Manual: Creating a Project from Scratch

[Moonling]

Project Setup

1. Click + New Project to start a new project.
   
   
2. Enter a project name.
   By default, it will be created in:
   User > Documents > ActionGameMaker > [ProjectName],
   but you can manually choose a different location.
   
   
3. A blank screen will appear. From the Scene menu in the top left, create a new Game Scene.
   
   
   
   You’ll notice a core.tscn file already exists in the file system on the bottom left. This is a core system scene used by ACTION GAME MAKER (e.g. for scene transitions). Do not modify core.tscn.
4. A fully structured game scene will be created. Save it with Ctrl + S and name it.
   
   

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Default Node Overview

• GameScene: Manages the scene. You can configure gravity and camera settings here.
• SceneLayer: Manages layers. Child Parallax2D nodes are treated as game layers.
• Distant/Middle/Near/Wall/BaseLayer (Parallax2D): Used to achieve parallax scrolling effects. All are Godot’s Parallax2D nodes.
• Sprite2D: Godot’s 2D sprite node, here used to load a background texture.
• ObjectRoot: Place GameObjects here. They only work correctly as children of this node.
• Wall / WallDecoration / Base / BaseDecoration / BaseCover (TileMapLayer): For placing tiles.
• PostEffectLayer: Used for screen effects in Visual Script. Typically not used manually.
• UI: For placing UI elements that remain on screen at all times.
• InitialCamera (ZoomCamera2D): Sets the camera to use in the scene.

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Setting Up Key Inputs (InputMap)

New projects do not have input keys configured.
Set them up using this guide:

Manual: Adding Key Inputs (InputMap)

Key input in ACTION GAME MAKER uses Godot’s InputMap system. You can configure it via Project Settings > InputMap tab. [image] Adding a New Input Action Enter a desired name in the “Add New Actio…

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Setting the Initial Scene

When creating a new project, there is no initial scene set by default.
To set it up:

1. Open the Scene Transition tab.
2. Drag and drop your desired scene into the list.
3. Mark it as the initial scene.

This will ensure the selected scene loads first when the game starts.

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Setting Up the Camera

To enable camera following, refer to this guide:

Manual: Camera Settings

In ACTION GAME MAKER, various camera behaviors can be configured using the dedicated camera node ZoomCamera2D. Following an Object ZoomCamera2D follows objects that have a target_id matching the on…

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Setting Up Backgrounds and Tiles

See Tutorial: Graphic Course #1

Tutorial: Graphics Course #1 – Backgrounds and Tiles

This tutorial course is designed for those who want to start experimenting with their own images right away! Before starting this course, we recommend completing the following introduction: …

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Setting Up Characters

See Tutorial: Graphic Course #3

Tutorial: Graphics Course #3 – 2D Sprite-Based Characters

In this course, you’ll learn how to create a new 2D sprite character from scratch. It covers the basic operations of 2D sprite animation. As with the previous courses, this one also uses the tutoria…

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Other Project Settings

From Project Settings > General, various options can be configured.
Here are some commonly used settings:

• Change Project Icon
  → Application > Configuration > Icon
• Change Window Size
  → Display > Window > Size > Width / Height
• Set Display Mode
  → Display > Window > Size > Mode
  (Fullscreen / Windowed Fullscreen / Windowed)
• Adjust Scaling Behavior
  → Display > Window > Stretch > Mode
  (For pixel art, the default “viewport” is recommended.)
  → Display > Window > Stretch > Aspect
  (To change the aspect ratio behavior)
• Change Mouse Cursor Appearance
  → Display > Mouse Cursor > Custom Image