Bloxels
Updated 2/20/2024
Bloxels updates
Check back to this section each week to see if new updates have been posted. Take the time to read and watch them! I will be sharing important information that will help you get the most out of your time in our club.
Remember: We’re all here to create the BEST projects we can each week, not just the fastest ones we can throw together.
Bloxels Update #1: Character Builder - Posted 9/19/23
Let’s learn how to use the Bloxels Character Builder!
Step 1: Log in to Bloxels.
Click here to get started:
Step 2: Choose Build. Select the Character Builder. Then, Create New Character.
Characters can be in 4 different states:
- Idle (Standing in one place)
- Walking
- Jumping
- Falling
Start by designing character in Idle state. Then you can copy/paste to the other states and change them.
CHALLENGE: Re-create a character from a favorite game, movie, book, TV show, etc. Add as much detail as possible!
HELPFUL TIPS: Do a Google search for what you are trying to create and add the words “pixel art”. This should show you some examples of how other people have created the same thing.
Examples:
- Mario pixel art
- Bigfoot pixel art
- Harry Potter pixel art
- Steve from Minecraft pixel art
WATCH ME FIRST!
Mario pixel art:
Steve from Minecraft pixel art:
Bloxels Update #2: Decorating Your Games - Posted 9/26/23
Let’s learn how to decorate our games!
Step 1: Log in to Bloxels.
Click here to get started:
Step 2: Choose Build. Select the Game Builder. Then, CREATE a new game or EDIT one of your previous games. When you first start working on a game, you’ll be on the Layout tab.
To create a game, you start by building the layout using the 8 different colored blocks. If you aren’t sure what each block does, here’s a quick refresher:
After creating all or some of your game’s layout, it’s time to decorate. We want to make those blocks look like more than just the colors they start as. To do that, we’ll need to click on the Decorating tab in the Game Builder:
Next, press the + sign in one of the decoration inventory slots. This will bring up a menu where you can choose your decoration:
There are three sections to explore:
- My Stuff contains the characters/art you’ve created yourself
- Class Library contains characters/art that were shared by others in your class.
- Asset Packs contains characters/art created by Bloxels and organized by different themes.
Choose a decoration by clicking on it. Then, select the next + sign/inventory slot to choose another decoration.
Once you’ve chosen your decorations, click outside of the menu box to go back to the builder. Select the decoration slot you want to use. Then click on the block you want to decorate. Voila! Now you can make your game look like exactly what you want it to be.
Have fun designing and decorating!
WATCH ME FIRST!
Bloxels Update #3: Advanced Game Features - Posted 10/24/23
Let’s learn how to use some of Bloxels more advanced features!
Step 1: Watch the top video to the right.
Click here to get started:
Step 2: Log in to Bloxels. Ask your club leader for help if you need it.
Step 3: Let’s work on a game that we want to take to the next level with some advanced features like adding power-ups, keys & doors, enemy drops, and weather/music changes.
Go to the GAME BUILDER and either start a new game or choose one of your previous creations.
- Start with a Template: Bloxels has pre-built levels you can use to help get started. There are decorated and undecorated versions of 2 different platformer and top-down starter levels. When you click to start a new game, you can find them on the tab that says Game Template. 1A/1B and 2A/2B are platformer levels and 3A/3B and 4A/4B are top-down. Click on one to get started building. You can add or change whatever you want!
- Power-ups: Use pink blocks to add power-ups to give your player special abilities or restore their health. Change their settings by using the wrench tool. You can select from preset options like Jetpack or Jumbo, make it random, or configure each power-up to do exactly what you want.
- Keys and Doors: Block access to certain areas of your level with locked doors. Force the player to find the keys to unlock them. You can turn a block into a door using the button on the Triggers tab (it looks like an on/off switch). You’ll need to select a door code, which will match the key you create. Make a key using the yellow Collectible block. Use your wrench tool on the block to change its settings. You’ll need to change it from being a coin to a key, and then select the code that matches your door. Now your player should be able to collect the key and unlock the door.
- Enemy Drops: You can reward your player for beating an enemy by making it so the enemy drops something when they are defeated. Start by adding a purple Enemy block. Then use the wrench tool to change the settings. At the bottom of the settings panel, you’ll see a gift box icon and some options. You can set the drop to be a key with whatever code you select (remember, it needs to match the door you want to open!). It can also restore a certain number of hearts to your player or give them a certain number of coins/points.
- Music/Weather Changes: You can add weather effects to happen at certain points in your game, or make it so that the music changes from one song to another when your player reaches a certain spot. This is all done on the same Triggers tab where you make your doors. If you click on the music note, then click on a block anywhere in your game, you’ll be asked to choose a new music track. When the player comes to that block, the music will change. This is very useful for adding different songs to different parts of a very big game or making boss fight music. Clicking on the rain cloud and then on a block in your level will allow you set a weather change. When the player comes to that block, you can set it to either begin raining or snowing. You can reverse the effect by adding another block later to go back to None.
WOW! Now you know how to do a lot of really cool things with Bloxels. You can make your own characters and animate them to add movement. You can decorate your levels using the built in asset packs or your own creations. And now you have all these new advanced features to try out!
- Day/Night: Create a game that begins in the morning and ends at night. Figure out how to let your player know that time has passed. What happens throughout the day is completely up to you!
- My Neighborhood: Create a game that takes place in your own neighborhood. Feature some of the familiar sights and people in the area. Make it as realistic or fantastic as you want. What could the player be trying to do?
- Further Adventures of My Favorite Character: Use a character from one of your favorite games, movies, books, comics, tv shows, etc. What type of new adventure can you create for this character? Try to make it so that anyone familiar with the character would recognize them.
Or combine all three of them! Make a Harry Potter game that takes place in your own neighborhood starting in the beginning of the day and ending at midnight. Use your imagination and put your best effort into what you’re doing and magic will happen. Have fun creating!
WATCH ME FIRST!
Bloxels Update #4: Bloxels Update 2.10 - Profiles & more - Posted 11/28/23
There’s been an update to Bloxels with a REALLY cool new feature. Let’s take a look!
Step 1: Watch the top video to the right.
Click here to get started:
Step 2: Log in to Bloxels. Ask your club leader for help if you need it.
Take time to read the update log with details about the changes that have been made.
Check out the new Home screen! From here, you can still get to the Builder or Arcade, but you can also jump right into building a character or a game. You can also scroll though Featured Games and Featured Creators to find something great to play for inspiration.
Game Idea Generators
Sometimes we know we want to make a game, but we don’t know WHAT game we want to make. These game idea generators can help you come up with something fresh. They will create a random combination of ideas. You can use all or some of the different parts to help get started. Add your own ideas and some of the best things you’ve seen from the games you’ve played. Take your time to make it the best game it can be. Now you’re cookin’!
BAFTA Game Idea Generator
OccaSoftware Game Idea Generator
WATCH ME FIRST!
Bloxels Update #5: Working Together With Bloxels - Posted 2/20/24
It’s been a while since the last update. We hope you’ve been spending time working on the very best games you can create. We should feel ourselves getting better as game designers every week as we use more and more of the cool features Bloxels offers. It’s fine to spend part of our time playing each week, but we want to use games we play to get ideas for our own projects. Think like a game designer!
Step 1: Watch the top video to the right.
Click here to get started:
Step 2: Log in to Bloxels. Ask your club leader for help if you need it.
Working together with bloxels
Hopefully you’ve made some friends in your Create and Code club. You may want to work together with these friends to create something bigger and better than you might be able make on your own. Let’s talk about two different ways you can do that.
A. Share the work
One great way to work together is to share the responsibilities of making a game. Only one person can create the game on their account. That person can be called the Level Designer. They will be responsible for making the layout of the level, decorating the blocks, changing settings, and everything else that gets done in the Game Builder.
The other person/people can be the Art Director(s). They will be responsible for creating the characters, art, and backgrounds to be used in the game. If there are lots of things that need to be created, you can add people to your team. One person can handle just the characters while someone else focuses on the art.
In order for the Level Designer to use the characters/art in your game, they will need to be shared to the Class Library. From the Character/Art/Background Builder, select the item you’d like to share and then press the Share button from the menu. Once shared to the class library, anyone in your class may be able to use your creations.
To share characters, art, and backgrounds you’ve created to the Class Libary, use the Share button in the menu that pops up when you select something.
When decorating your games, use the Class Library section to find the items your clubmates have made public.
B. Use warpS to create one big game
Awhile back, Bloxels added one of the coolest features, the ability to create warp blocks. These blocks can transport your player to a different area of your level, to a different game that you’ve created or any other game published in the Arcade.
This means you can work with a friend or a group of friends to create a bigger game by connecting your levels together. Let’s take a look at how it works!
To create a warp, start by placing a white Story Block wherever you’d like your player to warp from.
If you choose Place In This Game, you will be able to choose the warp destination anywhere in the same level you’re creating. Choose Another Game will allow you to connect your game with another game you’ve created. Enter Arcade ID is used to connect your game to any other game that’s been published in the Bloxels Arcade.
This is the screen you’ll see when you select Choose Another Game. It will show a list of all the games you’ve created and you’ll select which one to warp to. Note: your warp may be broken later unless BOTH games have been published to the arcade.
When you select Enter Arcade ID, you’ll be prompted to enter the arcade ID number of the game you wish to connect to. You will need to exit the Builder and go to the Arcade to get this ID number.
When you select a game from the Arcade, you are first given this loading screen before you press Play to launch into the game. To find the game’s arcade ID, press the button all the way on the right side of the controller, the one with the i symbol on it. This will bring up the game details.
In this case, I’ve chosen the very popular game Highway Madness. Keep in mind that we shouldn’t be connecting our games to other people’s games unless we’ve talked to them and gotten their permission.
On this details screen, you’ll see the arcade ID where it says ‘ID’. You’ll need to write down or remember this number. Now, return to the builder to enter the ID and complete your warp.
Back in the builder in the settings for the warp block, select Enter Arcade ID and then enter the number you just found. To save, click anywhere outside of this box. You can also select the effect you wish to happen when the warp is activated.
Now, when the warp is used by pressing the Shift key, you will be transported to the other game you chose. You can see the character remains the same because I had the “Transfer Hero” checkbox selected. If you de-select this, you will use the default character from the game you warp to instead of the one you started as.
If you want the warp to work without having to press the Shift key, then select “Warp on Contact”. This will make it so the player warps as soon as they touch the block.
That’s all you need to know to get your warps working and connect your games to your friends’ games. Now, give it a try!
Game Ideas
If you’re stuck on what to create and looking for some game ideas , why not try these?
- A Day in My Life: Create a game that represents one day in your life. It could be showing the events of a day that actually took place. You could also use your imagination to come up with a day where you can do anything you want. Make sure to use story blocks to let your player know what’s happening.
- Inside Out: Create a game where you start at the center or inside of a level and have to “escape” to the outside. Use multiple layers to add challenge to this task. You may wish to use doors with locks and keys (see video), create openings with orange action blocks, or find other creative ways to trap the player. You could also do an Outside In game, working your way from the outside to the center.
- Make History: Re-create a famous moment or event from history. Create custom characters to represent the important people involved. Show the history as it really happened or be creative and change history.
Use your imagination and put your best effort into what you’re doing and magic will happen. Have fun creating!
WATCH ME FIRST!
Game Jam Info and Videos
Template Test
Guidelines
Week 1
Week 2
Added 2/21/23
Week 3
Week 4
Added 3/7/23
Getting Started
Click here to get started:
First time? Here's how to get started!
Ask your instructor for help if you need it.
- Click the picture to the left to open Bloxels in a new window.
- Click Log In in the upper left corner.
- Under Students, enter the class code for your school. This will be the first 4 letters of your school’s name and the number 23 (ex. WHIT23, KILM23). Press Next.
- Find and select your avatar/username. In most cases, this will be your initials (first, last) and the name of your school. Press Next.
- The first time you log in, you will create your password, which is a 4-digit number. Pick something easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. Press Login.
- Now that you’re logged in, press Play to head to the Arcade. You can play some of the Featured Games other designers have made with Bloxels.
- When you’re ready to get started on your game design journey with Bloxels, scroll down to the What Should I Do section on this page to find out where to go next.
Have fun!
Making a Simple Platformer Game
Follow along with me to create this game. Don’t worry about it being exactly perfect, just do your best. Pause the video if you need to, work on your game, then keep watching. When the video ends, spend as much time as you’d like adding to your version of the game. Have fun!
Watch me
Video Tutorials
Warp Tutorials
READ me
Click title to open in new window for easier reading
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 begin working on your own projects, there are some important demo games for you to play in the Bloxels Arcade.
As you gain knowledge and experience, you will balance your time between working on your own projects, completing more tutorials, and playing games from other players for inspiration. If you spend all or most of one class doing a tutorial, for example, then you need to spend about the same amount of time working on one of your own creations.
Level 1 - Demo Games (Play these First)
Click picture to play
Level 2 - Your First game
So, you’re ready to create your first Bloxels game, huh? Awesome! Follow these steps:
- Open the Bloxels Builder. To get there, press Build on the home page or open the hamburger/three line menu in the upper right corner and then press the Builder button.
- With Bloxels, you can make your own backgrounds, characters, and art. You’ll have plenty of time to try it later. For now, press Games to open the Games Builder, because that’s what we want to make right now.
- Press the + sign to create a new game.
- Bloxels gives you the power to create Platformers with side-scrolling action and Top Down maze/adventure style games. To get started, you need to decide which type of game you will be making. Don’t worry, you can always change this later. For now, choose Platformer to move on. This is the best game type to start with. You can work on your first Top-Down game later.
- The video below will walk you through some of the basics and show you how to get started creating a platformer. You can follow along to get started and then add to what we’ve created to make it your own.
- Now, start making your game. Experiment. Try different things. See what you can figure out on your own. Use this first game as a way to learn as much as you can about how Bloxels Builder works. Then, watch of some the video tutorials (Watch Me) and look over the guides (Read Me) posted above. Most importantly, have fun and be creative!
Level 3 - Making More games (coming soon!)
Idea Cards
Story Builder
Environment
Collectibles
Characters
Student Workbook Pages
