GameSalad Fundamentals

Introduction to Game-Authoring System  Objectives  Define game-authoring system.  Understand the components of logic and assets on game applications.  Understand major features of Gamesalad.  Identify game developers team members.  Understand the role of each game development team member.  Classify types of computer games.

Game Authoring –System  A game-authoring system is computer-based system that enables users, usually non-programmers, to create or author content for video games in a drag- and-drop fashion

Components of Logic and Assets on Game Applications  You can build games and applications without typing a single line of code. Two parts of a game application:  Logic refers to the combination of rules, behaviors, and attributes.  Assets include the images and sounds you import into your project.

Major Features  Graphical user interface, or GUI (pronounced “gooey”) – makes it easy to use for non- programmers  Actors – game objects  Behaviors – things that affect the Actors  Actors and Scenes  You add actors by dragging and dropping them. You organize actors in a scene into different layers (who goes in front of who).

Major Features  Real-Time Editing and Previewing  You can edit a scene while the game is still running. The initial state of actors can be displayed translucently (in a faded format) to show where they were when the scene started.  Cross-Platform Publishing  GameSalad Creator has one common dialogue-based interface for publishing to multiple platforms, including the iPhone and Mac as well as Android devices and the Web.

The Developers  Designers  Game designers are responsible for the look and feel of a game  Artists  A game’s graphics include the commercial (box) art and in-game graphics. one of the first things a gamer assesses, is graphics that can make or break a game’s success.  Programmers  They create the code for the engines that deliver games

 Audio Specialist  Sound is important because it helps set the mood and puts the player into the game.  Writers  The majority of games have storylines and therefore must have a storyteller  Testers  Testers set in office blowing repeatedly through a single level or one section of the overall game and jotting down loads of notes to the development team to let them know what works and what does not.  Mangers  These people keep the whole development cycle on track, The Developers

Types of computer games  Action Games: an action requires players to use quick reflexes, accuracy, and timing to overcome obstacles (problems).  Example of action games: Call of Duty  Adventure Games: normally require the player to solve various puzzles by interacting with people or other environment.  Example of adventure games: Minecraft

Types of computer games  Role-Playing games (RPG): is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional (imaginary) setting.  Example of RPG: Arcane Legends or Diablo  Strategy Games: require internal decision tree style thinking, and typically very high situation awareness.  Example of strategy games: Chess or Clash of Clans

Types of computer games  Casual Game: these type of games have simple rules with no special skills to play and lack of commitment requires compared with complex games  Example of Casual Games: Sky Burger

Your First Game from Scratch: The Pong Game  The original Pong, from 1972, looked like this:

 Specifying the Game Concept and Rules It’s good practice to start by specifying the game concept and writing the rules of the game down on paper.  Pong Game Concept and Rules  The Game Concept - The purpose of this game is to defeat your opponent in a simulated table tennis (ping- pong) game by being the first to reach a score of 11. Players control a paddle (ping-pong racket). Your First Game from Scratch: The Pong Game

 The Game Rules - Player 1 plays on the left side of the screen against Player 2. Players use the racket to hit the ball back and forth