Game+Start+Workshop

Toolbox
The Toolbox is the free-form game creation area of Gamestar Mechanic, where users can build new games from scratch. The Toolbox has four components: **Game Grid, Sprite Tray, Tools,** and **Settings**. ||
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Game Grid


The Game Grid is the work area where players create their own games **Sprite Tray** There are two main sections in the Sprite Tray: At the top of the Sprite Tray, **Levels** in the current game are displayed. The player can move freely between levels to edit them. Clicking and dragging the level name to a new position within the window allows players to reorder the levels in their game. The Sprite Tray also contains all of the player’s **Sprites**. Sprites are the essential building blocks of Gamestar Mechanic games. As players proceed through the Quests, they are awarded new Sprites to use in their games. Once a player has earned a Sprite, it can be used an unlimited number of times. As players proceed through the Gamestar Quests (in-game curriculum) they earn “Sprites”, which appear in their Work Area inventory. The more advanced a player is, the more Sprites they will have to build games with.

Edit/Play Toggle
|| The Edit/Play Toggle switch at the top of the Sprite Tray controls the behavior of the console.

In **Edit mode**, the game is not “playing”—everything stands still.

In **Play mode**, the mechanic can test that their game is working as intended.

We recommend encouraging designers to test their games frequently.

Tools
When the **Arrow** button is selected, designers can drag Sprites out of their Inventory to the grid, as well as picking up and dropping sprites that have been placed.

The **Wrench** button allows designers to change the parameters of the Sprites they have placed. Each Sprite has an individual set of parameters that govern its behavior. These parameters include things like movement speed, damage, point value, etc.

The **Eyedropper** button allows designers to copy Sprites that are placed on the grid. This is especially useful when the designer has changed the parameters of the Sprite with the Wrench tool, because using the Eyedropper will create a clone of the Sprite with the changed parameters. This makes it easy to duplicate customized Sprites.

The **X** button allows designers to delete Sprites placed on the playfield. This action is permanent.

Level Settings
Every game is composed of one or more Levels. A level is a self-contained unit of gameplay with a defined goal. Think of this window as defining the “world” that the game takes place in. The Level Settings are used to control the overall qualities of the game space, including the perspective of camera and the of the size level.

Users can choose and adjust a variety of para- meters that define this space. The first three fields in the Level Settings window allow the user to create a name for the level, write text that is dis- played when a player begins playing the level, as well as text that is displayed when players complete it.

The **Perspective** of a Level indicates whether the Player is viewing the play field from either a “top-down” or “platformer” perspective. In the **platformer** perspective, the player controls an avatar that jumps from platform to platform. In **top-down** perspective, the player controls an avatar seen from above, which can move in all four directions. Choosing a platformer perspective opens up a **Gravity** submenu. Gravity determines the amount of downward force placed on moving Sprites in the game. Increasing the gravity increases the speed at which objects fall, and allows avatar sprites to jump and fly. Choosing single screen opens up a **Wraparound** submenu. Wraparound means that when the player leaves one edge of the playfield, her avatar will reappear at the opposite edge.
 * Single Screen** means the game is restricted to the size of one visible game screen— a 16 x 12 grid of Sprites. We recommend starting out with this setting, as it can help focus new game designers.
 * Multiple Screen** means the game screen will move with the player, revealing previously unseen areas as they move towards the edges. Choosing Multiple Screen opens up a submenu that lets users determine the total size of the playing field, up to a grid of 160 x 120 Sprites.
 * Edge Bounding** determines how the edges of the playfield behave. Some edges can stop the player’s motion or allow the player to pass freely. In platformer perspective, if the player falls off of the edge of the screen, they will automatically lose the game.


 * Background** and **Music** let the user choose from backgrounds and musical themes (or silence) that will play during the level. Players start with a few of these and earn more throughout the Quests. To see where in the Quests the backgrounds and music are earned, go to the [|Quest Guide].

Game Settings


Designers use **Game Settings** to write the text that players will see. This includes: the **Game Name**; the**Game Intro** text which appears when the game is first opened; the **Game Win Message** that appears at the end of a game.

There are two other settings here which are good for teaching writing skills. The “Goals and Rules” is a text area where players can write what their game is about, and it is good for communicating the metaphor of a creative game.

The “Tips and Tricks” is a good place for designers to think about what their players need to know, and to practice didactic writing skills.