Scratch
Scratch is an educational programming language that allows people of any experience background and age to experiment with the concepts of fully versatile computer programming by using an alterable GUI.
Week of December 17-20
Support Resources
Building a Scratch Quiz Game (.pdf)
Making a simple quiz in Scratch (website)
Scratch Trivia Game (Scratch Project)
Week of December 10 - 14, 2012
Puzzle Games
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion.
Puzzle games focus on logical and conceptual challenges, although occasionally the games add time-pressure or other action-elements. Although many action games and adventure games involve puzzles such as obtaining inaccessible objects, a true puzzle game focuses on puzzle solving as the primary gameplay activity. Games usually involve shapes, colors, or symbols, and the player must directly or indirectly manipulate them into a specific pattern. (source)
Puzzle Game Criteria:
What makes a good puzzle game?
- Complexity
- Gets gradually more difficult
- Portals?
- Non-repetitiveness
- Boxes and barrels?
- Random stuff that you have to tie together
- Hidden items and locked doors
- Something that makes you use critical thinking
- Environmental Challenges (how to navigate)
- Ability to translate easily to people from multiple languages
- Point system
- Time limits
C Grade
Simple copy of an existing game. With some small changes to personalize it.
C+ Grade
2 levels where the second level is harder than the first.
B Grade
3+ levels with increasing difficulty and a menu screen. Menu screen contains instructions on gameplay.
A- Grade
3+ levels including all previous items and adding music and sound effects. Music changes with each level.
A Grade
4+ levels including all previous items. Add a functioning point system.
A+ Grade
4+ levels including all previous. Add a hidden text hint or a “easter egg” where the player can find a clue to solving the puzzle.
Bonus:
Add at least 1 portal. (5pts)
Add a feature where the player can input their name at the start and have
it appear later in the game, i.e. “Congratulations Ricardo, you are a winner!” (10pts)
Play Dr. Mario - Flash Version
Vote
Read: The Top 50 Puzzle Games of all time
Watch:
Week of December 3 - 7, 2012
Side Scrolling Game
1. Read This: Top 10 Side Scrolling Games of All-Time
2. Play This:
3. Watch This:
4. Do This: - Make a game like Super Mario
Grading Criteria
A+ 95%+
Same criteria as for an A but also includes the following:
Character moves through 4 or more separate background screens. Character encounters a variety of sprites that change with each background. You will also include 1 hidden portal in the first round. This portal will take you to a secret level that is not found normally.
A 86%
Character moves through 3 or more separate screens. Encounters at least 3 types of enemies. Must be able to kills enemies somehow. If touched by enemies, character dies. Must have logical ending to the game. Character should have a 3 life health meter that keeps track of lives. Game should end after 3rd life is lost.
B 73%
Character moves through 2 or more separate screens. Must encounter at least 2 different types of moving enemies and be able to interact with them. There should be a logical ending to the game.
C 60%
Character moves through 1-2 screens and encounters only 1 enemy. There is minimal interaction and the details of sprites are very basic.
5. Additional Resources to help you out
View the Class Handout Here - Side Scrolling Games in Scratch
Take it to the next level...
1. The game keeps score based on the number of food eaten - when the main sprite eats all the food, a "You Win" message is flashed on the screen.
Add this to bring yourself to a B grade of 73%
2. Ghosts or evil characters chase the main character.
Add this to obtain an A grade of 86%
3. System for keeping track of the lives of the main character (3 lives lost = Game Over)
Add this final component to receive an A+ grade of 95% or higher.
Link: Generate Random Numbers tutorial in Scratch
"Chasing/Eating" (Pac Man Type Game)
Requirements (simple version):
1. Game must have a main character sprite that the user moves about the screen using the arrow keys on the keyboard.
2. There must be "food" that the character eats. The food must disappear after the character eats it.
3. The game area must have a maze that the main character must "bounce" off when it touches the maze.
If you complete these 3 criteria you will be guaranteed 67% or a C+ grade on the project.
Bonus: How to make a scoring system in Scratch
How to make your character not go through walls.
Hint: How to reset a scoreboard
Tips & Tricks to using: Broadcast & Receive
In Thursdays class - we will be playing the top 3 games as voted by you! We will be interrupted for a Remembrance Day assembly and will begin our newest Scratch Project - the side scrolling game - next week!
Period 1
Scratch REMIX Project Class Voting Results
1st
2nd
3rd
Justin T. & Arnold (tied)
Matthew H. & Jack P. (tied)
Eric Y.
Great work everyone!
View your Evaluations Here
Period 5
Scratch REMIX Project Class Voting Results
1st
2nd
3rd
Justin S.
Greg V.
Francisco
Great work everyone!
View your Evaluations Here
SCRATCH REMIX EVALUATIONS
Each student will have to evaluate 1 other person's site. Each site only needs to be evaluated once but you can evaluate more than 1 site if you would like.
Each student should have their site evaluated by somebody else in the class and then evaluate somebody else's site before the end of class today.
Use the following evaluation forms (pay attention to the period #)
PERIOD 1 - Evaluation Form
PERIOD 5 - Evaluation Form
Use the Scratch Forums as a great source of inspiration and information
Description
This assignment introduces you to a very user-friendly programming tool called “Scratch.” Experienced programmers will learn a lot about good user interface and ease-of-use design while using Scratch, while those who are newer to programming will find it an easy and fun way to learn something about programming in a hands-on way.
The goal of this assignment is to learn how to use Scratch. For student who choose to develop their final project using Scratch, this will provide a great start and easy to follow process for developing an animation or simple game that promotes Villanova in some fun, interesting or unusual way.
Scratch Exercise 1: Choosing a Sprite and Making it move in 4 directions.
The Scratch program was developed by MIT to teach young students programming concepts and develop skill in multimedia communication. Using a visual system of "Tiles" that contain commands users can connect together to create programs. These programs direct the characters and objects in the game.
Unique Scratch Fact: The Scratch program runs in a very different way than traditional programs such as Word or Excel. When you run "Scratch" you are running a program called "Squeak" with the "Scratch.image." (I am not making this up!) The result is that the visual environment looks somewhat different than Windows XP. When you run Scratch and Squeak on different operating systems (Windows, OS X, Linux) the look and feel of Scratch remains the same.
Scratch Layout:
Step 1: Choosing Your Sprite
A Sprite is an character or object in your game. Sprites can move and be active or be props that stay still. We will choose a Sprite character that will move about your screen.
1. Open Scratch
a. Go to the folder where you copied "Scratch."
b. Double click on the Scratch icon.
2. You will see the opening screen.
3. Click on the "Costumes" Tab
4. Click "Import"
5. Select a Folder (Animals, People, Things)
6. Choose a Sprite! (Double Click)
Step 2: Making Your Sprite Move in 4 directions (Right, Left, Up, Down)
Sprites can not do anything by themselves. A Sprite's action comes from the scripts in the script window. These scripts are the instructions for exactly what the sprite will do. You drag these instructions from the Tile pane into the "Scripts" pane. These tiles then fit together like a puzzle to create the insructions.
7. Click on the "Scripts" Tab
8. You want your Sprite to move to the right. Click the "Control" Button
9. Left Click and hold "When 'space' pressed" command and drag to the Scripts window.
10. Click on the word "space" and select "right arrow." (We will make Sprite move right)
11. Click on the "Motion" button and drag "point in direction 90" over to the Scripts window.
12. Connect the "point in direction" tile to the "When 'right arrow' pressed" command.
13. Click the "Move 10 steps" tile and drag over to the Scripts window.
14. Connect "Move 10 steps" to the "point in direction" tile.
15. Press the right arrow on the computer and watch your sprite move to the right.
16. Making your sprite go left: Drag the "When 'space' pressed" tile to the scripts window.
17. Drag "point in direction 90" over to the Scripts window. Connect to the "When 'space' pressed." tile.
18. Change the 'space' to 'left arrow.' Change the '90' to '-90' to make the sprite face left:
19. Drag the "Move 10 steps" tile to the scripts window and connect to the 'left arrow' script.
20. Now your left arrow will work! Click the "just flip left-right" icon to make your sprite face in the correct directions.
21. Making your sprite move down: Drag and connect the following tiles:
a. "When 'space' pressed
b. "point in direction '90'"
c. "move 10 steps"
22. Set the direction to down:
a. Change 'space' to 'down arrow'
b. Change '90' to '180'
23. Your down arrow should work!
24. Make your sprite move up: Drag and connect the following tiles:
a. "When 'space' pressed
b. "point in direction '90'"
c. "move 10 steps"
25. Set the direction to up:
a. Change 'space' to 'up arrow'
b. Change '90' to '0'
26. Now your Sprite should be able to move in all 4 directions! Test your program by moving your Sprite about the screen.
27. Rename your Sprite as "Eater."
28. Save your work! Click "Save" and name your file.
SCRATCH REMIX
Remix: To modify or add to an existing creation in order to create a new significance, meaning, or definition.
Choose an existing project from a classmate, the scratch gallery, or scratch projects page.
Note - To download from the gallery or projects page, you need to make an account on the scratch site.
Make at least 10 significant changes to the site. You need to re-design the game to make it unique from the original. You will need to provide a text file with the changes listed.
Please place the original game file, your new remixed file, and your text file with your 10 changes into a folder together label them appropriately.
Place folder with both game files & text file into hand-in folder by Friday.
Assignment #3
Today we are all going to create a simple game. Some of you have experience making such games already from our previous project, some of you do not.
Today we have a 3 part tutorial to explain the process.
Happy Gaming - I look forward to seeing the results.
Due beginning of class on Friday, October 29th.
RESOURCES
Sprites (download sprites to customize your game)
Sounds