Tutorial Pong

Tutorial: Create a Classic Pong Game

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Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll create a classic Pong game - one of the first video games ever made! Pong is a two-player game where each player controls a paddle and tries to hit the ball past their opponent's paddle to score points.

What you'll learn:

• Creating sprites for paddles, ball, and walls
• Handling keyboard input for two players
• Making objects bounce off each other
• Tracking and displaying scores for both players
• Using global variables

Difficulty: Beginner Preset: Beginner Preset

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Step 1: Plan Your Game

Before we start, let's understand what we need:

Element	Purpose
Ball	Bounces between players
Left Paddle	Player 1 controls with W/S keys
Right Paddle	Player 2 controls with Up/Down arrows
Walls	Top and bottom boundaries
Goals	Invisible areas behind each paddle to detect scoring
Score Display	Shows both players' scores

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Step 2: Create the Sprites

2.1 Ball Sprite

1. In the Resource Tree, right-click on Sprites and select Create Sprite
2. Name it spr_ball
3. Click Edit Sprite to open the sprite editor
4. Draw a small white circle (about 16x16 pixels)
5. Click OK to save

2.2 Paddle Sprites

We'll create two paddles - one for each player:

Left Paddle (Player 1):

1. Create a new sprite named spr_paddle_left
2. Draw a tall, thin rectangle curved like a parenthesis ")" - blue color recommended
3. Size: approximately 16x64 pixels

Right Paddle (Player 2):

1. Create a new sprite named spr_paddle_right
2. Draw a tall, thin rectangle curved like a parenthesis "(" - red color recommended
3. Size: approximately 16x64 pixels

2.3 Wall Sprite

1. Create a new sprite named spr_wall
2. Draw a solid rectangle (gray or white)
3. Size: 32x32 pixels (we'll stretch it in the room)

2.4 Goal Sprite (Invisible)

1. Create a new sprite named spr_goal
2. Make it 32x32 pixels
3. Leave it transparent or make it a solid color (it will be invisible in the game)

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Step 3: Create the Wall Object

The wall object creates boundaries at the top and bottom of the play area.

1. Right-click on Objects and select Create Object
2. Name it obj_wall
3. Set the sprite to spr_wall
4. Check the "Solid" checkbox - this is important for bouncing!
5. No events needed - the wall just sits there

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Step 4: Create the Paddle Objects

4.1 Left Paddle (Player 1)

1. Create a new object named obj_paddle_left
2. Set the sprite to spr_paddle_left
3. Check the "Solid" checkbox

Add Keyboard Events for Movement:

Event: Keyboard Press W

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Press W
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to -8 (moves up)

Event: Key Release W

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Release W
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 0 (stops moving)

Event: Keyboard Press S

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Press S
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 8 (moves down)

Event: Key Release S

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Release S
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 0 (stops moving)

Event: Collision with obj_wall

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_wall
2. Add Action: Move → Bounce (no configuration needed — it always bounces off solid objects)

4.2 Right Paddle (Player 2)

1. Create a new object named obj_paddle_right
2. Set the sprite to spr_paddle_right
3. Check the "Solid" checkbox

Add Keyboard Events for Movement:

Event: Keyboard Press Up Arrow

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Press Up
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to -8

Event: Key Release Up Arrow

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Release Up
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 0

Event: Keyboard Press Down Arrow

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Press Down
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 8

Event: Key Release Down Arrow

1. Add Event → Keyboard → Release Down
2. Add Action: Move → Set Vertical Speed
3. Set vertical speed to 0

Event: Collision with obj_wall

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_wall
2. Add Action: Move → Bounce (no configuration needed — it always bounces off solid objects)

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Step 5: Create the Ball Object

1. Create a new object named obj_ball
2. Set the sprite to spr_ball

Event: Create

1. Add Event → Create
2. Add Action: Move → Start Moving (Direction)
3. Check one diagonal box in the 3x3 direction picker (not straight up or down)
4. Set speed to 6

Event: Collision with obj_paddle_left

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_paddle_left
2. Add Action: Move → Bounce (no configuration needed — it always bounces off solid objects)

Event: Collision with obj_paddle_right

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_paddle_right
2. Add Action: Move → Bounce (no configuration needed — it always bounces off solid objects)

Event: Collision with obj_wall

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_wall
2. Add Action: Move → Bounce (no configuration needed — it always bounces off solid objects)

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Step 6: Create the Goal Objects

Goals are invisible areas behind each paddle. When the ball enters a goal, the opposing player scores.

6.1 Left Goal

1. Create a new object named obj_goal_left
2. Set the sprite to spr_goal
3. Uncheck "Visible" - the goal should be invisible
4. Check "Solid"

6.2 Right Goal

1. Create a new object named obj_goal_right
2. Set the sprite to spr_goal
3. Uncheck "Visible"
4. Check "Solid"

6.3 Add Goal Collision Events to the Ball

Go back to obj_ball and add these events:

global.p1score/global.p2score are custom named variables, one per player — the built-in Set Score action doesn't fit here, since it always writes to the single built-in score, with no way to point it at a variable name. Set Variable is the real action for a custom named variable and supports a global scope:

Event: Collision with obj_goal_left

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_goal_left
2. Add Action: Move → Jump to Start Position (resets the ball)
3. Add Action: Control → Set Variable
   • Variable: p2score
   • Value: 1
   • Scope: global
   • Check "Relative" (adds 1 to current score)

Event: Collision with obj_goal_right

1. Add Event → Collision → obj_goal_right
2. Add Action: Move → Jump to Start Position
3. Add Action: Control → Set Variable
   • Variable: p1score
   • Value: 1
   • Scope: global
   • Check "Relative"

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Step 7: Create the Score Display Object

1. Create a new object named obj_score
2. No sprite needed

Event: Create

1. Add Event → Create
2. Add Action: Control → Set Variable
   • Variable: p1score, Value: 0, Scope: global
3. Add Action: Control → Set Variable
   • Variable: p2score, Value: 0, Scope: global

Event: Draw

1. Add Event → Draw
2. Add Action: Draw → Draw Text
   • Text: Player 1:
   • X: 10
   • Y: 10
3. Add Action: Draw → Draw Variable
   • Variable: global.p1score
   • X: 100
   • Y: 10
4. Add Action: Draw → Draw Text
   • Text: Player 2:
   • X: 10
   • Y: 30
5. Add Action: Draw → Draw Variable
   • Variable: global.p2score
   • X: 100
   • Y: 30

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Step 8: Design the Room

1. Right-click on Rooms and select Create Room
2. Name it room_pong
3. Set the room size (e.g., 640x480)

Place the objects:

1. Walls: Place obj_wall instances along the top and bottom edges of the room
2. Left Paddle: Place obj_paddle_left near the left edge, centered vertically
3. Right Paddle: Place obj_paddle_right near the right edge, centered vertically
4. Ball: Place obj_ball in the center of the room
5. Goals:
   • Place obj_goal_left instances along the left edge (behind where the paddle is)
   • Place obj_goal_right instances along the right edge
6. Score Display: Place obj_score anywhere (it doesn't have a sprite, it just draws text)

Room Layout Example:

[WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL]
[GOAL]  [PADDLE_L]            [BALL]            [PADDLE_R]  [GOAL]
[GOAL]  [PADDLE_L]                              [PADDLE_R]  [GOAL]
[GOAL]                                                      [GOAL]
[WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL WALL]

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Step 9: Test Your Game!

1. Click Run or press F5 to test your game
2. Player 1 uses W (up) and S (down)
3. Player 2 uses Up Arrow and Down Arrow
4. Try to hit the ball past your opponent's paddle!

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Enhancements (Optional)

Speed Increase

Make the ball faster each time it hits a paddle. speed isn't usable here directly — on this engine it's the sprite's animation rate, not movement speed — so track the ball's own speed in a custom variable instead:

1. In obj_ball's Create event, add Control → Set Variable (Variable: ball_speed, Value: 6) right after the Start Moving action.
2. In each paddle-collision event, after the Bounce action, add Control → Set Variable (Variable: ball_speed, Value: 0.5, Relative checked), then Move → Set Speed with Value: self.ball_speed to apply the new speed while keeping the current direction (Bounce already flipped it).

Sound Effects

Add sounds when:

• The ball hits a paddle
• The ball hits a wall
• A player scores

Win Condition

Add a check in the Draw event:

• If global.p1score >= 10, display "Player 1 Wins!"
• If global.p2score >= 10, display "Player 2 Wins!"

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Ball goes through paddle	Make sure paddles have "Solid" checked
Paddle doesn't stop at walls	Add collision event with obj_wall
Score doesn't update	Check that variable names match exactly (global.p1score, global.p2score)
Ball doesn't move	Check the Create event has the movement action

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What You Learned

Congratulations! You've created a complete two-player Pong game! You learned:

• How to handle keyboard input for two different players
• How to use Key Release events to stop movement
• How to make objects bounce off each other
• How to use global variables to track scores
• How to display text and variables on screen

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See Also

• Beginner Preset - Overview of beginner features
• Tutorial: Breakout - Create a brick breaker game
• Event Reference - Complete event documentation
• Full Action Reference - All available actions