GameMaker Studio 2: Complete Platformer Tutorial (Part 10: Menu screen)

GameMaker Studio 2: Complete platformer tutorial (Part 10: menu screen) - Summary

This tutorial covers creating a basic but functional menu screen in GameMaker Studio 2, focusing on setting up the menu room, drawing the menu options, and handling user input to navigate and select options.

Storyline / Context

• This is part 10 of a platformer tutorial series.
• The focus is on implementing a simple menu system before the game starts.
• The menu includes options like "New Game," "Continue," and "Quit."

Gameplay Highlights

• The menu is designed to appear as a separate room with a scrolling background for visual interest.
• The menu options are displayed in the bottom right corner.
• The menu smoothly slides in from the right side of the screen.
• User can navigate the menu using keyboard arrow keys and select options with the Enter key.
• Selecting an option triggers corresponding actions:
  • New Game: starts the game.
  • Continue: currently acts like New Game (no save/load implemented yet).
  • Quit: closes the game.
• A subtle screen shake effect is added when selecting an option for polish.

Key Steps & Implementation Details

1. Setting up the menu room

• Create a new room dedicated to the menu.
• Use multiple background layers with different horizontal scroll speeds to create a parallax effect.
• Place persistent objects like transition and camera in this room (with adjustments to avoid unwanted interactions).
• Position the menu object on an instances layer.

2. menu object Creation & Variables

• Create a menu object.
• In the Create event, initialize variables:
  • GUI_width and GUI_height for screen size.
  • GUI_margin for padding from screen edges.
  • menu_x, menu_y for menu position.
  • menu_x_target for smooth movement target.
  • menu_speed for easing speed.
  • menu_cursor to track currently selected option.
  • menu_committed to track the selected option after confirmation.
  • menu_control boolean to enable/disable input.
  • menu_items array containing menu option strings ("New Game", "Continue", "Quit").
  • menu_items_count dynamically calculated from array length.
  • Font setup for menu text.

3. Drawing the Menu (Draw GUI Event)

• Set font and text alignment (right and bottom aligned).
• Use a for-loop to iterate through menu items from bottom to top.
• Highlight the selected menu item with a right arrow and white color; others are gray.
• Draw text with a simple black outline by drawing the text four times offset by 2 pixels in each direction, then draw the main text on top.

4. Menu Controls (Step Event)

• Ease the menu sliding in from off-screen to its target position.
• Handle keyboard input:
  • Up arrow: move selection up (wraps around).
  • Down arrow: move selection down (wraps around).
  • Enter: commit selection, slide menu off-screen, disable input, trigger screen shake.
• After menu slides off-screen and a selection is committed, perform actions using a switch statement:
  • Case 2 ("New Game") and default: transition to the game room.
  • Case 0 ("Quit"): close the game.
  • Case 1 ("Continue"): currently treated same as "New Game."

Strategies and Tips

• Use arrays to store menu options for easy scalability.
• Use dynamic GUI size variables to make the menu resolution-independent.
• Use easing formulas for smooth UI animations.
• Draw text outlines by layering multiple offset draws for pixel fonts.
• Always set font and alignment before drawing text to avoid inconsistent rendering.
• Use a boolean to disable input during menu animations or transitions.
• Use switch statements for clean handling of menu actions.
• Rename layers if camera objects interfere with parallax scrolling in the menu.

Potential Extensions Mentioned

• Adding mouse control support.
• Expanding menu options.
• Adding save/load functionality for "Continue."

Credits / Sources

• Tutorial by the GameMaker developer featured in the video.
• Patreon supporters thanked: Dan in a Mule, Knicks Lavish, Stephen Hagen, John Grimshaw, Nathaniel Walsh, Bowels of the Dog, Louis R Pereira, Charles Montgomery, Harold Guidry, Jason Macmillan, Owen Morgan.

This tutorial provides a foundational menu system that can be expanded with additional features and polish, ideal for beginners working with GameMaker Studio 2.