This week we learn some new techniques for enhancing the look and feel our our game levels. Use these tools and build out more of the mechanics of your game level to make your platform game complete!
Required Items
ITEM 1: Add some 2D Effectors – [REQUIRED]
Punch up your game level with some 2D Effectors. You must include one or more effectors in your level, and (i.e. don’t hide it somewhere where we will never use it). Perhaps there is some water in your level? Or maybe a strong updraft. Perhaps a conveyer or moving part can pull your player along. The only rule here is that at least one effector must be included, and it must be placed in a manner that the player will naturally encounter it and the effect will be noticeable and obvious.
ITEM 2: Add 2D Sprite Shapes – [REQUIRED]
Design some custom shapes for your level using the 2D Sprite Shape tools. These can be platforms for your player, or even just shapes to be used in the foreground or background.
ITEM 3: Complete your Level – [REQUIRED]
Your game level must have an end point where the level is complete. Your game should recognize that the player has reached this point and congratulate the player with some sound (such as music), and a UI message indicating success.
ITEM 4: Multiple Lives / Attempts – [REQUIRED]
Your player should get multiple attempts to complete your level. You can decide if you would like to implement a “lives” system with a limited set of attempts (and a Game Over state if all lives are expended), or simply restart the level after each failed attempt.
ITEM 5: Basic UI – [REQUIRED]
Your game must reflect some basic information on the screen through UI objects The following items must be represented:
- Score: You must keep score in your game, and visually represent that score on screen, updating it in real time.
- Overlay Message: Your game must have messaging to reflect a “ready” state, an “oops” state, a level “success” state, and a “game over” state (if applicable)
- Lives Remaining: If your game uses a lives based system, you must represent the number of remaining lives. (If you are allowing unlimited attempts, this object is not required)
Optional Items
ITEM 6: Checkpoints – [OPTIONAL]
Add a location along the progression of your level where your character can respawn if they are killed. This can be a location that you must reach and activate (like a flag with a trigger), or a point of progress in a level (if you have made it this far, you now start at this respawn point).
ITEM 7: Power-Ups – [OPTIONAL]
Create some bonus that the player can pick up to enhance their gameplay. This can be an extra life, something that heals damage, or alters the player character in some fashion – maybe for a period of time, maybe permanently. You get to decide.
ITEM 8 Weapons – [OPTIONAL]
Why jump when you can attack? Design and implement some sort of weapon attack. This can be a melee, projectile, or something else entirely.
ITEM 9: Timer – [OPTIONAL]
Set a countdown timer for your level. If the player does not complete the level in time, they lose a life and have to start again, or go back to the latest checkpoint. Remaining time should be represented in the UI.
Grading
Assignment will be graded as follows:
All Required Items (Steps 1-5) : B
All Required Items, working perfectly: B+
All Required + 1 Optional: A-
All Required + 2 Optional: A
All Required + 3 or more Optional: A+
The project is due by Friday (11/11) @ 1:00pm EST. Create a folder for Assignment 8 in your Box directory and submit the following deliverables:
- a compressed (zipped) version of your project directory
- a compressed (zipped) version of your application or executable (with support files)
- a readme.txt file containing attributions for your assets