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Create an original RPG game: Chapter one.

 

You should start here to have a better idea where this is going!

 

After downloading the source code package (right-click – save as to download),double-click on it and this will start Game Maker.  Run the game to get a feel of what it does.  To do this, simply click on the green icon that is labelled Run the game.

  

 

 

This will start the game in demonstration mode.  You do this from time to time to check if your game is running correctly.

 

When your games aren’t working properly, and you want to see what’s going wrong, you can also run the game in debug mode. 

 

 

 

It does the same as running the game, except you have a small window that gives you info on what is going on as the game runs.  This helps figure out what went wrong. 

 

So for now, you’re just running the game normally, and this is what you see.  Obviously, we’re just starting so it’s rather basic.  We’ll worry about graphics later.

 

 

 

Click on the head or bag and rudimentary panels appear, each containing an inactive “square”.  Run your mouse over the square and it changes color, but that’s all for now.

 

One of these panels is the inventory (bag) and the other is your character panel.

 

 

 

Click on the black top bar and hold the left mouse button down.  Move the mouse around and you see the panel moves accordingly. 

 

Click on the head or bag button again and the corresponding  panel disappears.

 

There you have it, the early stages of interactive inventory management.

 

You might have noticed that below the world view area there are five squares, similar to the ones in the inventory and character panels.  These make up the control bar.

 

Soon you’ll be able to find items in the room that will automatically appear in your inventory (given there is still space there), click and drag these items to the character panel to equip them, do the same towards the control bar to be able to use them by clicking on it there.

 

But for now, let’s look at how we’ve gotten these results so far (Please go back to Game Programming and select chapter 1 part 2 to continue).

 

Back to Game Programming 

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Create an original RPG game: Chapter 1, part 2.

 

You should start here to have a better idea where this is going!

 

Game programming with dynamic objects.

 

Don’t worry if you don’t know what objects are just yet. It will become very clear as you read on.

 

Before doing anything you will need to create a room. Right-click on Rooms and create one. Don’t do anything with it yet.

 

 

To create objects you first create the associated sprite(s). Sprites are just a buzz word for the small images that move around the screen (your character, the bag image, the table…) To include sprites you must first create them. At this stage I only created very basic sprites for the sake of having something. Once you have an image ready, right-click on the sprites folder and “upload” the sprite into the game.

 

 

 

Then you create the objects (right click on Objects folder, just like sprites or rooms) Double-click on the new object in the panel, name it,

 

 

 

and then you associate the sprite.

 

 

 

For dynamic objects, (objects that don’t always look the same) I often prefer to not associate sprites, but use the draw event to call a piece of code.

 

The code will dispay the sprite according to variables that change as the player interacts with the game. This gives many more options than by using the limited point and click features.

 

 

1. Create the draw event (pick it from the options that appear by clicking on Add Event).

2. Select the Control Tab.

3. Click and drag “Execute Code” from the Control Tab to the list of actions.

 

Several objects are used at this point.

 

1. The character object (main_ch) which can move around and trigger a pop up when it hits something.

2. The north, east, south, and west doors. Only north and east are in that room, but the others are available for later rooms.

3. The horizontal and vertical wall pieces.

4. A table object.

5. Square objects for future inventory slots.

6. Topbar, and inventory objects.

7. A bag and character inventory objects.

 

Objects can be placed in the world view, or Rooms to appear in the game. Sometimes you won’t place them there at first but they will be created later by the game, according to situations that occur. They can react to different situations (be created, be destroyed, change appearance, move…). Those situations result from the programming and can be much more diverse by programming code than they can be with the point and click options.

 

Back to Game Programming.

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