Gamestar Mechanic
Updated 4/6/21
Getting Started
Click here to download Gamestar Mechanic:
First time? Here's how to get started!
Note: Access to Gamestar Mechanic has changed. Flash Player no longer works and you will need to download and install a new standalone version of Gamestar Mechanic in order to continue using it. Once installed on your computer, you will be able to create an account and log in according to the directions below.
Ask your instructor for help if you need it.
Download & Install Instructions
- Click the top picture to the left and download Gamestar Mechanic for your type of computer, Windows or Mac. This version of Gamestar will not work on Chromebooks.
- Extract the Gamestar Mechanic setup file from the file you downloaded.
- Run the Gamestar Mechanic setup file. Follow the directions to complete the installation.
- Open the Gamestar Mechanic program that has now been installed. Log in using your existing username and password or follow the instructions below to create a new account.
Account Creation Instructions
- From the main Gamestar Mechanic page, press the Get Started button.
- Your username should be an animal followed by a 4-digit number (ex. cobra7531, tiger8935). Password should be the reverse, number then animal (ex. 7531cobra, 8935tiger). Confirm password means enter same password again. Enter your birthday, check the “I have read and agree…” box, and press Register.
- Answer the security questions once, then press the orange button. Answer them again with the same answers on the next page and then press the orange button again.
- Your account has now been created! Do not go any further until you have recorded your username and password. If you are participating in person, ask for a Student Login sheet from your instructor if you haven’t already been given one. Use the form below to submit your login details electronically.
- Use the button on the right hand side of the main menu or at the top of the screen to go to the Game Alley and choose a game to play while you wait for further instructions.
Have fun!
What should I do?
We are here to make games, not just play them. Everything that we are doing, even if it seems like we’re just playing around, should be preparing us to make the best games we can.
Before you are able to publish any games, you must complete the first Quest. Until this Quest has been completed, you should be spending all of your time in class working on it. Once the Quest has been completed, you will be able to work on your own games, complete Challenges, or play games designed by your friends in class or others around the world. You must balance your time in class between designing games and doing other things. If you spend all or most of one class doing a Challenge, for example, then you need to spend about the same amount of time working on one of your own creations.
Level 1 - Complete In Order
- Complete all STORY missions in the first Quest, Addison Joins The League.
- Complete BONUS missions in the first Quest. (Note: You do not need to finish all bonus missions before moving on).
- Play at least one of the following games below (click on the picture or title to load the game). As you play, think like a game designer. Is the game too easy, too hard, or just right? What do you like about it? What ideas could you borrow for your own creations? What would you do differently?
As you play, think about all the thought and effort that went into this game’s level designs and story.
Everything is not as it seems! Look carefully to find your way through these levels. Think about how you can use some of the ideas and sprites in your own games.
Players love having the power to make choices for their character in the game. Play this one and think about how you can design a game that features different paths or choices for your players.
Level 2 - Complete In Any Order
- Go to the workshop and Build a New Game. This will be the very first creation that is all your own. Experiment and try new things. Be sure to check out the Game Settings, Level Settings, and use the wrench tool on every sprite to get more information and see what settings you can change. This time is not about making the very best game you’ll ever make. It’s about learning as much as we can about what Gamestar can do.
- Complete the Message Block Challenge found in the Workshop | Challenges and Contests section. Press Next or See All if you don’t see it listed on the first page. Pay close attention to how the message block is used throughout the game to get some ideas for what you can do with it in your own games.
- Complete the Damage Block Challenge
- Mission #1 – Play: Be sure to read everything and pay attention to the story being told. Think about why the designer chose for some levels to be top-down perspective while others are platformer perspective. Don’t get frustrated with the damage blocks!
- Mission #2 – Repair: Play through the level first without placing any damage blocks. Think about where will be good places to add them in order to create the right level of challenge. Some damage blocks may really add to the difficulty, while others may just be there for decoration. You MUST use at least 8 blocks, but don’t be afraid to add as many as you need to get the challenge JUST RIGHT.
- Mission #3 – Build: Build your own game featuring the damage block. Make sure your difficulty is balanced (not too hard, not too easy). You will have a limited selection of sprites, but once you publish the game for the challenge, you will be able to edit it from your workshop to add even more. Spend enough time to make the best game you can, then publish it to complete the challenge.
Level 3 - Design Challenges and Game ideas
Start by creating a brand new game in the workshop. Choose one of the following design challenges. Spend as much time designing and re-designing your game as necessary to create the best game you can, not the fastest game you can finish.
- Sunrise to Sunset – Create a game that begins in the morning and ends at night. Changes in the day can be expressed through a change in mechanic (do you do different things in the morning than at night?), the use of backgrounds,music, or a sequence of levels.
- Amazing Race – Create a game about an amazing race. Timers create pressure and mark the beginning and end of a race. Design a racecourse with a challenging space (long, narrow, full of obstacles). Think about making shortcuts and detours to give racers some choice in where they go.
- Do Not Pass! – Create a game with barriers and obstacles that you have to get by to win (or move on to the next level). Creating puzzles for your player to solve is a powerful way to control progress through your game. Creating complex enemy movement patterns can create obstacles, too.
- Home – Create a game about your own neighborhood. Spaces in the real world can be great inspiration for games (This is how the Legend of Zelda was created!). Think about who lives in your neighborhood and how you would represent them in a game. Think about what makes your neighborhood unique. What do people like to do there? How do they get around? What places do you, and they, like to go?
- This Reminds Me Of… – Create a game that is inspired by another game. Examples include Minecraft, Madden football, Super Mario Brothers, Forza, etc. The components you’ll be using will be quite different from the ones in that game. Think about what really makes your game choice recognizable. Do your best to make your game look and play like the original.
Level 4 - Workshop Challenges - Any order
Remember: Balance the time you spend doing Challenges with the time you spend in the Workshop designing your own games.
- Level Map Challenge – Earn the ability to generate a level map of any game you are creating or designing. This comes in very handy when trying to make or beat a large level or game.
- Backgrounds Challenge – Get some tips for how to use the right backgrounds for your games.
- Media and You Challenge – Learn more about the Transmogrifier sprite and how to use it.
- AMD Impact Challenge – Features one of the hardest levels of any Quest mission or Challenge! Don’t spend more than 10 minutes of class time trying to get past the very first level. If you can’t get it, do something else and try another day.
- League Hero Challenge – Featuring the League Hero sprite, finish the play, repair, and build missions to complete this challenge.
- Pink Block Caper – Take a stroll through the Block Gallery and its special Pink Block Exhibit. I’m sure nothing will go wrong.
- Energy Challenge – Keep your energy up as you escape Factory -1 and its dino inhabitants.
Level 5 - Premium Quests & Challenges
Gamestar Mechanic offers a PREMIUM membership that provides access to two additional Quests and the Custom Background Challenge. Please see your instructor if you wish to have your membership upgraded. They will ask to see some of your games, check which challenges you’ve completed, and check to see if you plan to continue working with Gamestar for awhile.
- Premium Quest #2 – Addison Joins the Rogue – Explore two of the most popular game styles — action games and platformers — and try your hand at building a few of your own!
- Premium Quest #3 – Dungeon of the Rogue (must complete all Quest #2 story missions to unlock) – Experiment with advanced game technologies like teleporters and powerful bosses, use hidden secrets and NPCs to craft the ultimate adventure game and face off against the Rogue in the ultimate design challenge
- Premium Challenge – Custom Background Challenge – Learn even more about using backgrounds and also unlock the ability to upload custom backgrounds to your games, including pictures you download from the Internet or create yourself.
- Premium Challenge – Locked On Challenge – Learn some new ways to use locks and keys in your games.