Creating games with Backbone - Step by Step for beginners!

[amiman99]

Cammy, Great post.

I have an issue when a player dies over a "dangerous" tile and then re-spawn at the same place, then it dies again.
Do you know how to prevent that? I set the payer to be invincible for 10s, but is not working.
Thanks

[amiman99]

Hi guys im wanting to make a game using backbone and think cammys tutorial is great, my question is this i have downloaded a load of sprite sheets in .PNG format and i would like to know how i will add these to backbone, do i just change them from .PNG to Bitmap to add them to back bone?

All help appreciated.

On PC side:
1. Make sure your sprites are in 16 colors, you can color reduce if is more.
2. Go to MS Paint and create canvas size 320x256
3. copy your sprites to it, no spaces between sprites.
4. save it in PNG

On Amiga side:
1. Open PPaint
2. Open your sprite file, open it with screen size 320x256 16 colors.
3. It's possible that the Background color is wrong and you need to swap it.
4. In PPaint,  select with left mouse button color 0 and with right mouse button select that background color , then go to colors menu and and select SWAP BKG to Foreground.
5. Adjust your Swapped colors in the Edit colors, I set the first color to 0,0,0 and the other to what ever it was. I write down the settings before I change it to Black 0,0,0.

I hope it helps.

[amiman99]

Very soon I will upload my first game demo made with Backbone, using some heavy modified textures provided by Cammy.
The details in the game are killing me, so the progress is slow, but I got help from my friend in the gfx department, so some stuff is looking very nice. even my son provided one graphic detail, an axe. Sound effects are made by me using the DSS8 sound sampler and music by Unknown found on Sound Terrific CD.
Stay tuned...

[amiman99]

Here is a teaser of my game made with Backbone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQr7YoAd_1Q

[amiman99]

Looking good dude. If any advice would say get rid of or certainley make less loud the sound of the enemies walking. especially as you can hear them some time befofr they become visible
 
I like the way you made the dude dance to the music right at the end of the video

The music is so good, I made him dance to it

Yeah..I might remove the enemies' "walking sound" all together, it kinda ruins the background music.

My friend just created a Mummy for my next level, I will check it out how it looks. In the next level you will see steel bar doors, you will have to press space bar to enter it and see what's inside.

Some tiles you see in the video got changed little bit already for the better, like I said, the game is always evolving.

[amiman99]

When ever i try and select a bitmap image i get an error saying "File is Not a Valid IFF Picture". all i did was try and add a bitmap image as described in the tutorial ?
I am using a sprite sheet with mario in different stances.

Maybe you can PM me your file and I can check it and fix it for you.

Speaking of Mario, I have some tiles for the first level and I was able to recreate the first level with ease with Backbone, but I lost it when deleting some other level.
Lesson one, don't delete middle levels, because you loose all levels you made after that level!!

[amiman99]

Here is the sprite sheet i have been trying to use, hope you can configure it so that i can implement it into backbone

Ok, I got it converted and it's recognized by Backbone.

[amiman99]

@amiman99, thanks very much,works a treat now im having problems loading images to block maker. Is there any where that i can download all the images from that will work for backbone right of the back?

The Block maker is for 16x16 or 32x32 tiles for levels, to make objects,like hero, enemy, collectables, you need to use the Image Editor in Backbone.

[amiman99]

Ok so im was up untill 4:30am trying to get block maker to make blocks for my level but i am still no further forward could anyone here please explain to a noob like myself exactly how to use the block maker in backbone? i have been downloading loads of sprite sheets with charcters and levels etc but when ever i try to add these sheets i get an error saying its not a valid iff file so i downloaded XnVIEW so thati can create .IFF files to work with the amiga but im still no further forward? I am trying to make a super mario game i have my character ready just need to use block maker so i can create a level.

1. Make sure your tiles are 320x256
2. download and install PPaint on your Amiga, see links in 1st post.
3. Open your tile in PPaint, there might be some color reductions.
4. Save your tile as a 320x256 16 color iff, make sure you select IFF type on the right side of the requester.
5. Adjust your colors, you may have to swap your background and foreground colors so the background color is Black (0,0,0)
6. Save it again.

[amiman99]

Here is an update to my game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2imuiHEWKk

There are somethings to fix but is progressing nicely.

I'll use same music for now on each level until I find suitable ones for each level.

[amiman99]

It seems I can't edit my post, but I found out the file I linked to earlier has some problems with filenames not having the right names on some people's setups. So I've recompiled the Mario level and uploaded it here:  http://home.exetel.com.au/~amiga/SuperMario.lha

Let me take a look...

BTW, I'm still working on my game, but is very slow. There are some bugs in the engine that I need to get around, like the enemies not stopping were they supposed to and disappearing, or walking in mid air. I guess, I was to ambitious with the idea, so it looks like it will be shorter, but hopefully complete.

[amiman99]

Finally had some time working out bugs in the game and it is almost ready.

The name of the game is "Marco Gregorios Adventures to Unusual Places"

Here are some more screenshots.

[amiman99]

Finally had some time working out bugs in the game and it is almost ready.

The name of the game is "Marco Gregorios Adventures to Unusual Places"

Here are some more screenshots.

Game is released here:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=73383

I tried to put it on Amiga.org news item, but it has to be approved.

[amiman99]

Working with Cammy, sounds terrific.
She's one of those rare people that reinforce my frail faith in humanity.
BTW - Talk her into posting more often, she is missed.

The first level is made with her tile set (modified) and one enemy, so credit is given. With out her tutorial this game probably would not happen.

I think with a good graphic artist you can create some good games with Backbone.

[amiman99]

My new game made in Backbone: http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68480