5.02 Choose your theme
In this step, you will add a character and backdrop, and create start and end platforms.
Open a new Scratch project and delete the cat sprite. Scratch will open in another browser tab.
Create a solid colour backdrop.
Click the Choose a Backdrop menu and select Paint.
You will be taken to the Scratch Paint editor with the new backdrop highlighted. If you have other backdrops in your project, you will also see them in the list:
Make sure you can see the full backdrop canvas, you might need to use the Zoom out tool:
To set the main colour of the backdrop, click on the Rectangle tool then use the Fill colour chooser to select a colour:
Drag the shape over the full backdrop canvas:
Choose: Will your character move from left to right, or bottom to top?
Paint a new Start platform sprite.
Start with a simple single coloured shape. You can add more detail later.
Centre your costume in the Paint editor.
Sprites rotate around their centre. You can see if your sprite is centred by looking at the small grey crosshair shown in the Paint editor:
If the crosshair is not at the centre of your costume, you can use the Select tool to highlight the full costume. A cross will then show in the centre of your highlighted costume:
You can drag the highlighted costume so that the cross in the costume aligns with the crosshair:
Occasionally, you might want to choose a point to rotate around that is not the centre of the costume. In that case, you can align your chosen costume rotation point with the crosshair in the Paint editor:
Position your Start platform sprite where you want your character to start the game.
Create a simple End platform sprite. You can add more detail later.
Centre your costume in the Paint editor.
Position your End sprite on the Stage where you want your character to finish the game.
Create a character sprite.
Choose: Do you want to add or paint a character sprite?
You might want to add a top-down character sprite such as Tatiana, Taylor, or Trisha.
Or, paint your own character sprite. Start with simple shapes and add details later. Centre your costume in the Paint editor.
- Click Paint on the Choose a Sprite menu to Paint new sprite.
- Use the drawing tool in the Costumes tab to paint your new sprite.
- When you are finished, don’t forget to give your new sprite a sensible name.
Your character sprite needs a start script to get everything set up for the beginning of the game.
Make a variable called landed, and set it to the size your sprite should be when it has landed and is not jumping.
Get your character to go to the Start when flag clicked. Add a go to front layer block, so your character is on top of the platforms.
Character:
Tip: Uncheck the landed variable in the Variables Blocks menu so that it doesn’t show on the Stage. The user doesn’t need to see this variable.
Tip: It’s a good idea to broadcast a start message at the end of your setup script to let other scripts know when to start, otherwise they might start before everything is ready.
Debug:
The Direction property in the Sprite pane can be used to control the direction the sprite is pointing in. Turn the wheel to make a sprite point in the direction you need.
Give your project a title that describes your game.