Game Lab

From code.org, used in the Computer Science Discoveries curriculum

Game Author
Alex Fergerson
Game Image
Catch the Coin Screen
Game Description

Use the arrow keys to catch coins!  Wait until you see what happens at level 10!

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Author
Brandon Wolf
Game Image
Bunnies Like Money Screen
Game Description

This super challenging game might be the most fun you have ever had!  I especially like the sunlight sparkling on the endless sea.

Go far enough and the background changes.  The best part?  You can't lose!

Left & Right arrow keys.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Tool
Game Challenges

This student was such a strong programmer that he didn't really have any challenges.  Ever.

Game Author
Will Wright
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

I used to play a game called Breakout on my Atari console in the early 1980s.  It’s a fairly popular game for coders to write, and I wanted to do it for myself.  In the original game, there were different special effects, that I’ll call “power ups” even though that word hadn’t been invented yet.  The power-ups included things like a sticky paddle and a larger paddle.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

Creating an array of blocks for the top of the window.  I managed to do it, but it took an extra variable to track.  GameLab does not allow arrays, or it would have been simpler. 
 
It was also difficult to get the logic around a game restart to work correctly, especially since I also have a reset for when the ball goes off the bottom. 

Game Unfinished Component

None of the power-ups are coded, but I have ideas about how to code an increase in paddle length. 
 
I also haven’t added sound, and that should probably happen soon. 

Game Next Steps

Sounds.  Then perhaps a power-up or two.

Game Author
Andy Wolf
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

Make a game that wasn’t hard but make it look interesting. I have different levels with different backgrounds that move up when the score gets high enough. I made it so that when the sword is thrown that it rotates just like how it would if you were to throw a sword in real life. I wanted to make it so that you would gain lives as the levels went up but it was too hard to do and the game is fairly easy. This game is supposed to be very addictive and fun and not at all challenging.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Tool
Game Challenges

Making the sword move with the character. At first the sword wouldn’t move with the character like it was supposed to and it took a bit in order to find out how to make it happen. Eventually with some help, my goal was achieved and the sword would move with the character like it is supposed to. 

Game Unfinished Component

Adding a life for every level cleared. Trying to add a life every time the level changed was difficult to do because I wanted to do it once but every time I tried to make it, the lives would keep going up. Another thing that didn’t get done was the difficulty of the levels. I also wanted the difficulty of the game to increase as the level goes up but I couldn’t figure out what to do to increase the difficulty. 

Game Next Steps

Try to add a life after levels are cleared. I really wanted adding lives to be part of my game as sort of a reward system for the players. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to add just one life after the level changes. I would’ve also made the game more difficult for the player so that the game is more addictive.

Game Author
Dom Urban
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

I set out to create a game that was a basic, knock off version of an old 70s game. I used all my basic knowledge for making this game, including original artwork.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

I set out to make a game, way behind everyone else, I pushed myself to create this game, making all the sprites myself. 

Game Unfinished Component

I wasn't able to finish the scoreboard, or my own addition to changing the velocity by how many times it touches the coin successfully.

Game Next Steps

The old snake game, i’d love to make that game next. Because i think it would be the next step in coding for me. 

Game Author
Adam Sargent
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

The design I originally set out to do was to have a game where you jump over the fences and try to go as far as you can then what I came up with which was jumping around them and trying to get the coins while the game becomes harder and harder the higher you get for a score. Also having silvers coins and gold coins once you reached certain score levels to signify that you are getting closer to the end.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

One of my biggest challenges was coming up with an idea for a game. Inside the game, one of the biggest challenges was trying to fix a bug in the game that makes the character freezes at a certain y coord and won’t go down naturally. The only way to fix it is to go up but this is a challenge because it affects the gameplay and makes you sometimes die and you had no control of it happening. Another challenge was making the size of certain sprites a good size so that it's not too hard to play but also not too easy. 

Game Unfinished Component

One thing that didn’t get down was to add more obstacles to the game the higher the score got to great a higher difficulty for the game. Another thing that didn’t get done was changing the player's velocity to a random number the higher they got to add another layer of difficulty. I also wanted to add more bonuses. I had one where if you had a 50 score and 3 lives it would add one life but I would defiantly want more like maybe adding a special coin that pops up if you only have one life but the coin is harder to get but gives you 2 lives or something like that.  

Game Next Steps

I think that if I had more time I would also add more obstacles to dodge the higher your score got and also changing the velocity of the character to a random number every time near the end of the game to add another challenger to the game. Lastly, I would add a more definite level system and trying to fix how close the coins can get to each other randomly. 

Game Author
Amelia Sanborn
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

I wanted to make a game similar to the bunny game in a previous lesson. I wanted to have it be a mix of themes and kind of weird/unique, so I had a lot of random and quirky sprites.

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

The biggest challenge for me was remembering how to do all these different things, especially some of the stuff we did towards the beginning of this unit. 

Game Unfinished Component

I wanted to add more sprites and have enemies/defenders in my game but I didn’t have a lot of extra time to do it and also couldn’t remember how to do it so it just never got done.

Game Next Steps

I would’ve added more sprites/more elements to make the game different and exciting each time someone plays it.  

Game Author
Katelynne Leppert
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

Design a game where crabs are walking on the sand attempting to snatch soda

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

Remembering to call functions so that they show up 

Game Unfinished Component

Background changes and obstacles that could’ve been included

Game Next Steps

I would add more characters, obstacles, etc 

Game Author
Cameron Jacques
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

I set out to make a classic game of snake where you travel around collecting points and growing your snake, but instead you must find the red cubes by steering the green cube. Some red cubes are decoys!

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

The biggest challenge was just trying to get the snake to grow in which case i didn't succeed in the new game i created the hardest part of the seek and find type game was getting the fake point to appear 

Game Unfinished Component

I didn't succeed in creating the game in time and created a seek and find type game instead in witch when you collect one point that point moves and a fake is created  

Game Next Steps

If I had time i feel i would have tried for a longer time to try and make the game of snake to work with proper mechanics

Game Author
Isaac Garcia
Game Image
Image of game
Game Description

I designed this game to be a combination look of Namco's hit arcade classic Galaga and Nintendo's hit side-scrolling shooter game Gradius. It's about a Starship serving the starbase Interprize, while protecting it from a barrage of meteors trying to destroy the main shield reactor that keeps the starbase running. 

Game On Mobile?
No
Game Course
Game Year
Game Genre
Game Tool
Game Challenges

Getting the sprites to look the best that they can be. All the sprites were drawn by me, and by wireless mouse too. I didn't know why I thought to hook up my drawing pad to my computer to draw the sprites but hey, I got them done but it did take a while to get everything down.  

Game Unfinished Component

I wasn't able to implement a shooting function for the starship so I had to improvise another function. So instead of making the starship shoot projectiles, I made it have a permanent shield that way it can push the meteors away from the  Shield Reactor, which in turn gives the player points.  

Game Next Steps

If I were to do anything differently, I would probably ask to move the project to a different game making platform to actually make my game, like Construct. If I were to have made X-savior on Construct, I feel like it would be a really good game in terms of mechanic's story and overall pick up and play genre.