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Tutorials/Scripts I've Posted (see all)
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Quest Journal
Posted 25 Jul 2010
Script Name: Quest Journal
Author: modern algebra
Version: 1.1
Number Of Scripts: 1
Description:
This script provides a graphical interface for viewing quest progress. It is an objective based quest log, meaning you can choose to reveal, conceal, complete, or fair any objective at any time. You can also specify which objectives need to be completed for the quest to be complete. It requires a fair amount of customization and designing the quests is entirely left up to you.
Features
* Customizable and every quest can be specified uniquely
* Accepts a large amount of quests, though I would suggest removing some periodically if you have more than 200 quests
* Relies on Script calls to set and advance objectives
* Built in access to the menu or you can set a key and call it from the map
Screenshots:

Instructions:
Before you begin, you must have the following script for this script to work.
Paragraph Formatter
Basically, set up all of your quests in the module below. The Constants section is annotated, so read the comments near them to determine what you should set these constants to. As you can see, they are filled in with default values currently, and so that should give you an idea of what to do.
Setting up quests can be a little bit harder. You will have to set one these up for every quest that you want represented in the scene. Refer to the editable region inside the class Quest for further instructions Once they are setup, you can activate them at any time in the game by this code:
$game_party.quests[quest_id]
There are several methods you can call that are of relevance. Namely: $game_party.quests[quest_id].reveal_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].conceal_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].complete_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].uncomplete_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].fail_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].unfail_objective (objective_id) $game_party.quests[quest_id].complete? $game_party.quests[quest_id].failed? $game_party.quests[quest_id].concealed (= true/false) $game_party.quests[quest_id].reward_given (= true/false) $game_party.quests[quest_id].remove (quest_id)
There are other methods that you can access, but they are irrelevant for the purposes of controlling quest progress. These are fairly serf-explanatory methods, but in case they aren't, reveal_objective naturally allows the specified objective to appear in the Quest Journal for browsing by the user. complete_objective notes when an objective is complete, and fail_objective notes when the player has done something that fails this objective. complete? returns true if all primary objectives have been completed and failed? returns true if any primary objective has been failed. reward_given serves the function of a switch. You should essentially make the reward event look like this:
@> Conditional Branch: Script: $game_party.quests[quest_id].complete? @> Conditional Branch: Script: $game_party.quests[quest_id].reward_given @> ...Thank you or whatever you want the event to say once the reward has been given @> Else @> ...Give Reward @> Script: $game_party.quests[quest_id].reward_given = true @> Branch End @> Branch End
later versions of this script will have an auto-reward system and also a Journal to which the player can write notes.
You can also disable access to the Quest log at any time with the code:
$game_system.quest_disabled = true
And you can change how it is accessed with the codes:
$game_system.quest_keyaccess = true / false # ON MAP $game_system.quest_menuaccess = true / false # IN MENU
Also, in a message, \nq
[quest_id] will retrieve the name of a quest and print it in a message.
You can also use the Quest Journal Config utility which makes adding/editing quests a lot easier. Click the link below to download it.
Quest Journal Config
Frequently Asked Questions:
N/A
Demo
Quest Journal Demo.rar (243.27K)
Number of downloads: 31
Script:
Spoiler -
Paragraph Formatter
Posted 25 Jul 2010
Script Name: Paragraph Formatter
Author: modern algebra
Version: 2.0
Number Of Scripts: 3 (1 required, 2 optional)
Description:
This is a scripting tool. It's purpose is to allow the user to input an unbroken string and have returned a paragraph which has the ends of each line in line with each other. It serves roughly the same function as does the justifying option in Microsoft Word. See the screenshots if you are still confused.
Features
* A nice, easy way to display long strings in a paragraph format
* Easy to add and modify at runtime, allowing for the switching between formatting classes for each situation
* You can write your own formatter or artist classes and use the paragraphing tool to suit your situation.
* Highly customizable.
Screenshots:

Instructions:
As a scripter's tool, it can be quite heavy for non-scripters to use. That is why I wrote a facade for common use of the tool. Naturally, you will still need some scripting knowledge, but the facade allows for this code:
bitmap.draw_paragraph (x, y, max_width, max_height, string)
Where bitmap is the bitmap you are drawing to. This can be self.contents in a window, or any instance of the bitmap class.
It can be used like this, if you want to draw the paragraph in a different way:
formatter = <formatter class you want to use> artist = <artist class you want to use> specifications = <max width, or bitmap> pg = Paragrapher.new (formatter, artist) text_bitmap = pg.paragraph (string, specifications) bitmap.blt (x, y, text_bitmap, Rect.new (0,0,text_bitmap.width, text_bitmap.height))
Basically, you choose your formatter and artist class at runtime. This means that if you want to use Paragraph::Formatter_2, because you are using a font with set width for all characters, then you would choose that here. Currently, there is only one Artist class, Paragraph::Artist, but of course you can make your own if it does not suit you. You can either specify a bitmap or a fixnum. The fixnum would just be the max width, and the paragrapher would create a bitmap which was at font_size 22, default font name, and it would space each line 32 pixels. With a bitmap, you specify max_width, max_height, font and font size, and anything else that has an effect. Naturally, bitmap in the code is the bitmap you are drawing the paragraph on. If you have any questions, just ask. Also, the text_size method of Bitmap does not, in fact, work properly. In a little while I will post a way to get around this problem as it can get in the way of drawing nice paragraphs.
Put the scripts above main and below the default scripts. For all additional Paragrapher classes, just add them in the Script Editor below the Paragraph Formatter in their own slots, but still above Main. For more pertinent instructions, see the header of the script.
Author's Notes
This script was inspired by Zeriab, and pretty much everything that is good about this script is due to Zeriab. Zeriab deserves more credit for this script then I do, rightly, but since the world isn't just...
Anyway, he deserves all my thanks for being an excellent teacher.
Frequently Asked Questions:
N/A
Scripts:
Paragraph Formatter -Required
Spoiler
Special Codes Formatter - Optional
Spoiler
Paragrapher::Formatter 2 - Optional
Spoiler -
Jump, Double Jump and Unlimited Jump
Posted 13 Jul 2010
IGM Conversion By: Kyle_Katarn
- Only works with the Jumping Action (Platformer) plugin.
- Retail version of AGM used, possible differences in trial version.
- This tutorial assumes you already know how to add animations.
Jumping is an essential part of any platformer game, its what makes a platformer unique and fun to play. IGM has a built in Jump function but in order to use it properly we have to set it up, just checking the Jump checkbox wont work. Before continuing on you will need to create the following animations for your character if you haven't already. The attached GPD file already has these created so feel free to use that while reading this tutorial.
- Walk
- Standby
- Jump
Alright lets move on, Under Jump Action click the Gadgets tab, make sure your on the Registering Actions tab. If you don't have a gadget yet for your playable character then click Create on the far right side, select the animation to use and click ok. Add a "Walk" and "Standby" Action Program. These are a must as you will need them to make your character move and stop. Now add a another Action Program called "Jump", below in "The Selected Movement Program's Settings" area, check the Jump checkbox. This will make it so the Action Program "Jump" can actually jump. By default Jump Speed is set to 100.00, if you want your character to jump higher you can increase it up to 200.00. If you want your character to have a small jump you can decrease it down to -100.00.
Alright, we've set up the "Jump" Action Program but we need a way to use it, I'm going to briefly explain how to "connect" Action Programs. You are able to connect a single Movement Program to any other Movement Programs you've created. Under "Condition and Key Commands for Switching Actions" you have a wide array of options to select. You can make it so your character does a back-flip when you press "X" or make your character throw a bomb when you press "Z".
Now Under "Standby" in Select an Action Program with "Walk" selected in Next Action Program. Under "Condition and Key Commands for Switching Actions" I used "Left/Right" for the Button and "Pressed" for Status, but you can use whatever you want. This means that when the Left or Right arrow key is pressed my character will preform the "Walk" Movement Program.
Under "Walk" in Select A Movement Program with "Standby" selected in Next Movement Program and under Movement Change Conditions and Input Options I used Left/Right for the Button and Release Moment for State, but you can use whatever you want. This means that once the Left or Right key is released my character will preform the "Standby" Movement Program.
*For the above I selected "Branch If All Conditions Are Met".
Alright, we want to "connect" the "Walk" Movement Program to "Jump". Select "Walk" in Select A Movement Program and inn Next Movement Program select "Jump". For the Input Operation I selected Up for the Button and When Pressed for the State.
Now we want to connect "Standby" with "Jump". Select "Standby" in Choosing an Action Program and inn Next Action Program select "Jump". For the Input Operation I selected "Up" for the Button and "Upon Pressing" for the Status.
Now select "Jump" in Choosing an Action Program. In Next Action Program select "Standby" and check the "There is a wall underfoot" checkbox. This means that the Action Program will only occur if the character is standing on a platform. You can designate platforms in the Tile tab. Basiclly any tile that a character can stand on is a platform.
Congrats! Now your character should be able to jump in your game!
You can stop here if you want, but if you want to learn how to make your character double jump then keep reading.
So we need to create an Action Program for "Double Jump". You can use your Jump animation or if you want to create a special one for double jumping then go ahead. Next to Action Programs select the plus sign, a new blank Movement Program will be added. Rename it to Double Jump and under Action to be Assigned select your Jump animation and have it face right.Make sure to check the Jump checkbox under Movement. Select "Double Jump" in Choosing an Action Program and In Next Action Program select "Standby" and check the "There is a wall underfoot" checkbox.
Now select "Jump" in Choosing an Action Program. In Next Action Program select "Double Jump" and for the Key Commands select Up for the Button and Upon Pressing for the Status.
Simple! Your character can now double jump by pressing the up button twice!
Now lets show you how to make your character have an unlimited jumping ability, by unlimited I mean every time they press the up button the character will jump. You wont need to add the "Double Jump" Action program so you can delete it if you want unlimited jumping. All we need to do is change one command, under the "Walk" and "Standby" Movement programs under the Input Operation change the state from Upon Pressing to Pressed.
Now your character has the ability to keep jumping as long as the up button is pressed!
Additional Notes
- Change the Jump Speed on "Jump" and "Double Jump" to change how high your character can jump.
- By repeating the Double Jump steps you can make your character triple jump, quad jump or jump how many times you want.
Questions/Answers
Q: My character remains in his jump pose when hes on a platform!
A: Make sure you checked the Is Standing On A Platform checkbox under "Standby" in the "Jump" Action Program.
Q: I hit my jump key and nothing happens!
A: Make sure you've connected the jump Action Program with your "Standby" and "Walk" Action Programs. Also check and make sure you've selected the right key, trying using up for testing.
Jump Tutorial GPD:
Jump_Tutorial.rar (3.23MB)
Number of downloads: 24 - Only works with the Jumping Action (Platformer) plugin.
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Understanding and Using the Canvas
Posted 12 Jul 2010
IGM Conversion by: Kyle_Katarn
Version: 1.00
- If using with the trial version some functions described below may not be available.
- This tutorial is 4 pages long, make sure to click the next page button at the bottom to continue.
What Is A Canvas?
The Canvas is indie Game Maker's equivalent to what RPG Maker defines as a map. You use a canvas to design your level, stage or area depending on what type of game you’re making. For this tutorial I will be making a Jumping Action (Platformer) game. I also did not select any pre-made templates. I recommend you do the same to follow this tutorial. When creating your game select "Jumping Action (New Project)", this will create a blank game with no resources.
The first thing we want to do is define our tile size, this is a global setting per plugin meaning you can define different tile sizes per plugin if your games uses more than one plugin. Click the Jumping Action tab then Per Plugin Settings. For now all were going to change is our Basic Tile Size, I find the Super Mario Bros tileset (More info on this below) works best as an 8x8. You can set it to a higher number but you might have to make edits to the image for it to work correctly when setting the grid up.
IMPORTANT! Always make sure to set your Basic Tile Size right when you start creating your game, attempting to change this later on will mess up every single one of your canvasses.
Click the Jump Action tab then select the Tiles tab. We’re going to be adding a new tileset with the image we imported.
For this tutorial we will be using one of Liana's Super Mario Bros rip, the one labeled "SuperMarioBros116bit.png". You can get it from the attachment below.

On the right-hand menu select Create, a new blank tile will be added, IGM auto-generates the name but we can easily change it by double-clicking it if it’s not selected or just clicking on it if it's selected. Let’s change the name to Super Mario Bros. Alright now we need to select an image to use for our tileset, on the far right side under "Collision Detection and Type Settings" there's a drop down. If you've previously added an image you can select it from the drop down box, if not click Create to add an image. Select SuperMarioBros116bit.png and it will be imported in to IGM; IGM will also split up the image based on our selected Basic Tile Size. This will allow you to see if your image needs to be adjusted for the Basic Tile Size you’re using. If you do need to edit your image here's how you change it, click the Material tab then the Graphics tab. A list of every image used in your game is shown. Select the image you’re using for your tileset, if you lost the original image in the bottom right-hand corner click Save to see it. Select the 3 dots, "..." and select your re-edited image. Once you've imported it click the Update button, this will update the previous saved image with the new one.
Alright back on the Tiles tab we should see our Super Mario Bro's tileset in the middle with its generated gird lines. Now we can't just go off and use our tileset, we need to set at least the walls up. Walls are Indie Game Makers version of Passibility from RPG Maker; we use the Wall Settings to define where a "wall" is. This must be done for each tile you plan to use; a tile is each little square you see. While this would take a long time to do one by one we can do as many as we want at once! If you wish to do multiple tiles at once simply hold down the left or right mouse button, whichever one you prefer and drag it until all the tiles you want are selected.
However before we begin let’s make it so we can actually see our tileset.

At the very bottom of the screen there's a set for 4 buttons, Zoom, Zoom In, Zoom Out and Wall Judgement.
Zoom - Allows you to select a certain zoom percentage which are 25%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 400%, 800% and Auto. Auto will select the best zoom percentage for your resolution.
Zoom In - Allows you to zoom in on your image.
Zoom Out - Allows you to zoom out on your image.
Wall Settings - Will display the walls for each tile.
Now let’s go back to setting up the wall settings.
As I stated before, you have to set the wall settings up for each tile, we can either do this tile by tile or select a group of tiles by dragging our mouse from one tile to another while holding down either the left or right mouse button. First however click the "Wall Settings" button, so we can see the walls.

As you can see in the image I've selected the top part of one of the hills. The red box will create a square/rectangle around the selected tiles so you know what tiles you’re working with. Now let’s set the wall settings up. We want to make it so our character can walk on those tiles, would be kind of silly to watch our character fall through it over and over again. So what we need to do is add a wall to the top part. Under Wall Settings we have 4 arrows pointing inward into a square, if you’re only adding walls for one tile the tile image is shown, for multiple tiles its left blank. We also can select All walls which will make all four sides a wall. Likewise we can select no walls to remove any previously set up walls. Don’t worry about the Change Health during Contact box; we'll get to that later. Now before I go on I'm going to try and explain walls as simple as I can.

Let’s say we have a box as represented in the image above, the box has no walls, just an outline where a wall could be. That means anything could pass through any of the four walls. Now let’s add a wall to the top of the box.

Now our box has a wall at the top meaning if anything attempts to pass through at the top it will get stopped by our wall. If we wanted nothing to get by on the sides we would add a wall on the sides as well.
When adding walls think of it like the box scenario above. If we add a wall at the top our character will be able to stand on the tile. If we add a wall on the left side our character will bump into the tile when attempting to go through with it, same if we add a wall on the right side. If we add a wall on the bottom our character will either hit the wall when jumping off if our character jumps high enough pass above and be on top of the tile.Now back to adding walls to our selected tiles. Let’s add the top wall so our character can walk on it.

As you can see a red rectangle is at the top on our selected tiles meaning we have a wall there. Now let’s add a wall to the sides.

Now our selected tiles have walls on the top and on both sides. Keep messing around with the wall settings until you get the hang of it.
Remember, when setting up the wall judgement keep your character's size in mind. If your character's 2 tiles wide spaces between platforms should be 3 tiles or more. Why 3 you ask? Let me show you.
*This tutorial does not cover adding animations

As you can see my character is 4 tiles wide meaning there needs to be 5 or more tile spaces between platforms if I want him to fall if he misses the next one or jumps to soon..Etc.

The above image illustrates my point. The left is from my sample game. My character seems to be floating in the air, on the right is from the canvas setup with grid lines on. My character doesn’t fall through the space because he’s touching the top wall on the left platform and the left wall on the right platform. Refer back a couple images to see the wall setup. So how do we fix this? Easy, we change the wall judgement to suite our needs.
Go back to the Tile tab and select the ends of our tile.

Then select No Walls to remove all 4 walls, do this for both ends, you should be changing 4 tile's wall judgement. It should now look like this.

Now you’re thinking, "Now my character can't stand on the edge of the platform!” That’s where you’re wrong

As you can see my character is standing on the edge of the platform on the right. I then moved a little bit and my character fell off. Depending on your character's size you might have to make additional changes or smaller changes.
(Editors note: This tile wall removal is unnecessary to get the character to fit through a hole, it can be fixed using the animation's Collision Detection boxes. This is explained in further detail in the up and coming "Properly setting up Collision Boxes." Tutorial)

Alright, time to explain the rest of the tile settings. Refer to the above picture for the following. Since I've already explained the part about walls I'm going to skip explain it below. \
Walls Tab
Change health during contact - As the name says if you select this for a tile when the player touches the tile his HP will change. If you put a positive number it will increase, if you put a negative number it will decrease.
Changing Conditions
Change upon contact - If checked, when the player touches the tile whatever you've selected under State After Change will happen. This combined with Wait Then Change is perfect for making platforms and other objects that disappear.
Change with a switch - If you designate a switch anything you've selected under State After Change will happen when that switch is set to ON. When the switch is set to OFF it will return to the normal state.
Change over time - Before performing whatever you've selected under State After Change it will wait X amount of seconds. Make sure the time you input is in seconds.
Post-Change Status
Change to selected tile - Allows you to select a new tile that it will change too.
SE Playback - Plays the selected sound effect.
Display a Gadget - Displays the selected gadget.
Flick a switch on/off - Turns the selected switch on/off.
Switch Memories - Changes the selected memory.
Change no. of Coins - Changes your coin amount.
Change the Score - Changes your score.
Auto Tile Tab
A small part from the help file, "Auto tiles are designed to help you with creating your canvas. For example connecting a wall and ground tile." While this may be its function it doesn’t do that. You can create as many autotiles as you want and each autotile has 13 tile slots you can use. I've never been able to get autotiles to work properly so I can't really explain how it works. If you can get it to work and can explain it PM and I'll add it to this tutorial.
With that were done with the Tile tab, it’s now time to create our Canvas!
Select the Canvas tab, on the right-hand menu select New, a new blank canvas will be created for us to use. Just like before, IGM auto-generates the name but we can easily change it by double-clicking it if it’s not selected or just clicking on it if it's selected. Let’s change the name to World 1-1 to keep with the Mario theme.Now our canvas is created but its blank! We need to select the tileset to use with it. In the middle window at the very top there are 2 tabs, Layout (which were currently on) and Per Canvas Settings, click Per Canvas Settings. Now were presented with a bunch of options we can change and customize for our canvas.

Canvas Size (in No. of Screens)
No. of screens horizontally - Select the width of your canvas.
No. of screens vertically - Select the height of your canvas.
On the right side it will show you the Tile Size and Pixel Size. The Pixel Size is how big the canvas is.
Wallpaper & Background Settings
Please note, if using wallpaper for your background you cannot have anything on layer 4 as layer 4 is the layer used for your wallpaper.Additionally, using any tile as a background will cover up the wallpaper.(Editors note: As explained in the "Better understanding layers and the canvas" tutorial, this is not the case, as layer 4 and the wallpaper layer are two separate layers.)
Background Color - You can select a background color to use.
Wallpaper- Select an image to use for the background, you can also click Create to upload a new image to use.
Placement Method
Center - Will center your background image.
Expand - Will zoom in on your image until it covers the entire canvas.
Tiles - Will keep the size dimensions but cover the background with your image.
Keep proportions when enlarging - Will enlarge the image but keeping the ratio.
Moving a Wallpaper
Speed - Select how fast the image will move
Angle - Select the direction the image will move
The menus to be Displayed on this canvas - Select the menu you want to use on that canvas. It’s recommended you select a main menu if you have one.
The Tile to be used with this Canvas - Select the tileset to use for the canvas.
Per Layer Settings
Layer 1-4 - You can name each layer a different name allowing you to better organize your canvas. You can also change the layer speed allowing you to have a layer moving faster then another one.
Now let’s switch back to the Layout tab. On our far right we have a window labeled Layout Parts that has 3 different tabs, each tab represents a different thing we can add to our canvas. The Tiles tab allows us to add tile pieces, the Gadgets tab allows us to add gadgets and the Items tab allows us to add items. At the bottom were again presented with the ability to zoom in/out and view walls. At the very bottom we have another window labeled "Parts used on the Layout." Its used for keeping track of your Gadgets/Items, Cameras, Courses, and Links on your canvas.
To expand the bottom Layout Parts window all you need to do is click the up arrow in the right hand corner. Additionally, if you want to make the window bigger/smaller move your mouse right about Layout Parts and you will be able to change the window size. Expand Layout Parts so you can see it while I explain the 4 different tabs.
Gadget/Item Tab
Allows you to view and select any Gadget or Item on the canvas.

When you select a Gadget/Item you’re presented with the above information for the selected Gadget/Item.
Display Settings
Positioning - The location where the Gadget/Item is, if you want to move it I suggest you do it on the canvas. Its way easier and less time consuming.
Display Layer - The layer the Gadget/Item is on.
Gadget Settings
Designating the Starting Action Program - By checking this you can select a different animation to be displayed instead of the default one.
Luminance Adjustment - Allows you to change the color of the gadget, use the sliders to select the different colors for each section.
I hope it’s obvious that the Gadget Adjustment section is only for Gadgets...
Designating a Course
Courses - You can select a pre-defined course for the Gadget/Item to follow. Setting the path for a moving platform is a good example.
Starting Points - Allows you to select the point for your course.
Cameras Tab

Display Settings
Positioning - The location where the camera is, if you want to move it I suggest you do it on the canvas. Its way easier and less time consuming.
Display Layer - The layer the camera is on.
Designating a Course
Courses - You can select a pre-defined course for the camera to follow. Good for creating shooting games.
Starting Points - Allows you to select the point for your course.
The Camera's Tracking Target
Gadget - Allows you to have the camera follow a gadget.
Effective Range (Full-Screen Rectangle Selection)
Positioning - Allows you to define where the camera is.
Size - Allows you to change how big/small the cameras view is. The cameras view is the view the player will see when playing the game.
Courses Tab

Display Settings
Positioning - The location where the course is, if you want to move it I suggest you do it on the canvas. Its way easier and less time consuming.
Course Types and Colours
You can select the course color; the course color won’t show up in the game. It’s used to keep your courses organized if you use a lot.
Linear - Creates a straight path.
Curved - Creates a curved path.
Circular - Create a circular path.
Circular Course Settings (Only available if you selected the circle option above)
Radius - You can define the circles radius.
No. of breaks (angled) - Will create additional points in your circle.
Starting Angle - Define the starting angle. You can use the wheel to get an idea of where it will start.
Ending Angle - Define the ending angle. You can use the wheel to get an idea of where it will end.
Counterclockwise - Allows you to create a course that goes reverse.
Loop Settings
Join ending and Starting Points - Will connect the starting and ending points.
U-Turn from ending point - When the course has reached the end it will repeat the course but in reverse.
No. of Loops - You can select how many times you want the course to loop.
Infinite Looping - Checking this box will make the loop loop forever.
Memory Settings
Memories to be changed at Points - Allows you to select the memory to change at that point.
Setting Points
Here you can add additional points to your course. A point is displayed on the canvas as a circular object.
Time To Next Point - Allows you to define how long it takes to get from 1 point to another. The units are seconds so make sure your number is in seconds.
Offset - How far away it is from the points on its left and right.
Memory Value Increments - Allows you to select the time the memory will change if you've set it up to have the course change a memory.
Links (For Confirmation) Tab
This section only shows links that link to another canvas. It will not show links that are used to take the player from one spot to another on the same canvas. You cannot create or edit the links here, only view them. To create and edit them click the Link tab at the very top.
*Any link used on the canvas to take the player from one spot to another on the same canvas will be displayed on the canvas itself.
*When adding a Gadget, Item, Text, Camera or Course to your canvas the object properties window will appear. This is the same information as explained above.
*For information about using layers on your canvas read my "Basic Understanding of Layers" tutorial.
That’s it! You’re ready to start creating your own canvas! I've attached an example .GPD file with a makeshift canvas that you can use to mess around with what I explained above. It will only work on the retail version of Indie Game Maker.
If I've missed anything or something’s not clear enough let me know so I can make the needed changes. Also feedback is greatly appreciated! I do these tutorials for you guys and knowing they actually help encourages me to write more.
.GPD File
Understanding_and_Using_the_Canvas___Tutorial_Demo.rar (3.24MB)
Number of downloads: 22 - If using with the trial version some functions described below may not be available.
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Creating Animations and Gadgets
Posted 10 Jul 2010
Written by: Elemental Crisis
IGM Conversion By: Kyle_Katarn
*Retail version required.
This tutorial will teach you how to create characters for your game. A character can be anything from the actual playable character to enemies to non-playable characters. In this tutorial I will cover the following things.
- Adding an Animation
- Animation Configuration
- Creating A Gadget
- Gadget Configuration
Whats a Gadget?
Gadgets are equivalent to events in the RPG Maker series. They allow you to create an enemy that attacks you, a door that links you to another canvas or an item that gives you the ultra sword. They can do whatever you set them up to do.
Lets get started...
First we need an animation set to use, for this tutorial I'm going to use the 8Bit Bomberman character set I converted for use with IGM. You can use any IGM related graphic you want but if you liked to follow along click the link below to get the character set I'm using.
http://rpgcrisis.net...omberman-8-bit/
Alright, open up Indie Game Maker and either select New Game or Continue. For this tutorial I've selected New Game, for the game's genre I've selected Action RPG (New Game) so that none of the pre-made resources would be included. If you want to use some of the pre-made resources in your game just select one of the "Simple" genres.
Note, you can select any genre you would like, I selected the Action RPG one because the Bomberman character set fits it best.
Adding Animations
There are 2 different ways to add an animation set into Indie Game Maker.
Option #1
Select the Material tab located at the very top, once there select the Image tab located below. On the left hand side select "Create", a window should open prompting you to select the image you wish to import. Select your animation set and once done click open to have it imported into your project. Your image will be added and the name will be taken from the file name. Your image is displayed on the far right under Preview and you now have some settings you can change.
Source File Name
Update Button - If you make changes to your image and want to add the new image into IGM, click this button and the image will be updated. You have to select it first using the "..." button.
"..." Button - Use this button to select the updated image. Once done click the "Update" button to have the new image loaded into IGM.
Source File Data
Width - The image's width.
Height - The images height.
Color Depth - Color Depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in the image.
Defaults
Split Graphic (Horizontal) - Number of grid lines that go vertically.
Split Graphic (Vertical) - Number of grid lines that go horizontally.
Uses
Select the items you want to use the image for. You can select all of them or just certain ones.
Option #2
Select the plugin tab, its labeled either Action RPG, Jump Action or Shooter then select the Animations tab. On the right-hand side click "Create" to add a new animation set, then on the far right side select the "Per Action Settings" tab and under Graphic Data click the Create button. You could also click the arrow on the drop down box to select an image. When you've selected your image click open to have it imported and assigned to the animation set.
Animation Configuration
Make your way towards the plugin tab (labeled either Action RPG, Jump Action or Shooter) and select the Animations tab.
For those of you that went with option #2 above the following will be a repeat. Just skip down to the "Just to add a little more..." part.
On the right-hand side click Create to add a new animation set, then on the far right side select the Per Action Settings tab and under Graphic Data click the arrow on the drop down box to select the image you added earlier.
Just to go into a little more detail when you add a new animation set it creates 1 action, the display directions and an In-direction frame list. Each additional action setting you add create the same display directions and single frame per display direction.
As you've noticed in the Selected Animation section our Action, Display Direction and In Direction Frame List all show a miniature version of the image were using for that action. Obviously we don't want the entire image being used just certain parts so lets fix that.
Click the Per Action Settings tab, we need to change the numbers for Split Graphic (Horizontal) and Split Graphic (Vertical) under image settings. This will change the gird lines which are used to create image sections in the image were using.
Every time you increase Split Graphic (Vertical) it will split the image vertically into X equal pieces. So If I were to increase the Split Graphic (Vertical) to 3 the image would be split vertically into 3 equal pieces.
Every time you increase Split Graphic (Horizontal) it will split the image horizontally into X equal pieces. So If I were to increase the Split Graphic (Horizontal) to 3 the image would be split horizontally into 3 equal pieces.
Here's a little trick I figured out to set the gird lines up perfectly. For Height you count how many vertical poses there are in on section. Using my example, the 8Bit Bomberman character set there are 8 poses going vertically, however the text at the bottom counts even though its not a pose so there's 9. For Width you count how many horizontal poses there are in on section. Using my example, the 8Bit Bomberman character set there are 9 poses going horizontally. This trick works almost every time. (Editors note: The image supplied in this tutorial is not the same as the one supplied in the original tutorial, but the same logic does apply.)
Alright! So far we've manged to import our animation, set up an animation set, and set the gird lines up for each pose! Before I start explaining how to add poses I want to explain the rest of the Animation tab's settings. It's going to just be a quick list, nothing fancy.
Starting in the middle.
Center Point Adjustment - The animations central point, settings like gravity, speed and rotation are based of its location.
Angle Adjustment - Moving the arrow will change the animation's angle.
Luminance Adjustment- Use the sliders to change the animation's color. Based off the standard RGB 255 color setup.
Scale Adjustment - Allows you to change the images Height/Width.
Bottom Left Side In Middle Section
Magnifying Glass With Arrow - Allows you to zoom in 25%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 400% and 800%.
Magnifying Glass With An H - Allows you to zoom in.
Magnifying Glass With An L - Allows you to zoom out.
Square Box - Will display/hide the collision detection boxes.
Right side.
Per Frame Settings Tab
Basic Data
Display Time - When setting up the walking animations for example the time (In seconds) before the next animation is displayed is inputted here.
Tweening - Used with Display to set how long between each frame. Only visible in game, cannot be seen in the editor.
None - Wont use interpolation.
Linear - Use interpolation in a clockwise rotation.
Linear (Counterclockwise Rotation) - Use interpolation in a counterclockwise rotation.
SE (Sound Effect) - Play a sound effect for this frame
Display Settings
Offset(%) - Frame position.
Center Point (%) - The frame's central point.
Scale - Allows you to change the images Height/Width.
Angle - Allows you to change the images direction
Luminance a - Alpha Transparency.
R, G and B - Color numbers.
(Editors Note: These display settings correspond to the ones in the middle part of the screen, so if you change a slider for the red channel, the numerical value will be represented in the Display Settings allowing for greater control.)
Collision Detection
Collision Detection with other Gadgets
None - Frame wont have Collision Detection.
Detection On - Allows you to define the Collision detection.
Same As Previous Frame - Will use the previous frames collision detection.
Positioning (%) - The location of the collision detection.
Size (%) - How big/small the collision detection is.
Collision Detection with Walls (Tiles)
None - Frame wont have Collision Detection.
Detection On - Allows you to define the Collision detection.
Same As Previous Frame - Will use the previous frames collision detection.
Positioning (%) - The location of the collision detection.
Size (%) - How big/small the collision detection is.
Collision Detection for Attacks
None - Frame wont have Collision Detection.
Detection On - Allows you to define the Collision detection.
Same As Previous Frame - Will use the previous frames collision detection.
Positioning (%) - The location of the collision detection.
Size (%) - How big/small the collision detection is.
Graphic
Magnifying Glass With Arrow - Allows you to zoom in 25%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 400% and 800%.
Magnifying Glass With An H - Allows you to zoom in.
Magnifying Glass With An L - Allows you to zoom out.
Per Action Settings Tab
Basic Display Parameters
The Origins Positioning - Checking the box will make the starting point the bottom of the animation.
Animation Settings
Frames Displayed per Second - How long to display the frame for (In seconds).
No. of Loops - How many loops to preform.
Infiinite Looping - Checking this will make the frame loop forever.
U-Turn Playback - Checking this will make the frame playback in reverse.
Graphic Data
Graphic - Either select the image for the drop down list or import a new one.
Split Graphic (Vertical) - Vertical gird spacing.
Split Graphic (Horizontal) - Horizontal grid spacing.
Split to Same Pixel Width and Height - Make Width And Height Equal
Moving on!
Animation Configuration Part 2
Now that your more familiar with the Animation tab lets add some animations for our character! First lets rename the animation set from Animation001 to Player. Then under the Action section rename the action Action001 to Standby. Why Standby you ask? Every animation set you make that has moving parts need 2 different action sets, Standby and Walk as I call them. You need these 2 sets because the Standby action set is what our character will do when its not moving and the Walk animation set is what our character will do when its walking. If your confused this will make much more sense when were implementing these action sets with our gadget.
Standby is the easiest action set to make, all we have to do is select the graphic to use for right, left, down and up. Select Right in the Display Direction section and on the frame tab at the very bottom select your characters right facing graphic, usually the one where the characters not moving. If your having a hard time seeing the image use the magnifying glass to zoom in. Once you've selected the graphic to use for the Right do the same for Left, Down and Up.
Now we need to add a new Action set, click the "+" sign to the right of "Action" to add a new action set. Rename it to Walk and then click the Action tab on the right side, select the image to use and set the grid up again. Also as you can see it automatically generated the display directions for us. You can always add more if you would like. (Editors note: If you imported your graphic in the Materials section, when you choose your graphic from the drop down menu, the Split Graphic values will use the ones defined in the Material tab as defaults.)
Now select Right under Display Directions, for the graphic select your characters right facing graphic. Now we need to add additional frames to animate it so when our character walks right it looks like he's walking. Before you add any frames select the Per Frame Settings tab and change the Display Time from 0.50 (Default) to 0.10. I find 0.10 works the best for walking animations. Now click the "+" sign to the right of Display Direction Frame List to add another frame. My bomberman character set only has 3 walking graphics per direction so I added another frame, add how many you need. Set each frame up with the corresponding graphics so for example in my first frame I have my characters right facing graphic, my second frame has his next right facing graphic and my third frame has his final right facing graphic. Once done click the Per Action Settings tab and check the Infinite Loop box. This will make it so the animation loops over and over again when your characters moving to the right. (Editors note: You can Shift+Click to select multiple frames in the In Direction Frame List box and any changes to values like Display time or any of the collision detection boxes will be applied to all selected frames.)
You can see what the walking animation will look like by pressing "Test" on the toolbar on the right side.
Once your finished you have to do the same process for each Display Direction. But here's a little trick. Since we've finished the Right Display Direction select it and either select Copy on the toolbar on the right side or hit Ctrl+C. Now delete the other Display Directions then either click Paste on the toolbar on the right side or hit Ctrl+V. You'll notice that the Right Display Direction was copied along with all its frames, do this 2 more times and then rename the newly created Display Directions Left, Down and Up. Then for each newly created Display Directions change the facing graphic to match it.
Now lets add our gadget!
Creating A Gadget
Your almost done!
Click the Gadget tab to be taken to the gadgets section, this is where you will created every single character, enemy, item and any additional things you want to interact with the player.
To add a new gadget click Create on the toolbar located on the right side. A window will come up asking you to select the animation set to use with the gadget. Also, take a look at the pre-made gadget called Player. This gadget is vital to your game, it's the only gadget you can use for your playable character! Attempting to use any other gadget for the playable character will not work! You also can't delete it so you don't have to worry about that.
Now the Gadget section as you can see is very big, for this tutorial I will only be covering the Registering Actions tab. The other tabs will be explained in a different tutorial. Again, before we continue let me explain the settings.
(1) Choosing an Action Program
This is where you choose which Action program will be affected. Add new actions by using the "+" button.
Action to be Assigned
The two drop down boxes represent the animations list (the first box), and the designated animation direction for the action program.
Movement Direction
Jump - Will allow the Movement Program to Jump.
Move towards player gadget - Will make the Movement Program move towards the player.
Don't designate a direction of movement - No Movement Direction specified for the Movement Program
Lock onto contacted gadget - Any object the gadget touches becomes locked on.
Ignore direction change while in motion - Makes the Movement Program retain it's direction even if buttons are pressed that change its direction.
Movement Speed - Allows you to change how fast the Movement Program moves. Minimum, -100 and Maximum 200. (Editors note: This works in percentage, the actual movement speed is defined in the Moving and Jumping Settings tab. So if I defined a movement speed of 4 in that tab, and my action programs movement speed was defined at 150, it would be one hundred and fifty percent of 4, which is equal to 6. This can be used to define maybe a running action where the player runs faster than the walk speed. Use your imagination.)
Jump Speed - Allows you to change the jump height if the Movement Program has the Jump check box checked. Minimum, -100 and Maximum 200.
Switch Memories - Will change the selected variable. You can set it to change and designate the number it changes too. Add to have it add a designated amount. Restore Default to restore the variables initial value or copy to have it copy another variable. (Editors note: A memory, as defined in IGM is the equivalent to say a variable in RPG Maker 2000, and a switch in IGM is the same as a switch in RPG Maker 2000.)
Display Message - Allows you to display a message with the follow options.
Window - Select the window to use.
Text - Select the text to show.
Positioning - Designate where the message will displayed.
Size - How big the window is.
Disappear - If checked it will remove the gadget, for example a death animation.
Shoot projectiles - Will fire the selected projectile. Projectiles are configured on the Projectile Settings tab.
Hand over an item - Will give the player the selected item.
Flick a switch on/off - Will turn the selected switch ON or OFF.
SE Playback - Will play the selected Sound Effect.
BGM Switching - Will change the BGM to the selected one.
(2) The Next Action Program
There will be actions here only if you have more than one action program in your gadget. This is where you choose the next action to transition to from your selected action program. The conditions for changing are set in:
(3) Conditions and Key Commands for Switching Actions
Branch if all conditions are met - Will branch if every selected condition has been met.
Branch if any condition is met - Will branch if any selected conditions have been met.
Forcibly branch without any time lapse - Will instantly branch to selected program without any conditions needing to be fulfilled.
Key Commands
The following command was entered - Checking this allows you to assign keys. That determine if the selected movement program is initiated or not.
Buttons - A list of the different buttons you can use.
Status - Different states to use in conjunction with buttons.
Pressed - If the selected button is pressed and held down the selected movement program will be initiated.
Upon pressing - If the selected button is being pressed the selected movement program will be initiated.
Upon release - Once the selected button is released the selected movement program will be initiated.
Switch if nothing is entered - If nothing is pressed the selected movement program will be initiated.
Others
Gadget collided with wall - If a wall hits the gadget the selected Action program will be initiated.
There is a wall underfoot - If standing on a platform is hit the selected Action program will be initiated.
Next step hits a wall - If a wall is hit the selected Action program will be initiated.
Collided with another gadget - If another gadget is touched the selected Action program will be initiated.
The gadget was attacked - If the gadget receives damage the selected Action program will be initiated.
The gadget left the camera's range - If the gadget is no longer in the cameras view the selected Action program will be initiated.
Gadget's jump peaked - If the has reached the jump peak the selected Action will be initiated.
There is no wall underfoot - If the gadget is not standing on a platform the selected Action program will be initiated.
Next step leaves no wall underfoot - If the gadget has nowhere to walk the selected Action program will be initiated.
Got stepped on - If the gadget is stepped on the selected Action program will be initiated.
The gadgets health dropped to zero - If the gadgets HP equals 0 the selected Action program will be initiated.
The gadget was locked on to - If the gadget has been locked on the selected Action program will be initiated.
The player gadget is in the designated direction - If the player is in the specified direction the selected Action program will be initiated.
The gadget is facing the player gadget - If the gadget is facing the player the selected Action program will be initiated.
The player gadget touched the gadget - If the gadget has touched the player the selected Action program will be initiated.
The player gadget is nearby - If the gadget is near the player the selected Action program will be initiated.
The player gadget faced the designated direction - If the player is facing the specified direction the selected Action program will be initiated.
The player gadget faced a non-designated direction - If the player is not in specified direction the selected Action program will be initiated.
Apply ratio - If a percent is used the selected Action program will be initiated. (Editors note: The helpfile isn't clear on this, but I think it's a way to apply randomised chance to your gadget, say if you specify 66.66 percent, it has a 2 out of 3 likelyhood that it will change. At least, this is how I've interpreted it.)
The gadget played all animations - If the action program has a designated animation (more than one frame, and does not loop), this will wait until the animation has played through before switching to the new Action program.
The designated switch was activated - The selected switch is turned ON or OFF
The designated memory's value changed - The selected variable will be used, you can set the conditions, the value and if another variable is referenced.
Gadget Configuration Part 2
Alright, the last part!
It's time to actually set up our gadget! Were going to want to use the pre-made gadget, the one labeled Player so we can set up the playable character.
Were going to need 2 Action Programs, name one Walk and the other Standby. Once done click the Emergence Settings tab, under "The First Action Program" select Standby and under "Assigned Animations" select the animation set we created. Now head back to the Registering Actions tab.
Select Standby, under Action to be Assigned select Standby in the first box and Right in the second box. You can select any direction you want, I just selected right because its the first one. Then check the "Don't designate a direction of movement" box. This will make it so our player wont move on its own in the specified direction which by default is up.
Now as you can see under 2) The Next Action Program the Walk Movement Program is listed. Since it's the only other Movement Program its automatically selected. Now under 3) Conditions and Key Commands for Switching Actions check "The following command was entered" box and for the Button select Up/Down/Left/Right, under Status select "Pressed". This will make it so when the player is pressing Up, Down, Left or Right the Walk Movement Program will be used allowing our player to move around!
Select Standby, under Action to be Assigned select Walk in the first box and Right in the second box. You can select any direction you want, I just selected right because its the first one. Then check the "Don't designate a direction of movement" box. This will make it so our player wont move on its own in the specified direction which by default is up.
Now this time Standby is shown 2) The Next Action Program as its the only other Movement Program. Again check "The following command was entered" box and for the Button select Up/Down/Left/Right, under Status select "Upon release". This will make it so when the player has let go of either Up, Down, Left or Right the Standby Action Program will be used causing our player to stop moving.
Also, under 2) The Next Action Program when an Action Program is being used the name will turn red, this lets you know which Action Programs are being used by the selected Action Program under Action Program.
AND YOUR DONE!
Repeat the above steps to create additional Action Programs.
Let me know what you thought, if it was easy to follow and any suggestions you have. I will be updating this at a later point taking into account any suggestions I receive, any errors I find and adding some pictures.


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