Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
This classic video game story lends itself well to the 8-bit graphics style, which can be found
in games such as the original
Super Mario Brothers
on the NES. The mock-up in Figure
9-1
shows the final game graphics for all the elements of our game. Bob, coins, flying squirrels, and
pulverized platforms are, of course, animated. We'll also use music and sound effects that fit our
visual style.
Defining Screens and Transitions
We are now able to define our screens and transitions. Following the same formula we used in
Mr. Nom, we'll include the following elements:
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A main screen with a logo; PLAY, HIGHSCORES, and HELP menu items;
and a button to disable and enable sound.
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A game screen that asks the player to get ready and handles running,
paused, game-over, and next-level states gracefully. The only new addition
to what we used in Mr. Nom will be the next-level state of the screen, which
will be triggered once Bob hits the castle. In that case, a new level will be
generated, and Bob will start at the bottom of the world again, keeping his
score.
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A high-scores screen that shows the top five scores the player has achieved
so far.
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Help screens that present the game mechanics and goals to the player. We'll
be sneaky and leave out a description of how to control the player. Kids
these days should be able to handle the complexity we faced back in the
'80s and early '90s, when games didn't provide any instructions.
That is more or less the same setup as in Mr. Nom. Figure
9-2
shows all screens and transitions.
Note that we don't have any buttons on the game screen or its subscreens, except for the pause
button. Users will intuitively touch the screen when asked if they are ready.
