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Writer's pictureBruce
Nov 22, 20201 min read

Let's create an MPAGD game - Part 8 - Our first build and play test.

Updated: Oct 30, 2021

From the File Menu we selected Build...


OK, we're ready to test our progress, if everything's gone OK...this should happen.



Note that when the build is in progress, messages will appear in the blue Console window, these are useful to identify any bugs or missing scripts. Fortunately, everything has worked and so the Speccy emulator opens...and look...a game!....it even has a menu!...and when I press 1...the game starts!


And I can move the dog with the keys I selected...and I can jump through the green platforms...but not the walls.


OK...so it's probably the worst game ever...and it doesn't really do very much...but you did that!...and we still haven't needed to write any code yet.


Now, as you'll have seen when playing your amazing game, the play area is a square, and the score and lives info is on the right hand side. But it doesnt't need to be this way, we can put everything where we want, and increase (or decrease the size of the play area....which is what we'll do next.


Close the Speccy emulator window (you cant edit MPAGD when it is open) and in MPAGD, from the Editor menu select 'Window Size'....


1,679 views3 comments

3 Comments

memphisgaming2007
Aug 26

i'm not sure if you're gonna see this since this is from 4 years ago, but when i attempt to build the game, the console comes up with some errors and won't run, how does this happen?

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Will Harbison
Will Harbison
Sep 13
Replying to

I've worked out how to get it to work. When you're ready to test the game, press Export Game. Save your AGD file to a folder with no spaces in the folder name. Press Y to create a tap file and loader. This tap file is NOT created in folder with your AGD file, it's in the folder with the winagd.exe file. Run that .tap file on and emulator and it works!


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Want to support my work?....Buy my games!

aboutME

Hello, I'm Bruce and I write games for old 8bit computers using Jonathan Cauldwell's excellent Multi-Platform Arcade Games Designer (MPAGD)

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I've written a few successful* games for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and MSX platforms that have been (largely) well received including Twenty Four Hour Parsley People scoring a 10 out of 10 on Planeta Sinclair.

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In my blog I am sharing lots of the code that I wrote for my games, in a way that you can use in your own games.   I've commented it so that you'll learn some of the techniques I use to create interesting new mechanics and help your games stand out from the pack.

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MPAGD includes lots of standard scripts, they're great to get you started, but if you're new (or just rusty) when it comes to writing code, hopefully my tutorials will help you get started and  turn your imagination into awesome 8 bit games!

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All my code is free to use and do with as you please, but if you find them useful please feel free to buy me a coffee ...or better still - buy or download my games :)

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*successful is a very relative term in 8bit computer games

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