Basic Scratch Game

Hey guys! A lot of people love playing games, kids, teens and adults. Here's a great way to make a game that you know you, your friends, and/or kids will enjoy playing. If you don't have Scratch, you can download it from the MIT website (its FREE!). I dearly hope you have fun with this.

When you first open Scratch, you'll see three columns. The first column is where all of your commands are. The second is where you can add commands, add sounds, change backgrounds (if you have the 'Stage' selected in the third column), and more. In the third column, you'll have your preview at the top, and at the bottom you'll have your sprite (character/player) and your stage (background).

To change your stage (background), select your stage (third column) and in the second column, go to the second tab (labeled Backgrounds). I did import and selected from the scratch library.

To get your character to move (yours won't be upside down unless you turn it), you have to tell it 'When [something] happens, do this'.
In the first column at the top, select 'Control'. You'll see a lot of 'when-', 'if-' and 'if- else'. Select the 'when [flag] clicked' and or 'when [space] key pressed'. (You'll have to drag them over to column two, one at a time). 

If you'd like, you can go to the 'Motion' (top of first column) or 'Looks' (right below 'Motion') and have the character ask/say things. (You can go to 'Sensing' to add 'ask [What's your name?] and wait' if you want input from the user).

If you get your second command close enough to the first, it should snap automagically to the first.

So if you want a game that is based on points, you'll have to create a variable (top of the first column and on the right). Here you can 'Make a variable' (its value is numeric). You can have for just one sprite or all of your sprites. In this case, it doesn't matter since we only have one sprite.

Let's add things to the 'when [space] key is pressed'. Under the 'Control' tab (top of first column), let's add an 'if - ' command and a 'repeat until -' command (put inside the 'if - ' command) and a stop script to both the 'when [space] key is pressed' list at the 'when [flag] clicked'.

In the 'Operators' (right above 'Variables') tab you can add a "-- = --" and put what ever number you'd like in the second blank. In the first blank put 'points' (your variable located in the 'Variables' tab). While in the 'Variables' tab, you can add 'change [points] by [1]' in between the 'if-' and the 'repeat until -' (or add another 'if-' command where the 'repeat until -' is).

Under the 'Sensing' tab (underneath 'Control') you can add 'touching color []?' to the 'if-' command (right beside the word 'if'). (You'll get points every time you touch your chosen color)

In the 'Motion' tab (first column) you can add 'move [10] steps' and 'if on edge, bounce' to the 'when [space] key pressed' list. This will make your sprite move and flip upside down and go in the other direction if it touches the edge. 

To finish it off, you can go to the 'Looks' tab (under the 'Motion' tab) and select the 'say [Hello!]'. You can change the hello to what ever you would like and add it to the 'repeat until - '/the second 'if-'.

(Optional: in the 'Variables' tab, there's a 'set [points] to [0]. You can add this to right underneath the 'when [flag] clicked').

Tada! Now you have a game you can edit however you want. Have fun!