Let’s start our new C3 project. For more details, I'm paraphrasing from the workshop's eBook Part III: chapter 13 "Construct3 Production".
We're not finished just yet; we should complete the project's metadata. Even if you completed the information in the initial "New project pop-up", we need to enter a lot more information. When your new project opens, click on the project folder in the Project Bar. You'll find more "project properties" to fill in on the left-hand side. The minimum we should have is:
- Our project's name -- I'm calling mine the "Combat Engine #6" since it is the sixth of 12 combat engines that I've created for my gaming series.
- Set the window size and layer size to 800x500 with a margin of 50x50. I use 800x500 because it is a "Golden Ration". Why I use the "Golden Ration" is fully explained in the workbook.
- Insert both "Touch" and "Mouse" for our gamer's input. (You might also include the gamepad and keyboard "Number Pad" as inputs).
- Insert "Audio" for any theme music and sounds that you might like.
- I do not use "Function", but you might consider inserting it for optimization discussed later.
- Insert several more objects: menu navigation buttons, choice of warriors, provide helpful "Instructions", and mandatory "Credit Acknowledgements". (Multi-player is discussed in the "Developer's Guide") and then several other text fields -- a game title, subtitle, your copyright notice, and feedback HUD information. (See the illustration below.)
Arrange all these objects on the "main menu" layout to match your game design vision. The "Main Menu" leads gamers to several other layouts that I mentioned above. I also have a unique layout just for the "Saxon" and "Norman" avatars. These two layouts accept the gamer's input, using "Drag & Drop" sliders, for their defense and attacks -- similar to "Rock, Paper, Scissors"! (Norman layout illustrated below)
Once a gamer "Submits" their choices, I lead them to a "Combat Round Resolution" layout. This layout has two narration panels and a grid of 9 spirits. This grid is similar to a "Keyboard Numbers Pad" with sprite animation frames of defense and attacks. These sprites rotate through several types of attacks -- one set of animation frames for the "Red Saxon" team, and the remainder for the gamer's "Blue French Norman" team. In just a minute, we see how the "finite state machine" assigns the animation frames and the combat narrative. (Did I forget to mention that this combat engine could be used for "Play by Mail" or "Play by eMail" games?)