I like to add a string variable to my sprites called "state", and then have conditional states like "idle", "walk", "attack", etc... For more complicated movements like with a boss, you can also have trigger objects that the boss can collide into and have a certain action take place before he switches directions.

In order to control his movement directions, you can make a variable called "direction", and make it a number or string, and have it so different numbers/words correlate with different directions you'd have him take. Assign a variable to the trigger objects with data corresponding to the new direction the boss should take after colliding with them.

There are of course a million ways to go about your goal. The vague method I described is only one of those ways, but your best bet is to experiment until it has the movement and actions you want.

Webstorage is probably the best method to use. You can store all sorts of variables as local keys in webstorage, or you can save an entire array as a string in webstorage.

Saving Variables to Webstorage

Saving and Loading Arrays to Webstorage

In my platformer I'm using a bg layer, stage scenery layer, collision layer, object/MOB layer, sometimes an fg layer, a pause menu layer, a HUD layer, and a fade layer. So mostly 7-8 layers, depending on the level.

I have only so much love to give, but it seems Scirra has taken all of it.

In Classic, two of the many z-ordering features was "Place in front of another object" and "Place behind another object". This feature was extremely useful in games that featured visible upgrades to characters, like body armor or weapons, that could be pinned to a character, while not interfering with the appearances of other characters (for example, maintaining proper depth in top down games, the upgrades not appearing over characters who should be in front of the upgraded character).

Anyway, yeah, I miss that feature. They're the last two actions needed to have a fully featured z-sorting system. Pretty please? <img src="smileys/smiley4.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

It's insane because he's using physics simulation?

As far as whether you should just use platform behavior and forgo physics... it depends on what kind of game you want to make. If you're making a Sonic clone or sidescrolling platformer of some kind, I'd recommend not using physics and instead going the platformer behavior route. Much easier to accomplish this specific task.

Did somebody say SpriteFonts? <img src="smileys/smiley17.gif" border="0" align="middle">

I use that plugin for all my games, including my Happiness! one. It works brilliantly, and you only need to create one font object per font, and you can reuse it and put it through the SOL picking via variables and conditions so that you can control each individual instance. It's a bloody brilliant touch. Props to Mipey for puttin' it out there for us to abuse.

Updated the game! Now includes Stage 3 and a few fixes to the UI and inventory!

Planning on including gamepad support soon, as per TPorter64's suggestion.

Honestly, creating save games for RPGs and other large games isn't as difficult or complicated as it seems. At least not the actual data storage part.

You can use a combination of this technique with WebStorage as explained and exampled by Haematite:

Saving and Loading an Array to WebStorage

And to copy the positions of sprites in the layout, you can use Rex Rainbow's amazing SpriteBank plugin.

Obviously, it's up to you to create a suitable UI for the save system, but that would be the case even if Ashley had developed the "Save/Load Layout" feature. Except in this case you're able to save only the variables you need to.

Erndog2k

The reason you look at capx's is because not everyone's events are set up the same way, so they need some suggestions that will work with their particular setup.

inkBot

Of course, ironically, I don't have time to check the capx right now (on my way into work), but quick question: on your jump events, do you have a condition that says "+Keyboard.Down arrow is NOT down" ?

Sometimes, depending upon the way your events are setup, others can be overridden if they've got common conditions. Sometimes the best way to isolate them is to do inverted conditions.

Like I said, I can't check it now, but if you don't solve it later I'll give your capx a look when I get back.

You probably want something more like A* and pathfinding. 00Rez came up with a really sweet couple of plugins that can work in conjunction with one another to do what you're hoping. You can find them here in the Rez Repo topic. You can even find an example of using Rex's moveto in conjunction with the pathfinding behavior and A* plugin. Pretty cool stuff.

And so it is!