Scratch

andresmh wrote:

CastlePokemetroid wrote:

I just got done with a project that took 700 hours to make, and is an animation that's at movie length of an hour and thirty minutes, but an advanced high quality project like that cannot be posted on the site due to the fact that it's over 10 MB.

It tells a complete and full story, but also features full length battle scenes.

When it comes to scratch, I can push the program to beyond it's own limitations, but that also means that I won't be able to share it.

I think that 'good' projects are extremely hard for me to make due to this limitation. I want to make 200 MB projects, but that's just not happening with the current version of scratch.

Interesting perspective. Could you put your big project on rapidshare.com or 4shared.com to check it out?

One side note: often the size of the file is too big because of the music. One way to to make it smaller is by cutting the music to a smaller chunk and loop it.

Compressionism, I call it. 

LS97 wrote:

- an original gameplay. I would like to stress on this point because even if the graphics are poor and there are only a couple of levels, an original idea always attracts you. I am tired of all the existing flash game imitations (although I do say it's the best way to learn), because I have played them already and probably better (because of speed). Being original also means, however, improving on a previous game and adding (preferably not levels) a new feature (such as collecting stars or something). That, IMO, is what remixing should be!

Can you say more about this? What's an original gameplay? Is it something you have never seen before on Scratch or that you have never seen before anywhere else or perhaps something else?

Given that there are probably millions of video games out there (commercial and amateur). How do you think someone can go about creating something original?

Have you seen examples of remixes that do what you're suggesting (improving a previous game).

Thanks!

What makes a "good" Scratch project?

A title page.

It may seem like a small thing to you, but to me it tells me how much thought and effort someone puts into their game.

Here is an excellent project with title page.  That guy is a genius when it comes to Scratch games.  (And, he's the most modest guy you'll ever meet!)

Seriously, I play a lot of games on this site.  But, when I see a project and the graphic says "game over" or "you lose"... I never click on them.  That doesn't entice me to play the game.  A game's title page is like a book's cover.  It should make the user WANT to play it!

Last edited by BoltBait (2011-03-18 23:26:41)

In my opinion good games:

• Have detailed images, design, sound
• Have little or no glitches
• Use less scripts
• Are easy to control
• Are faster
• Are entertaining

Good animations have:

• Are timed right
• Have sound
• Detailed sprites
• Humor sometimes

andresmh wrote:

Blade-Edge wrote:

Good graphics, good scripts, the story, the music, no lag, and also to really appeal, the character needs to learn a double jump if it's a scroller or platformer

http://scratch.mit.edu/users/RHY3756547

Nice. How would you identify good graphics, good scripts, good story, music etc? Imagine you were going to ask a person not familiar with Scratch to identify good projects, what would you tell them to look for in the graphics, scripts, story, etc?

Thanks for the feedback! This is super useful!

Alright, I guess I would tell them to find projects they liked
Usually, people like good things. Finding good graphics would just be like identifying what's visually appealing, which to me right now would be something 8bit or classic looking. Good scripts, I usually don't check the scripts, but more so examine the general gameplay features. For example no lag, or .... a double jump :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The story should be original. Not just some guy has to save his gal from the evil sorcerer/dragon/zombie king. Plot twists are needed too, like for example playing a space shooter and defeating the evil aliens to get back to earth, then at the end you discover you were the invader, and you blow it up.

scratcher7_13 wrote:

Why make a game that long when you can't save in scratch? (Okay, you can, but not very easily.)

I didn't know at the time that the scratch website didn't like projects more than 10 MB.

When you try to upload something larger than that, it doesn't say "over 10 MB, refusing to upload" it says "Failed: Unknown Error"

This post will deal mostly deal with games.


1.  I believe a game should be fun and creative.  This is probably the hardest one to explain, and ties into the following points as well.  I find a game fun when it presents challenges to the player that require critical thinking and planning.  For instance, "ice-breaker" games are quite fun, in which the player must visit every square once, but never may step on a square previously visited.  However, an ice-breaker type game must have additional parts: special platforms, doors, enemies, etc.  It's not just the game that counts, it's the imagination.  I do not find a game interesting when it presents challenges to the player that can only be achieved by chance, for instance, an action that is made accessible by way of bad physics (floating through the floor).  I also don't find a game fun if it doesn't challenge the player.  There must be a balance between difficult and easy. 

2.  I believe that a game should be neatly made and organized.  This includes scripts, sprites, backgrounds, menus, etc.  Projects should be programmed well and concisely (no need wasting what limited speed we have).  Otherwise, newer Scratchers will never be able to learn from more experienced ones without copying code "block for block."  Even if the programming is not top-line, having good, neat sprites will make the game look much better (and ready for suggestions!).  Neatness!  No one wants to wade through a sloppy menu with no clue how to actually play the game.  As was mentioned in earlier posts, "ripping" sprites generally doesn't work very well either.  On the other end, though, home-made sprites drawn in a hurry don't look any better.  Sprites that are drawn in the "8-bit" style generally look best in Scratch, such as those on the Nitrome game website (for instance, http://nitrome.com/games/avalanche/). 

3.  I believe a game should be accessible to other Scratchers, and provide a basis for overall improvement of the community.  When a huge leap is made by one user, everyone takes a step forward.  A recent improvement I have seen in a few projects (http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/blizzari/1635061) uses a new type of ground detection.  If the player will hit the floor in the next frame, the program sets y momentum to 0.  It looks a bit jerky at first, but it prevents the player from sinking into the ground and then rising back out again.  While these optimizations are wonderful to see, very few projects have comments attached to their scripts.  It is very hard to figure out what the program is doing without them, and prevents newer Scratchers from incorporating advanced techniques into their own games. 

So there you have it, the three main points:  1. imagine, 2. program, 3. share

Looks familiar?

Last edited by amcerbu (2011-03-20 12:20:42)

andresmh wrote:

12three wrote:

Any project that takes a lot of time and effort to make. I don't judge it on how good it is but how good the creator is. But I don't like those stupid ten second 'animations' on the front page...

Fascinating. How do you typically tell when a project took a lot of time and effort to make?

Like I said, I compare it to the creators own skill. I don't want to see a very good animator make a two second animation. I often compare projects to the creators best work.

Great projects contain:

originality

organization

skill needed (in game)

good animations (in an animation)

interesting story/back story

and the best of all...

can be any age appropriate!

Last edited by bbbeb (2011-03-21 23:51:33)

A game with really good physics. It makes it seem real. 

scimonster wrote:

ProgrammingFreak wrote:

A game with really good physics. It makes it seem real. 

Yeah, those are great. 

Yes! (are you apart of the Library? Could I helP?)

PF & scratcher7_13, discuss the Library on its thread. Yes, I am a Librarian and I'm gonna do some updating tomorrow.

I good project, in my opinion, is:
- Innovative. One thing that really sets the exemplary projects apart is whether they use new techniques in programming, graphic design, and functionality. Although a project that doesn't do this can be decent, it just seems so "deja vu."
For instance, http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Cyclone103/357685 shows something rare in scratch: 3D. The methods used to make the plane fly are also very realistic, not your run of the mill 'arrows each move it one pixel that direction.'
- Simple Interface. A project can do some marvellous things, but all this is futile if the user does not know how to use it. It should be well documented, with an interface that makes sense. One thing that my grade 10 programming teacher stressed was that programs should be usable by a 10 year old. This especially applies to scratch, since many of our community are ten or younger!
For instance, http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/the_programmer/1079830 is very simple, to-the-point, tells you what to do, and then does it. No fluff.
- Polished. By that I mean, bug free, and fully functional. No-one wants to attempt to use a project, no matter how good, that crashes half of the time.
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/glitchfinder/1450119 Is a good example, in that it includes everything one might expect from a scrolling game, and runs fairly well, with no bugs that I noticed. Another great example is http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Paddle2See/1524612.
- Optimised. A project which runs too slowly will not be very useful, no matter what it does given enough time. It should also be light on resources, since not everyone has a new state of the art computer. (Case in point: I am using a 7 year old computer with <1 GB RAM, <1 MHz clock speed.)
- Polite and good Grammar. The project, the instructions, and the creator's replies to comments should not be rude, and should use good grammar. A project which doesn't will make its user's feel unwelcome, and they will not be able to decipher anything it is trying to say!
- Clean code. Scratch is about allowing others to use and learn from our code. If it is so garbled up that no one can figure out what each part does, no one can fulfill that objective of scratch.

Last edited by billyedward (2011-03-23 00:51:27)