Platform Beginnings: An Idea with Legs - The Game Maker's Companion: Game Development - page 41

5. Include a Test Instance Count action ( control tab) to test when the number of
instances of obj_gold is equal to 0 . This means that the next action will only happen
when the last instance of obj_gold has been collected.
6. Include a Next Room action ( main1 tab) and select your preferred Transition .
You could now begin to create some interesting levels for your game, but many of the objects
in the resource list shouldn't actually be placed on the level, so let's tidy that up a bit first.

Creating a Resource Group for Private Objects
1. Right-click on the Objects folder in the resources menu and select Create Group . Call
the group Private , or something similar. This will contain all the objects that should
not be placed in a room using the Room Editor.
2. Drag the following objects into the new group folder: obj_pod_standing ,
obj_pod_walking , obj_pod_jumping , obj_pod_falling , obj_pod_dying , obj_rock_end ,
obj_rock_begin , obj_platform , obj_hazard , obj_lava_begin , and obj_lava_end .
3. You should now just be left with five objects outside of the new group folder:
obj_rock_middle , obj_pod , obj_pansy , obj_lava_middle , and obj_gold .
Now it's much easier to focus on the five relevant objects when creating your rooms. Have a
go at creating a few levels now. You can place obj_rock_middle and obj_lava_middle in lengths of
two or more and the ends will be added automatically. Consider the placement of lava carefully
as it will kill Fishpod when he collides with it from both above and below. Each level you create
should have one instance of obj_pod and at least one instance of obj_gold . Also include a final
room that has a congratulatory message spelled out using gold instances as a final reward.

Finishing Touches
Our final task will be to improve the presentation of the game by adding a few finishing touches
in the form of backgrounds and sound effects.

Adding the Finishing Touches
1. From the Resources menu, use the Create Sound option to create new sound

resources for the five sound effects in the Chapter02/Resources directory on the CD
(you can also create sounds by right-clicking on the Sounds folder in the resource tree,
or using the little speaker button on the toolbar). Give them the same names as their
filenames without the .wav or .mp3 extensions and leave other settings as they are.

Reopen obj_pod and add an Other, Game Start event. Include a Play Sound action
( main1 tab) for snd_thunder and set Loop to true .

2.

3. Now select the Collision event with obj_gold . At the start of the actions list, include a

Play Sound action ( main1 tab) for snd_gold and leave Loop as false .

Reopen obj_pod_walking (now in your new group folder) and select its Create event. At
the start or end of the actions list, include a Play Sound action for snd_walk and leave
Loop as false .

4.

Reopen obj_pod_jumping and select its Collision event with obj_platform . At the start
of the actions list, include a Play Sound action for snd_splash and leave Loop as false .

5.