Advanced Scratch · Week 3
Step 1 of 6
In this lesson, we will create a basic platformer game. You will learn how to move a character left and right, jump between platforms, and avoid falling off the screen.
By the end of this project, you'll have a simple but functioning platformer game with basic character movement, platform interaction, and gravity effects.
How do you think we should create platforms for our platformer game?
Go to the "Backdrops" tab and draw simple rectangular platforms at different heights and widths. These will be the platforms that your character will jump onto.
What should we do to set up a ground at the bottom of the screen?
Create a large rectangular ground that spans the bottom of the screen. This will act as the base platform in your game.
Next, we'll need to create a character that the player will control. How should we design the character?
Go to the "Sprites" tab and draw a simple character sprite. You can draw a stick figure, a block character, or import an existing character.
How do you think we can program the character to move left and right?
Use the when [left arrow] pressed and when [right arrow] pressed blocks to move the character left and right across the screen. Use the change x by [ ] block to control the movement.
How do you think we can program the character to jump?
Use the when [space key] pressed block and the change y by [ ] block to make the character jump. Adjust the value to simulate the jump height.
What do we need to do to simulate gravity so that the character falls back down after jumping?
Use a forever loop with the change y by -1 block to make the character constantly move down. This will simulate gravity. You'll also need to add a condition that stops the character from falling through platforms.
How can we make sure the character stops falling when it lands on a platform using the color of the platform?
Instead of checking if the character is touching a platform sprite, we will check if the character is touching the color of the platform. Use the if touching color [ ] block to detect the platform color.
Once the character is touching the platform's color, use the set y to [y position] block to keep the character at the same y-coordinate. This will prevent the character from falling through the platform.
You can pick the platform's color by clicking on the color picker in the if touching color [ ] block and selecting the platform's color directly.
What happens if the player falls off the platforms? How can we prevent the character from falling off the screen?
If the character's y position goes below the screen's bottom (e.g., y < -180), reset the game or place the character back at the start position. You can use an if statement to check the y value and trigger the response.
Challenge: Can you create a level editor that allows players to design their own platformer levels?