Multiple Questions

I'm learning how to make a type of small game that is separated into small levels with quick objectives (usually one or two per level). You're basically running into different small rooms of a house, each room being a different layout. It doesn't scroll. Each room is the size of the screen (480x320). I've got a lot of art for it, I'm just basically placing stuff and making the events.

Here are my current questions so far (more to eventually come in later posts I'm sure):

• How do I separate the game into levels, so when the player meets the objective, how would I go about sending them to the next level?

• How would I make the next level load along with the layouts? All rooms in the house will be accessible in each level, but there will be different versions of these rooms in each level. That would require loading different layouts of the same rooms, but making it organized so level 2 layouts are together, and the level 1 layouts are the first version of the house, separating different versions of the house by grouping them together. How would I go about this? Different event sheets or...what? Sorry if this sounds confusing.

• How can I make the player's character pick up and throw objects? This game will feature that as one of the main mechanics besides the basic platformer controls. How would I assign a button for this and make this happen with physics as such with the gravity variables for jumping?

I have more questions but I will leave it at this for now, as this is a lot already. Thanks.

You have to be careful using 'layout' because it means something else in Construct 2 lol so it makes this really confusing to read.

It all depends on if this is randomly generated? You can easily have one room per layout(construct 2 layout) and then when exiting go to the same room each time.

Each level can be a layout(construct 2 layout) or you can have each room as a layout(construct 2 layout). Just depends on how exactly the game works.

The part where it gets confusing is probably this 'different versions of these rooms will exist in each level'. This needs explaining more.

You could have the player pick up items on key pressed, when they pick up the item you change the sprite image to them holding it. If you want to throw something, the bullet behaviour works well for projectiles moving across the screen.

You have to be careful using 'layout' because it means something else in Construct 2 lol so it makes this really confusing to read.

It all depends on if this is randomly generated? You can easily have one room per layout(construct 2 layout) and then when exiting go to the same room each time.

Each level can be a layout(construct 2 layout) or you can have each room as a layout(construct 2 layout). Just depends on how exactly the game works.

The part where it gets confusing is probably this 'different versions of these rooms will exist in each level'. This needs explaining more.

You could have the player pick up items on key pressed, when they pick up the item you change the sprite image to them holding it. If you want to throw something, the bullet behaviour works well for projectiles moving across the screen.

Ahhh ok thanks! Well you see, for this game, the way I've done it, is that each layout is a screen yes? Well each screen is a room, so I have each room as a layout/screen. You know when you add different layouts? I was trying to figure out the best way to make the character switch rooms, but you're saying it's possible to do this all in the same layout?

By different versions of the rooms, I simply mean that each level, some rooms will be different in the house because objects will be added or subtracted, and have different events. What i'm trying to figure out is how to go about it. Your answer for the first question may be related and may help. Because mainly i'm wondering if this requires multiple layouts and more than 1 event sheet. I'm still pretty new to this. I'm basically trying to keep each level separate, including those versions of the rooms.

For example: Level 1's hallway is just normal, has doors and all that, nothing fancy. But what if level 2 is different, where there is suddenly blood on the floor? I wouldn't want events from level 1 to be in level 2, and level 2 would have something added to that room. Would I make a copy of the rooms but make them different, separate from each other? Or do I use the same copy, just modifying the events? It's basically about learning level structure. I hope that makes sense.

It depends if level 2 is exactly the same room but with things added and subtracted. If that's the case then you keep reloading the same layout that has all the stuff available off screen but moves this into place bychanging global variables to enable/disable certain things in the room. So if something has happened between level 1 and level 2, for example the blood on the floor, I would do this by reloading the layout but enabling some variable i.e. bloodFloor = enabled then it shows the blood this time round.

If the rooms are going to be entirely different you can just make a room per layout but this would mean you end up with a ton of layouts. Yes you will need a new event sheet with each layout.

If it was just small rooms you could also have everything available for one 'level' across the layout. By enabling variables to say what room you are currently in you can position objects to make a room as the player loads in. The room would always be in the same place though, with things added or subtracted.

A possible fourth way might be to have all the rooms premade and created across the layout and then target them with a camera view but if the game plays in a way that it's not predetermined and there are many outcomes between level 1 to level 2 to level 3 etc then I would go for a global variable approach.

Each of these methods has different pros and cons it depends which one would fit the flow of the game you're trying to design.

It depends if level 2 is exactly the same room but with things added and subtracted. If that's the case then you keep reloading the same layout that has all the stuff available off screen but moves this into place bychanging global variables to enable/disable certain things in the room. So if something has happened between level 1 and level 2, for example the blood on the floor, I would do this by reloading the layout but enabling some variable i.e. bloodFloor = enabled then it shows the blood this time round.

If the rooms are going to be entirely different you can just make a room per layout but this would mean you end up with a ton of layouts. Yes you will need a new event sheet with each layout.

If it was just small rooms you could also have everything available for one 'level' across the layout. By enabling variables to say what room you are currently in you can position objects to make a room as the player loads in. The room would always be in the same place though, with things added or subtracted.

A possible fourth way might be to have all the rooms premade and created across the layout and then target them with a camera view but if the game plays in a way that it's not predetermined and there are many outcomes between level 1 to level 2 to level 3 etc then I would go for a global variable approach.

Each of these methods has different pros and cons it depends which one would fit the flow of the game you're trying to design.

Thanks. I sorta get what you're saying but still wondering what to do exactly. Hmm....I wonder what is the best way to go about it. I'm uploading this to Newgrounds so i want it to be not a huge file size but, it's going to have around 20 small levels, more like mini-levels with the length. At fastest, you could find the objects in the game in like 10 to 20 seconds, to give an idea. There are about 7 rooms (each 480x320 to fill the screen, standing still, no scrolling). I guess you could make objects invisible and trigger them based on events, with the same layout. That could be easier actually. I mean i think that's what you said as one possibility?

If i were to do it that way, would that be a good idea, would it have one event sheet? It's one layout so i can't imagine so. The next question would be, if i were to do it that way if possible, what would be the "bad" things I would have to look out for? And, I want to try to make a level select option for a menu, and I don't know how to make a menu yet, but how would i implement this, so in level select, it could select the certain points of the event sheet, IF I were to go this route? Overall question is, how would I go about going this route with making the levels?

Construct 2 is pretty powerful, you could do all of this stuff easily. You just need to decide what method you want to use. A level select is easy, you would just click the level name and it would load that layout or if there is more than one level on a layout you could load the layout at a particular state. If each level contains several rooms which are each 480x320 then you could just 'create' each room. So for level 1, you would group events in the event sheet, room 1 > load these items (create bed at x,y, create desk at x,y) then for room 2 you could have a fade out transition, destroy everything in room 1 and cut to a room 2 group where you load the room 2 items. This could all be done in one layout. This method only really makes sense if you're progressing forward through the rooms though and never have to return.

The thing to watch out for is probably framerate. C2 unload graphics when you go between each layout which is great, but if you have too much loaded on one layout it might cause issues. Since your game sounds simple it might be fine though to have a level(or several rooms) per layout.

Construct 2 is pretty powerful, you could do all of this stuff easily. You just need to decide what method you want to use. A level select is easy, you would just click the level name and it would load that layout or if there is more than one level on a layout you could load the layout at a particular state. If each level contains several rooms which are each 480x320 then you could just 'create' each room. So for level 1, you would group events in the event sheet, room 1 > load these items (create bed at x,y, create desk at x,y) then for room 2 you could have a fade out transition, destroy everything in room 1 and cut to a room 2 group where you load the room 2 items. This could all be done in one layout. This method only really makes sense if you're progressing forward through the rooms though and never have to return.

The thing to watch out for is probably framerate. C2 unload graphics when you go between each layout which is great, but if you have too much loaded on one layout it might cause issues. Since your game sounds simple it might be fine though to have a level(or several rooms) per layout.

True, true. Thanks. Still gotta figure this stuff out.