Calling Sheriff Brody

Meet Kyle C.! He’s working with instructor Logan as part of Game-U’s New Jersey Accelerate program. Kyle’s interested in several different projects, but the one that occupied his and Logan’s attention the most recently is the shark-evading scuba game Kyle built in GameMaker Studio.

GameMaker Studio gives developers like Kyle the tools to build two-dimensional, room-based adventures using a combination of sprites, backgrounds, and code. Kyle began with an animated scuba-diving player sprite, to which – when complete – he added movement controls. Sprites animate using a series of graduated images meant to convey movement when cycled through quickly. The movement controls Kyle coded respond to event triggers, like key presses or mouse clicks, and execute related instructions that direct the player’s sprite sequence as well as position. For example, if Kyle depresses the W key, the computer runs the “swim” sequence and increments the player’s position in a forward direction. To give his player a scuba-ready environment, Kyle added a seascape background to the main room of his game. Later, he layered a sand bar (for the ocean bottom) and a treasure chest (the goal!) onto the background to make the environment even more game-ready. Finally, Kyle added the shark, who follows the player wherever he goes and will “eat” the player if the two come into contact. (Treasure hunters never go unopposed!) More code controls the shark’s movement as the computer tracks the player’s current position relative to the shark’s. When the player changes direction, so does the shark. Watch the video to see Kyle’s design in action!

This is a cool game you’ve got in the works, Kyle! (Very Jaws.) Not only do you have great ideas, you have the skills to see them through. Be sure to keep in touch so we can follow your career as a game designer!