How to Make a Subway Surfers Game - Episode 1

Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create a basic version of the popular mobile game Subway Surfers using Scratch. We will cover essential concepts such as setting up your game environment, coding character movements, and implementing game physics. This guide is perfect for beginners interested in game development with Scratch.

Step 1: Setup Your Scratch Environment

• Open Scratch and create a new project.
• Familiarize yourself with the interface, including the sprite area, code blocks, and stage.
• Save your project with a relevant name to keep your work organized.

Step 2: Drawing the Ground

• Select the backdrop editor.
• Use the rectangle tool to draw a platform at the bottom of the stage to represent the ground.
• Color the ground to resemble the subway tracks; you can use a brown or dark gray shade.

Step 3: Setup Initial Code

• Choose your main character sprite (you can draw one or use an existing one).
• Drag the following blocks into the code area:
  • When green flag clicked
  • Go to x: (set initial position)
  • Show (to make your character visible)

Step 4: Setting Up the Truck

• Create a new sprite for the truck.
• Draw a simple truck shape or import an image.
• Position the truck sprite above the ground where it will move.

Step 5: Coding Subway Movement

• Select your character sprite.
• Create a script to control movement:
  • Use the "when key pressed" blocks for left and right movement.
  • Example code:

    when [right arrow v] key pressed
    change x by (10)
    
    when [left arrow v] key pressed
    change x by (-10)
    

Step 6: Implementing Gravity

• Add a gravity effect to your character sprite:
  • Create a variable called "gravity."
  • Set gravity to a negative value to simulate falling.
  • Use the following code:

    when green flag clicked
    set [gravity v] to (-1)
    
    forever
      change y by (gravity)
      if <touching [ground v]> then
        set y to (ground level)
        set [gravity v] to (0)  // Stops falling
      else
        change [gravity v] by (-1)  // Fall
      end
    end
    

Step 7: Testing Your Game

• Click the green flag to start your game.
• Test the character movement and gravity.
• Make adjustments as necessary for smoother gameplay or more realistic physics.

Step 8: Adding Hitbox Costume

• Create a new costume for your character that represents the hitbox.
• Ensure it is slightly smaller than the character sprite to detect collisions accurately.

Step 9: Coding the Hitbox

• Select your hitbox sprite and add code to detect collisions:

  when green flag clicked
  forever
    if <touching [truck v]> then
      // Code for what happens on collision
      stop all
    end
  end
  

Conclusion

You have now set up the foundation for your Subway Surfers game in Scratch! You learned how to create the environment, code character movements, implement gravity, and set up hitboxes for collision detection. As a next step, consider enhancing your game by adding obstacles, scoring systems, or additional levels. Keep experimenting and have fun with your game development journey!