This week I present some of my prototype work for a very simple platformer. Tech demos have evolved from “very little at all” to “not much more” and have been used as a tool to learn both the C++ programming language and the SDL multimedia library.

Lazyfoo has a set of SDL tutorials that served as a starting point for the very first prototype. Tonypa’s and OutsideOfSociety’s tile-based game tutorials for Adobe Flash were also aiding in this development process. The first demo featured a red block that could move collide with black tiles.

Initial demo

A revision was made to make use of smaller sprite sizes to test how it scaled with a larger number of objects/tiles.

Larger (320x320) platformer demo

As I began to get a better grasp of C++, I wanted to recreate what I had done. The demo was recreated with the inclusion of a level editor using point and click. Left click places a tiles and right click toggles between available tiles.

Platformer editor

Editor with a modified level

The next step was to place a character in the level and add collision detection with the tiles. This next screenshot shows a character that is controllable by the user. The red box indicates where a collision has occurred. The collision method was based off of the jnrdev tutorials. (In the process, I came across some issues with the tile collision method described by the tutorials.)

The red box show environment collision

This project has been abandoned for the time being to work on a top-down game called BAMA. The latest source code for this platformer is available via github.

I wanted to get involved in game programming. This meant not using any engine that would make game development simplified because it would take away the very fundamentals I wanted to learn.

The browser-based games I have done in the past have been directed towards the design. Since my focus this time is on game mechanics, I had to find something that is simple and fun. (An RPG would be a bad example because it needs to be content rich.) Many people might start their first game with a Tetris clone, but I feel this game has been overdone. Still, modeling after another game would require less game design work.

Let me introduce one of my several game mockups: Bama, or Bam Arena, is top-down Bomberman-style game.

Bama title screen mockup

The basic functionality is simple enough. The player moves through the level placing bombs. Bombs destroy tiles and other bombs. Destroyed titles may reveal power ups to increase bomb count or flame strength. The player must complete a task in a set amount of time, such as reaching a door. Later possibilities include additional power ups, enemies, multiplayer, and specialized tiles like teleporters and pads that force the player in one direction.

Game proposal document - Click for larger

I like to keep things simple and yet visually appealing whenever possible. I’m not a graphic artist, but I can pull a few things off. As you can see in the gameplay mockup, everything is one solid color.

Bama gameplay mockup