Custom Score Font integrating into Buzzy Bee
Village Idiot
Member, PRO Posts: 486
I'm trying to make a custom score font work by integrating it into the Buzzy Bee tutorial by Jamie Cross. I can make the custom score font display in my Buzzy Bee game but as soon as I 'tap to play' the custom font turns into a big white rectangle. Can anyone please help?
Comments
Are the font images all PNG with 8 bit depth?
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Yeah, sounds like you might have a problem with the images themselves...
http://jamie-cross.net/posts/ ✮ Udemy: Introduction to Mobile Games Development ✮ Learn Mobile Game Development in One Day Using Gamesalad ✮ My Patreon Page
No problem there.. I just checked. 8 Bit, RGB PNG – just like all of the other images I've used as actors, which all appear as they should.
The thing is that the image/numbers appear just fine until I tap to play. Once I hit tap to play, the image/numbers become a white block.
I've got my variation of Buzzy Bee working – it's just this custom font business that's doing my head in and there don't appear to be any tutorials that show how to make the custom fonts and integrate them into a game i.e: Buzzy Bee. I've found that when I turn off the 'constrain attribute' image/number remains intact.
Attachments below show what I mean:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bu7msuh6yle4ug/screen_grab.tiff?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9y7qbhr3z7sud9/screen_grab2.tiff?dl=0
I've gotta say that I'm really surprised that this is how you've got to put in custom fonts. It seems kinda clunky – and GS don't appear to have any help on the subject either. If it weren't for guys like you making these tutorials, I suspect that GS would have less people sticking with it.
Here are the tutorials I've been working from (one of which is by you Guru):
By the way, you two guys have the best tutorials I've found since I began my quest a couple of months ago..
Maybe u forgot the self.div numbers? 10/100/1000 etc.
Show me an image of your expression
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Got it! I found another tutorial by T shirt booth on design3.com. Though, I think the problem was that I had named the images that represented the numbers like this: BB_01.png
I changed them to just 0.png etc – and now it works. Do you think that was the problem? It makes sense considering that I was getting white blocks where the images should've been.. a sort of missing image thing, maybe?
I'm not sure any more as I've made about 3 versions of this stage of the game for fear of ruining what I've done so far – hence, I'm now a bit confused as to how I actually achieved this minor victory.. confused, but relieved.
By the way, T shirt booth was the other guy I noticed had some good tutorials.. though they all seem to be a few years old. Has he stopped with GS?
I think someone mentioned in that very active thread about the new GS pricing that he's gone.. shame about that as he was good too.
Thanks for your replies though – it's encouraging to get feedback, I feel less alone.
Foot note:
Am currently stuck trying to make it hide the unused zeros. i.e.: 00001 instead of 1
Have done the self.color.alpha 1 to self.color.alpha 0 thing but hasn't worked. The one thing I haven't used is the scoreboard actor as set up by the Guru.
I'm unsure as to why it's needed – is it just to frame the numbers aesthetically ? I also thought that the interpolation part might be a factor, but I just tried it and it made no difference. Head scratching for now.
ok.. I've got the unwanted numbers hidden and it appears that the scoring all works as should. But.. I'm now onto the part where I've got to apply this to the final score and even a best score – if I can find a tutorial on that.
I've just found a thread that mentions something about making a new set of characters for the high score (and best?).. is this true?
Try it out and see how it works out. It should be the same basic concept.
Fortuna Infortuna Forti Una
Yes as i say in my video you need to make the name of the images match the numbers. Because the sum of the equation inserts a number to call the image. You can add to the expression for multiple cutstom font score. Say you make you number 1a you would do "a.png" but all the images must start with the matching number prefix.
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Sorry Guru – but I'm a bit confused.. Are you saying that the image name must be exactly the same as the actual number it represents i.e.: image is of number one, therefore it should be called 1.png
Also, does this mean that I have to have an entirely different set of number characters for the final and best scores respectively? If that is the case, then how would I name them if the above has to be done.. i.e.: image of number one called 1.png etc..
Because if I don't have to have an entirely different set of images representing my numbers then I don't know how to implement it.
Not necessarily, you can name the 1_a.png 2_a.png etc.
Depends, if you are using a separate set of art for the final or best score the name those images 1_b.png 2_b.png etc and in the expression editor you type _b.png instead of .png and make sure to change the attribute in the expression.
If you are using the same art just you just need to change the attribute in the other set of actors to whatever you final and best score attribute is.
Fortuna Infortuna Forti Una
Sorry Lovejoy – but does that mean that I do have to have an entirely different set of images representing the numbers, with different filenames i.e.: 1_a.png etc? I'm not entirely sure how to do what you've said.
I'm sorry, but this is messing with my mind.. do you know of any tutorials that go through this specifically.. I've gone through the two above in the thread.. but the final score and best score thing is confusing me..
If you are using the same images then just create another actor and with the same rules but instead of using game.score, use game.highscore or whatever other attribute you are using.
Fortuna Infortuna Forti Una
What I've done so far is to duplicate (option drag) a copy of each image that represents zero from the ongoing score position to where the final score will be. Is that ok? I only have a score attribute (game.score). I've adapted the Buzzy Bee tutorial that Jamie Cross made.
Here's the video:
the score part is at about the 37 minute mark
Okay this is not confusing. If you only have one font then you don't need to change anything as to the name of the image. When you use only one font it should be 1.png, 2.png et.. If you watched my video carefully i show that and made it clear. Sounds to me like you're rushing and not really paying attention when watching videos. It's always best to not be rushed and think everything through.
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I promise you I haven't rushed. I've just watched your video again, straight through (for about the seventh time). If anything it's my lack of ability. Unfortunately I struggle with this stuff as I'm more a drawing pretty pictures kinda guy by nature.
I understand that this is frustrating for you – and I really appreciate your help, but I want to point out that I have actually achieved what you've demonstrated in your video (which I'm really happy about).
The thing that I'm (almost) positive your video doesn't cover, is the part where you assign that method to a high and/or best score. If it does show this, I just can't see it.
In relation to the place where my project is at – the Buzzy Bee tutorial is where I'm coming from as this is my base or foundation of what I've got in front of me.
I really can't see where to apply your technique to this game for the purpose of high and/or best scores – I'm sorry, I'm just stuck there.
I'll keep hammering away at it, and if you could please somehow make it a bit clearer to me and my fuzzy mind – I'd be extremely appreciative. I feel that this is an important aspect to producing a quality game and I need to get this worked out.
Do the exact same steps as before, except this type put in the game.highscore attribute instead of the game.score attribute in the expression.
Fortuna Infortuna Forti Una
But there is no highscore attribute to begin with
What attribute are you using to hold your high score? If you don't have one create it and set up your high score system. Then use that attribute Instead of your score attribute in a separate actor to display your high score using the custom score/high score method to display it with a custom font. How much clearer can it be
Universal Binary Template - Universal Binary Template Instructions Rev 4 (Short) - Custom Score Display Template
I've successfully completed the Buzzy Bee tutorial by Jamie Cross (above). There is no high score system involved with this tutorial. It's my first go at GameSalad and I've had no other experience in this area.
So I don't understand (as I said before) how this would apply – considering what I've just said i.e: this is my first project with GameSalad.
Anyway, I appear to have made it work – here's a grab of what I've done:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eb1yvhmi30jx6bb/grab.tiff?dl=0
My next challenge will be centering the score and adding the words "final score".