Game Recipe #3 Title Screens

Overview

In this Game Recipe, we will discuss making a title screen for your game. We will be using an interface with selectable fields, as well as system triggers.

Requirements

• (Optional) A sprite to use as a logo.
• (Optional) A sprite to use as the background.

Setup

1. Create a new interface. Set the Display Name and click OK.
2. In this interface, use the Field tool to add a text field wherever you prefer.
   1. Set the Initial Text to “New Game”.
   2. Enable the Selectable option.
   3. Change the Visual Setting to Text, or leave it at Custom and set the Unselected and Selected colors to whatever you prefer.
      
   4. Select the Activated trigger and click Edit Script.
      1. Place a Show/Hide Interface event.
         1. For Interface, select (This).
         2. Set Turn to Off.
         3. Click OK to save and close the event.
            
      2. Click OK to save and close the script.
         
   5. Click OK to save and close the field.
3. Add another Field below or beside the first one.
   1. Set the Initial Text to “Load Game”.
   2. Enable the Selectable option.
   3. Change the Visual Setting to Text, or leave it at Custom and set the Unselected and Selected colors to whatever you prefer.
   4. Select the Activated trigger and click Edit Script.
      1. Place a Show Load Game event.
      2. Click OK to save and close the script.
         
   5. Click OK to save and close the field.
4. Add another Field below or beside the previous one.
   1. Set the Initial Text to “Quit Game”.
   2. Enable the Selectable option.
   3. Change the Visual Setting to Text, or leave it at Custom and set the Unselected and Selected colors to whatever you prefer.
   4. Select the Activated trigger and click Edit Script.
      1. Place a Quit Game event.
      2. Click OK to save and close the script.
         
   5. Click OK to save and close the field.
5. If you have a sprite to use as a logo
   1. Use the Sprite tool to add a sprite field wherever you prefer.
      
      1. Set the Sprite to the one you want to use.
         
      2. Click OK to save and close the field.
6. If you don’t have a sprite to use as the logo
   1. Use the Field tool again to add a text field wherever you prefer.
      1. Set the Initial Text to the name of your game.
      2. You may set the Text Font or Normal Color if you’d like.
      3. Click OK to save and close the field.
7. If you have a sprite to use as a background
   1. Use the Sprite tool to add a sprite field to the very top-left corner of the interface.
      1. Set the Sprite to the one you want to use.
      2. Click OK to save and close the field.
   2. With the Point tool, right-click the sprite and select Move > to Back.
      
   3. Using the Point tool, you can resize or reposition the background to wherever you like, if it isn’t quite right where it’s at now.
8. Open the System Triggers menu.
   1. Select Introduction – very beginning of a new game and click Edit Script.
      
      1. If there are any events in this script already, disconnect them from the start by right-clicking on the line connecting the Start node and the first event. Set those events aside; we’ll reconnect them later.
      2. If you did move any existing events, make sure you have the Start node selected before continuing.
      3. Add a Show/Hide HUD event.
         1. Set HUD to Invisible.
         2. Click OK to save and close the event.
      4. Add a Fade Out event. Use the version under the Camera category in the list.
         1. For Transition, select “instant”.
         2. Set Color to whatever you want; black works fine if you’re not sure.
         3. Set Time to 0.
         4. Click OK to save and close the event.
            
      5. Add a Pause/Resume Game event.
         1. Set State to Pause.
         2. Click OK to save and close the event.
      6. Add a Change Active Interface event.
         1. For  New Active Interface, select the interface you created previously.
         2. Click OK to save and close the event.
            
      7. Add a Wait for Interfaces event.
      8. Add a Fade In Event. Use the version under the Camera category in the list.
         1. For Transition, select whichever option you prefer.
         2. Set Time to 0 if you chose “instant” or whatever number you like if you chose “normal”.
         3. If you would prefer that the game remain paused until the screen fades in fully, enable Delay as well.
         4. Click OK to save and close the event.
      9. Add a Pause/Resume Game event.
         1. Set State to Resume.
         2. Click OK to save and close the event.
      10. Add a Show/Hide HUD event.
          1. Set HUD to Visible.
          2. Click OK to save and close the event.
      11. If you previously moved existing events out of the way, reconnect them now by dragging a line from the bottom of the Fade In to the top of the first left-over event.
      12. Click OK to save and close the script.
          
   2. Click OK to save and close the System Triggers menu.
9. Test your game by clicking the Test Game button. Don’t get it confused with the Test Map or Test Interface buttons; you want the one beside the Game Settings and Test in Browser buttons, pictured below.
   

Notes

If you get a black screen after selecting “New Game”, make sure you’ve set the Starting Map and Starting Location options in Game Settings (That’s the gear-shaped icon in the screenshot just above.)