Makecode Arcade
Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+55 XP

Build, Debug and Share a Fuller Game

Pupils extend, debug and simplify their saved Shark Attack game in MakeCode Arcade, then demo it to a partner and explain what they changed.

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    1 - What We're Building ~5 mins

    Illustration for What we're buildingGame designers don't finish a game in one go — they build a piece, run it, watch what happens and fix what's broken. That try-it-and-improve-it habit is exactly how real programmers work.

    Key point

    Today you'll build Shark Attack from a new project, start to finish. Watch the board first as each piece is modelled, then build it on your own device and press play to see what your code actually does.

    2 - Introduction ~2 mins

    Welcome to our exciting coding adventure! Today, we are going to create a fun game called 'Shark Attack'. In this game, you will control a character who needs to avoid the enemies that are chasing them. We will be using a platform called MakeCode Arcade to build our game. Don't worry if you haven't coded before, we will guide you through each step. Let's get started!


    3 - Create a New Arcade Project ~2 mins

    Open the MakeCode Arcade website using the link below and create a new project. You can call the project whatever you want.

    https://arcade.makecode.com

    4 - Create Your Player Sprite ~5 mins

    Next, you will create your player sprite. This is the character that you will control in the game. Add the following code:

    Key point
    let mySprite = sprites.create(img`...`, SpriteKind.Player)

    Then click on the grey box and choose a sprite character from the gallery. 

    let mySprite = sprites.create(img`
        . . . . . . f f f f . . . . . . 
        . . . . f f f 2 2 f f f . . . . 
        . . . f f f 2 2 2 2 f f f . . . 
        . . f f f e e e e e e f f f . . 
        . . f f e 2 2 2 2 2 2 e e f . . 
        . . f e 2 f f f f f f 2 e f . . 
        . . f f f f e e e e f f f f . . 
        . f f e f b f 4 4 f b f e f f . 
        . f e e 4 1 f d d f 1 4 e e f . 
        . . f e e d d d d d d e e f . . 
        . . . f e e 4 4 4 4 e e f . . . 
        . . e 4 f 2 2 2 2 2 2 f 4 e . . 
        . . 4 d f 2 2 2 2 2 2 f d 4 . . 
        . . 4 4 f 4 4 5 5 4 4 f 4 4 . . 
        . . . . . f f f f f f . . . . . 
        . . . . . f f . . f f . . . . . 
        `, SpriteKind.Player)
    
    
    



    5 - Move the Sprite ~5 mins

    Now, let's make your sprite move using the joystick (or the arrow keys on your keyboard).

    Add the following new code:

    let mySprite = sprites.create(img`
        . . . . . . f f f f . . . . . . 
        . . . . f f f 2 2 f f f . . . . 
        . . . f f f 2 2 2 2 f f f . . . 
        . . f f f e e e e e e f f f . . 
        . . f f e 2 2 2 2 2 2 e e f . . 
        . . f e 2 f f f f f f 2 e f . . 
        . . f f f f e e e e f f f f . . 
        . f f e f b f 4 4 f b f e f f . 
        . f e e 4 1 f d d f 1 4 e e f . 
        . . f e e d d d d d d e e f . . 
        . . . f e e 4 4 4 4 e e f . . . 
        . . e 4 f 2 2 2 2 2 2 f 4 e . . 
        . . 4 d f 2 2 2 2 2 2 f d 4 . . 
        . . 4 4 f 4 4 5 5 4 4 f 4 4 . . 
        . . . . . f f f f f f . . . . . 
        . . . . . f f . . f f . . . . . 
        `, SpriteKind.Player)
    controller.moveSprite(mySprite)
    
    
    Once you've added the new code, test that you can move your player sprite with the joystick or your keyboard arrow keys.


    Pupil practice · Investigation Journal
    Module 4 · Technology: IPO, Algorithms, Makecode Arcade and Micro:bit
    Lesson 26 · Build, Debug and Share a Fuller Game
    Download Investigation Journal sheet (PDF)
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