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GameMaker Cookbook

By : Gardiner

5 (1)

GameMaker Cookbook

5 (1)

By: Gardiner

Overview of this book

GameMaker: Studio started off as a tool capable of creating simple games using a drag-and-drop interface. Since then, it has grown to become a powerful instrument to make release-ready games for PC, Mac, mobile devices, and even current-gen consoles. GameMaker is designed to allow its users to develop games without having to learn any of the complex programming languages such as C++ or Java. It also allows redistribution across multiple platforms. This book teaches you to harness GameMaker: Studio’s full potential and take your game development to new heights. It begins by covering the basics and lays a solid foundation for advanced GameMaker concepts. Moving on, it covers topics such as controls, physics, and advanced movement, employing a strategic approach to the learning curve. The book concludes by providing insights into complex concepts such as the GUI, menus, save system, lighting, particles, and VFX. By the end of the book, you will be able to design games using GameMaker: Studio and implement the same techniques in other games you intend to design.

Preface

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Sections

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Free Chapter

1. Game Plan – Creating Basic Gameplay

1. Game Plan – Creating Basic Gameplay

Introduction

Animating a sprite

Moving your player

Adding projectiles

Creating hazards

Programming basic enemies

Setting up player health and lives

Creating scoring mechanism

Creating win/lose scenarios

2. It's Under Control – Exploring Various Control Schemes

2. It's Under Control – Exploring Various Control Schemes

Introduction

Creating 2D movement

Adding a Run button

Making your character jump

Using a point-and-click interface

Following the cursor

Setting up a controller

Utilizing analogue joystick acceleration

Adding tap control

Using swipes

Moving characters or objects by tilting a device

3. Let's Move It – Advanced Movement and Layout

3. Let's Move It – Advanced Movement and Layout

Introduction

Dragging onscreen objects

Dragging objects on a grid

Moving a character on a grid

Setting a path

Creating enemy pathfinding

Controlling a character with a mouse and keyboard

4. Let's Get Physical – Using GameMaker's Physics System

4. Let's Get Physical – Using GameMaker's Physics System

Introduction

Creating objects that use physics

Alternating gravity

Applying force via magnets

Creating a moving platform

Making a rope

5. Now Hear This! – Music and Sound Effects

5. Now Hear This! – Music and Sound Effects

Introduction

Importing and playing background music

Implementing situational sound effects

Adding sound emitters and listeners

Adjusting the listener orientation

Replicating the Doppler effect with emitters

6. It's All GUI! - Creating Graphical User Interface and Menus

6. It's All GUI! - Creating Graphical User Interface and Menus

Introduction

Setting up a basic HUD with code

Making your HUD scalable

Using the GUI layer in full screen mode with views

Adding a title screen

Creating splash pages

Adding a game over screen

7. Saving the Day – Saving Game Data

7. Saving the Day – Saving Game Data

Introduction

Creating game settings

Making a pause screen

Saving player selection and score

Encrypting and decrypting save data

8. Light 'em up! – Enhancing Your Game with Lighting Techniques

8. Light 'em up! – Enhancing Your Game with Lighting Techniques

Introduction

Creating a room with a light switch

Lighting objects with a spot light

Changing day to night

Creating a flashlight

Making a flickering torch

9. Particle Man, Particle Man – Adding Polish to Your Game with Visual Effects and Particles

9. Particle Man, Particle Man – Adding Polish to Your Game with Visual Effects and Particles

Introduction

Using particles to simulate kicking up dust

Simulating rainfall

Creating an explosion

Adding screen-shake

Using slow motion

10. Hello, World – Creating New Dimensions of Play Through Networking

10. Hello, World – Creating New Dimensions of Play Through Networking

Introduction

Basic networking

Online play

Connecting a client to a server

Setting up asynchronous play for a turn-based game

Index

Index

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Creating win/lose scenarios

The term "game" has many different definitions, to the point where experts can't always agree what makes a game. Most definitions, though, determine that games are only such if they involve both win and lose scenarios. I mean, who wants to play a game you can't win or lose?

Getting ready

This recipe, again, does not necessitate new sprites or even objects. We'll be relying on existing objects but we'll be adding some new variables. Start by opening the Object Properties for obj_player.

How to do it...

In the Step event you should already have the actions that check the value of health. Beneath all of that, drag and drop Test Variable and have it check whether lives equals 0.
Below that, from the Main2 tab, drag Restart Game to the Actions tab.
Close obj_player and open obj_score.
Create a Step event and drag Test Variable to the Actions box and have it check whether score is equal to 100.
Below that, drag Restart Game from the Main2 tab.

How it works...

As you may have guessed by the names of the actions, you are simply asking GameMaker to check the values of score and lives, and restarting the game when they reach a certain point. In previous recipes you set the score to increase by 10 whenever you shot an enemy. If you shoot 10 enemies, the game will restart. You set the lives variable to 3 but had it decrease by 1 every time your health reached 0. Once you have no lives left, the game restarts.

There's more...

Using Game Restart in this scenario is arbitrary; it is simply there to demonstrate that you can tell GameMaker to change the game's state based on your score, health, or number of lives. Under the Main1 tab in Object Properties you can find actions that take you to other rooms you may have created. This can be used to go from one level to another.

See also

The Chapter 6, It's All GUI! – Creating Graphical User Interface and Menus, deals with more advanced GUI and Chapter 7, Saving the Day – Saving Game Data, covers save systems and leaderboards.

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