Quick Reference Guide To WildScaper Tools

The content below is to be used in conjunction with Projects to assist staff and students become familiar with the tools and how to use them. Once you have mastered the techniques you can rapidly produce a high quality product.

Angle - adjusts the alignment of the change of colours. In the Fill Swatch you can adust the Angle of the linear application from horizontal through vertical. In radial the angle adjustment moves the centre of the radial mix around the object.

Bevel Symbol - selecting the Bevel Symbol in the Symbol Effects panel creates a three dimensional effect to the brush stroke by giving the perception of depth to an image.

Blank Symbol - Advanced learners can swap an existing symbol for a Blank Symbol to create a unique character bird, landscape and/or vegetation based on field observations or print and electronic media searches. Boundaries within the blank symbols contain artwork, particularly important on the character bird symbol enabling it to maintain its flight ability.

Blur Symbol - select the Blur Symbol to help create the illusion of depth of field achieved by contrasting points of sharpness between foreground and background. The degree of blur can be adjusted with the slide scale at the bottom of the panel.

Brush Size - The size of the brush stroke can be adjusted using the sliding scale from 0px through to 100px. Vary the width of the brush stroke on the sliding scale. A variety of visual effects can be created by varying brush sizes in an image.

Compile Software - from the file menu select compile software to select Windows or Macintosh operating systems, follow prompts to create a desktop folder for both systems. Save files to the levels folder inside.illed with.

Control Panel - to test run your program go to the Control panel click once on the Play arrow, then select the Start arrow. Fly your character bird using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Fill tool - the fill tool enables symbols to be painted as a complete item. To adjust colours and effects select the Fill Swatch, adjust colour details, then click once on the symbol you wish to affect. The last colour used will remain in the swatch, so if you intend to colour another symbol the same colour and effect, select the fill tool then select the symbol you wish to affect.

Fill Swatch - with this tool you will colour the entire symbol as either a solid, linear or radial fill. To colour a symbol select the Fill Swatch on the WildScaper stage, select your colours and type of fill, using the Angle and Ratio panels as required, then select the symbol to apply your choice.

Game ID - used for saving and loading your games high score and needs to be the same for each level of a game, limited to 6 characters.

Game Level - identifies the level of your game, each game can have multiple levels and each level needs to be identified in sequence ie., level1.wld, then level2.wld and so on. Game ID is common to all levels within a game and can be made with text and numerical characters.

Game Level Author / Copyright - through WildScaper you will be producing your own software that you are entitled to distribute. Your name identifies the ownership of the software you create.

Game Level Instructions - enter clear instructions on how to play your game detailing the target score that must be achieved to finish the level and be eligible to move to the next level. Instructions need to be clear, concise and to the point. For instance: fly to all waterholes, avoid rocky outcrops, achieve a target score of 15 to progress. Text is limited to 10-20 words. The game level story is the place to reflect scoring rationale.

Game Level Story - this is the place to write a story to either reflect artwork produced on a WildScaper stage or, to produce a narative or poem to set the scene for production of the artwork on a WildScaper stage. Each level.wld of a WildScaper game is published with its own unique text and artwork. Limit of 140 words per level

Game Level Title - WildScaper games can include multiple levels, each level is given a distinctive name to reflect its story. For instance level1.wld may involve the character bird searching for water holes in a deserts setting, level2.wld may involve a search for a particular type of food in a forested valley etc.

Game Level Run Time - maximum run time for a level in WildScaper is 3 minutes. You can reduce the run time and adjust the target scores to increase the level of difficulty to complete a level.

Game Title - identify your game with a unique title that will identify your game on the desktop / server. The size of the title is limited to twenty characters, so be concise. Game Title is common to all levels within a game.

Line Tool - symbols to be painted with individual brush strokes, which can be applied to an empty symbol or to over paint a filled symbol adding finer features such as rings around eyes etc. Colours and effects are selected in the line swatch. The last colour used will remain in the swatch, to use this, select the line tool and apply to symbol or else select the line swatch to adjust colour details.

Linear & Radial - in the Fill Swatch select Linear or Radial to blend two colours in the one symbol. Decide on the colours you would like to mix in a symbol, select the fill swatch, select linear or radial, select the first colour by clicking mouse pointer on colour once, then choose the 2nd colour by clicking on the colour then click on 2nd box in the fill swatch window and select the second colour then apply to your symbol.

Line Swatch - In the line swatch you have the choice of solid brush stroke or you can adjust the opacity to vary the depth of colour. Select the colour with one mouse click and select the brush size to control the width of the brush stroke then select the symbol to apply. Hold the mouse button down to replicate holding the brush on the canvas to paint.

Library - WildScaper's Photgraphic and Text Library holds three levels of information on the species and landscape features it contains. Each line drawn symbol used on a WildScapers stages is based on a specific species or landscape feature. When you select a symbol on the stage the library will automatically reveal the name of the species or feature and display a photograph. Using the arrows under the photograph you can scroll through multiple photographs to view the species or feature from different perspectives. Selecting the About button under the photograph displays text based information about the species or feature. When in text mode select the Menu button to return to the list of Australian species / features. Advanced learners can supplement this information through print and electronic references.

Opacity - The default brush fill is solid, in the line swatch you can select opacity and adjust the percentage of colour, then apply to a symbol. The opacity scale varies from 0% -100%.

Open and Play - double click your game (xxxxx_win) on the desktop. Double click on the WildPlayer_win, then double click on WildPlayer logo to open the game. Click on the start arrow once to start the game, control the bird with the keyboards arrow keys.

Open and Edit - open WildScaper, go to Open in the file menu, go to the desktop and double click on your named game, xxxxx_win File folder. Double click on WildPlayer_win folder, then double click on your levels folder. Select the level you wish to edit and double click to open and begin editing.

Publish Panel - Control Panel select the Publish icon to open Publish Settings where you will enter: Game Title; Game Level Title; Game Level Instructions; Game Level Story; Game Level Author / Copyright; Game Level Run Time; Runtime Render Quality; Target Score; Game ID; Game Level and MP3 background soundtrack.

Ratio (linear & radial) - in Radial and Linear fills adjusting the ratio alters the proportion of the colour mix. Adjust the ratio by repeated clicking on + or - in the FIll Swatch then apply to the symbol by selecting with a mouse click, observe changes and keep adjusting as required.

Runtime Render Quality - adjust your game's runtime and render quality to effect the speed of the playback, if playback is slow you can reduce the render quality to enable the computer to speed up, especially useful in older computers where you move the Runtime Render Quality control indicator to fast to free up CPU time.

Select Tool - select a symbol, either the main character bird or one of the vegetation symbols, background or foreground and use the tools identified below to paint / draw them.

Solid - the defult fill is solid, click the mouse pointer on your chosen colour, then select the symbol and by clicking once a solid colour will then be applied to the symbol.

Swap Symbol - On the WildScaper stage select a symbol then go to the library where you can examine other species and features by selecting its name to view photographs and text. When ready to swap symbols select the new symbol in the library Swap Symbol panel by clicking once. The new symbol will appear on WildScapers stage and you can apply artwork.

Symbos - the line drawn images of birds, vegetation and landscape symbols that you paint with the fill and line tools.

Symbol Properties - Turn on or off symbol outlines.

Symbol Scores - on the WildScaper stage there are two dotted perspective lines converging in the center of the screen. The symbols within these lines can be assigned a +ve, -ve or neutral score. When your bird flys over these symbols it will record a score. To allocate scores, select the symbol, in the Symbol Scores panel choose +ve. -ve or no score. Repeat this for other symbols within the perspective lines. When you test play review the scoring ability and revise where necessary.

Target Score - the link between the target score and runtime can alter the degree of difficulty of a level.wld game. During construction of a WildScaper stage you can test play the game to refine target score and runtimes as you go.

WildScaper_mac - the default compile folder name created on the desktop.

WildScaper_win - the default compile folder name created on the desktop.

WildScaper Stage - interactive screen scene where you paint and draw WildScaper scenes that you will fly through. To enter content into a WildScaper stage double click on the WildScaper logo on the desktop, either begin a new game and save, refer to [26] or to edit an existing game go to open in the file menu and select the game from the desktop and level you wish to work on.

Zoom Edit - double click on chosen symbol to enlarge the image for detaied painting. When finished click on the Zoom Edit tool once and you will return to WildScapers stage. You can also paint items as they are on WildScapers stage, the zoom function allows finer detailing.










11: Undo - at any point when painting you can go to Edit in the main menu to select Undo (F8), to remove your last painting action. Repeated selection of undo will continue to remove your painting actions chronologically.

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