Chests & Other Animated Interactions

Here you will learn cool new ways to create chests and other animated interaction objects.

Animated Decorations.

The animated Decoration behaviour in Game Maker allows an asset to display an animation and its also possible to switch to another animation using different kind of triggers.

Lets show you how you can create a chest with animation to be used in a way as shown above.

Chests

Open up VoxEdit and you will need to go to animator.

For a chest you'll want to create:

• Bottom half of chest

• Lid of the chest

• Inside item for the chest (Optional)

• Active 01 (Animation)

• Opening 01 (Animation)

• Closing 01 (Animation)

• Idle 01 (Animation)

• Open 01 (Animation)

Watch this video to see how a simple chest with animation is created.

Uses

What are the uses of creating animated interactive objects?

• Help with quests

• More dynamic gameplay

• Create a more real interactive world for players

• Can create more depth to game play. e.g. Try to interact, it doesn't open, find a key, you go back and the chest then opens with a map inside. Player takes the map and then the chest closes.

Keep in mind

Keep in mind collisions. Colliders are defined by the default animation so be sure to test and check how all animations look. You want to avoid players feeling like they could enter the space of the asset they shouldn't be entering.

Mechanisms

Door locks, buttons, levers, computer terminals, switches, padlocks etc. Anything that can be used to activate, and deactivate other objects in the game.

Quest Items

Its very common that games give players quests or goals to complete in order to progress. Mystical totems to activate, Generators to start, bombs to defuse, broken machines to fix, incantations to dis-enchant.

Interactive Scenery

These types of assets don't need to play a main role in the experience gameplay. They would help create or enhance the mood of the experience. They can be activated by the player or they can be activated by other events. e.g. Possessed paintings that activate when a player is near them. Curtains that open when the player touches them. Jack in the box. Food machines etc.