Programming platformer games in Torque Game Builder

The following is the plan for a set of tutorials I would like to develop to try and assist TGB users in not only getting a feel for the TGB tool set, but to also provide an easier learning curve in creating games (specifically platform games) in TGB. The main part of the tutorial set has been split into small, logical sections, with the idea that these should be followed sequentially as they specifically build on the previous section. Each tutorial section contains a narrated video, a "cheat sheet", and a code snapshot of the beginning and end of the tutorial. The following is the 10 part topic list for the main "stream" of the tutorials:

Core Tutorial 1 -- Setup and Ground Work

1) Grabbing TGB and starting up a new project
2) Moving your resources into the project folder
3) Loading up the art datablocks into the TGB managed datablocks section
4) Setting up the overall scene
5) Creating basic platform brushes and setting their values
6) Creating background and "feature" brushes to spruce up the level
7) Drawing out the level in the level builder
8) Running the game to display our level

Core Tutorial 2 -- Player Object

1) Loading the player datablocks and creating the animation sequences for them
2) Create the player within the scene as an animated sprite
3) Creating an ActionMap to capture the player's movement
4) Implementing the basic physic's and properties of the player and the level
5) Collisions testing and updating the player
6) Testing the movement within the game
7) Linking the players movement with the animations
8) Linking the players jumping with the animations
9) Testing the animations within the game

Core Tutorial 3 -- Camera System

1) Create the camera object that holds our camera functions
2) Create the "track player" method that keeps the player in the center of the screen
3) Create the update camera method that keeps track of the camera
4) Test the tacking of the player by moving around the level
5) Plan out the buffer tracking of the player
6) Create the buffer area method for the camera
7) Modify the update camera method to include buffer tracking
8) Test the buffer tracking within the game

Core Tutorial 4 -- Basic Enemies

1) Loading the enemy datablocks and creating the animation sequences
2) Create the first simple "dumb" enemy within the scene as an animated sprite
3) Adding the custom information about the enemy sprite
4) Creating the "AI" method that determines what the enemy is doing at any one time
5) Create the update enemy function that keeps track of the enemies
6) Test to see if the enemy performs as required within the level
7) Create a simple chase enemy within the scene as an animated sprite
8) Add the custom information about the enemy sprite
9) Modify the update enemy function to handle chase enemies
10) Test to see if the enemy performs in game

Core Tutorial 5 -- Scoring

1) Creating the variables for scoring system
2) Test for collisions between the player and enemies
3) Update the score fields if the player killed the enemy
4) Updating the lives field if the enemy killed the player
5) Killing the enemy and removing them
6) Killing the player
7) Ending the game when the player runs out of lives
8) Testing the scoring system within the game
9) Setting up checkpoints within the level
10) Changing the player to respawn at the check point
11) Testing the game

Core Tutorial 6 -- GUI's, In Game HUD

1) Creating a font for use with the in game HUD
2) Loading the font resource into the game
3) Creating the HUD window and mounting it to the camera
4) Creating the score and lives area's to keep track of the players variables
5) Displaying the players score and lives
6) Creating an update method to track when a variable changes
7) Animating the updates of the HUD
8) Testing the HUD within the game

Core Tutorial 7 -- Level Progression

To be planned

Core Tutorial 8 -- Sound and Music

To be planned

Core Tutorial 9 -- GUI's, Menu System and Configurations

To be planned

Core Tutorial 10 -- Saving, Pausing and Winning

To be planned


This core tutorial structure should then leave you with a fairly complete platformer game to build on. As you can see, the tutorial does follow fairly closely the structure of the original platformer tutorial, which I found fairly good. Hopefully with a narrated video I can explain the process well. In my mind, I am probably going to do this in a fairly informal, non-scripted way.

From a game design point of view, we are going for a standard, Mario-Esq style game where you basically run and jump on enemies with no real weapons / weapon firing. There will be no difference in speeds and other issues like that, however I my mention how you might add feature xyz as I go along. I will also, through the core tutorial, be using "placeholder" art in the form of the Sprite Library from Ari Feldman. It's a handy little art assets you can use for a lot of prototyping.

Finally there are a number of "Feature" mini tutorials I wouldn't mind doing at a later stage after the "core" ones are done. These tutorials would basically cover single features added to the core system, such as different camera modes, power ups, ladders etc. I would even encourage others to run these feature tutorials on their own, but this is getting way to far ahead !! The above will keep me busy for a little while. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome.