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Creating a simple scoring system

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GM

GameMaker456

Posted on January 20, 2024 • Intermediate

🎮 Need help with scoring system

Hey everyone! I’m working on my first game in Scratch where the player collects coins and defeats enemies. I want to add a scoring system that:

  • Increases score when collecting coins
  • Gives points for defeating enemies
  • Shows the score on screen

I’m pretty new to variables and game mechanics. Any help would be appreciated! 🙏

SC

ScratchCoder_Pro

Replied 2 hours later • ⭐ Best Answer

Great question @GameMaker456! Scoring systems are super fun to implement. Here’s a step-by-step guide that should help you out:

📊 Scoring System Flow

Here’s how the scoring system works:

flowchart TD A[🚀 Game Start] --> B[Set Score = 0] B --> C[🎮 Game Loop] C --> D{Player Action?} D -->|Collect Coin| E[💰 +10 Points] D -->|Defeat Enemy| F[⚔️ +50 Points] D -->|Continue Playing| C E --> G[Play Sound Effect] F --> H[Play Sound Effect] G --> I[Update Score Display] H --> I I --> J{Check High Score?} J -->|Yes| K[Save New High Score] J -->|No| C K --> C C --> L{Game Over?} L -->|No| D L -->|Yes| M[🏆 Final Score Display] style A fill:#e1f5fe style B fill:#f3e5f5 style E fill:#e8f5e8 style F fill:#fff3e0 style M fill:#fce4ec

🔧 Step 1: Create the Score Variable

First, create a variable called Score and make sure it’s set to “For all sprites” so it’s accessible everywhere.

    when flag clicked
set [Score v] to [0]

💰 Step 2: Coin Collection System

For your coin sprites, add this code:

    when flag clicked
forever
if <touching [Player v]?> then
change [Score v] by [10]
play sound [coin collect v]
hide
stop [this script v]
end
end

⚔️ Step 3: Enemy Defeat System

For enemy sprites when defeated:

    // When enemy is defeated (example: when touched by player's attack)
when I receive [enemy defeated v]
change [Score v] by [50]
play sound [enemy defeat v]
hide

📺 Step 4: Score Display

Create a text sprite or use the built-in variable display:

Option A: Built-in Variable Display

  • Right-click on the Score variable in the Variables palette
  • Select “show” to display it on stage
  • You can drag it to position it where you want

Option B: Custom Score Display
Create a text sprite with this code:

    when flag clicked
forever
set [text v] to (join [Score: ] (Score))
go to x: [-200] y: [150]
end

🚀 Step 5: Advanced Features (Optional)

If you want to get fancy, here are some cool additions:

Combo System:

    // Add combo multiplier
when flag clicked
set [Combo v] to [1]
set [Combo Timer v] to [0]

forever
if <(Combo Timer) > [0]> then
change [Combo Timer v] by [-1]
else
set [Combo v] to [1]
end
end

// When collecting items
when I receive [item collected v]
change [Score v] by ((base points) * (Combo))
change [Combo v] by [1]
set [Combo Timer v] to [180] // 3 seconds at 60 FPS

High Score System:

    when flag clicked
if <(Score) > (High Score)> then
set [High Score v] to (Score)
broadcast [new high score v]
end

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need clarification on any part! 😊

GM

GameMaker456

Replied 30 minutes later

@ScratchCoder_Pro This is amazing! Thank you so much! 🎉

I got the basic scoring working perfectly. One quick question - how do I make the score display look nicer? Right now it just shows the raw number.

UI

UIDesigner_Sarah

Replied 1 hour later

@GameMaker456 Great question! Here’s how to format large numbers nicely:

    // Custom block: format score
define format score (number)
if <(number) > [999999]> then
set [formatted score v] to (join (round ((number) / [1000000])) [M])
else
if <(number) > [999]> then
set [formatted score v] to (join (round ((number) / [1000])) [K])
else
set [formatted score v] to (number)
end
end

This will show “1.2K” instead of “1200” and “2.5M” instead of “2500000”. Much cleaner! ✨

GT

GameTutor_Mike

Replied 2 hours later

Love seeing beginners tackle game mechanics! 🎮 Here are some pro tips to make your scoring even better:

  • Different point values: Give different items different point values based on difficulty to collect
  • Bonus scoring: Add time bonuses or perfect completion bonuses
  • Score feedback: Show floating text when points are earned
  • Save high scores: Use cloud variables to save high scores online

Keep experimenting and have fun with it!

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

🚀 Want to Level Up Your Game Development?

Great discussion everyone! For those looking to create even more advanced scoring systems, our community can help you implement:

  • 🏆 Leaderboards
  • 🎖️ Achievement systems
  • 🧮 Complex scoring algorithms
  • 🔓 Score-based unlockables

📚 Related Discussions

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