Game Programming for Teens
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Playing Invaderz!!!
We've gone through the motions of creating the game (or at least getting a feel for the game), and now we get to the fun part: playing the game!
Invaderz!!! is a very simple game to play. There are two ways to open it, but both require you to navigate to the Chapter 13 folder on the CD. Put the CD in your CD-ROM drive and find the Source folder, and then double-click on Chapter 13. Once you have done this, you will see a bunch of files that relate to the Invaderz!!! game. To play the game directly, double-click on the icon that looks like a rocket ship. This file is named invaderz.exe.
NOTE
If you want to run the game within the Blitz Basic compiler, you will need to have Blitz Basic installed on your machine.You probably already installed this program earlier in the book, but just in case you didn't, now would be the time to do so. See Chapter 1 for instructions on installing the compiler.
The other way to load Invaderz!!! is to run it from within the Blitz Basic compiler and compile the code straight away. Do this by finding the file named invaderz.bb and double-clicking on it. It should load up in the Blitz Basic compiler within a few seconds. Look near the top of the screen and you will find a toolbar with a number of menus , starting with File. Select the menu named Program and clicking on Run Program. Another way to do this is to just press the F5 key on your keyboard (after you load the program in Blitz Basic).
You have just opened the game! You can now play it to your heart's content. There are only three functioning keys within the program, and Table 13.7 explains all of them.
Table 13.7. The Keys Used in Invaderz!!!
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Left Arrow | Moves the player ship left. |
| Right Arrow | Moves the player ship right. |
| Spacebar | Fires a bullet. |
Let me give you some tips for Invaderz!!! Note, by the way, that you can't "beat" the game. The game continually gets harder and harder until the player dies.
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Try to stay in one place and fire bullets as quickly as you can. When one of the enemies fires a bullet at you, however, get out of the way.
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Remember, the bullets not only hurt the enemy if it hits him head-on, but also if the enemy runs into it.
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Try to judge how fast the enemy is moving when firing a bullet. Oftentimes, you can fire a bullet directly into the enemy's path simply by watching carefully .
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On the contrary to the previous tip, remember that the velocitys of each ship change every 7/10 of a second. If they are moving to the left quickly, their route may change to move them up slightly. If they are moving right very slowly, they may reverse directions completely!
And that's it for the Invaderz!!! game. Take a look at the screenshots from the game, Figures 13.5 and 13.6.
Figure 13.5. The Invaderz!!! title screen.
Figure 13.6. The Invaderz!!! game.
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