Month: December 2017

As mentioned in a previous post, Level 4 of the GPC was not a lesson, but rather a series of challenges meant to reinforce what was taught in Level’s 2 and 3. This time, I elected to create a new game rather than modify an existing one.

I settled on a top down shooter/adventure game and added features and flourishes as I went along. I used my earlier conceived true grid movement code, but this time, I used a switch statement instead of a series of if statements (or at least fewer of them):

switch (keyboard_key)
 {
  case vk_left:
  case ord("A"):
     sprite_index=spr_player_walk_left;
     if moving=0 {
       moving=1
       instance_destroy(obj_target) 
       target=instance_create(x-64,y,obj_target)
       move_towards_point(target.x,target.y,4) 
      }
      break; 
 case vk_right:
 case ord("D"):
    sprite_index=spr_player_walk_right;
    if moving=0 {
      moving=1
      instance_destroy(obj_target) 
      target=instance_create(x+64,y,obj_target)
      move_towards_point(target.x,target.y,4) 
     } 
     break;
 case vk_up:
 case ord("W"):
    sprite_index=spr_player_walk_up;
    if moving=0 {
      moving=1
      instance_destroy(obj_target) 
      target=instance_create(x,y-64,obj_target)
      move_towards_point(target.x,target.y,4) 
    } 
    break;
 case vk_down:
 case ord("S"):
    sprite_index=spr_player_walk_down;
    if moving=0 {
      moving=1
      instance_destroy(obj_target) 
      target=instance_create(x,y+64,obj_target)
      move_towards_point(target.x,target.y,4) 
     } 
     break; 
 }

While trying to figure out line of sight, I came a new function:

collision_line(x,y,obj_player.x,obj_player.y,obj_barrier,1,0)

That was my first time using the collision_line, which I don’t think is covered at all in the GPC, though it might be included in his how-to’s somewhere…I came across it after watching a tutorial video by “GM Wolf” on YouTube:

This would have solved a lot of issues for me…for instance, in a previous project, I had an idea to create a trap comprised of two moving blocks which collided into and bounced off of each other. While everything worked fine, it would occasionally cause the block to get stuck in a wall. This happened because it’s movement caused it to overlap before it detected the collision, thereby getting stuck inside the wall, unable to go anywhere.

I solved this before using the place_meeting function, but was never introduced to the End Step Event, which  would have been the right way to do it. Nevertheless, I can think of other uses for collision_line and am glad I learned of it!

All in all, I spent about 2 days (most of the weekend) working on this little mini-game, and here are some of the features I included:

• Destructible walls that advance in damage by manipulating the image_index
• Enemies that can navigate mazes (using John Janeka’s code from Level 12)
• Line of Sight for enemies with projectiles
• Health, ammunition and keys global variables that persistent between rooms
• Lock and key mechanism
• A switch that reveals the exit when touched
• Randomized muzzle flare and smoke when firing bullets
• Randomized impact splatters when an enemy is hit
• Different sounds for each impact
• Randomized health power up sprites to add variety using a single object
• Exits that allow you to advance to the next room
• Capped health at 100%

What I not did include were:

• Fail condition/game over when you run out of hitpoints
• Start screen
• Game Over screen

All in all, it’s a neat little game though unfinished, and good practice for more serious projects to come!