<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s an example of a Platformer coded with Tynker, where you’re a leprechaun who can’t stop running, collecting shamrocks, and pots o’ gold. The game reports your final score when you fall.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720095908\/leprechaun1.gif\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHere’s another platformer game, where you collect coins and defeat bad guys. <\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720095928\/basic-rolo-demo.gif\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAll new Retro art! <\/strong> Keep reading to see how you can use the cute new actors in the Fantasy <\/strong>theme. <\/p>\n\n\n Let’s see how to do it by yourself. You can design your own platformer game in Tynker, using two cool tools. #1<\/strong> The Level Editor<\/strong> lets you drag-and-drop game elements visually and create fun levels super fast. Here\u2019s what it looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n #2 <\/strong>The Platformer Blocks <\/strong>help you code platformer actors. For example, these three scripts are everything you need for a player-controlled character that can move left-and-right. Many of the props and characters in the video game Level Editor come with prebuilt code, which you can customize as needed to Level Editor the game.<\/p>\n\n\n Alright, imagine you’re playing with building blocks to create your own fun world. A level editor in games is like a special tool that lets game creators or players build their own exciting game levels. With this tool, you can place characters, objects, and other things in the game world, just like you do with your building blocks. You get to decide how the game looks and how challenging it is. It’s like making your own special adventure for others to play and enjoy. And guess what? Some games even let you use the level editor to make your own unique levels and share them with your friends! It’s like being a game designer and letting your imagination run wild!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine you are playing a game where you control a cute character that can jump and run around. The game has different levels, and each level is like a different adventure. Now, a level editor is like a magic tool that lets you create your own levels for the game. You can use special blocks that act like floors and platforms where your character can walk and jump on. It’s like you’re the boss of the game world, and you get to decide how the levels look and where everything goes. You can make it easy or super tricky \u2013 it’s all up to you! It’s a bit like playing with building blocks, but instead of physical blocks, you use virtual ones to create your unique game adventures. You can share your awesome levels with your friends so they can play them too! How cool is that? With the video game level editor, you become a game designer and create fun challenges for everyone to enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To follow along, login at tynker.com<\/strong> or start the App. Create a new project, then choose Platformer Project<\/strong>. An empty Tynker project will appear. To access the Level Editor<\/strong>, which has drag-and-drop tools for placing game elements, click the Stage <\/strong>button at the top of Tynker Workshop: <\/p>\n\n\n After you click the Stage <\/strong>button, the Level Editor will appear. <\/p>\n\n\n \u2776 Choose a Tool from these choices on the left. \u2777 Then see your tool’s Options below. For example, all the possible Tiles are shown at bottom currently. \u2778 Draw your level here. Draw tiles, place actors, and more. \u2779 Return to the Code View by clicking here\u2014you’ll exit the Level Editor View. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you like this retro art style, change the theme to Fantasy <\/strong>and you’ll see new Heroes and Awards in a cool new style to match. <\/p>\n\n\n Like the classic look instead? You can stick with Default.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n The Tile tools help you draw platforms your characters can stand on\u2014and walls your actors can’t walk through. You have three tools at the top to help with Tiles. Let’s look at each one. <\/p>\n\n\n Move. \u2196 <\/strong>Click and drag to reposition the screen, so you can build your level in whatever direction you wish. This tool also lets you move, scale, and rotate actors and collectibles. When you click on an actor with this tool in the Level Editor, new buttons appear. Using them, you can Change Costumes<\/strong>, Delete the Actor<\/strong>, or See Actor’s Code<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n The handles on the corners let you change the actor’s size. The handle on top lets you rotate an actor (some actors can’t rotate freely, but can only face left or right). <\/p>\n\n\n Paint. \ud83d\udd8c\ufe0f <\/strong>This tool draws copies of whatever tile you\u2019ve selected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can paint with Tiles one at a time (1x<\/strong>)\u2014or choose 3x <\/strong>or 5x <\/strong>to place them in bigger sections. Choose the tile to paint with from the options at bottom\u2014you can also scroll to the right to see more options.<\/p>\n\n\n Erase. <\/strong>This will remove tiles from your project. Here\u2019s a detailed look at the other Tools you can use in the Level Editor, which can let you create a working game prototype quickly. Backgrounds<\/strong>. This artwork doesn\u2019t affect how your level plays\u2014like the name suggests, it\u2019s only shown in the background. Click one and swap it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heroes<\/strong> are playable, rigged characters you can control. They’re also called Good Guys. You usually only want one Hero for each level of your platformer. Heroes come with default movement controls, which you can customize on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Villains<\/strong> are the Bad Guys. They\u2019ll interact with the Good Guys\u2014Bad Guys attack Good Guys when they appear on stage together. Bad Guys can be defeated by the Good Guys\u2019 attack moves. Look inside their code to change their attacks, Health, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Awards <\/strong>are Collectible items you can place on your level, which can be picked up by Heroes. The prebuilt collectibles are: Heart <\/strong>(adds Health), Coin <\/strong>(adds Points), and Star <\/strong>(gives Invincibility).<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Interface <\/strong>elements are progress bars and scoreboards for the player\u2019s Health <\/strong>and Points. <\/strong>Look inside the Actor’s code to customize them and keep track of your own custom variables on-screen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Props<\/strong>are background actors that aren’t collectible by default. You’ll need to add their code yourself! Look at Awards <\/strong>to get an idea of how they might be turned into collectibles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n The Media Library <\/strong>lets you add other game elements, props, and actors. Just be warned, you’ll need to code these actors yourself\u2014just like props, they won’t come with prebuilt code like the other Platformer elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t already, place a single Hero in your level from the Level Editor view. Pick a Hero and place them somewhere on your level\u2014pick a flat place where they can walk around. Add some tiles under their feet if you need to. Switch back to the Code View<\/strong> of Tynker. Look at your Hero\u2019s code to get a sense of the controls you can use: <\/p>\n\n\n Try playing the project (press Play<\/strong>) and practice with some of the moves you saw in the code: Stop your project and switch back into the Level Editor view. Choose the Villains, then drag one into your project. Then press Play <\/strong>again and see if you can defeat it. Make sure to check out the enemy\u2019s code in Code View. <\/p>\n\n\n Do you want to add more than one level to your game? You can modify your games with Level Editor, here\u2019s how. Click on the \u201cfolded map\u201d icon near the top of the Level Editor. It will have your current level\u2019s name. Click (+) Add New Level<\/strong> to add new levels. You can rename your levels here, too!<\/p>\n\n\n Here\u2019s a very simple script for a collectible powerup that advances the player to Level 2. <\/p>\n\n\n BTW:<\/strong> By default, new levels will start blank. That means you’ll need a hero, background, tiles, actors, and anything else you\u2019d like to add! This also means that each new level can have totally different controls and characters!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To start, the Platformer World is 50 x 50 tiles <\/strong>wide. Want to make something bigger? Or wider? Or taller? Or tiny? Tweak the size by editing the Stage\u2019s World <\/strong>property. Click on the icon that looks like a background with a gear. <\/strong> Then change the World Size <\/strong>attributes height <\/strong>and width<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n You can change World Size depending on the style of game you want to create. Does your game scroll to the side, left-to-right? Try making it 25 x 100 tiles. Or is it a game where the player has to climb\u2014like mountaineering or scaling the ramparts of a castle tower? Or is your hero going down<\/em><\/strong>, venturing into the depths of an abandoned mine!? Make it tall and skinny, like 100 x 25 tiles! Change the World Size so it suits your vision of the game. You can also fine-tune your player’s Stage Size <\/strong>and how the Background image is formatted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you\u2019ve played around a little bit with the Level Editor, think harder about what kind of games you want to create. Is it an action game<\/em><\/strong>, where the player is always blasting baddies and picking up new weapons? Or something in an adventure game <\/em><\/strong>style, where the player discovers a story by picking up items, solving puzzles, and listening to characters talk? Or is it all about challenging jumps and avoiding tricky traps, a true platformer<\/em><\/strong>? A little bit of everything? Or something else entirely?! It\u2019s all up to your imagination. Make something cool? Share your platformer with us at community@tynker.com<\/a> Looking for more coding activities? Check out the Course Catalog<\/strong><\/a>. And read more of our Tynker Toolbox <\/strong>articles, too! Tynker Toolbox: The Level Editor & Platformer Blocks Have you ever played a Platformer game? It\u2019s a game where the player has to jump around to advance, like Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Canabalt, or Geometry Dash. Here’s an example of a Platformer coded with Tynker, where you’re a leprechaun who can’t stop running, collecting shamrocks, and pots o’ gold. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":21719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[510,12,123],"tags":[429],"class_list":["post-21668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-block-coding","category-ideas-and-tips","category-new-tynker-features","tag-tynker-toolbox"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100213\/retro.gif\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMake Your Own!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101620\/level-editor-painting-UPDATE-resample1.gif\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100336\/good-guy-combined.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is a Level Editor in Games?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are Platformer Blocks in the Level Editor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Get Started with the Platformer Blocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100358\/code-stage.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100842\/main-annotated-1024x700.png\")
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nSwap Themes <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100916\/pink-gal.gif\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100924\/themes.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMove, Paint, and Delete Tiles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720100941\/move.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101001\/actor-selected.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101020\/1x3x5x.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101041\/erase.png\")
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BTW.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>Yes, there IS a minimap! <\/strong>When you move around your level (for example, using the Move tool or scrolling with the mouse), you\u2019ll see a minimap <\/em><\/strong>appear on the right, which gives you a view of your complete level. The bounding box shows what\u2019s currently on screen, but the map displays your complete level as a thumbnail image.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101056\/minimap.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLevel Editor Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101110\/bg.png\")
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<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101117\/hero.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101122\/villain.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101138\/award.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101148\/interface.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101157\/props.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101203\/media-lib.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPlay Your Hero<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101220\/code-stage-CODE.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Add Enemies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101234\/codey-baddie.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAdd Levels<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101246\/folded-map.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101318\/level-adder.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101326\/level-advance-code.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nYou Can Change The World Size!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101357\/background-settings.png\")
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200720101427\/stage-edits-860x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Do You Want to Create? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nMore Activities? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"