3 Game Development

• How to Use Construct 2 to Create Video Games

Debes seguir los siguientes pasos:

Installation:

Download and install Construct 2 from its official site.

Open the program and select “New Project” to get started.

User Interface:

Layout: This is where you will design the levels of your game.

Event Sheet: Use event sheets to define game logic without writing code.

Properties Bar: Adjusts the properties of the selected objects.

Creating a Basic Game:

Add Objects: Drag and drop sprites and other objects into the layout.

Define Behaviours: Assign predefined behaviours such as “Platform” or “Solid” to objects.

Events: Use the event system to define game logic. For example, “If the player presses the right key, move the character to the right.”

Testing & Export:

Test your game directly in the editor.

Export your game to multiple platforms like HTML5, Windows, Android, etc.

In this case we will use HTML5

• Templates in Construct 2

Construct 2’s templates are designed to be flexible and user-friendly, making it easier for both beginners and experienced developers to create high-quality games.

• Types of Templates in Construct 2

Construct 2 offers several templates that make it easy to start new projects. These templates provide a solid foundation on which you can build and customize your own game. Here are some examples:

• Platform: Ideal for platform games like Mario. These templates include basic mechanics such as jumping, running, and collision detection, allowing you to focus on level design and character development.
• Shooter: For top-down shooter games. These templates often come with pre-configured controls for movement and shooting, as well as enemy AI and health systems, making it easier to create action-packed gameplay.
• Puzzle: Templates for puzzle games. These can include mechanics for matching, sliding, or logic-based puzzles. They provide a framework for creating engaging and challenging puzzles that test the player’s problem-solving skills.
• RPG: Basic templates for role-playing games. These templates typically include character stats, inventory systems, and dialogue trees, giving you a head start on creating immersive RPG experiences.
• Multiplayer: Templates for games with multiplayer functionality. These templates help you set up networked gameplay, allowing players to connect and compete or cooperate in real-time.

• Additional Templates and Features

• • Endless Runner: Templates for creating games where the player character runs continuously, avoiding obstacles and collecting items. These are great for mobile games and casual play.
  • Tower Defense: Templates for tower defense games, where players must strategically place towers to defend against waves of enemies. These templates often include basic enemy paths and tower mechanics.
  • Physics-Based Games: Templates that utilize Construct 2’s physics engine to create games with realistic movement and interactions. These are perfect for creating games that involve throwing, bouncing, or other physical interactions.

• Customization and Flexibility

Each template in Construct 2 is highly customizable. You can:

• Modify Assets: Replace the default graphics and sounds with your own to give your game a unique look and feel.
• Adjust Mechanics: Tweak the game mechanics to better fit your vision. For example, you can change the speed of the player character, the difficulty of enemies, or the rules of the puzzle.
• Expand Functionality: Add new features and elements to the templates. For instance, you can introduce new power-ups, levels, or game modes to enhance the gameplay experience.

• Getting Started with Templates

1. Choose a Template: Start by selecting a template that closely matches the type of game you want to create.
2. Explore the Template: Familiarize yourself with the layout, events, and objects included in the template.
3. Customize: Begin customizing the template to suit your game’s theme and mechanics. Replace assets, adjust settings, and add new features as needed.
4. Test and Iterate: Regularly test your game to ensure everything works as expected. Make adjustments based on feedback and your own observations.

In this game you have to move quickly through the maze and avoid being caught by the ball, to do so you must collect trash along your journey through the maze.

• The code of the game (construct 2)

 

 

• How to change the Sprites/Objects in Construct 2:

 

– First of all, you need to double click the object you want to edit or right click at the object on the right menu that says “objects”

 

In the editor, you can modify the object using the tools. These tools are:

 

Dotted square icon: With this tool you can select parts of the object to erase or drag the section selected.

Eraser icon: With this tool, as you can imagine, is for erase. In the editor, you can change the size in pixels.

Penzil icon: With this tool you can draw with pixels. Like the eraser, you can change the size.

Brush icon: Exactly the same as the Pencil icon but you can see the position of the pixel (recomended).

Line icon: This tool is for making straight lines holding the left mouse button and release it when you want.

Square icon: Works similar to the Line icon tool but this is for making squares

Bucket icon: If you used any other image/art editor you can imagine what this tool do. But in case you do not know, this tool is for fill a     closed figure.

Dropper icon: This tool is used to pick a colour from the object itself. Normally you use this if you want to reuse the colour of the object       again.

 

For example, you can change the colour of this simple cube with the bucket tool

 

Or Changeing the Object to have another form using the penzil/eraser/brush tool

 

• How to change the Sprites/Objects in the exported project:

 

Inside the game folder, there are a lot of things you can change like, for example, the loading icons, the sounds, the videos included in the game (If there is any) and, of course, the sprites/objects of the game.

 

Inside the folder named “images” that you can see at the top of the content of the game folder you can see all the images of the Sprites/Objects of the game. To modify this images you need an image editor (it doesn’t matter which one). In my case, I’m using “Gimp”.

 

So, for example, I choose this sprite. Let’s say you want to change the colour of it an modify a little the appearance of it.

 

Once you edit the sprite in a way you think it looks cool, then you need to export the image and overwrite the old image

 

black background that  “Overwrite sprite15…”

 

Now, if we load the game, the sprite will apear with the modify design. It is important to “not change the name of the sprite/object in the folder of the game”.

 

• Sprite reference table:

 

In the next table will apear all the sprites/objects of the game with a little description of what they do in the game.

 

	– Sprite15 – What this Sprite/Object do?       This Sprite/Object is just a Decoration.
	– Tilemap – What this Sprite/Object do?       This Sprite/Object represent all the solid things the player can’t traverse, in other words, all the walls of       the game. Each one is separated in a 8×8 block. Some of them were not used in the game.
	– Sprite14 – What this Sprite/Object do?       Like the name of the sprite says, this is the player. It is just an 8×8 yellow cube.
	– Sprite17 – What this Sprite/Object do?       This is the thing the player must recollect to get points in the game.
	– Tilemap2 – What this Sprite/Object do?       This Sprite/Object represent all the kind of floors of the game. Like the other Tilemap, each one is       separated in a 8×8 block. Some of them were not used in the game.
	– SpriteFont – What this Sprite/Object do?       This is the font used to show the score of the player in the game. Each number have a sice of 8×8.
	– Sprite19 / Sprite20 / Sprite4 – What this Sprite/Object do?       This Sprite/Object is the form of the light which will be around the player, the enemy and the Sprite17       when it enters a dark room.
	– Sprite18 – What this Sprite/Object do?       This Sprite/Object is an enemy that will be following the player during all the game. When this       Sprite/Object touches the player, the game ends.