Brick Breaker Makey Makey

The game I created is a brick breaker game, similar to a game known as atari breakout, which is a game where a paddle is used to bounce a ball up to break the bricks above without letting the ball reach the ground. I recreated the game and even added a twist where whenever you break a brick, it randomly decides whether or not a power up drops. If you use the paddle to hit the power up as it is dropping, you will be granted one extra ball to help you break the bricks. All in all, this changes the concept of the game by making it so that as long as at least one ball is remaining, the game will continue. Although, if all the balls reach the bottom, the game is over and you lose. This game is meant to be for any kind of person interested in a fun and difficult game. Many people would enjoy this game because it has a fun concept of power ups added onto an already fun concept of a game. The purpose of the game is just a game to play and challenge yourself with when you have nothing better to do.

Supplies

1 cardboard

Multiple pieces of aluminum (around 5 pieces)

Multiple quarters (around 2-4)

Colored Pencils/Crayons (decoration)

Scissor Glue (tape could replace glue, optional)

Scratch

Step 1: Designing the Start Screen

1. Design a start screen

2. Write a general overview of how to play the game

3. Code a start button that will appear on the home screen at a set location, preferably under the introduction steps.

4. Code a start button where when the button is clicked, the backdrop changes to the one where the bricks will appear in.

Step 2: Creating the Bricks

1. For the sprite of the brick, it is easier to just create a custom paint, make a small 3x3 square and use it as your brick. Duplicate the brick by the amount that would fit across your field of view.

2. Make it so that the bricks are invisible until the backdrop switches to your main game backdrop

3. Code so that when a ball touches a brick, the brick will disappear

4. Use random number generator to have a 1 in 4 chance for a power up to spawn (use variable spawnpowerup).

Step 3: Coding the Ball

1. find ball image, crop to your desired size

2. Create multiple variables accounting for all possible actions (ex. speed, velocity, ballcounts, stationary balls, original sprite)

3. Code ball velocity to change when hitting border

4. If ball is on edge or touching paddle, make the ball bounce off in the opposite direction in a random direction

5. When powerup is collected, have a duplicate of the ball appear on paddle having the same actions as original ball

6.If ballcount variable reaches -1, play game over backdrop and stop all actions

Step 4: Coding the Border

1. Create a thin black border that would appear on the edges of your screen.

2. have it appear only when the backdrop is switched to the main backdrop

3. In ball code have the ball bounce off border if touching, should include border variable.

Step 5: Coding the Power Up

1. Create a ball in a similar fashion, but use different color so the ball and powerup will be distinguishable.

2. Hide until 4 is chosen in 1-4 random number counter

3. Create a code that allows the powerup to drop from a brick at a slow pace until picked up by paddle

4. When touching paddle, create a clone of a ball

5. Delete the power up, as it has already changed into an extra normal ball

6. Optional: play sound when powerup is achieved

Step 6: Coding the Retry Button

1. Similarly to the start button, design a sprite with words that mean try again (retry)

2. Optional: create an extra effect by having the sprite glide back and forth between 2 set x and y coords

3. when mouse is clicked over retry, switch backdrop to home screen with start button

Step 7: Creating the Makey Makey

1. After creating the makey makey using the supplies listed earlier, connect the places with quarters to wires that lead to your makey makey, and put them in the corresponding area to the direction its supposed to function.

2. code so when the right button is pressed, the paddle goes right, and when the left button is pressed it goes left.

3. There should be no more problems from here, and the game can now be played using a Makey Makey! Have fun!