Create a Platformer Game with GDevelop: A Full-Stack Developer‘s Guide

Platformer games have been a mainstay of the gaming industry since the early 1980s. According to a 2020 report from Grand View Research, the global platformer games market size was valued at USD 9.3 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% from 2020 to 2027. Platformers remain popular across all ages, skill levels, and platforms, from classic 2D side-scrollers like Super Mario Bros. to modern 3D adventures like Ratchet & Clank.

Traditionally, creating a platformer game required extensive programming knowledge in languages like C++ or Java. However, the rise of accessible game engines has made it possible for developers of all skill levels to bring their platformer visions to life without writing code. One such engine is GDevelop, a free and open-source tool that enables codeless game creation using an intuitive event-based system.

In this guide, we‘ll explore how to create a complete platformer game in GDevelop from the perspective of a full-stack developer and professional coder. While GDevelop does not require coding experience, approaching the engine with a developer‘s mindset can help you create more robust, performant, and maintainable games. Let‘s jump in!

Why GDevelop for Platformers?

GDevelop is a versatile 2D game engine that supports a wide range of genres, but it‘s particularly well-suited for platformers due to its built-in physics engine, pathfinding, and platformer-specific behaviors. Some key benefits of using GDevelop for platformer development include:

• Visual, drag-and-drop interface for creating levels and objects
• Event-based system for defining game logic without coding
• Built-in behaviors for platformer staples like gravity, jumping, and collision detection
• Cross-platform export to web, mobile, and desktop platforms
• Extensive documentation, tutorials, and community support

Under the hood, GDevelop games are powered by web technologies like JavaScript, HTML5, and WebGL. When you export a GDevelop game, the engine generates optimized JavaScript code based on your visual events and object properties. This allows GDevelop games to run natively in web browsers and be easily ported to other platforms.

Compared to other codeless game engines like GameMaker Studio or Construct, GDevelop stands out for its completely free and open-source nature. There are no licensing costs or royalty fees associated with publishing commercial GDevelop games. Additionally, because the engine itself is open-source, developers can examine and contribute to the codebase to add new features or optimize performance.

Of course, GDevelop has its limitations compared to fully-fledged game engines like Unity or Unreal. It lacks built-in support for 3D graphics, online multiplayer, or VR/AR capabilities. For more complex and demanding 2D platformers, a professional developer may prefer the greater flexibility and control of coding the game from scratch using a language like C# or C++.

However, for solo developers, small teams, and hobbyists looking to create polished 2D platformers efficiently, GDevelop offers an excellent balance of ease-of-use and customization. Its event-based architecture and pre-built behaviors significantly reduce development time and technical barriers without sacrificing too much expressive power.

Designing a Platformer

Before opening GDevelop, it‘s important to have a clear vision for your platformer game. Some key elements to consider during the design phase include:

• Story and setting
• Visual style and art direction
• Unique gameplay mechanics or twists on genre conventions
• Level designs and progression
• Controls and user experience
• Target platforms and performance

As a developer, you‘ll also want to think about the technical architecture of your game. How will you organize your scenes, objects, and events? What assets will you need and how will you manage them? How will you handle cross-platform differences and optimize performance?

Thoughtful planning and organization from the start can save you headaches down the line, especially as your platformer grows in scope and complexity. Consider using tools like flowcharts, storyboards, or pseudocode to map out your game‘s structure and logic before diving into GDevelop.

Getting Started in GDevelop

Once you have a design document ready, open up GDevelop and click "Create a new project". If you‘re new to the engine, you may want to select the "Platformer game" template to start with some basic platformer objects and behaviors pre-configured. Otherwise, choose a blank project.

The GDevelop interface is divided into several key panels:

1. Scene Editor: This is the main visual workspace where you‘ll construct levels, position objects, and define layouts.

2. Properties Panel: Displays editable properties for the currently selected object or scene, such as position, scale, behaviors, and custom variables.

3. Objects Panel: Lists all objects used in your game, including sprites, tiled backgrounds, text, and UI elements. Objects can be organized into groups and folders.

4. Resources Panel: Manages all external assets imported into your game, such as images, audio files, fonts, and JSON data.

5. Events Editor: A powerful visual scripting system for defining game logic and interactions between objects and scenes.

To start building a platformer level, you‘ll first need to import or create some tile sprites for platforms, walls, and floors. GDevelop comes with a few asset packs built-in, which you can access from the Resources panel. For this example, we‘ll use the "Platformer Pack (Kenney)" assets.

In the Scene Editor, you can drag and drop tile sprites onto the scene to "paint" your level layout. Use different sprite variations to add visual interest, and be sure to consider the gameplay implications of your design. Are there enough gaps for the player to jump across? Are the platforms spaced appropriately for the player‘s jump height and movement speed?

Speaking of the player, you‘ll need a character sprite to control. Again, you can select one of the included "Adventurer" or "Ninja" sprites or import your own. Drag your player object onto the scene and place it at the desired starting position.

With your level layout and player character in place, you‘re ready to start adding behaviors and interactions.

Behaviors and Events in GDevelop

GDevelop uses a system of pre-built behaviors and visual events to define game logic and object properties. Behaviors are reusable, configurable modules that can be attached to objects to grant them common functionality like physics, pathfinding, or animation. Events are if-then statements that trigger actions based on specific conditions being met, such as collisions, key presses, or variable changes.

To make your player character respond to input and navigate the environment, you‘ll want to add the "Platformer character" behavior. This imbues the object with properties like gravity, acceleration, jumping, and collision detection against platforms.

With the player object selected, click "Add a behavior" in the Properties panel and choose "Platformer character". You can then configure settings like jump speed, gravity, and acceleration to fine-tune the feel of the character‘s movement.

Next, you‘ll define the player‘s control scheme by creating input events in the Events Editor. For a standard platformer control setup, you might create events like:

• While left arrow key is pressed -> Accelerate player to the left
• While right arrow key is pressed -> Accelerate player to the right
• When spacebar is pressed -> Make player jump

To make your platforms and walls solid, select the corresponding tile objects and add the "Platformer Platform" behavior. This will make them impassable to the player character and enable proper collision resolution.

By combining behaviors and events, you can string together more complex interactions and game mechanics. For instance, to create a collectible coin that increments the player‘s score and then disappears on contact, you might:

1. Create a coin sprite object
2. Add events so that when the player collides with a coin:
   • Increase a global variable called "Score"
   • Play a sound effect
   • Delete the coin instance
3. Display the current score using a text object in the UI layer

As your platformer grows, you can keep your Events organized using multiple sheets or by adding comments and groups. Well-structured events are crucial for maintainability, especially if you plan to collaborate with other developers or revisit the project in the future.

Exporting and Optimizing

Once you have a playable prototype of your platformer, you‘ll want to start playtesting and iterating on your design. GDevelop allows you to quickly preview your game in the browser by clicking the "Preview" button in the top toolbar.

To get a true sense of your game‘s performance across different devices, you‘ll want to export to your target platforms and test thoroughly. GDevelop supports one-click export to the web (HTML5), Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Each platform has its own set of export requirements, such as code signing certificates or app store assets, so be sure to consult the GDevelop documentation for specifics.

Before publishing your platformer, it‘s important to optimize performance to ensure a smooth and responsive experience for players. Some tips for boosting performance in GDevelop:

• Use object pooling instead of creating and destroying instances frequently
• Minimize the number of active objects and events in each scene
• Optimize collision detection by adjusting object bounding boxes
• Reduce draw calls by combining sprites into spritesheets or texture atlases
• Compress assets like images, audio, and fonts to reduce file size
• Profile performance using browser dev tools and GDevelop‘s built-in debugger

By following best practices for game optimization, you can squeeze more performance out of GDevelop and deliver a polished platformer across a range of devices.

Conclusion

Creating a platformer game in GDevelop is a fun and rewarding process that can be accomplished by developers of all skill levels. By leveraging the engine‘s visual tools and pre-built behaviors, you can rapidly prototype and iterate on your game without getting bogged down in complex programming.

However, approaching GDevelop development with a professional coder‘s mindset can help you create games that are more performant, maintainable, and engaging. By thinking critically about your game‘s architecture, asset pipeline, and optimization strategies, you can push the boundaries of what‘s possible in a no-code engine.

As you continue to develop your platformer in GDevelop, don‘t be afraid to experiment with different mechanics, art styles, and narratives. The beauty of game development is that there‘s no one right way to create a compelling experience. Draw inspiration from classic platformers, but strive to put your own unique spin on the genre.

With practice and persistence, you can use GDevelop to bring your platformer ideas to life and share them with the world. Happy developing!