Activity 0: Get to know Kodu
After you have watched this introduction about Kodu, it is time to get familiar with the program and make your first moves. Start Kodu, and try to replicate what you see. When you are finished, try to make your own modifications.
Activity 1: modify and create your first game
Questions to "Kodu First Game":
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
- How to select the editor, that allows you to make the game?
- What are the coloured lines doing the fishes are close to?
- Where do you have to click so to select and edit the characters of the game?
- How to you put a new character on screen
- What can you do when you right click on a character? What can you do?
- You are making the characters do something by programming a WHEN ... DO ... . How do you do this in Scrach? Can you give one example what Kodu could do, and how to put it into the WHEN .... DO ... form?
- How do you code if you want Kodu to turn right?
- Go with the mouse pointer on a fish and click the right button of the mouse. Select "Change Settings" and have a look what you can do. How would you increase the life span of a fish longer by giving him more "life/health" points?
- How do you save a game?
- How do you start a game?
activity 2: This Tutorial is about creating your world
Questions to "Kodu Terrain - Keyboard":
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
- What is the big brush in the editor used for?
- How are left and right button controlling the brush?
- How to change the type of terrain?
- Help bay, where to find, and how can it help you?
- How to increase and decrease the size of the brush?
- Stretch brushes, what do they do?
- What is happening when you are pressing the ALT Key and click on a terrain?
- How to grow and shrink hills?
- What is the magic brush doing?
- How to create a wall?
- Why do you not make a maze to practise your skills?
Activity 3: Timers and Scoring
Questions to "Timers and Scoring":
- Try to figure out how you can create a path. You will need to use the PATH tool that you can find between the OBJECT and the LANDSCAPE tools.
- How to create a counter? Where can you find the counters?
- How to create a child row and what does it do? How is the child related to its parent?
- How to copy and paste a line of code?
- How to enter the number 26? Which blocks do you need?
- How to make a timer in Kodu? Just write down the line(s) and the blocks needed.
- How to make a counter in Kodu? Just write down the line(s) and the blocks needed.
activity 4: Kodu camera controls
Questions to "Kodu Camera Control"
The camera is how you view the world and how we see things.
The camera is how you view the world and how we see things.
- With a keyboard you control the viewing position with the left and right mouse button. Select the View Tool (the hand between start and object tool) and play around with the mouse.
- What happens if you drag and drop pressing the left mouse button?
- What happens if you drag and drop pressing the right mouse button?
- What happens when you turn the wheel on the mouse?
- Play around and see if you can find other functions.
- When programming an object, you can also also change the viewing angle. Can you find the blocks, where are they? Try them out on a Kodu and describe what happens.
activity 5: Learn how to clone a character, create a score counter and a timer, and change the settings of your characters.
Questions to "Kodu Creating Creatables":
You have already met creatables in Scratch, there they are called clones. You are creating snow flakes, do you remember?
Creatables or clones are objects that are "copied" or cloned from a master object. They have the same behaviour as their master, but they have a live of their own and can also disappear by themselves without affecting the other clones.
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
You have already met creatables in Scratch, there they are called clones. You are creating snow flakes, do you remember?
Creatables or clones are objects that are "copied" or cloned from a master object. They have the same behaviour as their master, but they have a live of their own and can also disappear by themselves without affecting the other clones.
Please read the questions while you watch and copy the video content. Find the answers to the questions (you only need to listen, all answers are given in the video) and involve another classmate to discuss with him your findings.
- How to create characters in a game?
- How to create your master object (compare with the clone master in Scratch)?
- Where do you give an object the attribute that it can have clones/creatables?
- How to see that it is a creditable?
- Can you write down the WHEN ... DO ... line that is making creatables after a period of time?
- How to make a score table?
- How to make the fishes move along the path?
- Do you remember
- Where can you change the reload time for the missiles?
- Can you also change the health of the fishes in the settings? Figure out where to do it and play around with this parameter.
ACTIVITY 6: Kodu avoiding "Gotchas"
Questions about "Kodu Avoiding "Gotchas"
- What do you need to do that an object is finding an object when he is not facing it?
- How do you tell the Kodu program what has to be done with a higher priority and first?
- What is happening if you do not add any blocks to the WHEN side of a line of code? Which block do you put in there to have your code look nicer?
- If you have two lines shooting at a target, which one will be done first?
activity 7: kodu programming with pages
Kodu Programming with Pages (Duration: 3:55)
How to change the behaviour of objects during the game by using Pages. You can compare a page with a function as you find it in other programming languages. The code of your object is arranged on pages and you can switch to a new page. Each page can contain a different behaviour or some actions your object is doing in a different phase/level of the game.
You also learn how to copy and paste code in the Kodu Game Lab.
How to change the behaviour of objects during the game by using Pages. You can compare a page with a function as you find it in other programming languages. The code of your object is arranged on pages and you can switch to a new page. Each page can contain a different behaviour or some actions your object is doing in a different phase/level of the game.
You also learn how to copy and paste code in the Kodu Game Lab.
Further Kodu videos:
Kodu: Mars Edition (Duration: 1:09)
This is a short introductory video about the Mars Rover worlds you can find in the Kodu Game Lab.
This is a short introductory video about the Mars Rover worlds you can find in the Kodu Game Lab.
Kodu March Game Jam: Knock Knock!
This is a video about a task that needs to be completed.
This is a video about a task that needs to be completed.
Kodu March Game Jam Wrap up (Knock Knock Jokes)
This video is presenting three suggestions on how to do the task and also showing parts of the code used to implement it.
This video is presenting three suggestions on how to do the task and also showing parts of the code used to implement it.
the Hour of Code Tutorial in three parts
The actual tasks you find as Kodu worlds on your computer. Here you find further tips and the solutions explained step-by-step. But try to solve the Maze tasks yourself, and only look for help here if you cannot find a workable solution.
IMPORTANT REMARK:
All these tutorials are made available to you under the Commons Creative License by the Microsoft KoduTeam. These guys created that marvellous gaming environment. Have a look in the internet what additional videos they have!