Copyright: Corel


The Games Factory:Editors

Click below to learn more about:

The Storyboard Editor

The Level Editor

The Event Editor

The Step Through Editor


The Event Editor

The Event Editor provides you with a simple way of managing the events and actions that are to occur in your game.

Every action, no matter how trivial, can be tested using an Event. Examples of events include an object moving outside the playfield, a user pressing a key on the keyboard, or a ball colliding with a bat.

Events can also be more complex. They can test for several different Conditions at a time. In an arcade game, you might define an event to test whether the player has been killed by an attacker. Your event could include setting separate conditions for detecting the collision and for testing the number of lives the player has left.

Each condition tests for a single outcome in your game. You can test the position of an object, read the player's score, or compare the mouse coordinates to some selected value.

When an event occurs, The Games Factory will perform the Actions that you have assigned. There are dozens of actions to choose from, including creating or destroying an object, increasing the score, or playing a video sequence.

Because the number of events is limitless, it is easy to get lost in the confusion. The Step Through Editor becomes invaluable in this situation, since it concentrates your attention on the events that really matter in your game.

After you have gained a little experience with The Games Factory, you will often want to add in your own events. The Event Editor will enable you to do this.

See:

The Event grid

How Events work

How actions work

The Action boxes

The Action icons

Changing the actions


An Introduction to the Event Grid

The Events are displayed in the form of a grid, rather like a spreadsheet. Instead of numbers, there are dots used to represent the various actions.

Along the left hand side, the events that you would like to test in your game are listed in rows. These events are given numerical labels starting at 1.

Each event can consist of several different conditions and these conditions are displayed in a rectangle beside the corresponding event number.

The bottom event in the Level Editor is empty and is labelled New condition. This event enables you to add a new test to your game at any time. Click the New condition box and then double click an object to test in the New Condition dialogue box.


An Introduction to Action Boxes

In the Event Editor, to the right of the events, there is a row of grid boxes containing your actions. These actions will be performed automatically when an Event becomes True.

The boxes are arranged in vertical columns with an icon at the top. You can find out what an icon does by moving the mouse pointer over the icon and reading the description from the window that appears.

Enter the actions by clicking a box under the icon of object you want to effect with the right mouse button. Choose an appropriate action from the pop-up menu.

The dots in the action boxes serve as markers, and indicate that you have assigned actions to the corresponding objects.

To edit the actions, click the action or grid box with the right mouse button and choose Edit from the pop-up menu.

Note: You can also add actions to an action box by clicking the box with the right mouse button and choose an action from the same pop-up menu.

To copy an action, click the action and drag and drop into another action box of the same type. This will copy all of the actions from the source box to the destination box. You can enter your actions once and copy them into any number of events for any number of objects.


An Introduction to the Action Icons

Each column in the Event Editor holds the actions of a particular type. There is a column for each object, and there are additional columns for Special conditions, Sound, Storyboard Controls, Creating new objects, Player 1, and The mouse pointer and keyboard.

Enter your actions by clicking one of the boxes under an icon with the right mouse button and choosing an action from the pop-up menu. Once an action has been entered, the box will be marked as follows:

You can view the actions corresponding to each action marker by moving the mouse pointer over the marker. The current actions will be displayed in a box:


How Actions work

There are three main groups of actions:

General Controls

Object Actions

Object Groups

General Controls

General controls allow you to play samples, create new objects, or move to a new level.

Special actions are used to load an external program from a disc, change a global value, activate or deactivate a group of events, edit, or delete an action. Click a box in the Special conditions column with the right mouse button to choose any of these options. Special conditions are represented by the following icon:

The Sound actions  let you Play a sample, Play music, Play and Loop Sample, Play and Loop Musing, Stop any Sample Playing, and Stop any Music Playing. It is also possible to test whether some sound is playing. Click a box in the Sound column with the right mouse button to choose any of these options. Sound options are represented by the following icon:

Storyboard Controls allow you to move to the Next level, Previous level, Jump to a level, Restart the current level, Restart the game, end the game, and set different Scrolling options. Click a box in the Storyboard Controls column with the right mouse button to choose any of these options. Storyboard Controls are represented by the following icon:

The Create new objects icon is used to add new objects to your game. Click a box in the Create new objects column with the right mouse button to create a new object. Create new objects is represented by the following icon:

The Mouse pointer & keyboard actions are used to Hide the windows mouse pointer or show the windows mouse pointer. Click a box in The mouse pointer and keyboard column with the right mouse button to choose either of these options. The mouse pointer and keyboard is represented by the following icon:

Player 1 actions are used to change the player's score, the number of lives, and to ignore or restore player control. Click a box in the Player 1 column with the right mouse button to choose any of these options. The Player 1 is represented by the following icon:

Object Actions

Object actions provide you with precise control over the individual objects you have created in your game.

Each object will have its own icon in the Event Editor. These icons will normally be arranged in the order you defined them, but the icons can be dragged and dropped to relocate them. The icon will be taken from the first image frame of your object. If you would like to change the icon, you can edit it in the Level Editor.

The available actions depend on the "type" of your object.

Object Groups

Object Groups are collections of objects which share a common purpose. Several objects can be linked together and controlled from a single event.

For example, suppose you were creating an arcade game. You might create several different objects to represent different types of aliens attacking the player. Rather than creating a separate event for every different alien, you could assign these objects to an "alien group” in the Level Editor. This would allow you to test all the aliens using a single event and call the actions as needed.


Using the Toolbar

The Toolbar provides you with a range of standard options from the Event Editor.

 Displays the Storyboard Editor Window.

 Displays the Level Editor Window.

 Creates a new Condition, Comment, or Event Group.

 Provides additional information about the game.

 Calls up the Event Editor Preferences.

 Calls up the Interactive Help system.

 Cuts your Events or Conditions from the game.

 Copies one or more events into memory.

 Pastes an saved event into memory to a new position.

 Runs your current game.

 Runs the present Level.

 Restarts the game from the beginning.

 Calls the Step Through Editor.

 Plays the Level from the current position.

 Pauses the game or level during testing.


Using the Create Event icon

Clicking the New icon ( [image]) displays a pop-up menu with three additional icons used for adding a new line of events, adding a new group of events, and adding comments.

 New line of events

After clicking New line of events, double click an object to test in the New Condition dialogue box. Once the object has been selected, choose a test from the pop-up menu for that object. The mouse pointer will change to an insertion point. Click the events list to drop the new line of events into the required position.

 New group of events

After clicking New group of events, enter the title of the group into the Group Events dialogue box. Set the settings to Active When level starts and/or Global to the entire game. Click OK. The mouse pointer will change to an insertion point. Click the events list to drop the new group of events into the required position.

 New comment

After clicking New comment, enter the text, choose the font, colours, and alignment of the text in the Edit Text dialogue box. Click OK. The mouse pointer will change to an insertion point. Click the events list to drop the new comment into the required position.


Using the Condition Selector

Each icon represents a group of conditions that can be tested in your game. You can select these icons by clicking them with the right mouse button. A menu will be displayed with the available options.

When you have made your selection your new condition will be added to the bottom of the event box.


Using the Action Editor

The Action Editor displays a list of all the actions assigned to a particular object. Clicking one of the Action Markers with the left mouse button will display the Action Editor dialogue box.

The dots in the action boxes serve as markers, and indicate that you have assigned actions to the corresponding object.

The Action Editor is divided into several sections:

Actions related to object

Selected Actions

New action

Actions related to object

The Actions related to object section shows which object will be affected by your action. Special actions will be represented by their appropriate icons. For example, if you are defining a sound action, you will see the sound icon ( [image]).

Selected Actions

The Selected Actions section lists all the actions which will be performed by the event. Edit these actions by clicking them with the right mouse button. The pop-up menu will allow you to edit or delete an existing action, or create a new action.

New action

Click the New action item with the right mouse button to create a new action for your game.

Note: To delete an action, click the action you want to remove and drag

and drop it over the garbage can icon.


Editing your Event lines

Events  are controlled by the number icon to the left of the condition box.

If an event contains several conditions, you can edit each event individually. It is possible to change the order of the events in the event editor by clicking the number icon and dragging and dropping to the new location.

Note: It is important to place the most important items first in the list of events to ensure that your game will run at the maximum possible speed.

To edit an event, click the number icon with the right mouse button and select either Add a new condition, Edit the action, Insert, or Delete from the pop-up menu.

Add a new Condition

Add a new condition will insert a new condition after the current event. If the event contains several conditions, each event will be separated by a "+" (plus sign).

Edit the action

Edit the action will enable you to change the order of the actions. The Action Order Editor dialogue box is used to make these changes.

Insert

When Insert is selected from the pop-up menu, the following items can be inserted:

A comment

A new event

A group of events


Selecting Events

You can copy events to a new position by clicking the event marker and dragging and dropping to a new location.


Copying Events assigned to a particular object

To highlight the events assigned to a particular game object, click the object's icon with the right mouse button and select the Filter and Select Events option from the pop-up menu.

The Event list will now show a complete list of all the events which affect the object you have chosen. These events are now highlighted and ready for copying.

You can copy these events by clicking them and dragging and dropping them into a new position.

You can also click the highlighted line with the right mouse button and select one of the following options from the pop-up menu:

Open All Groups

If the selection contains “Closed” event groups, you can use this option to display the contents of the group in the Event Editor.

Close All Groups

If the selection contains “Open” event groups, you can reduce them to the title lines with a single operation.

Cut

Cut will remove the selection and store it in the GF’s Clipboard for future use.

Copy

Copy will retrieve the information stored in the clipboard and insert in into the new location.

Delete

Delete will erase the selection completely.

Note: You will not be able to retrieve a selection once it has been deleted.


Deleting an Event

You can remove an event by clicking the number icon with the right mouse button and choosing Delete from the pop-up menu. All the conditions and actions connected to this event will be erased.

You can also select the event and press the DELETE key on the keyboard.

Don’t despair  if you erase something by mistake. You can recover your Events using the Undo option from either the Edit menu, or the toolbar ( [image]) .


Editing Conditions

To edit a condition, click the condition text box with the right mouse button and select one of the following options from the pop-up menu:

Edit

Edit enables you to replace the current condition with another condition of the same type. Change the appropriate settings in the dialogue box that appears.

Replace

Replace will allow you to change the object to be tested. Double click on the new object to test.

Insert

Insert will allow you to insert a new object to be tested. Double click on the new object to be tested.

Delete

Delete will remove a condition from the list.

Note: Take care NOT to select an object icon by mistake. This will delete the object instead of the condition.

Negate

Negate will reverse the effect of the current condition. For example, if you are testing for a particular key to be pressed, the condition will now test that the key has NOT been pressed. Negate is only available for certain conditions.


Adding an new Condition to an Event

There are two ways to add a new condition to an event:

1. Click the New Condition item in the event list.

2. Select New ( [image]), Insert a New line of events ( [image]).


Deleting a Condition

To delete a condition, click the condition box with the right mouse button and choose delete from the pop-up menu. The selected condition will be erased from the Event Editor.


Copying a Condition

To copy a condition, click a condition and drag and drop it into a new location. Any conditions that are present in the new location will be completely overwritten. If you drag a condition to the event number corresponding to another event, the destination event will create a new copy of the condition.


Changing the objects tested by a Condition

It is easy to change the objects used to test a condition.

If you are displaying the objects using icons, click the icon in the condition line.

Choose a new object to test from the dialogue box.

If you are only displaying the names, double click the entire line to edit the condition.


Negating a Condition

To negate a condition, click the condition line with the right mouse button and choose negate from the pop-up menu. Negate inverts the effect of the current condition. If the condition would normally be true, it will be treated as false and if it were false, it will become true.

For example, if you had negated the condition Upon pressing "N", the actions would be called if the user had not pressed the "N" key. If you negate "Is music not playing", you will test if the music IS playing.

After you have negated a condition, an X will appear to the left of the condition line:


Using the Condition Selector

The Condition Selector allows you to choose your conditions from a menu. Each icon represents a group of conditions that can be tested in your game.

Some icons represent objects:

Others icons represent devices such as the keyboard, joystick, or mouse.

There are also general conditions which compare values, trigger events, check the level, or create a new object in your game.

Click these icons with the right mouse button to display a pop-up menu with the available options. When you have made your selection, the new condition will be added to the bottom of the event box.


Editing an Action

If you want to change or add an action, click an action or grid box with the left or right mouse button. An action or grid box is a box in the Event editor grid under the icons and beside the conditions.

Clicking the left button selects your actions for editing or copying purposes. You can edit your actions by clicking the action markers. This will open the Action Editor dialogue box and enable you to edit your actions. Click an Action Marker and drag and drop the actions to a new action box.

Note: The actions will only be copied of the new location contains an action of the same type as the original location.

Clicking the grid box with the right button displays a pop-up menu with the editing operations that are available. You can use this menu to add a new action or edit the existing action.


Adding an Action

You can add an action by clicking one of the grid boxes with the right mouse button. Choose the action you want from the pop-up menu. The following is an example of a typical pop-up menu:

Alternatively, you can click the action box, and display the Action Editor. Click the New Action line with the right mouse button to define a new action.

Whenever the mouse pointer moves over a marker, the list of current actions will be displayed.


Changing the Action settings

The effect of an action can be changed by entering new settings in the dialogue box.

In the Event Editor, click the Action marker with the right mouse button and choose Edit from the pop-up menu. If you have defined several actions, you will be able to select which actions to edit. When you have finished, click OK to enter your new settings into the Event list.


Deleting an Action

To delete an action, click the Action marker with the right mouse button and choose Delete from the pop-up menu. If there are several actions, you will be able to select which actions to delete.

Alternatively, click the Action marker to display the Action Editor. Drag the action to delete over the Garbage can icon to delete it.

If you erase something by mistake, you can recover  using the Undo option from either the Edit menu, or the toolbar ( [image]) .


Copying an Action

To copy an action, click the action to copy and drag and drop the action to the new location.

The source and destination actions must be of a similar type. For example, you can copy a sound action to another sound action, or copy an object action to a different object. But you can not copy a sound action to an object action.


Moving the Actions

The grid is divided into a series of columns. Each column represents a particular object or action type, with its related actions lists down the column.

You can change the order of the columns by clicking the object icon and dragging and dropping the column to a new position.


Changing the Object affected by an Action

You can change the object assigned to an action using the Event Editor.

Click the object's icon from the top line with the right mouse button. Choose Replace by another object from the pop-up menu. Click the icon to replace with from the dialogue box. The new object must be of the same basic type as the source object. You can't replace a Text Object by a Question object, or an Video for Window object by a QuickTime object.

Once you have made your selection, any actions assigned to the source object will be moved to the destination. The source object can now be removed from your game, or assigned new actions.

Note: If the destination object already has actions assigned to it, they will not be affected. The new actions will be added to the end of the list.


The Action Order Editor

The Action Order Editor shows a list of all the actions which have been assigned to your event, and lets you change the order these actions will be performed.

Click an event number with the right mouse button and select Edit the actions from the pop-up menu. Click the actions and drag and drop them to change the order of the events.

Let’s look at an example of how the action order editor can be used. Supposing you wanted to record the width and height of a video clip from the screen. You could store the dimensions for the height and width in two different counters and reset these counters using the Set counter action whenever a new video sequence is loaded.

In order for the counters to work properly, the set counter action would have to be called AFTER the video was loaded. Otherwise, the counter would give the size of the previous video rather than the current one. Using the Action Order Editor, the New file action would need to be placed above the Set counter actions. This would ensure that the counters would be loaded with the latest information held in the computer.


Editing a Comment

To edit a comment, click the comment line with the right mouse button and select edit from the pop-up menu. This pop-up menu contains the following options:

Edit comment is used to enter the comment text, change the font and colour of the text, and change the alignment.

Insert is used to insert a new event line at the current position. You can insert:

A Comment

A New Event

A Group of Events

Delete permanently removes the selected comment from the event list of your game.


Inserting a Comment

To add a comment, click the comment line with the right mouse button and choose Insert a comment. You can also add a comment by clicking the New icon in the toolbar and choosing New Comment ( [image]) from the pop-up menu.

Enter your text into the edit text dialogue box. Choose the font, alignment, and colour scheme by using the buttons in the dialogue box.

Click OK to add the comment in the Event Editor. The comment will stretch from the left of the screen to the right-hand edge of the last action icon.

If you are using a large font, or your comment is more than one line in length, you will need to expand the comment box in order to see your text.


Resizing a Comment

Comments are displayed in a rectangular bar on the screen. You can change the height of the comment by moving the mouse pointer over either the top or bottom line. The pointer will change to the resizing pointer. Click the line and drag to expand the comment bar.

Note: The width of a comment bar is fixed. The comment bar is set to be the same width as the top row of the event list.


Changing a Comment

You can change a Comment by clicking the comment with the right mouse button and choosing Edit from the pop-up menu.

You can now edit the text, font, colours, or alignment of the Comment.

The edit text dialogue box contains the following options:

Choosing the Font

Choose from any True Type font available from the list of fonts and choose an appropriate point size. You can change the font style to bold, italic, or underlined.

Set Font colour will allow you to choose a colour for the text from the colour palette.

Set Back colour will allow you to choose a colour for the paper from the colour palette.

Alignment chooses the way the text will be lined up on the screen.

Left displays the text from left to right just is it appears on the screen.

Right places the last character to the right, and works backwards through your text.

Centre neatly centres your comment on the screen.


Copying a Comment

Make a copy of your Comments by clicking the comment line and clicking the Copy icon ( [image]) from the toolbar. Position the mouse in the new location for the comment and click paste ( [image]).

Copying a comment provides a fast way of using the same text style in a number of comments. Just copy an appropriate comment to new location and edit the text.


Deleting a Comment

Comments can be deleted by clicking the comment line with the right mouse button and choosing Delete from the pop-up menu.


Editing an Event Group

To Edit an Event Group, click the Title line of the event group with the right mouse button. Select from the following options in the pop-up menu:

Open expands a currently closed Event group so you can edit the event lines.

Close reduces an “open” event group to a single title line.

Edit Group changes the event group options.

Insert will add a new event line at the current position. You can insert:

A Comment

A New Event

A Group of Events

Delete will permanently remove the selected group from the event list of your game.


Inserting a Group of events

There are two ways to Insert a new event group:

1)	Click New ( [image]), New group of events ( [image]) from the toolbar.

2)	Click a Title bar with the right mouse button and choosing Insert, A group of events from the pop-up menu.

In either case, enter the Title of the group in the box provided. Click OK to add the new group to the Event Editor.


Setting the Event Group options from the Group Events dialog box

The Title of an event group can be any name you like but is more useful to make the title meaningful. For example, "Handle Collisions" is clearer than "Event Group 6".

There are two check-boxes that will change the way that the events will be used in your game: Active when level starts and Global to the entire game.

Active When Level Starts

As a default, the events will begin work the moment a level starts. If you would prefer to control the movement during the game, disable this check box. The events will now be ignored until you switch the group on using an Activate Group action in the Event Editor.

This feature VERY powerful, as it allows you to limit your groups to selected parts of your games. Groups can be defined for each control panel and difficulty level. The events can be triggered when the user enters an appropriate command.

Global To The Entire Game

Enable this check box to make the group a permanent feature of your game. Whenever you create a new level, this group will be created in the Event Editor. Therefore, you can define a group and basically forget about it!


Expanding a Closed Group

Open a group of events by double clicking the title bar, or clicking the title bar with the right mouse button and choosing Open from the pop-up menu.

As illustrated above, the events in a group are indented to the right. These events can be manipulated just like any other event, and can even be dragged outside the group. You can also drag other conditions into the event group.


Closing a Group

Close a group of events by double clicking the title bar, or clicking the title bar with the right mouse button and choosing Close from the pop-up menu.

The events will now be hidden and only the title bar will appear in the Event Editor.


Adding new Conditions to a Group

To add new conditions, the group must be expanded or open. Click the title bar with the right mouse button and choose Insert, A new line from the pop-up menu. Choose the condition from the New Condition dialogue box.


Changing an Event Group

Edit the Event Groups by clicking the title bar with the right mouse button and choosing Edit group from the pop-up menu.


Moving an Event Group

Move event groups by clicking the title bar and dragging and dropping the event group to a new location.


Moving an Event into a Group.

Move a condition or event into a group by clicking the event and dragging and dropping it over the title bar of the group. It is not necessary for the event group to be open.


Copying an Event Group

To copy an event group, click the title bar to select the event group. Click Copy ( [image]), or click the selected title bar with the right mouse button and choose Copy from the pop-up menu.

All the events and actions in the group will be transferred into the clipboard. Click Paste ( [image]) and click the events list to drop the Group of events into position.


Copying Events within a single level

To copy an Event within the same level:

1)	In the Event Editor, click the Event number corresponding to the Event to copy. This will highlight the event.

2)	Click Copy ( [image]).

3)	Click Paste ( [image]).

Click the Events list to drop the Event into the new location.


Copying Events between levels

To copy an event to a different level:

1)	In the Event Editor, click the Event number corresponding to the Event to copy. This will highlight the event.

2)	Click Copy ( [image]).

3)	In the Storyboard Editor, click the destination level number with the right mouse button and choose Edit this Level, Events from the pop-up menu.

4)	Click Paste ( [image]).

5)	Click the Events list to drop the Event into the new location.


Copying Events between games

The GF Clipboard will preserve its contents for the duration of your current session. Therefore, once you have copied some events, you can load a new file using File, New game and paste the events into the new game.

If your events deal with objects that don't exist in the new game, they will be replaced with a Question icon ( [image]).

These events will be completely ignored until you assign a new object to the missing entries.

Click the Question icon to replace it with a new icon. Select a new object to apply the events to. This object MUST be of the same type as the original. For example, you can't switch a Video for Windows object with a Text object.

If the event contains actions which play samples of music, these must have been previously assigned in your new game or they will be deleted.


Using Comments and Event Groups

The Games Factory will allow you to add Comments to Event groups. Adding comments is optional but these comments can improve the readability of your game.

Comments provide a printed description of your games inner workings, so that other people can benefit from your experience. They can also serve as invaluable memory joggers during development.

Here are some more examples

Event groups are collections of events dedicated to a single job. They can be either open or closed. An open group looks like this:

In a Group of Events, the events and conditions are “indented” to the right. This will tell you immediately that these events are inside a group. Here's an example of a closed group:

Event groups split your games into simpler, easier to handle chunks. You can create different groups to detect collisions, spring traps, or enter the users commands.

Once you have placed your events in a group, you can reduce them to a single line in the Event Editor. These group events can also be used in future games by cutting and pasting events and event groups.

Event groups can be manipulated as a single unit. You can turn their conditions on or off with a single action in your game. You can use the same actions between several different levels. Therefore, you can create your event groups in the first level and use them throughout your game.

These event groups can be used to create standard routines that can be used throughout many different games. In an arcade game, you can define a single group to control your player for your entire game. In an adventure, you can create a global group to handle your player's possessions.


Key facts about Comments and Event Groups

Here's a quick summary of the key points to remember.

Conditions perform a single test in your game.

Events are collections of conditions which generate one or more actions.

Event groups are collections of events which share a common purpose.

Comments provide a description of your creations for posterity.

Actions do things, such as playing a sample or changing the score.

Object groups control a number of similar object types with a single set of events

Creating an event is a two stage process

1)	First choose your event and add in the conditions you want to test.

2)	Now, select the actions to be performed if the conditions are true. Click the grid box under the relevant action icon with the right mouse button and enter your commands from the resulting menu.


Undoing the Previous Editing operation

The Event Editor provides you with a simple way of recovering from mistakes.

You just click on the Undo icon ( [image]) or choose the Undo command from the Edit menu to reverse from the most recent editing operation on the screen.

The Games Factory records the details of your last 50 editing operations in your game. You can increase the number using an option from the General Set-up menu.

You can restore your editing operations back to normal with the Redo or ( [image])  icon.

Note that your old editing operations will be lost when you run your game. The Undo feature will be greyed out until you make any further changes to your Events.


Using Filter effects

Filter effects allow you to remove the clutter in the Event Editor and concentrate on particular types of actions. Click an icon at the top of the screen and the Event Editor will display all the events associated with that action. You can return the screen back to normal by clicking the icon again.

It is also possible to filter several items. Click an icon and press the SHIFT + CTRL keys on the keyboard. Each filter object will remain selected to enable you to filter more than one item at a time.

It is possible to list all of the timer or fade events using the filter option. Click the All Events box with the right mouse button and select an option from the following menu:

No Filters returns to Normal mode, and shows all the events and actions in the event editor.

Filter Timer Events displays all the events which use the timer.

Filter Fade In shows all events and actions used as part of a Fade in.

Filter Fade Out enters Fade out mode and lists the events and actions used to control the fade.


Scrolling through the Event List

The Games Factory allows you to add hundreds of events to any game. You can scroll through these events in the Event Editor using the scroll-bars to the right and bottom of the screen.


Using Short-cuts

You can scroll through the events in the Event Editor quickly using the following keyboard short-cuts:

PAGE UP: moves to the previous page of events

PAGE DOWN: displays the next page

HOME: jumps to the first event

END: moves to the last event in the list

↑: scrolls the events upwards by one line

↓: shifts down a line


Setting the Event Editor Preferences

Click the Preferences icon ( [image]) to set up the Event Editor.

The Event Editor Preferences dialogue box contains the following tabs:

Display sets the appearance of the Event grid.

Events rearranges the events on the display.

Objects changes the way objects are displayed.

Run affects how your levels will be executed.

See:

Display

Objects

Events

Run


Display

The Display tab enables you to change the appearance of your events and conditions in the Event Editor.

There are several possibilities:

Checkmark display

Click the Edit button in the checkmark display section to change the appearance of the Action marker in the Event Grid. Use the Icon Editor to draw or import new graphics for the Action marker.

Here a few examples of action markers:

The new markers will be saved when you exit The Games Factory. Here is how the Event Editor might look with the new Action markers:

Stretch to display

Enable the Stretch to display check box to make each marker fit into it’s box in the Event Grid. As the boxes become larger, the marker will change size accordingly. Normally, The Games Factory will keep the maker in it’s original proportions. You can override this to stretch the marker horizontally.

Number of Events on the screen

Use the Numb of Events slider to increase or reduce the number of Event boxes on the screen. Sliding the pointer to the left increases the size of the event boxes and object icons. Therefore, you can zoom in on a particular portion of the game. Sliding the pointer the right, reduces the size of the event boxes. You can use the reduced boxes to get an overview of all the events in you game.

The best setting will depend on your monitor, but it is normally somewhere in the middle of the slider.


Events

The Events tab is used to change the way the event boxes are arranged on the screen.

Enable the Show empty events check box to allow you shows an event even if you have not assigned any events to it.

Enable the Alphabetically sort events check box to alphabetically sort the events in order from A to Z. The events are sorted according to the first letters in the first condition.

Note: If you have placed your events is a specific order, you will lose this order completely if you enabled this check box.

Enable the Create Default Events for new objects check box to have The Games Factory automatically generate standard events for each object in your game. Therefore, a ball object will be set up to bounce against your walls, and a spaceship will be tested to see if it’s reached the edge of the screen. Although you can change these in the event editor, you my prefer to start from scratch when you are creating a game. If so, you can turn this feature off by clicking the checkbox.


Objects

The Object tab is used to change the way your objects will be displayed in the event boxes. You can choose to display the object using their name, their icon, or both

Enable the Display object's icon check box to place a picture of your object Icon in the condition boxes.

Enable the Display object's text check box to use the text description to refer to your object in the condition list.

If you enable both check boxes, both the icon and the name will appear for each object.


Run

The Run tab is used to change the way your game will be run.

Enable the Run Level with fades In/Out check box if you have defined a Fade effect for the current level. This will enable you to see the Fade effect when the level is run. If this checkbox is activated, Fade In effects will be called at the start of the level, and Fade outs will be shown when you exit.


Finding out the memory usage for your game.

Click the Information icon ( [image]) to display useful information about the memory used by your game. This information will fluctuate during testing as the number and type of your objects change.


Using the Expression Evaluator

The Expression Evaluator enables you to enter expressions and perform calculations. You can type a new expression from the keyboard or use the slider to enter numbers into the expression. The expression can include all the normal arithmetic operations and can be separated by brackets. It can also include The Games Factory functions.

Your calculations can include:

+	adds two numbers

-	subtracts the second number from the first

*	multiplies two numbers together

/	divides the first number by the second

Mod	 displays the remainder after division

( )	performs the contents of the brackets first

Del	deletes the current selection

The Mod key performs a remainder operation. It divides the first number by the second, and calculates what’s left over. For example, 7 mod.3 would be worked out as follows. The Games Factory would divide the 7 by 3. Since the result is not a whole number, you’d get a value of two with one left over. So 7 mod 3 would equal 1.

The brackets ( ) tell The Games Factory that a part of the expression has priority. So 10/(1+4) would equal two, as the expression would add the contents of the brackets first, before doing the division.

Check tests your expression to see if it makes sense. You'll get a message with Syntax error if the expression is incorrect.

Retrieve Data from an object displays The Games Factory functions. You can pick these functions from a dialogue box:

Each object will be represented by its own icon in the selection box, and will display its own menu of options.

Double click the object you want to retrieve data from. A pop-up menu will be displayed for you to choose a function. When you've selected the function, you'll be returned to the Expression Evaluator. Your function will be added to the evaluator at the current position like so:

Click OK to enter the expression into the Edit line or press Cancel to ignore the expression.

See:

Retrieve Data from object tutorial

Using Functions


Expressions and Calculations

Math on a computer works a little differently than math on a calculator. Therefore, it is worth going through a few of the general rules.

Each calculation can involve a series of "operators".

+	adds two numbers

-	subtracts the second number from the first

*	multiplies two numbers together

/	divides the first number by the second

Mod	 displays the remainder after division

( )	performs the contents of the brackets first

Del	deletes the current selection.

Most of these operators should be familiar to you, but Mod will probably be new. It displays the remainder after a division.

Here are some examples:

5 mod 2

5=2*2 with 1 left over. The result will be 1.

14 mod 3 = 2

14 = 4*3 with 2 remaining.

Mod displays the fractional part of a division. There are lots of games.

When you're typing in an expression, it's vital to know the order in which the calculations are performed. Supposing you had an expression such as: 1+2*3

This could be calculated in two different ways. If the operations were performed from left to right, the result would be equal to nine. The one would be added to the two to give three, and this would be multiplied by the final three to get nine.

1+2=3

3*3=9

If the "2*3" was performed first, then you'd get a value of seven instead.

2*3=6

6+1=7

In practice, the second approach is generally used. We've used this approach for The Games Factory expressions. The Games Factory performs your operations in the following order:

()

mod

/

*

+ and -

If you would prefer to use a different order. All you have to do, is enclose your operations between brackets. The contents of these brackets will always be performed first.

Lets take another example:

The expression 9/(1+2) will be equal to three. The Games Factory will perform the addition before the division because it is enclosed in brackets. It will start off by calculating (1+2) and then divide this value into the original nine.

Here are some more examples:

(1+2)*3 = 3*3 =9

12/(4+2) = 12/6 =2

(1+2)*(3+4) = 3*7=21

Each "(" needs to be matched by exactly one ")".If there are brackets within brackets, the inside brackets will be performed first.

For example:

(2*(3+5))/(1+1)

This would be performed in the order:

(3+5)=8

(2*8)=16

(1+1)=2

16/2=8

The (3+5) would be added together, multiplied by two, then divided by the result of 1+1. All expressions are calculated from left to right.


Retrieve Data from an object tutorial

Retrieve Data from an object lets you read values from a wide range of The Games Factory "functions".

Choose these functions from a dialogue box similar to the following:

Each icon represents a particular type of function in your game. Double click an icon and choose the function from a pop-up menu. Click OK to return to the Expression Evaluator. The Expression Evaluator will be loaded with a "Function name" such as:

Speed("Active object 1")

Once you've had a little experience with functions, you can type the names directly into the Expression Evaluator.

Here are few guidelines:

1)	If a function requires additional information, it will be included in round brackets ().

2)	Numbers are entered directly. e.g. Random(5).

3)	Text is entered between quotation marks "". e.g. Score("Player 1").

4)	If there's more than one value, the information will be separated by commas. e.g. Flag("Active object 1",5) means Flag number five of an active object called "Active object 1").

5)	Some names have a dollar $ sign at the end. These read strings of characters for use with a Text or Edit object. You enter them with the "Change Alterable String" action.

The available function types are:

The Special functions read Global Values and generate random numbers.

The Timer functions read the internal clock. They read the time since the start of your game.

The Storyboard functions read the current frame number and the size of the playing area. They also return the drive, folder, and filename of the current game

The Create object function read the number of Active Objects on the screen.

The Mouse and Keyboard functions read the present coordinates of the mouse pointer.

The Player functions read the Score and the number of lives for each of player in your game.

The object functions read a value from your selected objects. Each of the object types has its own, unique set of functions. You can read the speed, position, and direction of Active Objects. You can read the value of a Counter Object, and the text of a Text Object.


Actions

Actions are used to do things, like playing a sample, setting a value, or destroying an object. Actions are dependent on the results of a test or "condition" in your game.


Action Box

An Action box enters an action into the Event Editor. Actions can be added by clicking the action box with either the left or right mouse button.

Clicking the left button selects the actions and allows them to be dragged and dropped into a new position.

Clicking the right button displays a menu that allows you to choose a new action for your game.


Action Icon

The Action Icon shows the type of action being entered into the Event, or Step Through Editors.


Action Marker

The Action Marker is a small indicator used in an Action box in the Event Editor. The action marker indicates that there is an action of a specific type assigned to that object. You can select the Action Markers with the either the left or right mouse button.

Clicking the left button selects the actions and allows them to be dragged and dropped into a new position.

Clicking the right button displays a menu that allows you to choose a new action for your game.


Action Point

The Action Point is a place on an object where an action will occur. An Action Point is used to assign an action to an object that needs to be released from a specific part of another object. For example, bullets need to be shot from the barrel of the gun.


Action Order Editor

The Action Order Editor allows you to change the order that actions will occur in your game when the test for a specific condition becomes true.


Active Objects

Active Objects are objects that respond to events in your game. Examples of active objects include spaceships, bullets, characters, bricks, balls, and racecars.


Alterable Attributes

Alterable Attributes are features that can be changed using actions. Examples of alterable attributes include coordinates, speed, and alterable values.


Alterable string

An Alterable string is used by a Text Objects to hold a fragment of text or a message. Alterable strings can be loaded using a Text paragraph, read from another object, loaded with a number, or entered from the keyboard using the "Ask for Input" option.


Alterable Values

Alterable Values store vital information needed for the running of the game. The Games Factory provides three Alterable Values for each object. These are represented by the letters A, B, or C. They can take any WHOLE value between -2000,000,000 and +2000,000,000. Fractions such as 1.5, or 3.141 are NOT allowed.

Alterable Values hold the statistics in an RPG. For example, the status of an attacker, or the value of an object.


Animation

Animation brings the objects in your game to life. The Animation is created by displaying a number of still pictures or "Frames" one after another in sequence. By making small changes to the object in each frame, the object will appear to move when the frames are played in sequence. Animations are supplied for most of the objects in The Games Factory, but it is easy to create your own animations using the built in Animation Editor.


Animation Frame

An Animation Frame is a single picture displayed in an Animation sequence.


Animation Sequence

An Animation Sequence is a series of still pictures used to animate an Active Object on the screen.


Arcade Game

An Arcade game is a type of game that pits a number of fast moving "bad guys" against the player. An example of an arcade game is Space Invaders.


Attributes

Attributes are any values or information that are used by an object. Typical examples of attributes include the Alterable Value of an Active Object, the Animation file of an FLI, and the Text in a Text Object.

There are two types of attributes: Alterable Attributes and Fixed Attributes.

Alterable Attributes are features that can be changed using actions. Examples of alterable attributes included coordinates, speed, and Alterable Values.

Fixed Attributes are features that can not be changed during a game. Examples of fixed attributes include the size of an object and the available movement directions.


Automatic Icon

An Automatic icon is used to display an object by using a small version of the first picture in the Animation sequence for that object. Automatic icons keep track of this picture, and automatically change the shape of the icon whenever the object is edited.


AVI

AVI stands for Audio Visual Interleaved. It is a file format for playing "Video for Windows" movie clips.


Backdrop

A Backdrop is a static picture that is used for the background area in your game.


Backdrop Objects

Backdrop Objects are objects that remain in the same position for the duration of your game. These objects are used for obstacles such as walls, doors, or rocks. A backdrop object can be changed to a Quick Backdrop object or an Active object in the Level Editor.


Backdrop Obstacles

Backdrop Obstacles consist of Backdrop or Quick Backdrop objects which block the movement of an Active Object in your game. Backdrop obstacles can added to your game using the Level Editor.


Ball Objects

Ball Objects simulate the movement of a bouncing ball. Ball Objects are great for games like Rebound, Arkanoid, Tennis, and Pinball. Ball objects can also be used for general purpose objects which can be controlled directly from your game.


Booting-Up

Booting-Up is a technical term for the process of starting up a program on the computer. It comes from the fanciful idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.


Boot-Up Screen

The Boot-Up screen is displayed at the start of a program before the program is run.


Bounce Randomizer

The Bounce Randomizer adds variety to the way a Ball Object bounces against other objects in your game. The higher the Randomizer is set, the more random the bounces of the ball object will be.


Box mode (Collision detection)

Box mode is a method of collision detection between objects in your game. When Box mode is enabled, each object in your game is enclosed in an invisible box. These boxes can be tested using the "collision" option to find out if two boxes are touching and therefore, a collision has occurred.


Box mode (Capture menu)

Box mode imports a series of images from a disk using a single operation. Box mode is ideal for creating Animation sequences.

The format of this file is important.

The first point in your picture should be set to the colour used by your background (usually zero or transparent). The second should hold the colour of your box (usually 1).

Each image should now be surrounded by a ONE point thick box.


Button objects

Button objects let you generate clickable buttons on the screen. You can test these buttons from the Event Editor, and assign actions to them as needed.


Capture Menu

The Capture Menu loads an object with some previously prepared graphics from the disc. The Capture Menu is activated using the Import feature.

Transparent mode ignores anything drawn in the colour zero.

Box Mode grabs a whole series of images surrounded by boxes.

The top left point in this file should be set to the Transparent colour (normally zero).

The next dot should be set to the line colour used for your boxes. Each box should be exactly ONE point thick.

Full Window loads the entire picture.

Cancel returns you to the Picture Editor or Icon Editor as appropriate.


.CCA  files

These store Corel Click & Create applications on the disc. Providing the Click & Create application uses the standard GF object types, you can load these directly into The Games Factory. If you try to access other objects, the operation will be aborted automatically.


CD ROM

A CD-ROM is a special type of Compact Disc that can contain large amounts of graphics, text, or music for use in your games. The contents of a CD-ROM can not be changed once they have been created and therefore are used as Read Only Memory.


CD Audio Objects

CD Audio Objects are used to play an audio track from a normal music CD or from a CD-ROM.


Child Game

A "Child game" is a separate The Games Factory game with its own set of Storyboard levels, objects, actions, and events. It is launched from another The Games Factory game using a game Level. When the child game has finished running, the game will return control to the "Parent Game".

See: "Parent Game"


Child Objects

Child Objects are created by another object during the course of a game. Typical examples are the bullets in an Arcade game, or the small rock fragments in games like Asteroids.

See: "Parent Object"


Clone

A Clone is a copy of an object which has the same definition, but its own existence on the screen. These clones can be created clicking an object in the Object Selector and dragging and dropping it onto the playfield. Each clone has its own set of values, coordinates, and attribute options.


Collision Detection

Collision Detection is the process of testing for impacts between various objects in a GF game. There are three available tests for Collision Detection between objects:

Active Object tests for a single collision between two objects.

Overlapping tests whether the selected objects are continually overlapping on the screen.

Obstacle tests whether an object has hit a background obstacle.

Collisions can be tested in either box mode or fine mode. The mode you use to detect collisions can selected by choose the mode by setting a button in the Preferences dialogue box.


Command Icons

Command icons call up a specific option from the GF system.


Comments

Comments are text items that are added to the Event Editor to help explain your game to other users or developers. They are typed in from the keyboard, and can be highlighted in a variety of different styles.


Computer Controlled Movements

Computer Controlled Movements are used to propel an object through a pre-programmed movement pattern generated by the computer.

Available movement systems include:

Bouncing Ball movement where an object moves in a random bouncing pattern.

Path Movements where an object follows a specified path. This type of movement can be used for the aliens in an arcade game.


Conditions

Conditions are single tests that are performed at frequent intervals throughout the course of your game. Conditions like a player pressing a key, an object moving into a specified zone, or an object's value exceeding a certain range can be tested.

Conditions can be either true or false. If they are true, the selected actions will be performed. If they are false, the actions will be ignored.

See: Events


Coordinates

Coordinates are used to give the distance of an object from a fixed reference point or origin.

The position is read in two directions. The X coordinate measures the horizontal distance from left to right, and the Y coordinate measures the vertical distance from top to bottom.

The two coordinates are usually enclosed in brackets, and are displayed as follows:

(X-Coordinate, Y-Coordinate)

Example:

(10,50) Ten units right, 50 units down

(-10,-50) Ten units left, 50 units up

See: "X-Coordinates", "Y-Coordinates"


Counter Objects

Counter Objects are used to store the numbers in your game. Counter objects can be used for things like fuel gauges, speedometers, or the read-outs from the dials in the cockpit of a spaceship.

The counters can be displayed as a bar, an animation, or a simple number. Counters can also be hidden in the background for use in your own calculations.

Counters can be changed at any time using an Action from the Event Editor.


Create new object

Create new object is found in the Level Editor and is used to add a new object to a game. Create new object provides a list of the available object types that are ready for use in your game.


Data

Data is another word for information.


Device Driver

A Device Drivers is an independent program which manages a specific part of your computer system. Device Drivers are used for controlling printers, joysticks, CD players, or Level objects.


Dialog box

Dialogue boxes contain a list of options which can be selected with the left mouse button. A dialogue box appears in a window.

The following is an example of a dialogue box:


Display Order

Display Order is the order that your objects will be displayed on the screen. Normally, your objects will be displayed in the same order that they were created, so a new object will appear in front of an existing object. You can control the display order using the View option from the object's pop-up menu.


Edit button

The Edit button appears when you are entering a value into a dialogue box. Clicking the Edit Button displays the GF Expression Evaluator so you can enter an expression. Now, you can click on the Retrieve Data from an object button to access a range of GF functions.


Edit object

An Edit object is used to create an editable text field in your GF game. You can use an Edit object to create a User Entry zone or an Input field.


Eight Direction Movement

Eight Direction Movement assigns an "Active Object" to one of your players. This object can now be controlled using either the Joystick or the Keyboard.

By default, you can move these objects in a maximum of eight different directions. If you want to restrict your object still further, you can choose the possible movement directions.


Events

Events enable your game to react to certain situations. An event contains a series of "conditions" that are set to occur as the game is completed. If all of the conditions are true, the selected actions will be performed. If any one of the conditions are False, the actions will be ignored.


Event Editor

The Event Editor provides the intelligence for your games. All of the possible events and the required actions to be taken if all of the conditions are met are specified in the Event editor. The Editor is arranged as a simple grid, rather like a spreadsheet.


Event Grid

The Event Grid is a series of boxes which are displayed in the Event Editor" Each box can contain an optional set of actions which will be performed when the event becomes true.


Event Group

An Event Group holds a series of Events, Conditions, and Actions which can be treated as a single unit in your game. Event Groups can be either local or global.


Expression

Expressions are calculations involving numbers, Alterable Values, or Functions. GF expressions can also take their values from an object.

Here are a few examples:

Random(5)+1

Value("Ship")*10

Width("AVI")/4


Expression Evaluator

The Expression Evaluator is a form of calculator that can be called up using the Edit button from a GF dialogue box.


Fade

A Fade is the process of dissolving the screen between your various Game Levels.

There are two types of fade effects:

Fade In -creates a transition from the previous screen to a new one.

Fade Out -creates a transition from the current screen into the next Level screen.

Fades will be called automatically when you change levels in the game.


Fade In

A Fade in is used when new level starts. The screen will display the previous level or a solid colour. The screen will dissolve into the new level using a fade effect. The Games Factory provides dozens of fade effects to choose from but it is also possible to create your own transitions.


Fade Out

A Fade Out is used when the current level ends. At the end of the current level, the picture will be gently transformed it into a solid block of colour using a fade effect. There are dozens of fade effects in the GF fades directory.


File Selector

The File Selector provides a standard way of loading or saving games on the disc.


Filters

Filters limit the Event Grid to only those events which affect a specific object.


Fine mode

Fine mode is used by the collision options to test whether two objects are visibly touching. Fine mode is slower than box mode but is more accurate.


Fixed Attributes

Fixed Attributes can not be changed during a game.

Typical examples of fixed attributes include the object’s size, and available directions.


Fixed Menus

Fixed menus appear as a list of titles along the top of the current window. When these titles are selected with the Left Mouse button, a list of the available options will drop down.


Fixed Values

Fixed Values identify an object using a fixed number which is chosen at random when the game is started.


Flags

Flags record the on or off values in the game. Each Active Object can have up to 32 of these values numbered from 0 to 31.


FLI Animation

FLIs are Autodesk compatible Animation files which can be played at any point in your game.


Floating Menus

Floating Menus are displayed directly under the mouse pointer. The Games Factory displays these menus whenever you click on an object or select an event.


Focus

Windows only lets you control a single Edit box at a time. If you have several of these objects on the screen, the users will be able to choose between them by clicking the contents with the mouse. They can then scroll through the list using the arrow keys, or select an option with the mouse.

In technical terms, the currently selected object has the "focus" of the user's attention. You can set this focus in your game using the Get Focus action. This activates the current object and selects it for the user. This object will now be used for all future keyboard commands.


Fonts

Fonts are a set of characters in a given typeface and point size. For example, 10 point Times Roman. Most fonts are available in families that include different weights or styles such as bold and italic.

10 pts 18 pts 36 pts


Frames

A Frame is a single element in an animation or Multimedia sequence:


Frame mode

Frame Mode enables you to control your position in a multimedia sequence using a series of numbered frames as reference points. Each frame is assigned a number starting at 0.

Frame mode works like the "pause" option on a Video recorder and enables you to step though the video frames one shot at a time.


Functions

Functions change the contents of an Alterable Value or the state of an object. They can be accessed via the Retrieve Data from object button in the GF Expression Evaluator.

Examples:

X("Object")

Y("Object")

Random(10)

Value("Object")

Xmouse

Ymouse


.GAM files

".GAM" files store your GF games on the disc.


Game Level

A Game Level holds a series of objects, actions, and events that can be used in your GF game.


Game File Level

A Game file Level launches an entire GF game from the disk. These levels can be used to split your game into simpler, easy to manage sections.

The game that stores the level in its Storyboard is known as the "Parent game" and the level that is loaded is called the "Child game".


GF

A shorthand name for The Games Factory.


Global

The term Global is used for objects or event groups which exist for the duration of a game. These global objects or events can be turned off by an action.


Global Objects

Global Objects exist for the entire game rather than just for one level. Global Objects can be created and destroyed at will. In contrast, Local Objects will be destroyed automatically at the end of each level.


Global Event groups

Global Event groups are collections of events which continue to work for the duration of the game. They can be activated or deactivated using a simple action from the Event Editor.


Global Values

The Games Factory provides you with up to sixteen Global Values, numbered from 1 to 16. These values keep their contents whenever you move between Levels. You can use them as a fast way of transferring information between Storyboard levels.


Gradient Fill Patterns

Gradient Fill Patterns are useful for creating attractive backgrounds for your games. Any Quick Background object can be optionally assigned to a colour gradient. A gradient fill displays a progression between two colours in the colour palette. A gradient fill can be generated from left to right, or top to bottom. The result is a smooth wash of colour which is perfect for skylines or seascapes.


Handy Hints

Handy Hints provide helpful messages which are displayed whenever the mouse over an object or icon. These handy hints can be turned off using a simple option from the Edit/Preferences menu.


Hiscore Objects

Hiscore Objects record the scores of the best players on a disc. These scores can be displayed or changed at any point in your game.


Hot Spot

A Hot Spot indicates the position of an invisible "handle" on an object. This handle is used as the starting point of the object's coordinates, and it can be changed using the Picture Editor.


Icons

Icons are small pictures which can be selected by the mouse to perform an action. There are two basic types of icons

Command Icons

Object Icons.


Icon Editor

The Icon Editor is used to change the appearance of the Icon for any object. The Icon Editor is very similar to the Picture Editor.


Initial direction(s)

The Initial Direction sets the direction(s) an object can move at the start of a game. The available direction(s) may changed as the game progresses.


Joystick 1

Joystick 1 is the joystick plugged into the LEFT joystick port. If only a single Joystick is being used, it must be plugged into the left joystick port.


Joystick 2

Joystick 2 is a Joystick plugged into the RIGHT port. Many computers have only a single joystick port so use this option with care.


Jump Strength

The Jump Strength sets the speed at which a character in a platform game can jump.


Levels

Levels split your game into separate sections, each with its own unique set of challenges. The Games Factory allows you to use as many levels as you like.


Ladder

Ladders are backdrop objects which can be climbed by a player controlled Platform Movement. You can set these ladders up using a simple option from the Obstacle menu for each backdrop object.


Level Grid

The Level Grid divides the play area into a number of rectangular sectors. Each object can now be positioned in units of a single sector.


Level Editor

The Level Editor provides you with everything you need to create a level in your game. You can use the Level Editor to set the position, movement type, and animations of the objects in your game.


Library

A Library is a set of predetermined objects which can be selected at any time from the Level Editor. You can also create your own libraries using a simple menu option.


Library Menu

The Library Menu is a pull down menu on the Toolbar. It can only be used from the Level Editor. Each option represents an entire library of objects which can be loaded into the Object Selector with a single click of the Left mouse button.


Limit Conditions

Limit Conditions control how your events will be tested during your game. Options are provided to repeat your tests, stop after a single check, or restrict selected actions.


Lives Objects

Lives Objects display the number of lives the player has left during the game. You can display the lives as either a simple number, or a complex graphic.


Local

Local refers to objects or event groups limited to the current Game Level.

See: Local Objects, Global Objects


Local Objects

Local Objects only exist for the duration of the level they were created in. These local objects will be destroyed automatically when the level ends.

See: Global Objects


Local Event Groups

Local Event Groups are discarded after the current level.

See: Global Event Groups.


MCI Objects

MCI Objects provide fine control over any multimedia device which understands the official Media Control interface.


Menus

Menus are lists of options which can be selected by clicking on them with the mouse.

See: Fixed Menus, Floating Menus, and Sub Menus.

Each game has its own menu bar. You can define this using the “Change menu” button from the Game Set-up dialogue You can read the user’s selections using the “Has an option been selection?” condition from the Event Editor. It’s listed under the “Special” options.


MIDI

MIDI is a standard format for used for recording professional quality music.


Mod

Mod is a function which returns the remainder of a number after a division.

e.g.

5 mod 2 = 1 (5 = 2*2 + 1 left over)

5 mod 3 = 2 (5 = 3*1 + 2 remaining)


Mouse Controlled

The Mouse Controlled option lets you assign an object to the mouse. The movement of your object can be restricted to a specific screen area if required.


Mouse Zone

Mouse zones are rectangular areas which can be tested for the presence of the mouse pointer.


Movement Selector

The Movement Selector is a dialogue box that can be viewed when the movement option is selected from an object’s pop-up menu.


Mosaic Fill Patterns

Mosaic Fill Patterns generate an effect very similar to Windows wallpaper. Mosaic fill patterns can be used to add texture to a Quick Background object.


MPEG

Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) is the latest file format for Multimedia movies.


Multimedia

Multimedia is a standard term for any display which includes music, sound, pictures, or film clips.


Multimedia Device

A Multimedia device is a program or add on which lets you play multimedia effects on a computer.


Multimedia Objects

Multimedia Objects let you add high quality sound and movie clips directly from The Games Factory

Available multimedia objects include:

CD audio Objects -music from a normal CD

AVI Objects -Microsoft Video for Windows

QuickTime Objects -movie files from an Apple Macintosh computer

MCI Objects -Any device which uses the Media Control Interface


Music

Music can be added to your game. It can be played from either a "MIDI" compatible music file, or straight from the audio track of your CD-ROM.


Obstacles

Obstacles are immovable background objects which block another objects progress. Typical obstacles include walls, doors or towers.

See Background Obstacles


Objects

Objects provide the raw materials for your games.

There are many types of objects including:

Active Objects -used for spaceships, balls, or aliens.

Backdrop Objects -provide fixed barriers such as walls.

Counter Objects -hold the numbers used for your calculations.

Lives Objects -indicate the number of remaining lives.

Score Objects -hold the current score.

Question and Answer Objects -ask the player questions.

Button objects generate clickable buttons for control panels

Hiscore Objects -save the best scores achieved in the game.

Multimedia Objects -display movie clips or play music from the CD.

Mixer objects control your MIDI music and sound effects.

Edit box objects display scrolling areas of Text.

Most of these objects can be either Local or Global


Object Bank

The Object Bank contains all the objects used by your current game. The Object bank is updated automatically, and is saved along with your games. It is displayed in a small window near the top of the Level Editor.


Object Group

An Object Group is a collection of objects dedicated to a single purpose. Object groups can be tested and changed using a single icon from the Event Editor.

All the objects in your groups MUST be of the same type.


Object Icons

The Object Icons represent a single object which can be manipulated in your game.


Object Library

An Object Library is a collection of objects stored on the disc and are ready for immediate use in your game. These libraries can be accessed directly from an icon in the Level Editor. You will find the object library to the left of the Playfield.


Object Preferences

The Object Preferences are a series of options which choose how an object will be controlled from The Games Factory.


Object Selector

The Object Selector is a small window near the top of the Level Editor which contains all the objects used by the current game.


Origin

The Origin provides a fixed reference point for all coordinate calculations. It can be moved to a new position using an option from the Preferences box to any point on the game area.


Parent game

A "Parent game" contains a game Level which will launch a separate game from the disc.

The new game is called the "Child game". The "child game" is a separate game with its own set of Storyboard levels, objects, actions, and events. The "child game" is created in The Games Factory using the same method used to create the "parent game", and can be loaded and edited independently from its parent.


Parent Objects

Parent Objects generate new objects during a game.

See: "Child Objects".


Palette

A Palette is an array of colours that can be selected by clicking the mouse button. These colours can be used in any picture or movie in The Games Factory.


Paragraph

A paragraph is a section of text in a Text Object. Each object can have any number of paragraphs only a single paragraph can be displayed at a time. You can move between the paragraphs using a range of actions from the Event Editor.


Password

The Password is an optional phrase or keyword which can jump directly to a selected level in your game.


Path Movement

Path Movements flip an object through a complex movement pattern entered from the screen. Paths can be recorded directly using the mouse, or generated one line at a time from the Path Editor.


Path Editor

The Path Editor allows you to add pre-recorded movement sequences to any Active Object.


Platform Game

Platform games present a sideways view of the world, and pit the player against a range of obstacles on the screen. The player is often trying to reach a treasure or rescue someone or something.


Picture Editor

The Picture Editor is a simple drawing system which allows you to create new objects for your games.


Platform

A Platform is a Backdrop object which has had its Platform option enabled from the Obstacle menu. These objects can be used as the floors of a Platform Game.


Platform Movement

Platform Movement animates a player character along a platform obeying the normal rules of physics, such as gravity.


Platform Objects

Platform Objects can be moved along a platform by the player.


Play Area

The Play Area is the part of the Level Editor screen which is displayed on the screen during the game. The play are is also known as the Playfield.


Player

The Player is a general term for the user of your productions.


Player number

The Player Number assigns an object to a selected player. The Players are numbered from 1 to 4. You can select a player to an Active or Multimedia object using the Moved By option from its Movement menu. You can choose one for a Lives or Score Object using the Player menu.


Player Actions

Play actions are any action which can performed by the player, such as hitting a key, moving the joystick, or answering a question.


Player Controlled Movements

Player Controlled Movements assign an object to a player.

See also Mouse Movement, Eight Direction Movement, Race car Movement, and Platform Movement.


Playfield

The Playfield is another term for the play area. It is part of the screen used for your game.


Playlist

A list of MIDI Music tracks used to accompany an FLI or Picture Level from the Storyboard.


Pop-Up menu

A Pop-Up menu pops on the screen when you double click an object or click an object with the right mouse button.

Here’s an example:


Preferences

Preferences set up the GF system the way you like it. You can call up the Preferences options from the Edit menu in the Level Editor.


Question and Answer Objects

Question and Answer Objects are used to display a multiple choice question on the screen and wait for the players response. It is then possible to test whether the answer selected is correct and perform an appropriate action.


Quick Backdrop Objects

Quick Backdrops provide the background areas of your game. They are filled with a selected colour pattern which can be chosen from the Level Editor.


QuickTime Objects

QuickTime Objects play QuickTime for Windows movie files from a game. You will need a special device driver in order to use QuickTime objects.


Race-car Movements

Race-car Movements simulate the movement of real cars in your game. You can steer them, step on the gas pedal, or hit the brakes, just like a real car.


Radio Buttons

Radio Buttons are used to set a single option from a number of possible alternatives. Radio Buttons are arranged in groups of items, and only a single button can be selected from each group. Click the radio button to enable or disable it.

The following is an example of a group of radio buttons.


Rebound Game

Rebound games include Pinball type games in which a player has to use a bouncing ball to hit selected targets.


Resize box

A Resize box is provided with eight rectangular control points which allows you to change the size of any object in your game.


RGB Slider

The RGB slider is a series of three slider bars which allow you to set the precise shade of a colour. They are only displayed if you are running The Games Factory in 16 bit or 24 bit colour mode.


Run Menu

The Run Menu is automatically displayed when you play a game.


Storyboard Controls

The Storyboard Controls are special actions which let you move to a new level, or exit from your game.


Score Objects

Score Objects keep track of the player's score, and display it on the screen using the selected font.


Screen Savers

Screen Savers are Windows programs which automatically run if you leave the computer unused for several minutes. They can be generated using a simple option from the File menu.


Scrolling

Scrolling is the process of shifting an extra large playing area through the visible screen window.


Soundcard

Soundcards are optional extras which add sound and music to your computer. The Games Factory is compatible with all major brands.


Sound Samples

Sound Samples are pieces of real sound which can be played back throughout your game. The Games Factory comes with a wide range of samples ready for use but if you have a sound card, you can create your own samples.


Sound Actions

Sound actions generate a sound effect through your sound card.


Sound Driver

Sound Drivers are special programs that come with your sound card. These sound drivers set up the sound card so that it can be used by the computer programs.


Stand-alone Game

Stand-alone games are completely independent of The Games Factory. They can be run on any Windows computer without needing a copy of The Games Factory


Static Objects

Static Objects are used for things like bricks or walls, which never move from their original position. If you want a static object to interact with the rest of the game, you can define it as an Active Object, and fix it into place using a simple menu option.


Step Through Editor

The Step Through Editor tests your game and lets you add in new features. It can be accessed directly from the Level Editor using a simple icon.


Storyboard

A Storyboard is a list of the levels and screen animations which make up the complete game.


Storyboard Editor

The Storyboard Editor lets you add, delete, and move the individual levels in your game.


Storyboard Level

A Storyboard Level holds a single section of your game.

Each level can include either GF objects, a still picture, an "FLI Animation", or an entire GF game.


String

A series of letters or characters surrounded by double quotes:

"This is a string"

You can read a string from an object, convert them from a number using Val, or even enter them from the keyboard using an Edit box object.


Sub-menus

Sub-menus appear when the item you have selected has several possible options. If a sub-menu is assigned to an item, you will see a > character to the right of the text.


Text Objects

Text Objects display messages in any TrueType Font. Text objects are grate for use in title screens.


Timer

The Timer is a built-in clock that runs throughout your game. The timer starts at zero and increases by one every thousandth of a second.


Time Mode

Time Mode records your position as a time interval. The time starts at zero and is measured in units of a thousandth of a second.

See Frame mode


Toolbar

The Toolbar provides a series of command icons for the  Games Factory . Each icon can be selected with the mouse to perform an appropriate action.


Track

Tracks store information on the CD or disc. There are several different kinds:

CD audio tracks hold some digitized CD music.

QuickTIme tracks store Video, Sound, MIDI Music, Text, or MPEG movies.


Values

Values store numbers in your games. Any Active Object can have up to four values assigned to it. The first three values are indicated by the letters A, B, and C respectively. The final value is fixed at random when you define the object. These values can be any whole number from approximately -2000,000,000 to +2000,000,000. Fractions are NOT allowed.

See: Alterable Values, Counter Objects, Flags, and Scores.


Video for Windows

Video for Windows is a device driver distributed by Microsoft. It is required for displaying "AVI" movie clips.


Video for Windows Objects

Video for Windows Objects play "AVI" movie files from your games.


WinG

WinG is an exciting new Animation system for Windows which speeds up the performance of many games.


X coordinates

An X coordinate gives the horizontal distance of an object from a fixed reference point called the origin. Positive values indicate a distance to the right of the origin, and negative values represent a distance to the left.


Y coordinates

A Y-coordinate enters the vertical distance of an object from a fixed reference point called the origin. Positive values indicate a distance below the origin, and negative values represent a distance above it.


Zones

Zones are rectangular areas of the screen used for detection purposes.


The Level Editor

The Level Editor Window sets the scene for your game. The Level Editor is a blank canvas that is waiting for you to add your creations.

Choose an object from one of the supplied libraries, position it on the screen, and select an appropriate movement option from a menu. It’s that easy.

The Level Editor is controlled using simple menus and dialogue boxes. You don’t need to be an artist or a programmer to create great projects. All you need are the initial ideas and The Games Factory does the rest!

Your game is divided into separate levels, each with their own unique set of objects and screens. You can add new levels to your game at any time using the Storyboard Editor

Each level is composed of a number of objects arranged on the screen. These objects provide you with the raw materials for your games. They generate your movie windows, question and answer sequences, or animation effects.


The Level Editor options

The Level Editor can be controlled using the following options:

Menu Bar

Object Selector

Library Menu

Level Object

Playfield

Status Line

Create new object icon

The Menu bar contains a series of drop down menus that can be selected using the left mouse button.

The Object Selector holds a list of objects that can be added to your game. Each object is represented by a small icon on the screen.

Add an object to your game by clicking the icon for a particular object in the object selector. The object will be assigned to the mouse pointer and can be dropped into position by clicking the destination on the playfield.

If there are too many objects in the selector to fit on the screen, you can scroll through the icons using the arrow buttons on the left.

The Library Menu contains a list of already created object libraries. These libraries contain hundreds of objects that are ready for use in your games.

Each library has its own entry in the menu. Load the contents of the library into the object selector by simply choosing the library name from the menu. The objects contained in the library can now be added directly to your game.

The Level Objects option loads the Object Selector with all the objects used in the current Game Level. This list is automatically updated whenever you introduce a new object into your game.

The Playfield or Play area forms the background for your games. You will see it as a white canvas in the centre of the screen. The playfield is displayed in a resizeable window whenever you play your game.

If the screen is too big to fit into the Level Editor, you can move around the playfield using standard scroll-bars.

Whenever you start a new game, a dialogue box will be displayed for you to specify the size of the Playfield. You can then change the size of the each Level  using  the Level Set-up option from the Edit menu.

The Status line shows the current coordinates of the mouse and gives some helpful hints about the current editing system.

The Create new object icon ( [image]) allows you to create new objects for your games. Your objects are defined using a series of dialogue boxes. Once your objects have been created, they can be positioned on the playfield using the mouse.

The Undo icon( [image]) lets you reverse the most recent editing operation, and recover from your mistakes. It’s also available using an Undo option from the Edit menu.

You can restore your changes with the Redo ( [image]) option.


Using the Toolbar from the Level Editor

At the top of the screen, you will find a series of icons known as the Toolbar. Here is a list of the available options:

 Creates a new game.

 Loads a new game from the disk.

 Saves the current game.

 Displays a window containing the Storyboard Editor.

 Displays a window containing the Level Editor.

 Displays a window containing the Event Editor.

 Creates a new Level object.

 Provides additional information about the game.

 Calls up the Preferences dialogue box.

 Calls up the Interactive Help system.

 Cuts an object from the window.

 Copies an object.

 Pastes a previously stored object to a new position.

 Undoes the previous action.

 Redoes the action that was just undone.

 Runs your current game.

 Runs the level from the screen.

 Restarts the level from the beginning.

 Runs through your level a step at a time.

 Plays the level from the current position.

 Pauses the current level during testing.


Clicking an object with the right mouse button

Clicking an object with the right mouse button displays a menu of the available movement or animation options. You can use this menu to set the movement of your object and edit the animation.


Clicking your objects with the left mouse button

Clicking an object with the left button lets you select one or more objects from the screen. Once selected, they can be dragged to a new location or cut, copied, pasted, and deleted using the Edit menu.

When you click an object with the left button, it will be surrounded by a box. You can now drag this box to a new position.

When you release the mouse button, the object will have moved to the new location.

You can also select several objects at a time. Hold down the CTRL key and click each object.

Alternatively, you can drag a box around the objects like so:

After the objects have been selected, click any of the highlighted objects, and drag the entire collection to a new position.

To change the size of a collection of objects, click an object with the right mouse button, and choose Resize from the pop-up menu. This will allow you to change the size of all the selected objects at once. A dialogue box will be displayed so you can choose to change either the current object or all objects you have selected.

Warning! If you have a lot of different objects selected and they have large animation sequences, resizing could take a long time to complete. In this case, it is better to resize each object individually.


Creating a new object

Click the Create new object icon ( [image]) to add new objects to your game. The following dialogue box is displayed:

The Create new object dialogue box shows a full list of all the available objects you can add into your game. To find the function of each icon, move the mouse pointer over the icon and a message will be displayed with a description of that icon.

If you want to learn more about these objects, click Help, Objects and choose the name from the menu.

See:

Quick Backdrop objects

Backdrop objects

Active objects

Text objects

Question and Answer objects

Counter objects

Score objects

Lives objects


Cloning an object

Any object you create will automatically be added to the current level list. Therefore, you can copy an object by clicking the object icon from the Object Selector, and placing it on the playfield.

If you have loaded a library, you will need to select the objects for the current game by clicking on the Level objects option.


Creating a separate copy of the object

It is possible to make an independent copy of any object by clicking the object with the right mouse button and choosing the New objects option from the menu.


Cutting and pasting Level objects

You can copy your objects using either the Edit menu, or with a series of icons from the toolbar.

Cuts the currently selected object from the playfield.

Saves the object into memory, leaving the original unchanged.

Pastes an object from memory to a new position.


Cutting objects from the Playfield

Click a single object to select it. You can select several objects at a time by moving the mouse over their top left corner, and dragging a box around them with the left button.

These selected objects will appear as follows:

The objects can now be cut and pasted using the appropriate options from the Edit menu.


Deleting an object from the Playfield

You can delete one of your objects by clicking Edit, Delete or by clicking the object and pressing the DELETE key on the keyboard.

If you want to delete several objects at a time, click each object while holding down the CTRL key. A box will enclose each object as you select it. You can now press the DELETE key to erase the entire group. If you click another object and do not hold down CTRL, you will deselect the group of objects.

You can also delete a group of objects by moving the mouse from the top left corner of the objects and dragging a box around them. Click Edit, Delete.

Don’t despair  if you erase something by mistake. You can recover your objects using the Undo option from either the Edit menu, or the toolbar ( [image]) .


Importing Graphics

The Games Factory lets you import your graphics either from the Window Clipboard, or from a specific file.

The exact procedure depends on the type of object you are defining.

Here are a few general rules:

You can import information into a Backdrop object by either defining a new object with the Create a new object icon( [image]) or selecting the Edit Picture option from an existing object’s Pop-up menu. You can now click on the Import icon( [image] ) and select your graphics file from the disc.

You can also paste  your graphics directly from the Clipboard into the current picture. You simple enter the dimensions into the size boxes, position the mouse over the editing area, and type Ctrl+V.

You can import an animation into an Active object using a similar system. You create your Active object, and choose the Import icon from the Animation Editor.


Importing an animation sequence

The Import icon reads your animation sequence directly from the disc. The sequence can be created using your favourite drawing package, and should be saved in either "PCX", "BMP", "IFF", "RLE", or "DIB" formats.

You can also import Autodesk compatible "FLI" or "FLC" files straight into an animation.

Import works in three ways, depending on whether you are importing a single frame, an whole animation, or an FLI sequence.


Importing an Animation using Box mode

You can grab an animation from a graphics file using “Box mode”. This lets you copy either a single picture or a whole group of images. If this option is enabled, you will be able to copy a whole sequence at a time. In order to use it, you need to save your images in a special format.

The Games Factory reads the settings from two dots at the top left corner of the image. The first dot enters the transparent colour used by your images, usually zero. The second dot gives the colour of a box which you will be using to separate your frames, usually 1. It is a good idea to create a standard file for use as a template. This can be loaded with the standard GF colour scheme from "GF256.PCX" or your chosen palette settings.

Once you have set this up, you can create your images as normal. Each image should be enclosed in a one dot thick box. You can now enter these images into your animation sequence by clicking Import selecting the file, and clicking the Box images option from the Capture menu. The images will be cut from your file, and pasted into the sequence starting from the current frame.


Importing your images from an FLI animation

To import an "FLI" file, click the import icon in the Animation Editor. In the Load a Picture or Animation dialogue box, find the directory where the "FLI" file is located and type the File Name in the appropriate box. Click OK to import this picture. A Capture window will be displayed. Click Capture and choose an option from the following menu:

Transparent mode

Start

Cancel

Transparent mode tells The Games Factory to treat any areas in colour zero as "Transparent". These sections will not be loaded from your image and will appear as "holes" in the animation.

Start starts your FLI animation running, and copies a new frame whenever the sequence changes. Tip: If your FLI is large, or contains a lot of animation, the eventual sequence could be enormous. The conversion process could take a VERY long time.

Cancel enables you to abort importing the animation sequence.

When the animation has been captured. Each frame will be loaded into your Active Object. It can now be displayed as normal.


Importing an image from the Picture Editor

The Import icon ( [image]) loads your image from a disk any of the following formats: "PCX", "BMP", “IFF”, "LBM", “RLE”, or "DIB".

If you are importing a picture for use as a Backdrop object, you will be able to import a single image from the disc. This can be either from a picture file, or a single frame in an FLI animation.

If you are importing a picture, you can choose one of four options in the Capture menu:

Transparent mode. If the transparent mode is enabled, everything drawn in colour zero will be ignored when the picture is imported. An area in colour zero will be treated as a “Transparent” hole in your image.

Box mode. Box lets you import a picture surrounded by a box. The Games Factory reads the settings from two dots at the top left corner of the image. The first dot enters the transparent colour used by your image (usually zero) and the second dot gives the colour of a box which you will be using to separate your frames (usually 1). It is a good idea to create a standard file for use as a template. This can be loaded with the standard GF colour scheme from "GF256.PCX" or your chosen palette settings.

Once you've set this up, you can create your images as normal. Each image should be enclosed in a one dot thick box. You can now enter these images into your animation sequence by clicking the Import icon and selecting the desired file. The images will be cut from your file, and pasted into the sequence starting from the current frame.

Full Window. Imports the entire picture as a single frame. If this options is disabled, you will be able to select just part of the image to be loaded.

Cancel. Aborts from the operation and returns you to the Picture Editor. You can also press ESC on the keyboard to abort.

If you select an “FLI” file, the following options are available in the Capture menu.

Transparent mode. If the transparent mode is enabled, everything drawn in colour zero will be ignored when the picture is imported. An area in colour zero will be treated as a “Transparent” hole in your image.

Start. Loads the first frame in the animation sequence into the Picture editor.

Cancel. Aborts from the operation, and returns you to the Picture Editor. You can also press ESC on the keyboard to abort.


Importing Text into a Text object

You can import information into a Backdrop object by either defining a new object with the Create a new object icon( [image]) or selecting the Edit Text option from an existing object.

You can now choose the  Import ( [image])-button from the Text controls. This will enter your text from the disc. The text should be stored in ASCII, Raw, or MS-DOS text from your word processor. The formatting will be retained, but you can't include fonts or style settings in the file. Note: Each paragraph can contain a maximum of 1024 characters. That’s about a page or so of text.

You can also paste your text from the Windows Clipboard, by clicking on the text line, and pressing Ctrl+V.


Undoing the Previous Editing operation

The Level Editor includes a powerful Undo feature which lets you recover from many mistakes.

You can access this option using either the Toolbar, or the Edit menu.

Undo  or ( [image]) reverses the most recent editing operation. You can use it to return to your previous control settings, undelete your selections, or  reposition your objects on the screen, or

You can restore your editing operations with the Redo or ( [image]) option.


Aligning your objects on the screen

The “Align” options provide a quick way of lining your objects up on the display. You can align your object either with the left, right, or centre of the Playfield, or with a group of objects.

In each case, you simply click on your object(s) with the Right button, and call up the “Align” option from the resulting menu.

A submenu will open with two possibilities:

“Horizontal”  moves your object(s) left or right to a new horizontal position.

“Vertical” moves your object(s) up or down.

See:

Aligning a single object on the Playfield.

Aligning a group of objects on the Playfield.


Aligning a single object on the Playfield.

If you select a single object, you can position it neatly on the screen..

The “Horizontal” options move the object to the left, right, or centre of the current Playfield. They have absolutely no effect on the object’s vertical position. So they’ll only move the object left or right from the present location.

You can choose your option from:

“Left side” moves the object to the left edge of the Playfield

“Center in Playfield” places it over the middle.

“Right side” positions your object at the far right of the Playfield.

The “Vertical” options position your object at the top, bottom, or middle of the screen. They move the object up or down from the current location, leaving its “X co-ordinate” unchanged. .As with the horizontal version, there are three possible options:

The options available are:

“Top” moves the object to the top line of the Playfield.

“Center in Playfield” moves it to the middle.

“Bottom” moves it to the lowest point on the play area.


Aligning a group of objects on the Playfield.

If you select several objects, you can arrange them in neat pattern. You first need to pick out your objects from the Playfield. You can either drag a box around the objects with the mouse, or hold down the “Shift” or “Ctrl” keys and selecting them individually.

Here are a few examples::

Original layout:

Aligned Horizontally

Aligned vertically

You can align your objects by clicking on a single selection, and pressing the Right mouse button.

The “Align” menu will change so you can choose the alignment system from the screen.

Horizontal

These options line up the objects in a horizontal group, without changing their vertical position.

“Left sides” lines up your objects from the leftmost item in the selection.

“Centers” positions your objects at the midpoint of the selection area. This will be halfway between the leftmost and rightmost items.

“Right sides” moves your objects to the Rightmost example in the selection.

“Space equally” arranges the objects in the selection area so that there’s an equal horizontal gap between them.

Vertical

These options move the objects up or down so that they line up vertically. They don’t affect the object’s horizontal positions at all.

“Tops” moves your objects so that their tops are on the same horizontal line. The object’s will be lined up with the top example in the current selection.

“Centers”  lines up your objects over the midpoint of the current selection area

“Bottoms”” places your objects so that they are on the same horizontal line as the lowest object in the selection.

“Space equally” arranges the objects vertically in the selection area so that there’s an equal distance between them.


An Introduction to the Playfield

The Playfield provides a window to your game. It is the screen where all the action takes place. If the playfield is larger than the current window, you can use the scroll-bars along the sides to scroll through the entire area.

The display is divided into two sections.

The Playfield holds the part of the screen that will be displayed when you run the game. It is shown initially as a white page. As you add objects to your game, this page will be filled.

The Holding area stores the objects that will be introduced later in the game. It is normally grey.

Objects can be freely positioned on the play area, and can be moved around at any time. They can be copied or deleted using a range of features from the Edit menu. You can also change the order in which your objects will be displayed on the screen. Click the object with the right mouse button and select View from the pop-up menu.


Moving an Object on the Playfield

Level objects can be moved around your game. To move an object, place the mouse over the object. The pointer will change to a selection arrow.

Hold down the left mouse button to reposition your object on the screen. Your object will be surrounded by a small rectangle.

This rectangle can be dragged around the screen to move your object. Hold down the left button, and place the box over a new part of the play area. Now release the button, and watch the object move to the new location.

Note: If the object is the same size as the playfield, it will automatically jump to the top corner of the screen. You can avoid this by clicking the object with the right mouse button.


Scrolling the Playfield

The Level Editor has two scroll bars.

The vertical bar scrolls up and down through the play area.

The horizontal bar scrolls it left or right.


Centering the Playfield

If you click on the area between the two scroll bars, the Playfield will be centred neatly in the window


Moving to a new level

You can move between different levels in a game by clicking on the appropriate level in the Storyboard editor.

You can open the Storyboard editor by clicking the Storyboard editor icon ( [image]) or by clicking Window, Storyboard editor.

You can also rearrange the windows by clicking Window, Tile, Cascade, or Arrange to bring the Storyboard editor into view.


An Introduction to the Library Menu

The Games Factory comes complete with hundreds of ready made objects for use in your games. These objects are grouped together into libraries. Each library can be loaded onto the Object Selector by selecting its name from the Library menu. You can now copy these objects directly into your own games.

You can list the objects used in your current Game Level by choosing the Level objects option from the menu. These objects can be chosen from the selector to add additional copies of your objects on the screen.

It is easy to create your own object libraries and you are not limited to the libraries supplied with The Games Factory. Load a game that contains your objects, select the Level objects option to move them into the Object Selector. Click Objects, Choose Save game as Library. From now on, the new Library will be instantly available from the Library Menu.


Selecting an object from a Library

To choose an object from a library, choose the library name from the list and pick the appropriate object from the object selector. These objects can now be positioned anywhere in the playfield by using the left or right mouse button.

The Left button creates just a single object. If the object is the same size as the current playfield, it will be automatically inserted at the Top Left corner.

The Right button can be used in two ways:

To add several objects at a time

When you click the playfield with the right mouse button, the object will stay assigned to your mouse pointer after it’s been positioned. You can make as many copies of the object as you like without having to add each object separately. Click the playfield with the right mouse button to drop another copy of the object. When you get to the last copy, click the playfield with the left mouse button. The mouse will return to normal. Alternatively, you can abort from this mode by pressing the ESC key from the keyboard.

To position an object with the same dimensions as the playfield.

In this case, click the playfield with the right mouse button to drop the object under the current cursor position.


An Introduction to the Object Selector

The Object Selector holds a series of objects that are ready for use. Each object can be selected with the mouse and added to your game. The objects are represented by a series of icons.

On the Object Selector, the objects are organized into three groups:

 Active objects

 Backdrop objects

 Game objects

See: Object Separators

To preview an object in the Object selector, click the object with the mouse and hold down the left button. After a couple of seconds, your object be displayed in a small window. This preview window will be removed from the screen when you release the mouse button.

See:

Displaying the object Selector

The Object Separators

Selecting an object from a game

Selecting an object from the next level

Choosing an object from the Selector


The Object Separators

The Active Marker is placed before the first active object on the selector. Active objects usually have an animation sequence associated with them.

The Background Marker indicates the start of the background objects on the Selector.

The Storyboard Marker lists the other objects used in your Level.


Displaying the Object Selector

The object Selector can be displayed in two ways. Normally, it is positioned in its own bar at the left of the screen. The arrow icons allow you to scroll through available objects. Alternatively, you can display the object selector in a standard window. This window can be expanded to show all of the available objects on the screen at once.


Choosing an object from the Selector

You can choose an object from the Library list by clicking the object and dragging it to the playfield.

You can then click on either the left or right buttons to drop it into place. You can drop the object in one of two modes:

Normal mode

Click the left button to add a single copy of the object.

Click the right button inserts a series of clones, one after another.

Backdrop mode

If the object is the same size as the current Playfield. Click the left mouse button to drop the object at the top left corner of the Playfield.

Click the right mouse button to add the object at the current cursor coordinates.

See:

Selecting an object from the previous level

Selecting an object from the next level

Selecting an object from a game


Selecting an object from the previous level

Click the up arrow icon ( [image]) to load the object selector with all the objects from the previous Level .


Selecting an object from the next level

Click the down arrow icon ( [image]) to load the selector with all the objects from the next game Level .


Selecting an object from a GF game

To select an object from another GF game, click Objects, Pick Objects from a game. Enter the file name of the game you would like to borrow objects from. The objects in this file will be loaded into the Object Selector ready for use in your game.

Note: If the selected objects have been assigned to a movement sequence or animation, these attributes will be copied. The objects will be ready for immediate use. Changes can be made to these objects without affecting the original game.

When you have finished, click the Level objects option in the Library menu to display the objects from the current game.


Viewing an  object

To preview an object in the selector, click the icon for the object and hold down the left mouse button. The object will now be shown in a small window, that will disappear when you release the mouse button.


Testing a Game Level

After you have created all of your levels, you are ready for the fun part − playing your game!

You can test your games in a variety of ways:

Runs your current game

Runs the level from the screen

Restarts the level from the beginning

Runs through the level one step at a time.

Plays the level from the current position.

Pauses the current level. It replaces the Play icon if you’re running a game.

If your game has several Levels, select one level to be tested from the Storyboard Editor.

You can also test your level using the options in the Run menu.

See:

Run Game

Run Level

Using the Step Through Editor


Run Game

You can play your current game using either the Run Game option from the Run menu, or by clicking the Run game icon ( [image]). In both cases, your game will be loaded into its own Window.

Look at the Run menu for a number of useful options.

If you need to stop exit your game you can remove the game from the screen by hitting the “Panic” key (F5). You can return to your game by pressing F5 again.


Run Level

Runs your current level directly in the Level Editor window.

You can stop the game at any point by clicking the pause icon ( [image]).

You can resume with by clicking the play icon ( [image]).

You can restart the Level from the beginning by clicking the restart icon ( [image]).


Using the Step Through Editor

 The Step Through Editor

Click the Step Through Editor icon to display the  Step Through Editor. The Step through Editor is used to define the actions in your games.

 Pause

Stops the Step through Editor and lets you add new objects or events to your game.

.

 Restart

Replays the Level from the beginning so you can test your changes immediately.


Level Editor Preferences

The Level Editor Preferences dialogue box enables you to alter the way your objects will be displayed by the Level Editor, and position the objects using a simple grid. The Preference dialogue box is divided into two tabs:

Level Editor

Grid


Level Editor

The Level Editor tab is used to set the general display options for the Level Editor. The tab is divided into a number of sections:

Lock objects

Edit mode

Animate active objects

Create automatic icons

Show coordinates

Show objects created within a game


Lock objects

The Lock objects section is used to lock the selected objects into their existing positions. Locked objects can't be selected with the mouse, moved to a new position, or edited.


Edit Mode

Normal mode is the default setting for a Game Level .

Fade In mode shows a Fade In effect assigned to a level.

Fade Out mode shows a Fade Out effect assigned to the current level.


Animate active objects

Enable the Animate Active objects check box to animate an active object whenever it's selected with the mouse. If you have problems selecting your active objects, you should disable this check box.


Create automatic icons

Enable the Create Automatic icons check box to have The Games Factory define an icon for an object, and change this icon if the object is edited. Disable this feature to draw the icon yourself.


Show coordinates

Enable the Show coordinates check box to continuously track the mouse pointer as it moves across the screen. The coordinates will be displayed in a small box on the status line.


Show objects created within a game

Enable the Show object created within a game check box to display "child objects" created by your game. As a rule, "child" objects won't be displayed in the Level Editor. You'll only see them when you run the current level. By enabling this check box, the "Parent objects” will be marked with an arrow ( [image]) icon. The pop-up menu for the object will now have an additional "Show Children" option.


Grid

The Grid tab provides controlled way of moving objects around the playfield. A grid is an easy way to position an object in a single cell. If you try to move them somewhere else, they'll automatically jump back to the nearest grid line. Each cell is indicated by a single dot in the grid.

Before using these grids, you may find it helpful to set the hot-spot of your images to the top left corner of your objects. If you're positioning many types of objects, all with different hot-spots, things can start to get complicated.

Enable the Snap to check box to activate the grid.

Enable the Show grid check box to display the grid in the Level Editor.

The Origin section defines the starting point for all the coordinates used by the grid. This origin is normally set to the top left corner of the play area. You can change the origin to a specific position. For example, supposing you wanted to place some blocks two pixels in from the left of the play area. You could do this by moving the origin to 2,0.

Selected object coordinates

If you've selected an object on the play area, click the Select object coordinates button to centre the origin on the objects current coordinates.

The Square size section is used to set the size of the cells in the grid. By default, each cell is exactly 40 points wide by 40 points high. Change these dimensions by entering new values for the width and height of each cell.

Selected object dimensions

If you've selected an object on the play area, click the Selected object dimensions button to generate the dimensions of the grid cells from the size of the selected object.

Colour

If your having difficulty seeing the grid on the play area, click a colour in the colour palette to change the grid colour.


The Step Through Editor

Every object in your game can be tested for a wide range of different Events. Events enable your objects to react to certain conditions.

Each event can consist of several different conditions and each condition tests for a single possibility in your game. Conditions are provided to cover practically every situation and the type of condition will depend on the type of object.

Once The Games Factory has detected a condition, an appropriate Action is triggered. Active objects can be created, positioned or destroyed. Multimedia objects can be played or loaded from a disc. Counters can be changed. There are also general actions that enable you to play sounds, move to a new  level, or quit the game.

Events and Actions can be added to your game using a series of menus. Once you have gained a little experience with The Games Factory, you will be able to add your own events and actions using the built-in Event Editor

The Step Through Editor is a very important part of any GF game. Use the Step through Editor to run through your game and deal with the events as they occur.

See:

How it works

The Step Though Editor screen

Step Through Editor Tutorial


How the Step Through Editor works

The Step Through Editor starts your objects moving and reports back when an event is detected.

Enter the Step Through Editor by clicking the Clipboard ( [image]) icon on the Toolbar or clicking Run, Step Through from the menu bar.

Whenever the Step Through Editor an Event, it displays a brief message and stops your game.

The Step Though Editor dialogue box will be displayed showing the current event in the top section:

You can enter the actions associated with this event by clicking the icons in the control area. A menu will appear with the available actions for that object. If the object you want does not appear, use the scroll bar to move through the list of objects.

Your actions are displayed in the Selected Actions box. For example, if the ball is leaving the play area on the top, you might want the ball to bounce off the top of the screen and to resume play in your game. To assign this action, click the Ball icon and select Movement, Bounce from the pop-up menu. The selected action will appear in the Selected Actions box as follows:

You can also trigger events yourself! If you press a key on the keyboard while the game is running, you can assign actions to the keyboard:

You can also call an action after a set period of time by pressing the ESC key at the appropriate point in the game. This will create a Timer equals event in your game. The Timer would equal the actual time from the start of the game. For example, if you had pressed ESC after one second, you would create the event Timer equals 1 second.

After you have selected all the actions associated with a particular event, click OK to continue stepping through your game, or click the Next Event icon ( [image]). You can leave the Step Through Editor by clicking the Pause icon ( [image]).


Step Through Editor Tutorial

This tutorial will teach you how to create a simple game in The Games Factory. Creating this game will help to illustrate the functions of the Step Through Editor.


To place the game objects on the Playfield:

1)	In the Level Editor select the  Bat and Ball library from the Library menu.

2)	Click the “red brick” icon in the object selector and click the Playfield with the right mouse button to drop each individual brick. After you have dropped eight bricks, click the left button to drop the final brick. You should now have nine bricks on the Playfield.

3)	Click the “bat” icon, and click the center of the Playfield to drop the bat object into position.

4)	Click the bat with the right mouse button and select Movement, Change movement from the pop-up menu.

5)	Choose Mouse Controlled Movement from the Choose a Movement dialog box. Drag the handles of the movement area so that the box covers the entire screen.

6)	Click OK to assign the movement to the bat.

7)	Click the “ball” icon , and click the Playfield to drop the ball just above the bat.

8)	Click the ball with the right mouse button and select Movement, Change movement from the pop-up menu.

9)	Choose Bouncing Ball movement.

10)	The default settings will be fine. Click OK to apply this movement to the ball.


To add a lives object and a score object:

1)	In the Level Editor, click the Create new object icon( [image]).

2)	Click the Lives icon ( [image]).

3)	Click the top right hand corner of the Playfield to drop the Lives object into place.

4)	Click the Create new object icon.

5)	Click the Games tab in the Create New object dialog box.

6)	Click the Score ( [image]) icon.

7)	Click the Playfield next to the Lives object to drop the Score object into place.

To organize your screen:

Click each object and drag and drop it to a new location until your screen is setup to look like the following:


To test the level

1)	In the Level Editor, click the Step-through Editor icon ( [image]). The ball will start bouncing around the Playfield.

2)	Control the bat using the left and right arrows on the keyboard.


Setting up the actions:

A few seconds after clicking the Step Through Editor icon, a message will appear reporting that an event has occurred. Use the Storyboard Editor dialog box to enter the actions to occur. The icons along the middle of the dialog box are used to choose the actions:

The Events can occur in any order, and will depend on the initial ball direction, and the precise locations of your bat and bricks.

There are several events that are possible in this example. Enter the following actions for each of the possible events:

Ball colliding with the bat

When the ball hits the bat, you will want the ball to bounce off.

1)	Click the Ball icon, and choose Movement, Bounce from the pop-up menu.

2)	Click OK to accept the settings and continue stepping through your game.

The Selected Actions box should contain this action:

Ball leaves the play area on the left

Ball leaves the play area on the right

Ball leaves the play area on the top

For each of the above cases, you will want the ball to bounce off of the sides of the play area.

1)	Click the ball icon, and choose Movement, Bounce from the pop-up menu.

2)	Click OK to accept the settings and continue stepping through your game.

Bat leaves the play area on the left

Bat leaves the play area on the right

Bat leaves the play area on the top

Bat leaves the play area on the bottom

For each of the above cases, you will want the bat to remain on the screen.

Click OK to resume stepping through the game

Ball is colliding with brick

When the ball collides with the brick, you want to destroy the brick, bounce the ball, and increase the player's score.

1)	Click the brick icon, and choose Destroy from the pop-up menu.

2)	Click the ball icon, and choose Movement, Bounce.

3)	Click the Change Player 1’s Score or Lives icon( [image]) and choose Score, Add to Score from the pop-up menu.

4)	Enter 100 in the Enter expression box.

5)	Click OK to enter the new score value.

6)	Click OK to implement all of these actions and continue stepping through the game.

Ball leaves the play area on the bottom

When the ball leaves the bottom of the play area, you will want to reduce the player's lives and reposition the ball at the top.

1)	Click the ball icon, and choose Position, Set X Coordinate from the pop-up menu.

2)	Enter 320 in the Enter expression box.

3)	Click OK to accept the new X coordinate

4)	Click the ball icon, and choose Position, Set Y Coordinate from the pop-up menu.

5)	Enter 0 in the Enter expression box.

6)	Click OK to accept the new Y coordinate.

7)	Click the Change Player 1’s Score or Lives icon, and Choose Number of Lives, Subtract from Number of Lives.

8)	Enter 1 in the Enter expression box.

9)	Click OK to accept the new value.

10)	Click OK to accept the actions and continue stepping through the game.

The Selected Actions box should contain the following actions:

Last brick destroyed

When the last brick is destroyed, the game should end.

Click the Storyboard Controls icon ( [image]) and choose End the Game from the pop-up menu.


To exit the Step Through Editor:

After all of the actions have been added, click pause ( [image]) to leave the Step Through Editor. You can now save the game.


To Play the Game:

To play the game, click the Run icon ( [image]) from the toolbar or Click Run, Run Game.

Congratulations! You have just created your first game with The Games Factory.


The Step Though Editor screen

Whenever the Step Through Editor detects an Event, it displays a brief message and stops your game.

A few seconds later, the Step Through Editor dialogue box will appear on the screen. At the top, there is a reminder of the current event.

In the middle of the dialogue box, a series of icons is displayed which enable you enter the actions corresponding to the event that has just occurred. You can move through the icons using the scroll bar.

Each icon represents a particular type of object in your game. Click an icon to display a complete menu of the available actions for that particular object.

As you enter your actions, a description will be added to the Selected Actions box in the Step Through Editor dialogue box. An action will appear in the box as follows:

You can remove an action by clicking the description in the Selected Actions section with the right mouse button and choosing Delete from the pop-up menu. You can also click the description of the action and drag it over the garbage can icon ( [image]).

If the Selected Action box becomes full, a scroll bar will be added to the right of the box to allow you to scroll through the actions.

There are also event controls in the Step Through Editor dialogue box. These event controls let you move events and add new actions to your game. The following icons represent the event controls:


Display First event

Display First event jumps to the first event in your game. If you have already entered some events in the Event Editor, you will be able to edit them here.


Display Next event

Display Next event moves you one step forward in the Event list. The Action box will be loaded with all the actions you have assigned to this event. You can edit these actions by clicking on a description and choosing an appropriate option from the pop-up menu. You can also add new actions using the relevant icons in the Action bar.


Display Previous event

Display Previous event moves you one step backward in the event list.


Display Last Event

Display Last Event will move you to the end of the Event list and will show you the final event in the current level.


The Garbage can

The Garbage can icon provides an easy way of deleting an action from the event list. Click the description of the action and drag it over the garbage can icon. When you release the mouse button, the action will be completely erased.


Toolbar icons used by the Step Through Editor

In addition to the Event Controls, you can also select the following icons from the Toolbar.

Restart ( [image])

Restart replays the current level from the beginning and reports back to you after the first event.

Play ( [image])

Play continues testing your game from the current position. The Step Through Editor will appear when it detects the next event.

Pause ( [image]) / Step Through ( [image])

If the game is already running, Pause will freeze the action on the screen. You can also pause the game by pressing the ALT key on the keyboard.

If you are using the Step Through Editor, you can run the game by selecting the following icons:

 to play the current level

 to play the entire game

You can restart the Step Through Editor  by clicking the Step through Editor icon ( [image]) on the toolbar.


The Storyboard Editor

The Storyboard Editor defines the order of the segments of your game. Each game is divided into a series of segments known as levels. These levels can contain objects, animations, still pictures, or entire GF games. The following is an example of a level:

By default, The Games Factory will run through the levels in sequence from the top to the bottom of the list. However, it is possible to change the running order of the levels in your game.

There are several different types of levels including game levels, game file levels, picture levels, and animation levels. Each of these level types works slightly differently in your game.

Game Levels are controlled using a series of “actions” in the Event Editor. When a level ends, you can move to the next level using a range of fade effects.

Picture or Animations Levels are set up directly in the Storyboard Editor. You can control your levels by clicking an icon in the levels.

Game File Levels load an entire GF file from the disc. You can use them to store each level as a separate game file.

See:

The Storyboard Levels

The Level type icons

The Level control icons

The Pop-up Level menu

An Introduction to the Storyboard Menus

The Storyboard Icons


An Introduction to Storyboard Levels

The Storyboard is composed of a series of levels. Each level is assigned to an identification number. The levels are numbered sequentially starting at the number 1.

Next to the identification number, there is a small picture showing the first screen in the level. This picture is known as the Thumbnail.

The Level details are shown in a large box to the right of the thumbnail. The level details box is divided into two sections, the Comment lines and the Control Options.

The Comment lines

The comment lines allow you to enter a title and a password for each level.

The Title provides a description of the level's contents. In the above example, the title of the level is Page 22, referring to the fact that this level is the twenty-second page of an interactive book.

The Password can be entered by the user to allow them to jump to a specified level in your game.

To enter the Title or the Password, click the appropriate box and enter the text from the keyboard.

The Control options

The main control options are located below the Comment lines in the game level. The control options will vary depending on the type of level.

These are the control options for a game level:

These are the control options for a picture level

The first icon on the left, indicates the type of the level:

represents a Game Level

represents a Picture Level

represents an FLI Animation Level

represents a Game File Level

The other icons in the control option section are used to change the way the levels are displayed on the screen.

Note: If you are changing a value or text, click the current value, rather than the icon. In the previous examples, you should click on 640 to change the screen width, or 00’ to enter the display time in minutes. When you have entered the new value, press RETURN to accept the value or ESC to abort.

If you are setting a mouse action, click the [image] icon to assign an action to either the left or right mouse button.

The More box

The "More... box" is used to indicate the first available level in the Storyboard. Add a new level by clicking the More box with the right mouse button.

See:

The Level type icons

The Level control icons

The Pop-up Level menu


The Level Type icons

The first icon in the control options indicates the “type” of level:

A Game level

A Game level is represented by the above icon. This level type contains a series of objects, events, and actions. You can define these levels using the Level Editor.

A Picture

A Picture level is represented by the above icon. A picture level shows a still picture on the screen. You can display this picture for a selected period of time before moving to the next level. You can also add music to play while the picture is displayed.

An FLI Animation

A FLI Animation level is represented by the above icon. An FLI animation is used to display a large animation. FLI animations are perfect for diagrams and presentations. The file should be created in the standard FLI or FLC formats, and produced in an Autodesk compatible animation package.

Another Game file

A Game File level is represented by the above icon. It’s used to load and run a separate GF game from a disc. The new file can include any combination of game levels, pictures, FLI animations, or GF games files.


The Level Control icons

Each Level type has its own set of control options. You can change these options by clicking a control icon in the Storyboard level.

The control option icons can be used to:

Set the Playfield size

Add Fade Effects

Display a Picture for a selected period of time

Play a sound track

Assign an action to the left mouse button

Assign an action to the right mouse button

Perform an action when a game Level ends


Setting the Playfield size

Set the Playfield size to enter the dimensions of a Game level on the screen. The Games Factory displays your Levels on a Playfield. The playfield can be different for each level in the game.

The first value in the playfield size represents the width, and the second value represents the height. To change the size of the playfield, click the value to be changed and enter the new value using the keyboard. Press the RETURN key to accept the new value or press ESC to abort.


Adding Fade Effects

The Fade In and Fade Out boxes are used to add a dissolve effect to the current game level. There are two possible types of fade effects: a fade in and a fade out.

 Add a Fade In Transition

A Fade in is used when new level starts. The screen will display the previous level or a solid colour. The screen will dissolve into the new level using a fade effect. The Games Factory provides dozens of fade effects to choose from but it is also possible to create your own transitions.

 Add a Fade Out Transition

A Fade Out is used when the current level ends. At the end of the current level, the picture will be gently transformed it into a solid block of colour using a fade effect. There are dozens of fade effects in the GF Fades directory. It is also possible to create you own fade effect using The Games Factory.

After you have added a fade effect to a level a bar indicating the type of fade in or fade out will be added to the top or bottom of the level. The following level has both a fade in and a fade out effect.

After you have added a fade in and/or a fade out to a level the fade icons change. They become blue in colour rather than grey.

 The level contains a Fade In effect

 The level contains a Fade Out.

Click the new blue icon to edit the fade effects.


Displaying a picture for a selected time period.

The timer shows the amount of time a Picture Level will be displayed on the screen. Click the numbers to enter a new value for the time. The first value records the minutes and the second value records the seconds. When you have entered the new value press the RETURN key to accept the values or press ESC to abort.


Assigning an action to the Left mouse button

You can assign an action to the left mouse button in Picture Levels and Animation Levels by clicking the above icon.

Click the [image] icon to display the pop-up menu. This pop-up menu contains the following options:

No Action (default). Clicking the left button will have no effect.

Jump To moves directly to the selected level in the Storyboard when the left mouse button is pressed.

Go to Next Level moves to the next level in the Storyboard when the left mouse button in pressed.

Restart Game from Level 1begins the game from the first level when the left mouse button is pressed.

Quit Game exits from the game completely when the left mouse button is pressed.


Assigning an action to the right mouse

You can assign an action to the right mouse button in Picture Levels and Animation Levels by clicking the above icon.

Click the [image] icon to display the pop-up menu. This pop-up menu contains the following options:

No Action (default). Clicking the right button will have no effect.

Jump To moves directly to the selected level in the Storyboard when the right mouse button is pressed.

Go to Next Level moves to the next level in the Storyboard when the right mouse button in pressed.

Restart Game from Level 1begins the game from the first level when the right mouse button is pressed.

Quit Game exits from the game completely when the right mouse button is pressed.


Playing Music during a level

Click the above icon to assign an optional soundtrack to a Picture or Animation Level. You can choose the music from a ".MID" or "RMI" file. Look at the "MIDI" directory on The Games Factory CD for some great samples.


Performing an Action when a Game File Level ends

Click the above icon to trigger an action after the Game File ends.

Click on the [image] icon to display the pop-up menu. This pop-up menu contains the following options:

Jump To moves directly to the selected level in the Storyboard when the game ends.

Go to Next Level moves to the next level in the Storyboard when the game ends.

Restart Game from Level 1begins the game from the first level when the game ends.

Quit Game exits from the game completely when the game ends.

After you've made your selection, the icon will change to show you the action chosen. The following icon indicates that when the game finishes it will jump to level number five.


The Pop-Up Level menu

Once you've created a level, you can edit it using a pop-up menu. Click the thumbnail or the Level Number with the right mouse button to display the pop-up menu.

Each level type has slightly different options in the pop-up menu, but some commands are universal:

Run this level. Runs or displays the level on the screen. You can exit this option by pressing ESC or ALT + F4 on the keyboard.

Set-up Level. Enters the control options for the level.

Delete This level Removes the current level from your Storyboard.

Game levels also have the following options in the pop-up menu:

Edit this level. Calls up an Editor window, and lets you enter new actions, conditions, and objects for your game

Select Fade in transition. Allows you to add a fade in transition to the level.

Select Fade out transition. Allows you to add a fade out transition to the level.

Picture Levels have a Select a new picture option in the pop-up menu. This option will allow you to change the picture used in the level.

Animation Levels have a Select a new animation option in the pop-up menu. This option will allow you to change the animation used in the level.

Game File Levels also have the following options in the pop-up menu:

Select a new game. Allows you to change the game used in the level.

Edit the game. Opens the file that this level was created in and allows you to edit the game to change the level.


An Introduction to the Storyboard Menus

The following is a list of the main menu options that are relevant to the Storyboard Editor

File

The File menu provides a series of options for loading and saving your creations on a disk. It is a good idea to save your files regularly during the development of your game.

Edit

The Edit menu gives a range of cut and paste features which let you copy levels to a new position on the Storyboard.

Window

The Window menu lets you jump directly to another GF Window. It is useful when you are editing a Game level, as this enables you to switch between the Playfield and Event screens easily. However, this option is not available if you are editing Animation Levels, or Picture Levels. Before using this option, you need to load the Windows with the contents of the levels. You can do this by clicking the level number and calling up the Level Editor.

Run

This menu runs through a single level or the entire game.


An Introduction to Storyboard Icons

The Toolbar provides you with a range of useful command options. Here is a list of the icons in the Storyboard:

 Loads a new game from the disk.

 Saves the current game

 Displays the window containing the Storyboard Editor.

 Moves to a window containing the Level Editor (if open)

 Moves to a window containing the Event Editor (if open)

 Creates a new level for your Storyboard.

 Provides additional information about the game

 Calls up the Main Preferences dialogue

 Calls up the Interactive Help system

 Cuts a level from the Storyboard Window

 Copies a level into memory.

 Pastes a stored level into a new Storyboard position

 Runs your game from the start.


Creating a new Storyboard Level

There are several ways to create a new Storyboard Level. In each case, a menu containing the following icons will be displayed:

Each icon creates a different type of level for your use in your game. The available options, starting at the top of the above list, include:

Add a new level

Insert a picture

Insert an animation

Insert a Game file

Adding a new Level to the Storyboard

There are four different ways to add a new level to the Storyboard:

1. Click the Create new level icon from the Toolbar

Clicking the Create new level icon ( [image]) lets you insert a level anywhere in the current Storyboard. After you have selected the level type, the mouse pointer will change to the following insertion point:

Click the new position to drop the level into place.

2. Click the More box with the right mouse button.

After you have selected the level type, a new level is added to the bottom of list of levels.

3. Click the reference number next to the More box.

After you have selected the level type, a new level is added to the bottom of list of levels.

4. Click the control or comment area of a highlighted level.

Highlight a level by clicking the thumbnail. You can now add a level by clicking anywhere in the comment or control area with the right mouse button. After you have selected the level type, a new level is added after the highlighted level.

See:

Game levels

Picture Levels

Animation Levels

Game file levels


How Game levels work

Game levels add a new level to your game. You can divide your games into as many levels as you like.

Each Level is composed a number of objects on the screen. There are numerous types of objects, each with it’s own specific function. A few of the available objects are:

Active objects are used for Animations

Backdrop objects handle the background areas

Multimedia objects play movie clips or CD audio

Counter objects store values

You can position these objects on the screen using the Level Editor.

The objects can be controlled by adding Events and Actions from either the Step Through Editor or the Event Editor.

See:

Adding a new Game level

Edit a Game level


Adding a new Game level

There are several different ways to add a Game level:

1. Click the Create new level icon.

Click the Insert a Game level icon ( [image]) from the pop-up menu. Click the mouse pointer over the new location of the level. If a level already exists at this point, the existing level will be moved one step down to make room for the new level.

2. Click the More. box with the right mouse button.

Click the Insert a Game level icon to add a level to the end of the Storyboard.

3. Click the reference number next to the More box.

Click the Insert a Game level icon to add a level to the end of the Storyboard.

4. Click the control or comment area of a highlighted level.

Highlight a level by clicking the thumbnail. You can now add a level by clicking anywhere in the comment or control area with the right mouse button. Select the Insert a Game level icon and the new level is added after the highlighted level.

Once you have defined your levels, you will be ready to add objects.


Editing a Game level

Editing a Game level is easy because the editing system is only a mouse click away. Click the Level number to jump to the Level Editor.

You can also click the Level number or Thumbnail with the right mouse button to display the following menu:

Edit this Level

Level Editor

Events

Select Fade In Transition

Select Fade out Transition

Run this level

Level Set-up

Delete this Level

The Edit this level option lets you choose between three editing systems.

The Level Editor lets you add new objects or movement sequences to the level.

The Event Editor enters the actions, events, and conditions that make your game work.

After you have called one of these options, the selected level will be loaded into memory. You will now be able to switch between the Editor screens using the options in the Windows menu, or by clicking one of the following icons on the Toolbar:

Calls the Storyboard Editor.

Calls the Level Editor

Calls the Event Editor Window


Edit this level

Choosing the Edit this level option, displays a sub-menu to allow you to edit objects, events, and actions in your Game level.

Level Editor - Adds new objects or movement sequences

Events- enters the event, conditions and actions using a simple grid.

The selected Storyboard level will be marked so you can see it’s being edited:

See:

The Level Editor

The Event Editor


Select Fade In Transition

A Fade in is used when new level starts. The screen will display the previous Game level or a solid colour. The screen will dissolve into the new level using a fade effect. Choose the Fade In effect from the Fades directory on The Games Factory CD or create your own effect.

After you have selected the Fade In effect to be used, complete the Fade From section of the Fade In Transition Set-up dialogue box. You can choose to Fade from the previous level or a fixed colour. Click the Choose button to select a colour from the colour palette. Click OK to accept the settings.

Above the level in the Storyboard editor, a small box is added describing the Fade In effect used. Click the fade box with the right mouse button to edit the fade effect used or choose a new colour from the palette.


Select Fade Out Transition

A Fade Out is used when the current level ends. At the end of the current Game level, the picture will be gently transformed it into a solid block of colour using a fade effect. There are dozens of fade effects in the GF fades directory. It is also possible to create you own fade effect using The Games Factory.

After you have selected the Fade Out effect to be used, choose the colour to fade to. Click the Choose button to select a colour from the colour palette. Click OK to accept the settings.

Below the level in the Storyboard editor, a small box is added describing the Fade Out effect used. Click the fade box with the right mouse button to edit the fade effect used or choose a new colour from the palette.


Run this level

Run this Level will run the selected level from its own window on the desktop. You can abort by pressing ESC or ALT + F4 on the keyboard.


Level Set-up (Game levels)

Click Edit, Level set-up to display the Level Set-up dialogue box. Each level can its own title, background music, password, and playfield settings. The Level Set-up dialogue box will let you customize your game. Click the Options tab to define the following settings:

Title

Enters a title for the current level into the Title of this level box. The title will appear in the top line of the window when your game is run.

Password

Each level can have its own individual password. Enter the Password into the Password line of the dialogue box. This feature is useful when designing computer games. For example, when a player finally reaches level 99 of your space adventure, they can jot down the given password and the next time they play, can start at level 100!

Play area size

The size of the play area does not have to be 640 by 480 pixels. It can be anything you like! Adjust the size of the play area by typing in new values for the width and height into the X and Y boxes. Note: It is easier to pick a play area size before you start the design of the level, especially if you're intending to reduce the size.

Background

Click the Background button to change the background colour of your game. The background colour, is the colour which will be displayed if there are no GF objects or backdrops over the screen. The default colour is white, but you can use any colour you like from the colour palette. Click a colour in the colour palette and click OK to define the new colour.

Display this title during the game

Enable this check box to tells The Games Factory to display your chosen game name in the Window's Title line.

Grab Desktop at start

This option is ideal for use in screen savers. Enable this check box to make an exact copy of your Windows desktop, and use it as the background for your game. Enable the Maximized on boot up check box in the Window tab of the Game Set-up dialogue box. This will enable you to move your objects over the entire Windows desktop. Since the screen is managed by The Games Factory, all the movements will be very smooth.

Keep Display from previous level

Enable this check box if using a Fade Game. If this check box is disabled, the screen will automatically be erased before a Fade effect occurs.

Handle Background collisions even in invisible playfield

Enable this check box to test for collisions between all objects on the playfield, even if they are not physically displayed on the screen. This option is used when you are scrolling an extra large playfield through the game window.

If this option is enabled, all objects in the game will be tested for collisions. For example, a missile will hit an alien even if the alien has left the bottom of the screen. This feature requires extra memory because there are more events to test.

If this option is disabled, The Games Factory will only test the objects you can see on the screen. For example, the alien could hide in the background, firing at the player, and be immune to attack. Disabling the Handle Background collisions even in invisible playfield will allow The Games Factory to run the game using less memory.


Delete this Level

This option erases the selected level from the Storyboard. This is a fairly drastic step, as there’s no “Undo” option if you make a mistake. So only delete a level if you’re sure that you want to remove it permanently.


How Picture Levels work

Picture Levels hold still images and are used for generating title screens or producing slide-shows. Your pictures can be in most of the standard formats including "BMP", "IFF", or "PCX".

You can move between pictures manually with the mouse or automatically after a set period of time. You can also add a sound-track to your picture to generate an impressive slide-show. You can even add a password to your pictures.

See:

Adding a new Picture Level

Editing a Picture Level


Adding a new Picture Level

There are several different ways to add a Picture Level:

1. Click the Create new level icon.

Click the Insert a Picture Level icon ( [image]) from the pop-up menu. Click the mouse pointer over the new location of the level. If a level already exists at this point, the existing level will be moved one step down to make room for the new level. You will now be asked to select an image from the disc. You will be presented with a standard Windows file selector. Your image can be taken from any of the following formats: "PCX", "BMP", "RLE", "LBM", "IFF", or "DIB". Select the file name of the picture to insert. The level will be added where you clicked the mouse.

2. Click the More box with the right mouse button.

Click the Insert a Picture Level icon and select the file name of the picture to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

3. Click the reference number next to the More box

Click the Insert a Picture Level icon and select the file name of the picture to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

4. Click the control or comment area of a highlighted level.

Highlight a level by clicking the thumbnail. You can now add a level by clicking anywhere in the comment or control area with the right mouse button. Click the Insert a Picture Level icon and select the file name of the picture to insert. The new level is added after the highlighted level.

Once you have defined your levels, you will be ready to add picture objects. You can do this by using the Edit this Level option from the pop-up menu.

To see an instant snapshot of your picture, click the View button in the Load a Picture dialogue box. This will display the picture in a small box on the screen. Click the picture with the left mouse button to return to the selector.

Once your file has been loaded, the new level will be inserted into either the current position, or a new position depending on how you’ve created it.

The Thumbnail will now be loaded with a copy of your picture.


Editing a Picture

You can replace the current picture by clicking the Level number, or clicking the Thumbnail with the right mouse button to display a pop-up menu with the following options:

Select a new picture lets you select a new graphics file from the disc.

Run this level loads and displays your picture in its own window.

Level Set-up calls up a dialog box allowing you to control the picture as part of a slide show.

Delete This level Removes the current level from your Storyboard.

See:

Select a new picture

Run this level

Level Set-up


Selecting a new Picture

Choose Select a new Picture to display the Load a picture dialogue box to enable you choose a new image for your level. The new picture can be loaded in any of the following formats: PCX, BMP, RLE, LBM, IFF, or DIB


Run this level (Picture)

Run this level will display the picture in its own window on the desktop.

You can exit by pressing ESC or ALT + F4 on the keyboard.


Level Set-up (Picture Levels)

Choose the Level set-up option to display the Picture Set-up dialogue box. This is used to specify a series of options for the current picture, and allow you to display the picture as part of a slide-show.

The Picture Set-up dialogue box is divided into three tabs.

Options defines the display window.

Linking of Level sets up your controls.

Music adds a sound track which will be played in the background.


Setting the Picture options

The Options tab lets you choose the way your picture or Animation Level will be displayed on the screen.

Size as game window

If this option is enabled, the images will be displayed in a normal sized game window. If it is disabled, the size will vary depending on the actual dimensions of your level.

Change Colour to Game’s Palette

Enable this check box to load your images with the same colour scheme as your game. This option can have odd effects, and should only be selected if your pictures have similar colour settings to The Games Factory. By default, this check box is disabled in order to display your pictures using their original colours.

Display Game Menu Bar

Enable this check box to display a menu bar at the top of your game window. You can change this menu using an option from the “Game set-up” screen.


The Linking of Level options

The Linking of Level tab is used to control how long the Level will be held on the screen.

The Event boxes tell your game when you want to move to a new level. There are three different types of events:

Timed moves to a level after a selected time interval.

Left button moves to a level when the left mouse button is pressed.

Right button moves to a level when the right mouse button is pressed.

The Actions are controlled using the arrow icon ( [image]) on the right of each line. Clicking the arrow icon brings up a pop-up menu with the following options:

No Action does absolutely nothing! You can use this action to turn off a selected event.

Jump to moves directly to the chosen level.

Go to next Level calls the next level in your Storyboard.

Restart from Level 1 loops back to the first level on the Storyboard.

Quit Game quits the game after this level is completed.

The Timed Event box is used to set the interval of a timed event in seconds. The maximum number of seconds between each action is 100.

Password enters a password for your Picture.


Playing Music in the background

The Music  tab is used to add music to a level. Note: You can also add music by clicking the music icon ( [image]) in the control options, or clicking the Level number or Thumbnail with the right mouse button, and choosing Level Set-up from the pop-up menu.

Each Level can have a number of different sound tracks. You can choose to play them in a specific order or a random order. Select the music to play in your game using the Music control buttons.

The Music Control buttons

Add

Inserts a piece of music into the current play list. This music can be entered from a ".MID", "RMI" or "GAM" file. Each piece of music is identified by a name, such as: "applause", "intro1", or "fanfare".

Each Game file stores the music from a particular GF game. The name of the music is the same as the name of the game. So a game called "orbit", would store its music in "orbit.gam".

Play

Tests your current playlist so you can hear how it actually sounds.

Delete

Removes a piece of music from the playlist. You can select the music to remove by clicking the name of the selection.

The Music control options

The music control options are the three check boxes at the bottom of the Picture Set-up dialogue box.

Random

The default setting in The Games Factory is to play the music sequences in the order that they appear in the playlist. You can change the order and play the music in a random order by enabling the Random check box.

Keep Previous Music

Enable this check box to continue to play any music left over from the previous level. When this music finishes, a new piece of music will be selected from the current play list.

Loop

Enable this check box to continue playing the music you have selected. Once your selections have ended, the Loop option will cause the music to be replayed from the beginning.


Delete this Level

This option erases the selected level from the Storyboard. This is a fairly drastic step, as there’s no “Undo” option if you make a mistake. So only delete a level if you’re sure that you want to remove it permanently.


How Animation Levels work

The Games Factory is not limited to still pictures, you can also insert professional quality Autodesk Animation files directly into your games. Animations are ideal for creating smooth introductory sequences or end of level displays and they have dozens of educational and business uses.

See:

Adding a new Animation Level

Editing an Animation Level


Adding a new Animation file

There are several ways to add an Animation Level to your game.

1. Click the Create new level icon.

Click the Insert an Animation icon ( [image]) from the pop-up menu. Click the mouse pointer over the new location of the level. If a level already exists at this point, the existing level will be moved one step down to make room for the new level. You will now be asked to select an animation from the disc. You will be presented with a standard Windows file selector. Your animation can be chosen from an "FLI" or "FLC" file format. Select the file name of the animation to insert. The level will be added where you clicked the mouse pointer.

2. Click the More box with the right mouse button.

Click the Insert an Animation icon and select the file name of the animation to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

3. Click the reference number next to the More box

Click the Insert an Animation icon and select the file name of the animation to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

4. Click the control or comment area of a highlighted level.

Highlight a level by clicking the thumbnail. You can now add a level by clicking anywhere in the comment or control area with the right mouse button. Click the Insert an Animation icon and select the file name of the animation to insert. The new level is added after the highlighted level.

The Games Factory works with Autodesk compatible "flic" files in ".FLI" and ".FLC" formats. You can look at the animation using the View button in the Load an Animation dialogue box.


Editing the Animation sequence

You can select a new animation sequence by clicking the Level number, or clicking the Level number or Thumbnail with the right mouse button, and choosing Select a New Animation from the pop-up menu.

The pop-up menu contains the following options:

Select a new Animation lets you select a new FLI or FLC Animation file from disc.

Run this level loads and displays your Animation from the disc.

Level Set-up calls up a dialog box allowing you to link the Animation to the previous Levels.

Delete This level Removes the current level from your Storyboard.


Select a new Animation

Select a new Animation displays a file selector so you can choose an "FLI" or "FLC" sequence from the disc. The Games Factory works with Autodesk compatible "flic" files in ".FLI" and ".FLC" formats. Click the View button to preview the animation.


Run this Level

Run this Level displays your animation on the screen using a standard game window. You can exit at any time by either pressing ESC or ALT + F4 on the keyboard.


Level Set-up (Animation Levels)

Choose the Level Set-up option to display the Animation set-up dialogue box. Each level can have its own individual settings. The Animation Set-up dialogue box specifies a series of options for the current level and allows you to display it as part of a slide-show.

The Animation Set-up dialogue box is divided into three tabs:

Options sets up the display windows used for your level.

Linking of Level sets up your controls.

Music adds a sound track which will be played in the background.

These options are very similar to the ones used by Picture Levels:

See:

Setting the Picture options

The Linking of Level options

Playing music in the background

There are only a few minor differences. In the Options tab, there is a section dedicated to Animation options:

Animation Options

Enable the Load into memory to load the Animation into memory before running it. This takes a little time, but results in a smoother display.

Enable the Looped check box to repeat the Animation continually until an event occurs.


Delete this Level

This option erases the selected level from the Storyboard. This is a fairly drastic step, as there’s no “Undo” option if you make a mistake. So only delete a level if you’re sure that you want to remove it permanently.


How Game File Levels work

Game File Levels load and run another GF game directly from the disc.

You can use these levels to build up your project in stages. Each part of your game can be created separately using The Games Factory. Once you are happy with the effect, you can reuse it again and again for a variety of different purposes in different games.

For example, you might produce a standard control panel for your presentations or a standard hi-score table for your games.

Since each game is only a fraction of the complete game, it will save and load extremely quickly. You can also experiment as much as you like and make regular backups to avoid mistakes.

Before you can use game file levels, you will need to learn a little theory:

The "Parent game" calls your Game file as part of its Storyboard.

A "Child game" is a separate GF game with its own set of Storyboard levels, objects, actions, and events. It is launched from another GF game using a game file level. When the child game has finished running, the game will return control to the "Parent Game".

Each "Child Game" can use any combination of "Level", "Picture", "Animation", and "Game" Levels. Therefore, it is possible for a "Child Game" to be the "Parent" of another game.

Whenever The Games Factory encounters a Game File, it loads the Child game from the disc and runs through each level in its Storyboard. After it reaches the end, it returns control to the Parent game.

You can transfer information from the Parent game to the Child using the Options tab from the Parent’s Level Set-up dialogue box.

You can perform an action when the Child Game finishes using a simple option from The End icon.

See:

Adding a new Game File Level

Editing a game file level


Adding a Game File Level

There are several method for adding a Game File Level.

1. Click the Create new level icon.

Click the Insert a Game file icon ( [image]) from the pop-up menu. Click the mouse pointer over the new location of the level. If a level already exists at this point, the existing level will be moved one step down to make room for the new level. You will now be asked to select an existing GF game from the disc. You will be presented with a standard Windows file selector and can choose games. Select the file name of the GF game to insert. The level will be added where you clicked the mouse pointer.

2. Click the More box with the right mouse button.

Click the Insert a Game file icon and select the file name of the game to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

3. Click the reference number next to the More box.

Click the Insert a Game file icon and select the file name of the game to insert. The level will be added at the end of the Storyboard.

4. Click the control or comment area of a highlighted level.

Highlight a level by clicking the thumbnail. You can now add a level by clicking anywhere in the comment or control area with the right mouse button. Click the Insert a Game file icon and select the file name of the game to insert. The new level is added after the highlighted level.

You can choose either ".CCA" (Click & Create) or ".GAM" (The Games Factory & Klik & Play).

Note that if you’re running Click & Create applications, you’ll need to limit yourself to the standard object types used by The Games Factory. So you can’t use any additional extension objects supported by Click & Create. If  you try, the selection will be rejected, and you’ll be asked to choose a new file from the Storyboard Editor.


Editing a Game File Level

You can select a new game by clicking the Level number, or clicking the Level number or Thumbnail with the right mouse button, and choosing Select a new Game from the pop-up menu. The pop-up menu contains the following options:

Select a new game lets you select a new game from the disc.

Edit this game loads the new game onto the Storyboard.

Run this Game loads and plays the chosen game from the disc.

Level Set-up calls up a dialog box allowing you to link the game to the previous levels.

Delete This level Removes the current level from your Storyboard.

See:

Select a new game

Edit this game

Run this Game

Level Set-up


Select a new game

In the Select a New Game dialogue box, find the new file in the appropriate directory. Type the new file name into the Filename box.

Click OK to assign this game to the current level.


Edit the game

Edit this game launches your Game file level into its own copy of the Storyboard Editor.

You can edit your game using the Level Editor, the Event Editor and the Step Through Editor These editor windows are completely separate from the ones used by the "parent game". Keep an eye on the title line in order to avoid confusion with what game you are actually editing.

All of the menus in the “child game” will work as normal. You can load and save your games but if you save your "child game" under a new file name, you will need to change the file used by the "Parent game".

When you have finished editing, you can save your “child game” onto disc and leave using File, Exit. You will now be returned right back to your original game.


Run this game

Run this game plays the GF game in its own window. Press ALT + F4 when you are finished.


Level Set-up (Game file levels)

The Level Set-up option lets you choose which elements will be transferred from the parent game to the new game. It also lets you decide what will happen when the new game ends.

The Game Set-up dialogue box is divided into two tabs:

Options shares the settings between the current game, and the game you are loading.

Linking of Level enters the action which will be performed when the game  ends.


Setting the Game File Level options

The Options" tab lets you transfer information from the current game to the one used by the level. Click the appropriate check box to copy the Global values, Number of lives, Scores, and Player controls from the current game to the new level.


Linking of Level

The Linking of Level tab lets you choose what will happen when the level ends.

Password

Enters a password into the Password box to allow a player to jump directly to your new Level.

Actions

The Actions are controlled using the arrow icon ( [image]) on the right of each line. Click the arrow icon to display a pop-up menu with the following options:

Jump to moves to a particular level in the Storyboard.

Go to next Level jumps straight to the next level. This is the Default setting.

Restart Game from Level 1 returns to the beginning of the Storyboard and starts again at the beginning. All scores, lives, and global values will be reset to zero.

Exit game quits the game and exits back to the program manager or GF Editor.


Delete this Level

This option erases the selected level from the Storyboard. This is a fairly drastic step, as there’s no “Undo” option if you make a mistake. So only delete a level if you’re sure that you want to remove it permanently.


Selecting Storyboard Levels

Use the options in the Edit menu to Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo, Delete, Unselect, and Select all the levels in the Storyboard editor.

Copy makes a copy of the highlighted level(s), and saves them onto the GF clipboard.

Cut removes the selected levels(s) from the current window, and stores them in the GF clipboard.

Delete erases the selected level(s) from the game.

Paste moves the contents of the GF clipboard into your editing window.

Unselect aborts the current highlighted level(s).

Select All highlights every level in the current window.

You can also click on one of the following icons in the toolbar:

 cuts a level from the Storyboard Window

 copies a level into memory, without changing the current Storyboard

 pastes the results on the screen.

See:

Selecting your levels

Deleting your levels

Copying your levels

Moving your levels

Cutting levels from the Storyboard

The Paste Option


Selecting your levels

There are three ways to select a level:

1)	Click the first level and drag a box around the levels you want to select. When you release the button, the levels will be highlighted and ready for use.

2)	Click the reference number to select a single level. Click a level hold down CTRL or SHIFT and click on any number of additional levels. All of the levels you clicked will be highlighted.

To select all of the levels, click Edit, Select all.

Note: You can abort the selection at any time by clicking Edit, Unselect.


Deleting your levels

You can erase a level by clicking the level and pressing DELETE from the keyboard or highlight the level and click Edit, Delete.

Warning! These options permanently delete the entire contents of your level, including any objects and events. However, they will have no effect on any Game files you’ve assigned to a level

If you are creating a slide-show or animation, delete the first level before adding your new levels. Otherwise, The Games Factory will display an empty slide at the start of your show, destroying the effect completely!

If you want to display a level on the screen, click the level with the right mouse button and choose Run Level from the pop-up menu. Your picture will be displayed in a standard window.

You can replace a Picture, Animation, or Game file level by clicking the level number or thumbnail with the right mouse button and choosing the Select a new option from the pop-up menu.


Copying your levels

Once you have selected your levels, you can copy them by clicking Edit, Copy or clicking the Copy icon ( [image]). Copy will place your selected levels into memory without affecting the existing version on the screen. If you are copying a level, you will copy all the objects and events contained in the level. Therefore, you can borrow features from your previous levels and use them to create something entirely new.

After you have copied your levels into memory, you can copy them to the Storyboard using the Paste operation.


Moving your levels

You can move you levels by clicking the level number and dragging the level to a new location. If you want to move several levels, hold the CTRL and SHIFT keys during the selection process.

If your levels contain a lot of information, it may take some time to move your levels. Be patient!


Cutting your levels from the Storyboard

To Cut your level from the Storyboard, click edit, cut or click the cut icon ( [image]) on the toolbar. The cut option moves your selected level(s) into memory, and removes them from the Storyboard.


The Paste Option

To Paste an item stored on the Clipboard, click edit, paste, or click the paste icon ( [image]) on the toolbar. The paste option takes previously stored levels from memory and replaces them onto the Storyboard. After selecting paste, the mouse pointer will change to an insertion point ( [image]).

Move this pointer to the new location and click the mouse to paste the levels into the Storyboard.


Fades

Adding a fade effect is easy! Enter the Storyboard Editor, and click one of the following icons:

 Adds a Fade In effect

 Adds a Fade Out

The file selector dialogue box will be displayed to allow you to choose a fade effect from the disc. The Games Factory has over a hundred effects stored in the Fades directory of the CD. It is also possible to define your own fades within The Games Factory.

There are two possible fading systems you can use:

A fade in is performed when your level starts. It gradually shifts from the previous level  or a solid colour to the new level.

A fade out is called at the end of a level. It merges your screen into solid block of colour, usually black.

Both effects are selected in the same general way.

You load the effect from a specially written Fade Game on the disc. You can preview the fading effect by holding the mouse over a name.

An appropriate picture will appear in your viewing window. Here is an example of a fade effect:

This preview screen is purely for your own information. It will not be displayed as part of the fade.

Once you have chosen your fading effect, a dialogue box will appear so you can enter the settings.

Fade In effects provide you with the following options:

Display of previous level fades from the last Game level to the new one.

Fixed color replaces the previous level with a solid block of the chosen color. The color is dissolved to reveal the new level.

Fade out effects change the screen to a solid colour. You’ll see the chosen colour in the Colour to fade to box.

See:

Fade out set-up

Fade in set-up

After you have chosen a fading effect and selected the options, they will be permanently installed with your game. It is possible to assign both a Fade In and a Fade Out effect to the same level.


Fade In Set-up

After you have chosen a Fade In effect, The Fade In Transition set-up screen will be displayed for you to assign the settings.

Display of Previous Level

By default, the new level is hidden away and the previous level is left on the screen. The fading process will now transform the previous level into the new level.

Fixed Colour

Enable this button to replace the screen with a solid block of colour. The solid coloured screen will be gradually changed into the new level. You can select the colour by clicking the Choose button and picking a colour from the colour palette.


Fade Out Set-up

After you have chosen a Fade Out effect, the Fade-out level transition set-up dialogue box will be displayed for you to assign the settings.

Fade outs transforms the screen into a solid colour. You can choose the colour by clicking Choose and selecting a colour from the colour palette.


Creating your own Fading effects

How Fading Works

Fades are triggered automatically when you move to a new level.

There are two possible fading systems:

A fade in which is performed when your level starts. It gradually shifts from the previous level or a solid color to the new level.

A fade out which is called at the end of a level. It merges your screen into solid block of color, usually black.

Both effects work in the same general way. They take a series of objects, and use them as paintbrushes. These paintbrushes are then moved across the screen in a regular pattern to create the new display.

Fading out is simple. The object is treated like a rectangular brush, and moved over the existing picture to leave a smooth band of colour.

Fading in is a bit more complex. When you change levels. The Games Factory keeps a copy of the previous game screen on the display but takes your object's background from the new level. This background will now be copied onto the screen whenever you move your objects to a new position. The objects will leave a trail of the new level behind them. As you sweep your object across the playfield, the new screen will gradually be revealed.

See:

Generating your own Fade Effects


Generating your own Fade Effects

The Games Factory provides you with hundreds of ready made fading effects for you to experiment with. However, you can also produce your own effects.

Fades are created using a special Edit mode. All of the objects and events for fade effects are stored separately in memory, so that they do not interfere with your existing game.

You can enter Fade Mode in two ways:

From the Level Editor

Click Preferences, and enable either the Fade In or Fade Out buttons in the Edit mode section.

From the Event Editor

Click the All the Events bar with the right mouse button and select either Filter Fade In or Filter Fade out as appropriate.

The editing mode can be changed at any time. It is saved automatically as part of your game which allows you to a fading routine quickly and easily during development.

When you enter Fade Mode, the Level Editor will display all the objects used by your fade. You can move and edit these objects to generate the effect you want. You will see a list of your fade objects on the object shelf.

You cannot change the normal objects you have created for your games. These objects will be shown on the screen, but you won't be able to select them with the mouse and they won't be installed as part of a fade game.

When you move to the Event Editor, it will be loaded with conditions and actions used for your fades. Like your objects, these are entirely separate from the events used by the rest of your game.

Note: A fade will only be active if there is at least ONE event in the list.

Creating a fade is easy.

First, you will need to enter the appropriate fade mode and create a few objects to use as brushes.

Only the dimensions of the brush are important. The shape will always be rectangular no matter what the shape of the object is. The dimensions of the brush depend on the size of the object and can be changed as part of an Animation sequence.

You might for instance, position a series of dots on the display and gradually expand them into large boxes. Your This would make the picture wink slowly onto the screen.

Once you have produced your brushes, you can define their movement patterns.  Feel free to use any movement option you like. The only thing to watch out for, is that the fade will only work if your objects cover the entire screen area. If they don't, you'll have annoying gaps in the final display.

Good systems to choose are:

Ball Movements bounce your object around, fading the screen as they move.

Path movements generate complex fading effects such as spirals.

If you're fading in, you'll now need to tell The Games Factory to keep the screen from the old level. So you should call up the Level Editor preference option and select the Keep display from previous screen button.

You can now move to the Event Editor and define the fading effect.

The top line will be changed to show the current Fade mode.

Although you can include any combination of events and conditions you wish, all you need is a single event to position your brushes at the start of your fade. You can adjust the coordinates according to the current screen size by reading the values from the Playfield functions from the Expression Evaluator.

And that's it. You can now save your fade on the disc as a standard "gam" file.

You can test your fade on the screen, and return to normal mode using the Filter Off option from the Event Editor, or Normal from the Level Editor’s Preferences screen.

You can now include the new effect in any of your favourite games. Just load them up, move to the desired level, and pick your fade using the Fade In and Fade Out buttons from the Storyboard Editor.

 Fade In

 Fade Out


Storyboard Editor Preferences

Click the preferences icon ( [image]) to display the Storyboard Preferences dialogue box. This dialogue box provides the following options:

Density

The Density slider controls the size of each Storyboard Level on the screen. The higher the value, the smaller the level boxes. Note: The contents of these levels are completely unaffected. You can use this feature to increase the number of levels on the screen which is perfect for controlling large games.

Display top bar

If this checkbox is enabled, the Storyboard levels will have a bar displaying the following:

You can disable this feature to remove this bar from the display.

Display comments

If this checkbox is enabled, you can enter comments for each of the levels. If this feature is disabled, the comments will be removed from the screen.