Liberty BASIC Workshop Help

Simply click the "Create Game" button to create source code for the game as it is detailed in the current session of Game Workshop. You will be prompted for a filename for your game. The game will be created and saved in the file, and Game Workshop will attempt to run the game using Liberty BASIC. If you haven't set a path to your copy of Liberty BASIC, use the Options dialog in Liberty BASIC Workshop to designate the path. Change the path to the desired version of Liberty BASIC at any time from the Options menu. Note that it is the programmer's responsibility to copy bitmaps, wavs and other needed files into his game program's directory.

Game Workshop creates a skeleton for the game as it is detailed by you. It creates "loadbmp" and "unloadbmp" lists for all bitmaps. It sets up the window, statictext controls and graphicbox according to your specifications. It sets up a background for the sprites. If the background must change during game execution, the programmer must add the "Background" command at the appropriate spots. Game Workshop implements background scrolling, if that feature has been chosen.

Game Workshop adds all of the sprites in your sprite list, giving each its bitmap list, orientation, scale, cycle, visibility and auto move.

Game Workshop sets up a timer and a branch label that controls the game action. It checks for keyboard and mouse events, when needed.

Game Workshop checks for the X, Y location of either the first sprite or the user-controlled sprite (if there is one) in each frame, as an example. It is the programmer's responsibility to add location checks for any other sprites. It stops the user-controlled sprite at the games's outer boundaries.

Game Workshop checks for collisions with either the first sprite, or the user-controlled sprite. It is the programmer's responsibility to check for collisions of other sprites and to decide how the game should handle collisions... does the score change? Do the number of lives change? Does a wav play? Etc,. etc.

Game Workshop will print dummy score/lives information to the two statictext controls, if they exist. It is the programmer's responsibility to determine when and how to change the status and score messages.

Game Workshop doesn't write your game for you, although it comes close! You must still create and implement your own game logic. Do you lose lives? Does your score increase? What determines the end of the game? How do you win it? Do any of the sprites fire missiles or other objects? Are there sound effects? Is there music?

You may use this feature to save or load the information contained in the current session of Game Workshop. The script is a template and it is not in the form of source code. Scripts are saved with the default extension "gws" which stands for Game WorkShop.

Note that you can clear all of the information in the Game Workshop session and start over by choosing "New" from the file menu or by pressing the
New" button.