p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p- wrote:

Steps on improving your project

Hey there! This is a topic to help improve your project, and make it to the best of your abilities. You don't have to do these things, but it will definitely help out your project!

Questions you should ask yourself when reviewing your projects:

#1- Is it Glitchy?

A glitch is an issue in your project that make the project not run as it's supposed to be, or has issues where the project doesn't work when something happens. This may be un-appealing, and doesn't look good, or can make your project not work.

How to solve it- go through each part of the project in the editor, and if you come across a glitch, go into the sprite causing it. try moving around different things until you can find what is causing it. Then, either try to figure it out yourelf, make a new topic in ‘help with scripts’ with the script that's causing the glitch, a link to the project, and what you want it to do (more info on how to format your topic here).

#2- Is it smooth?

People like projects with nice graphics and a high quality animation. In order to do this, you need smooth transitions. Smooth transitions might be small, like making a character walk more slow, or large, like making a pen scene transition. If your project is choppy, this may be an issue.

How to improve this: first, make sure all of your code makes smooth animations, as follows.
Instead of

forever
move (100) steps
wait (10) secs
end

use

forever
repeat (100)
move (1) steps
wait (.1) secs

Instead of

switch costume to [ anna lean down v]
wait (1) secs
switch costume to [anna pick up ball v]
wait (1) secs
switch costume to [anna shoot v]

make a transition between those 3 costumes, and use

switch costume to [anna lean down-1 v]
repeat (30)
next costume 
wait (.1) secs
end

If that doesn't seem to work, check the size of the project by downloading it and looking at it in your files, like this:

My project, called Awesome patterns! has 43 kilobytes, with 109 blocks, 2 sprites and 0 costumes (the're empty). If your project doesn't seems larger then it needs to be, try to shorten the scripts, deleting parts you don't need, and cleaning the workspace up. If it still seems to be laggy, ask for help in Help With Scripts.

Graphics and how to make them

#3-Home-made vs. Copied Costumes.
Home-made costumes can be great, but some other costumes drawn by other people might look better. Here's some advice to help you decide.

• Are you good at drawing?
  
• If you want to use a copied costume, Have you already selected the image you want? If not, do you think it will be easy to?
  
• Are you good at editing images?
  

#4-How Do I improve My drawn Costumes?
Sometimes, you imagine an awesome sprite in your head, and you go to make it, and it looks…. Well, you know, odd. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Make it simple. Sometimes, things look best when they don't have a lot of effort in them. You might think something needs to look really intricate, but people might not notice the details, especially if it just pops on for 1 second. Here's an example, using a blob I made:

I made a simple blob shape, and then added an eye, and put specks on it.
2. Fully think out what you are going to do before you do it.
When making something, think about the aspects you want. Do you want it to have scales, or feathers? Do you want it's head to be an oval, or a triangle? When doing this, you get a general idea of the sprite, and then you can put more detail in, rather then making a simple shape.
3. Use organic shapes.
Organic shapes are shapes with curves, and sometimes look a bit better then geometric shapes, with points. People sometimes like organic a bit more then geometric. Here's an example:

Which one to you like better?
4. Shade your Items.
When you shade, you add small details, but it looks much better, Usually, when you shade, you make it brighter towards where the light is, and darker on the opposite side, but it doesn't always have to be that, sometimes it is used to blend colors together. Here's an example:

It doesn't affect it a lot, but it still adds a bit of detail.
#5-Where do I get Sprites From the net and how do I Put Them On Scratch?
You can look on google,or search around scratch (be sure to give credit!) or, you can use these sites:

Spriters Resource
Scratch Resources
Shy Guy Kingdom

Project sharing and testing

#6-I have run out of good game ideas. Any suggestions?
I suggest doing whatever you like doing. If you like making text engines, make a new font! If you like making paralaxes, make a parallax about this month! If you like making animations, make an animation about your favorite food! The limits are endless. If you want more ideas, go here
#7My-game is shared, and nobody is viewing it, any help?
After sharing a project, some people may not notice it. Here are someways to get more views:
Put it in a studio. People might notice it there, and want to see it.

Make a topic in Show And Tell and describe what your project is about.

Make a studio, and invite people to it and make it about your project.

Advertise in advertising allowed places.


#8- Should I Test my projects?
Yes. You want to make sure there aren’t any bugs, so it might be a good idea to run through it a couple of times. Also, just because you like it doesn’t mean others will. This is why you should hold 3 stages of testing.

Stage one: Personal Testing.
First, you want to run through the whole game a few times, to make sure that nothing is wrong. You need to remove any glitches, and make sure the plot makes sense. Add any features you need to add,

Stage 2: Family testing.
You also want to make sure that others like it. This means you might want to have your family try it. You want a variety of people, including siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins and more. Have them play the project the whole way through, and then ask them about for feedback. Here’s some feedback you want from them:

Did the instructions make sense?
Did the plot make sense?
What do you think the topic is?
Did you enjoy it?
Was it to hard or easy for you?

Stage 3: Online testing.

Congratulations, you made it to the final phase of testing! Here, is where you share your project. You want to have people volunteer to test your project. First, gather some people, then ask them to run through your project, and answer these questions:
Did the game feel too long/short?
Did you understand the goal of the game? What was it?
Did you understand the directions? Can you repeat them in your own words?
Did you have fun while playing?
Did you think it was too challenging/not challenging enough?
Did you want to play more?
Did you feel like you could win this game if you played again?
Did you like/dislike the graphics/sounds?
Did the pace feel too fast/slow?
Did you feel stuck at any point? If so where?
Was it boring at any point?
Was the plot fully formed?

Remember that their feedback will help you improve your game. Don't be offended!


After this, your project should be awesome!

ScratchMan_1029 wrote:

GalaXYEAR wrote:

Hi
Can anyone help me with my project
I am making a music project
And i decided to make some modes about sounds but all i hear is owl hooting sounds via different keys
please help me
its my school project
you can check it out yourself
https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/projects/573404361

of course tell me wht to do

WorldHipHopBeats wrote:

p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p- wrote:

-snip-

I respect the thorough write up, and want to say thank you!!

-danger-bean- wrote:

this is cool thanks

pig4482 wrote:

plz help me with code for my game the enemy keeps shooting when he is hidden please help here is the link to the game https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/projects/566595678 pplz remix it and and fix the problem

LegendofCODE wrote:

try to simplify your project if it helps.

when green flag clicked
stamp

forever
repeat (100)
move (10) steps
wait (.1) secs
end
end

switch costume to [costume1 v]
wait (1) secs
switch costume to[costume2 v]

when green flag clicked
Say[hello]

p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p- wrote:

Steps on improving your project

Hey there! This is a topic to help improve your project, and make it to the best of your abilities. You don't have to do these things, but it will definitely help out your project!

Questions you should ask yourself when reviewing your projects:

#1- Is it Glitchy?

A glitch is an issue in your project that make the project not run as it's supposed to be, or has issues where the project doesn't work when something happens. This may be un-appealing, and doesn't look good, or can make your project not work.

How to solve it- go through each part of the project in the editor, and if you come across a glitch, go into the sprite causing it. try moving around different things until you can find what is causing it. Then, either try to figure it out yourelf, make a new topic in ‘help with scripts’ with the script that's causing the glitch, a link to the project, and what you want it to do (more info on how to format your topic here).

#2- Is it smooth?

People like projects with nice graphics and a high quality animation. In order to do this, you need smooth transitions. Smooth transitions might be small, like making a character walk more slow, or large, like making a pen scene transition. If your project is choppy, this may be an issue.

How to improve this: first, make sure all of your code makes smooth animations, as follows.
Instead of

forever
move (100) steps
wait (10) secs
end

use

forever
repeat (100)
move (1) steps
wait (.1) secs

Instead of

switch costume to [ anna lean down v]
wait (1) secs
switch costume to [anna pick up ball v]
wait (1) secs
switch costume to [anna shoot v]

make a transition between those 3 costumes, and use

switch costume to [anna lean down-1 v]
repeat (30)
next costume 
wait (.1) secs
end

If that doesn't seem to work, check the size of the project by downloading it and looking at it in your files, like this:

My project, called Awesome patterns! has 43 kilobytes, with 109 blocks, 2 sprites and 0 costumes (the're empty). If your project doesn't seems larger then it needs to be, try to shorten the scripts, deleting blocks you don't need, and cleaning the workspace up. If it still seems to be laggy, ask for help in Help With Scripts.

Graphics and how to make them

#3-Home-made vs. Copied Costumes.
Home-made costumes can be great, but some other costumes drawn by other people might look better. Here's some advice to help you decide.

• Are you good at drawing?
  
• If you want to use a copied costume, Have you already selected the image you want? If not, do you think it will be easy to?
  
• Are you good at editing images?
  

#4-How Do I improve My drawn Costumes?
Sometimes, you imagine an awesome sprite in your head, and you go to make it, and it looks…. Well, you know, odd. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Make it simple. Sometimes, things look best when they don't have a lot of effort in them. You might think something needs to look really intricate, but people might not notice the details, especially if it just pops on for 1 second. Here's an example, using a blob I made:

I made a simple blob shape, and then added an eye, and put specks on it.
2. Fully think out what you are going to do before you do it.
When making something, think about the aspects you want. Do you want it to have scales, or feathers? Do you want it's head to be an oval, or a triangle? When doing this, you get a general idea of the sprite, and then you can put more detail in, rather then making a simple shape.
3. Use organic shapes.
Organic shapes are shapes with curves, and sometimes look a bit better then geometric shapes, with points. People sometimes like organic a bit more then geometric. Here's an example:

Which one to you like better?
4. Shade your Items.
When you shade, you add small details, but it looks much better, Usually, when you shade, you make it brighter towards where the light is, and darker on the opposite side, but it doesn't always have to be that, sometimes it is used to blend colors together. Here's an example:

It doesn't affect it a lot, but it still adds a bit of detail.
#5-Where do I get Sprites From the net and how do I Put Them On Scratch?
You can look on google,or search around scratch (be sure to give credit!) or, you can use these sites:

Spriters Resource
Scratch Resources
Shy Guy Kingdom

Project sharing and testing

#6-I have run out of good game ideas. Any suggestions?
I suggest doing whatever you like doing. If you like making text engines, make a new font! If you like making paralaxes, make a parallax about this month! If you like making animations, make an animation about your favorite food! The limits are endless. If you want more ideas, go here
#7My-game is shared, and nobody is viewing it, any help?
After sharing a project, some people may not notice it. Here are someways to get more views:
Put it in a studio. People might notice it there, and want to see it.

Make a topic in Show And Tell and describe what your project is about.

Make a studio, and invite people to it and make it about your project.

Advertise in advertising allowed places.


#8- Should I Test my projects?
Yes. You want to make sure there aren’t any bugs, so it might be a good idea to run through it a couple of times. Also, just because you like it doesn’t mean others will. This is why you should hold 3 stages of testing.

Stage one: Personal Testing.
First, you want to run through the whole game a few times, to make sure that nothing is wrong. You need to remove any glitches, and make sure the plot makes sense. Add any features you need to add,

Stage 2: Family testing.
You also want to make sure that others like it. This means you might want to have your family try it. You want a variety of people, including siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins and more. Have them play the project the whole way through, and then ask them about for feedback. Here’s some feedback you want from them:

Did the instructions make sense?
Did the plot make sense?
What do you think the topic is?
Did you enjoy it?
Was it to hard or easy for you?

Stage 3: Online testing.

Congratulations, you made it to the final phase of testing! Here, is where you share your project. You want to have people volunteer to test your project. First, gather some people, then ask them to run through your project, and answer these questions:
Did the game feel too long/short?
Did you understand the goal of the game? What was it?
Did you understand the directions? Can you repeat them in your own words?
Did you have fun while playing?
Did you think it was too challenging/not challenging enough?
Did you want to play more?
Did you feel like you could win this game if you played again?
Did you like/dislike the graphics/sounds?
Did the pace feel too fast/slow?
Did you feel stuck at any point? If so where?
Was it boring at any point?
Was the plot fully formed?

Remember that their feedback will help you improve your game. Don't be offended!


After this, your project should be awesome!

p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p- wrote:

I asked a moderator to open it back up

when green flag clicked
say:[peace]
<[<[<[<[<[<[ v] contains [thing] ?> v] contains [thing] ?> v] contains [thing] ?> v] contains [thing] ?> v] contains [thing] ?> v] contains [thing] ?>

<key [ enter] pressed?>

say [just having fun with these cool swags]