Virtual pet games are simulations of taking care of an animal. You must feed, clean and play with your animal as well as teach it tricks and potty train it. Virtual pets can die if cared for poorly. Creating your own virtual pet game will require learning a game-making method, such as Game Maker 8. It also requires minimum artistic abilities, as you will be designing the graphics of the game. Understanding pet behavior is also important.
Instructions
1. Download and learn a game-making program such as Game Maker 8. There are many free game-making programs available online. Find one that you are comfortable using and make a few simple games before making your virtual pet game. This will give you the practice you need.
2. Pick the pet or pets you will have in your game. Traditional pets, such as dogs or cats, can be used. However, you can also use mythical creatures, such as dragons or unicorns. Write down a list of their behaviors as well as their needs and desires. Each animal should be different.
3. Draw your game graphics on paper. Drawing them on paper before programming helps streamline the virtual design process. This process should include making levels, backgrounds, characters, animations and all other graphical elements.
4. Design your drawn graphics in your gaming environment. Create different animations for the animals' behaviors and moods. Animations can include eating, playing, sleeping, walking, jumping, pouting and any other animation you want to use.
5. Program all of your gaming physics and animal behaviors. Physics include gravity and inertia. Physics should affect all of your animals in the same way. Animal behaviors and moods should be specific to each animal.
6. Play test your game to find programming errors or bugs. Bugs can cause your game to freeze up and crash. It can also cause your animals to behave in ways you didn't mean to program. Go through your programming code and correct the errors as you find them.
Tags: your game, your virtual game, behaviors moods, cause your, Game Maker