1. Setup & Populating the World
1. Open Greenfoot
This tutorial uses Version 2.4.2 which is the version students are given to use in the WJEC/Eduqas Component 2 exam.
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Click here for more information and how to download 2.4.2.
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If you are using a more recent version the code should still work but the look of the program in the screenshots may be different.
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In the Component 2 exam of the 2016 WJEC/Eduqas specification you would skip ahead to the New Object Placements stage further down this page as the classes should be set up for you.
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2. New Scenario
For a new project, click 'Scenario' and then 'New'.
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If you are using a more recent version of Greenfoot select 'New Java Scenario'.
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Save this new project in a suitable location such as a folder named 'Greenfoot'.
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You may wish to save this project as 'SimpleGame' or 'ExampleGame'.
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3. Setup the MyWorld class
The first thing to do is to create a subclass of World called MyWorld which becomes our background object.
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Right-click on the World class and select 'New subclass...'
Set the New class name to MyWorld.
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Choose any image from the 'backgrounds' image category.
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I have chosen the 'cell.jpg' image.
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Click the Compile button in the bottom right of the Greenfoot window to save the program.
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4. Create the Main Character class
Now to create a new class for the main character.
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Right-click on the Actor class and select 'New subclass...'
Give the new object an appropriate name and choose a relevant image.
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I have named my class 'Sheep' and selected the sheep.png image.
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5. Right-click on Actor and create two more classes:
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Collectable objects to pick up (e.g. my orange)
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An enemy character to avoid (e.g. my elephant)
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Don't forget to compile the program.
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After creating your classes you must move them over to the game world. This is known as populating the world.
1. New Object Placements
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Right-click on your main character object and select the top option e.g. 'new Sheep()'.
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Drag your mouse to the world and click to drop it.
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Complete the following actions:
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Place 1 main character object.
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Place 5 collectible objects.
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Place 2 enemy objects.
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2. Save the World
Once you have populated your world with objects then right-click anywhere on the background and select 'Save the World'.
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This saves the positions of each object so that it won't reset every time you start a new game.
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You can close the MyWorld code that automatically opens when you save the world, we never add any code to this window.