The Official Guide to Game Development

Chapter 4 Windows Game Development: every screen is a playground

Key Chapter Questions ■ How do standalone Windows games differ from downloadable or online products? ■ What are some art, design, and programming restrictions associated with developing games for desktop computing? ■ How are games designed for the broad range of custom Windows devices on the market? ■ How can GameSalad Creator be used to create and publish games for Windows? ■ How will Windows game development continue to evolve in the future?

A Game Machine in Every Home DONKEY.GB Source Piga Software. Colossal Cave Adventure Source Will Crowther.

A Game Machine in Every Home Quake II Source id Software. Image courtesy of Jeannie Novak. Myst Source Games Press.

OS Wars Windows desktop Source Microsoft Corporation.

Graphic Considerations ■ Raster vs. Vector Graphics ■ Importing Art Assets ■ Memory Issues ■ Workflow ■ Setting Up an Animated Sprite ■ Layers ■ Adding Behaviors ■ Animated Characters

Graphic Considerations Raster vs. Vector Graphics vector graphics (above) & raster graphics (below) Image courtesy of Kimberly Unger.

Graphic Considerations Raster vs. Vector Graphics The thin white border in this image represents the edge of the visible area. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Raster vs. Vector Graphics Windows Creator offers several size options for new projects. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Setting Up an Animated Sprite Behaviors, Attributes, and Functions are all customizable elements. Image courtesy of Kimberly Unger. Windows Creator will play the frames in the sequence provided. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Setting Up an Animated Sprite Bumps Image courtesy of Utopian Games.

Graphic Considerations Layers Raptor Storm Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Blocks Blocks allow Behaviors to be grouped— ensuring that they all act in the correct order. Image courtesy of Kimberly Unger. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Blocks Sets of instructions can be grouped within a Behavior, allowing the developer to tailor them to specific actions or responses within the game. Image courtesy of Kimberly Unger. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Conditions Conditions help the developer tell the game what needs to happen before it can execute a Behavior. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Persistent Persistent Behaviors are often used for setting game rules and conditions. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Actions Actions are all about “doing” things: growing bigger, moving sideways, exploding, making noise—you name it. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Adding Behaviors Custom Custom behaviors allow you to store the kinds of behaviors you use most often, with your own tweaks already included. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Animated Characters Behaviors are built to be nested inside one another, allowing the designer the freedom to create multiple scenarios within a single Rule. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Graphic Considerations Animated Characters Once all the Behaviors have been included, adding an Actor to the Scene is as simple as clicking and dragging it to the game space. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Scene Characteristics Selecting the correct tab under Attributes allows the developer to access and modify any local Attributes (such as gravity) within a Scene. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Tags & Types An Actor has a basic set of characteristics that can be modified as needed—such as changing the associated art image or denoting whether or not the object is moveable. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Testing as You Go Selecting the green, right-facing arrow will access a test screen where any elements added to the game may be played through. Image courtesy of Kimberly Unger. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Publishing to Windows Uploading your game to the GameSalad servers allows you build a binary for all platforms from a single original file. Image courtesy of GameSalad®.

Summary ■A Game Machine in Every Home ■OS Wars ■Graphic Considerations ■Scene Characteristics ■Tags & Types ■Particle Effects ■Testing as You Go ■Publishing to Windows ■Fate of Windows Development