Blender Game Engine: Beginner’s Guide

Table of Contents

Blender Game Engine Beginner's Guide

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more

Why Subscribe?

Free Access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Time for action — heading

What just happened?

Pop quiz — heading

Have a go hero—heading

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Downloading the color images of this book

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Things You Need to Know

Things you need, and things you don't

Time for action — start using the BGE

What just happened?

Exploring the interface of the Logic Editor

Time for action — exploring the logic bricks world

What just happened?

Time for action — moving the cube

What just happened?

Pop quiz — exploring the interface of the Logic Editor

Have a go hero— doing more

Summary

2. Your Characters

An example—save the whale!

How to create a library

Time for action — downloading models from the Internet

What just happened?

Importing other files into Blender

Time for action — cleaning up the model in Blender

What just happened?

Pop quiz — importing other files into Blender

Have a go hero—growing the library

Involving enemies in the game

Time for action — appending the enemy

What just happened?

Pop quiz — Involving enemies in the game

Have a go hero—reshaping the level

Creating a meeting point

Time for action — making the enemy follow a path

What just happened?

Pop quiz — creating a meeting point

Have a go hero—more interactivity

Summary

3. The First Level

Block out a level environment

Time for action — creating the scene

What just happened?

Pop quiz — blocking out a level environment

Have a go hero—doing it better

Creating a player view

Time for action — renaming the scene

What just happened?

Have a go hero—creating the real map view

Defining the boundaries

Time for action — closing the entry point

What just happened?

Have a go hero—experimenting with the start of the game

Marking the end of level

Time for action — opening the end point

What just happened?

Have a go hero—changing the end point

Summary

4. Collisions

Respawning the character

Time for action — returning to the original position

What just happened?

Pop quiz — respawning the character

Have a go hero—doing it better

Creating trap doors

Time for action — moving the blocks of ice

What just happened?

Have a go hero—the more, the better

Real-time motion

Time for action — rolling objects

What just happened?

Have a go hero—different actions

Creating looped actions

Time for action — making waves

What just happened?

Have a go hero—making it look real

Summary

5. Gameplay

Growing the character

Time for action — counting

What just happened?

Have a go hero—completing possibilities

Creating a life indicator bar

Time for action — decreasing life

What just happened?

Have a go hero—making limits

Creating a counter of items collected

Time for action — collecting

What just happened?

Have a go hero—making the difference

Creating a map of the level we play

Time for action — overlaying something like a map

What just happened?

Have a go hero—remaking things

Changing the camera view

Time for action — view 1, 2, 3

What just happened?

Have a go hero—not the only point of view

Moving to another layer

Time for action — throwing things

What just happened?

Have a go hero—making the shooter

Pop quiz — moving to another level

Summary

6. Liven up Your World!

Animate the character

Time for action — moving the whale's tail

What just happened?

Have a go hero—making poses

Making the environment come alive

Time for action — creating sounds and music

What just happened?

Have a go hero—sounds like music

Animate your enemies

Time for action — animating the hunter

What just happened?

Have a go hero—kill them all

Make your own game

Time for action — making the hunter shoot

What just happened?

Have a go hero—destroying things

Pop quiz — make your own game

Summary

7. Game Menu Screens

Making titles

Time for action — creating your first game title

What just happened?

Have a go hero—game over

Creating simple buttons

Time for action — using the up or down options

What just happened?

Have a go hero—creating transparent buttons

Making an externally executable game

Time for action — exporting your game

What just happened?

Have a go hero—multiplayer game

Pop quiz — making an external executable game

Summary

8. Publishing Your Game

Playing your game on the Web

Time for action — using the Burster plug-in

What just happened?

Have a go hero—customizing it

Making some trailers

Time for action — recording it

What just happened?

Have a go hero—more records

Creating something more

Time for action — updating your game

What just happened?

Have a go hero—creating a new level 2

Pop quiz — creating something more

Summary

A. Pop quiz — Answers

Chapter 1, Things You Need to Know

Pop quiz — exploring the interface of the Logic Editor

Chapter 2, Your Characters

Pop quiz — importing other files into Blender

Pop quiz — involving enemies in the game

Pop quiz — creating a meeting point

Chapter 3, The First Level

Pop quiz — blocking out a level environment

Chapter 4, Collisions

Pop quiz — respawning the character

Chapter 5, Gameplay

Pop quiz — moving to another level

Chapter 6, Liven up Your World!

Pop quiz — make your own game

Chapter 7, Game Menu Screens

Pop quiz — making an external executable game

Chapter 8, Publishing Your Game

Pop quiz — creating something more

Index

Blender Game Engine Beginner's Guide

Blender Game Engine Beginner's Guide

Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: September 2012

Production Reference: 1300812

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

35 Livery Street

Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-84951-702-7

www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by Asher Wishkerman ( <[email protected]> )

Credits

Author

Victor Kuller Bacone

Reviewers

Pang Lih-Hern

Michelangelo Manrique

Acquisition Editor

Robin de Jongh

Lead Technical Editor

Hithesh Uchil

Technical Editors

Rati Pillai

Lubna Shaikh

Copy Editors

Brandt D'mello

Insiya Morbiwala

Alfida Paiva

Project Coordinator

Sai Gamare

Proofreader

Joel T. Johnson

Indexer

Rekha Nair

Production Coordinator

Melwyn D'sa

Cover Work

Melwyn D'sa

About the Author

Victor Kuller Bacone is the pen name for a Blender enthusiast of six years. By profession, he is a video editor, but the explosion of current technologies has led him to learn 3D software, and he chose Blender out of them all.

In the short span of his career within the Blender community in Catalonia (Spain), Victor has promoted Blender events, master classes, and an online magazine under the name Blendercat (http://www.blendercat.org) for anyone who wants to learn 3D using free software. His great admiration for the animation and interactive side of Blender is combined with his passion for games, and more specifically, the ease with which one can create games using Blender. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science, and teaches both young and unemployed adults.

I would like to thank Sisizik, without whose help I couldn't have transcribed this book.

About the Reviewers

Pang Lih-Hern is a Computer Game Engine Programmer with more than five years of industry experience. He started programming when he was 12, learning the quick, basic language. After graduating with a degree in Software Engineering and Games Design from Multimedia University Malaysia, he began his freelancing endeavors, which eventually led him to be a part of the core technical team for John Galt Games (Malaysia). He was a part of the decision-making group for designing and implementing the company's proprietary game engine. Lih-Hern is also actively involved on the open source front, often submitting fixtures and features for the popular, open source Ogre3D engine. One notable contribution of his was the Parallel Split Shadow Map feature that enhances the shadow rendering of a 3D scene. He is also a strong advocate of Blender and is currently holding the position of maintaining the Blender exporter to Ogre3D's mesh format.

After leaving John Galt Games (Malaysia), Lih-Hern co-founded Liquid Rock Games Sdn. Bhd.(outsource development) and Nakama Studios Sdn. Bhd.(in-house development) with his fellow artist partner Yap Chun Fei. The goal was to create innovative, AAA-quality games, without the need for a huge budget cost, by means of using open source technology and tools, such as Blender, Gimp, and Ogre3D. As of now, Nakama Studios (their in-house development studio) is in the process of developing its first, racing