Actor Maker

Player
The player is the only character that can be controlled in your game. It is probably the most important character in your game, because no game can be played without a player.

To create a player, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Player. On the ALL tab, you will see a list of basic behaviors you can give your player such as health, max health, sound effects, and a base tile. The base tile is the first tile that is a basic tile that shows how your player looks like initially. After this, move on to the ANIMATIONS tab.

uglahhhh The ANIMATIONS tab may look daunting at first, but it is actually pretty easy to understand. Here, you can add other tiles of your player facing in different directions, walking, etc. To add a tile, click the empty box next to an animation like face north or step west 1 and either click the CHOOSE TILE button at the bottom of the screen or type in a tile name.

The next tab available for Player actors is CHARACTER BEHAVIOR. This tab lets you choose how your player actually behaves in your game. Movement speed and can move [some direction] do not work right now, so ignore these features. You can choose a shot actor that you want your player to use. After choosing a tile, you can add sound effects, adjust shot rate (how many shots the player can have on the map at once), shot range (how far your shot goes), shot damage against player (if you want to let the player kill itself), and shot damage against NPCs or items (lets you kill enemies). Below that is touch damage, which is damage that your player does to enemies when you touch them during a game.

Players belong in ACTIVE layer.

Enemies
To create an enemy, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Enemy.

Enemies are basically the same as players, except that they are controlled by the computer and can do damage to the player. See Player for more detailed information.

In NPC BEHAVIOR tab, you can choose how the enemy behaves. There is a menu for enemy movement and shot accuracy. Below that are dialogue options, but they are usually used for friend actors that do not hurt the player.

The DESTRUCTION/SPAWNING tab shows what happens when an enemy is destroyed. You can gain points, and have the enemy drop something after it dies. Enemy drops can include items, but they can also drop dead versions of themselves for visual effect.

Enemies belong in ACTIVE layer.

Friends/Allies
To create a friend, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Friend.

Friends behave similarly to players and enemies, except that they usually do not move or damage the player. See Player for more detailed information.

In NPC BEHAVIOR tab, you can choose how the friend behaves. Friends generally do not use enemy movement or shot accuracy. Below that are dialogue options. The first box is for an introduction made by a friend when you walk up to it. After typing in an introduction, three more options appear. These represent possible replies that the player can make. Under the replies are more replies that the friend says to the player. You can also create item exchanges between the player and the friend. Select an Item actor in the box ‘NPC takes item:’ to specify the item the player gives the friend. Select an Item actor in the box ‘Drop:’ to specify what the friend gives you. Up to three different exchanges can be made. After this is done, choose whether the friend Stays, Disappears, or Repeats question.

Friends belong in ACTIVE layer.

Shots/Projectiles
To create a Shot, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Shot.

Shots have base tiles and ANIMATIONs like other actors, but they have no other functions unless they are attached to Players, Enemies, or Friends. You can attach Shots to these actors in the CHARACTER BEHAVIOR tab.

Shots cannot be placed in Map Maker.

Ice
To create Ice, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Ice.

Ice forces the player to continue moving in a certain direction. The ITEM BEHAVIOR tab for Ice actors is already correctly configured, so do not change it. The ALL, ANIMATIONS, and DESTRUCTION/SPAWNING tabs for ice are similar to the tabs for other actor types.

Ice is placed in BACKGROUND layer.

Floors
To create a Floor, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Ice.

Floor tiles are mainly used as decorative tiles.

Floors belong in BACKGROUND layer or in FOREGROUND layer.

Walls
To create a Wall, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Wall.

Walls are used to block players from from moving past them. In ITEM BEHAVIOR tab, you can use keys to let the player pass through a wall. The key must be an item that the player can pick up.

Walls belong in BACKGROUND layer. Walls that appear/disappear or can be unlocked by keys belong in ACTIVE layer.

Items
To create an Item, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Item.

Items have many different functions. First, go to ITEM BEHAVIOR tab. Look at the options in the drop-down menu. Items usually use only the conditions ‘Player picks up, uses later’ and ‘Player picks up, uses immediately’.

‘Player picks up, uses later’ are for items that can be used as keys, traded in exchanges between PLAYERs and FRIENDs, or kept as equippable items. Equippable items include weapons armor, and player switches. Choose ‘Yes’ in the menu for Equippable and follow the descriptions for the other options that come up. For unequippable items, follow the descriptions and experiment with the features.

‘Player picks up, uses immediately’ are for items that heal the player or allow the player to win the game.

You can add messages that pop up when the player picks up an item by entering a description in the box ‘Display a message when picked up:’

Items belong in ACTIVE layer.

Sliders
To create a Slider, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Slider.

Sliders are objects such as blocks or boulders, they have little effect but can be useful in games.

In ITEM BEHAVIOR, you can choose how many spaces you want the slider to be pushed You can also choose if you want it to be used as a weapon by hitting enemies with them.

Sliders belong in ACTIVE layer.

Bounce
To create a Bounce actor, click NEW (to make a new actor) ==> Bounce.

Bounce tiles are actors that are used to push characters in certain directions when the bounce is stepped on.

In ITEM BEHAVIOR, select 'Pushes actor in a direction' and you can choose the direction you want a character to be pushed by a bounce. Bounce tiles only push characters one space at a time right now.

All
The All tab in actor maker shows the basic information of an actor. This is where you choose the base tile, add simple sounds, and specify health and max health if the actor is a PLAYER, ENEMY, or a FRIEND.

Animations
The Animations tab allows you to link many different tiles together in one actor to create movement. North, South, East, West step animations are shown when an actor moves in those directions. Stationary animations are shown when the actor is not moving. All animations must be drawn on Tile Maker and must be saved as actors.

Character Behavior
Character behavior is where damage and shot behaviors are determined for PLAYERs, ENEMIES, and FRIENDs.

Movement
The first section of Character behavior, which deals with movement speed and direction restrictions, is not available at the moment. Movement speed can be as low as 0 and as high as 3, but this has no effect on the gameplay yet. Restricting directions is also not possible, but it probably will come in the polish planned for MyGameBuilder.

Shots
Shots can be added to a character by selecting a SHOT actor in 'Actor to use for shots'. After a shot is selected, options such as sound effects, shot rate, shot range, and shot damage can be added. Shot rate details how many of the shot can be onscreen at one time. Until a shot reaches the end of its shot range, it will not disappear, so if the player hits the maximum number of shots onscreen, they must wait until a shot reaches the end of its range to fire again. Shot range is the number of 32x32 tiles that the shot can travel across before disappearing and becoming ineffective. Shot damage is the health taken from the NPC or other object when the shot makes contact with its tile. Shots pass through transparent points even if the rest of the tile is filled, though, so damage will not be dealt when the shot passes through a transparent area.

Touch Damage
Options for touch damage are shown at the bottom. Touch damage occurs when the character touches another character that can take damage. The amount of touch damage dealt and the touch damage attack chance can be specified as well.

When overlapping target
Using this touch damage case requires the player to enter the object's current tile(s) to deal damage. If you are using this method of touch damage, the object(s) to execute touch damage on must have the option "NPC can occupy player's square" set to "Yes."

When facing target
To deal damage, the player must be facing the direction of the target and be in the same row or column as the target. The target must also be facing the player for damage to be applied. This is the only form of touch damage that can be executed from far away.

When adjacent to target
The player must stand directly next to an object or one of its composing tiles to deal damage. The player does not need to be able to pass into the object's square to deal damage.

NPC Behavior
NPCs are Non-Playable Characters.

Here you can add additional behaviors to ENEMIES and FRIENDs.

Movement type and shot type determine how a character moves and behaves around a character.

The dialogue boxes are mainly used with FRIEND actors. The first box that is present shows what the character says to the player when the player first talks to him. Three reponses to this first comment can be entered, and each response can have more conditions attached to it such as NPC taking an item, NPC dropping an item, and NPC staying or disappearing from the map.

NPC takes item and NPC drops can be used to exchange items between the player and the NPC.

Item Behavior
Item behaviors control the functions of actors that affect players, enemies, and friends.

Inactive
Item does not have any function. (Floors)

Blocks player
Item acts as a wall that blocks only PLAYERs from passing through

Blocks NPC
Item acts as a wall that blocks only ENEMIES and FRIENDS

Blocks NPC + Player
Item acts as a wall the blocks PLAYERs, ENEMIES, and FRIENDS

Player picks up, uses later
Item can be stored in the player's inventory until it is used. Items can be used to increase max health, heal a player, increase the point total, allow the game to be won, or add an effect. Items can also be equipped as weapons and armor. Equipped items can also be used to change how the player looks. To change actor graphics, select another PLAYER actor in the box labeled 'Change Actor Graphics', then choose Yes when the Auto-Equip option appears. Equipped items can be used to change player shots, increase attack power, or add armor effects. Custom messages can be added when the item is picked up.

Platyer picks up, uses immediately
Item is used immediately when the player touches it on the map. Items can be used to increase max health, heal a player, increase the point total, allow the game to be won, or add an effect. Custom messages can be added when the item is picked up. These messages can also be used to show conversation during a game.

Player uses, but leaves items
Item is used when the player touches it, but does not disappear from the map. Items can be used to increase max health, heal a player, increase the point total, allow the game to be won, or add an effect. Custom messages can be added when the item is picked up.

Pushes actors in a direction
Item pushes a PLAYER, ENEMY, FRIEND, or ITEM in a certain direction for a specific distance.

Floor that causes damage
The item does damages or heals the PLAYER.

Destruction/Spawning
The Destruction/Spawning tab deals with the effects that an actor has on the game when it is destroyed. It also allows an actor to generate new actors.

When an actor is destroyed, the PLAYER can gain points, and two different actors can be generated randomly. The persistence option, 'Respawn options' determines whether an actor remains on a map even after the player has left and returned to the map. When the actor is on the map, it can also generate more of a specific actor by selecting one in the 'Randomly generates new actor' box.

All randomly generated actors are generated according to a specified percentage rate.

Conditions
The Conditions tab is used to make certain actors appear and disappear from the map when a certain number of another actor is on the map. Appear conditions make actors appear while disappear conditions erase an actor from the map. The actor that appears or disappears is the one that you are working on at the moment, and the one that controls the appearance and disappearance is the actor that you specify in the Conditions tab.

Suggestions for conditions: - make walls disappear when all of the enemies in a room have been destroyed - make an item appear after all the enemies are destroyed.