gameboard and Movement

Start Klik & Play

Go to the Level Editor (Click on Frame 1, then click Goto > Goto Level Editor)

 

Make the Background

Make a quick backdrop from the Tools menu at the bottom of the screen.

 

Place it in the corner of your game and then stretch it out to cover the whole play area.

Put in your Alien and make him Move

Choose the little green man from the Space Opera library. Place him anywhere on the screen.

Right Click > Movement > Select Movement

Choose Eight directions

Choose only North, South, East and West (we won’t allow him to move diagonally) by clicking on the dots at the end of the arrows.

Choose Try Movement

Use the arrow keys to move your alien around. Click Stop, then OK.

 

Put in an Apple and Score Object

Place an apple from the vegetation library.

Right click on it and choose Movement > Select Movement

Choose Bouncing Ball > OK

Next add a score object to one of the corners of your game.

 
Save your game on your home drive as alien

 

Step 2 – Setting up the Events
Go to the Step Through Editor to test your game. 

When testing your game in the Step Through Editor, make sure you remember to use the cursor keys to move the alien in all directions.

Almost straight away, your game will stop with a message about one of the following:

Apple leaving the play area on the top, bottom, left or right The option to bounce the apple should already be chosen for you, so just click the continue game button in the bottom right corner.
Little Green Man leaving the play area on the top, bottom, left or right Click the little green man button , and choose bounce Little Green Man and then click the continue game button in the bottom right corner.
Apple colliding with the Little Green Man: (We will add 5 to the score and bounce the apple) Click the Change players lives button

Click Change score, and choose to add 5 to the score.

Click the Apple button, and choose to Bounce the Apple.

Play a sound if you wish

Then click continue game button in the bottom right corner.

 

To stop the game, click the stop button or press the Escape key

Save your game
  Step 3: Adding Danger and a Lives Object

All games need a bit of excitement, so we will add a bouncing asteroid to the game and give the alien 3 lives. Each time the asteroid hits, the player will lose a life.

Goto the Level Editor

Add an asteroid from the space library. Right click on it and give it bouncing ball movement.

In Level Editor, insert a lives object.

 Place it near the score object.

 
Return to the step thru editor to collect all the new events.

 

Asteroid leaves play area Bounce asteroid
Asteroid collides with alien Click the lives button Choose subtract a life

Bounce the asteroid

Play a sound and continue game.
Apple collides with asteroid Bounce apple
Number of lives reach zero Click the storyboard control and end the game.

Save your game.

  

 
   

Step 4: Setting up an Introduction Screen

Now we will add an introduction screen that tells the player what to do:

Goto the Storyboard Editor

Click Tools > Add New Level

Click your mouse over frame 1, and a new frame will be inserted at the beginning.

Double Click on the new frame and goto the Level Editor.
From the Tools button at the bottom left, choose a Quick Backdrop. Stretch it to cover the whole play area.

From the Tools button, make a text object.

Click Edit and type in Alien Game

Choose a suitable font, colour and size.

Make another text object and type in

In this game you move the alien around using the cursor keys. You need to catch the apple to get points. Try to get as many points as you can. Every time you get hit by the asteroid, you lose a life. Click the spaceman to start.

 

 

Step 5: Starting the Game

We need a way to get from the opening frame to the main game, so we will put in a space man to click on. Add the spacewalker from the space library.

We need to go to the Event Editor to make the game change frames when we click on the space walker. The Event Editor is much more powerful than the StepThru Editor.

1. Goto the Event Editor

2. Click the to add a new condition.

3. Double click the mouse/keyboard option

4. Choose The mouse > User clicks on an object

5. Choose single click, and the space man.

6. Click in the box below the game storyboard controls

7. Double Click on New Action

8. Choose Next frame and OK

9. Click Goto and choose the Storyboard editor.

10. From the menus at the top, choose Game > Play game as finished.

 
 

Save your game.

Congratulations! Your first game is ready to be played.

  
Add some modifications to your game to make it more interesting.  Try adding some different background objects.
 

This page has been produced by Margaret Meijers.  Questions concerning its content may be directed by email to margaret.meijers@education.tas.gov.au.  This page was last modified on Tuesday, 05 September 2006. The URL for this page is http://www.mindtools.tased.edu.au/knp/aliengame/aliengame.htm .
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