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The Klik & Play FAQ, 10 August 1999, version 1.4
Created by Cosmo Bowden
Modifications by Sprite (sprite_gf@yahoo.com)
 
About the Klik & Play FAQ
This FAQ was originally written by Cosmo Bowden, who, I presume, was part of Maxis Technical/Customer Support before Electronic Arts took his job ^^;; and since Klik & Play is now available for free download, I put his FAQ and his K&P Pack up for use. I modified it a bit to make it more current, but otherwise most of it is the same. If I receive enough requests I will add as many tips I know of that were discussed at the old Silky's Klik & Play site, but till then, enjoy!

Formatted FAQ into HTML.

How do I get a license and how much does it cost?

• What kind of games can I make with KNP?

• The Five Game Editors
• Where are they?
• What do they do?

• Random Numbers?
• Variables?
• Tips & Techniques

• How to get things done in KNP
• The Bugs + Patch

• Screen/display problems!
• I'm getting an error message!
• KNP crashes!

• Phones, Addresses, And people to contact when all else fails...

Want to see how to do things in KNP, or have a specific question about something? You've come to the right place! This is the KNP FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and covers just about every possible question that I've personally had, and scores more from all the Klik & Play kids out there that have emailed me. Thanks go out to all you loyal KNP game designers. Keep up the good work.

To "see" examples of how to do certain things with KNP, I also have provided the KNP Examples Pack, which has little sample games of things like how to click on a button to call up another frame, or how to scroll objects. This "Examples Pack" & "FAQ" should answer any question you could possibly ask, so read, re-read, and re-read again this FAQ before contacting us, because the answer will most likely be here. The FAQ & Examples Pack are available as a single file download from the Maxis Web Page on the internet: WWW.MAXIS.COM, or emailed to you as a last resort. Please try the web page first.
[ Note: Maxis no longer supports Klik & Play anymore, so the FAQ & Examples Pack is now available for download at Sprite's Klik & Play Resource Center ]

1. Buttons example 1, Click on a button to display text, or jump to another level.
2. Buttons example 2, Frame control. Click on menu of buttons to jump to different levels or frames.
3. Clickit, An example of how to click on an object to move it to another square space or area.
4. FiveHits, an example of destroying an alien after shooting it 5 times.
5. Platform, an example of how to jump on platforms, and jump on top of a monster to squish him.
6. Questions, this example would allow you to play a game if you answer 2 questions correctly.
7. Scrolling, the Scrolling example shows how to run through an entire world outside of the play area.
8. Shootat, an example to show how the "shoot at" option is used to direct the fireball at the monster.
9. TwoPlayers, Shows how two characters can be moved on the screen at the same time controlled by two players using the keyboard.
 

When you double clicked on the KNPpack file from the diskette or the file you downloaded from the internet, it installed the examples and FAQ in the KNP folder, also giving you an option to change the folder to one of your choice. If you let Klik & Play install into the C:\KNP directory or folder, then the examples will be in a folder called "KNPpack" in the KNP folder.

I've just created this terrific game using Klik & Play, and I've had all my friends and family test it, everyone is very impressed and so I want to sell it for cash just like the big game companies!

You are allowed to GIVE all your friends, family, and even post on the internet a copy of any game you make, but you can't charge them for it. If you want to do that then...

If the game is super good, really fun and polished like the professional games currently available then selling it could be very profitable. But before you start selling or distributing your games for cash, Europress (the company that makes Klik & Play) requires that you have the "developers license".

PLEASE NOTE: The Developers License must be purchased directly from EUROPRESS. Maxis does not sell, distribute, or give out the licenses. You will need to contact Europress directly for the PRICE of the license and licensing information. To reach Europress, SEE: pages II & III of the Klik & Play users manual, and section 7 of this FAQ.

Recently callers contacting Europress have been told they need to upgrade to a more powerful game creator program, which is the same price as the license. The games you make with the new games creator program won't require a license to sell them, and you can create even more professional games with it. Contact Europress for more information.

[ The new programs are called Multimedia Fusion Express (formerly Corel Click & Create) and Multimedia Fusion, and are not sold by Europress, but by IMSI Software. They are really cheap, under a hundred bucks. ]

What kinds of games can I make with KNP?
 

All kinds of games. The limit is your imagination. The limit is your ability. And the final limit comes down to the 5 KNP game creation editors that allow you to create your imaginations.

KNP was designed for everyone, and is priced incredibly low for the amount of power that it gives you. However, there are some limitations to what KNP can do. It can't scroll entire screens, backgrounds, or Scenery. So to put it simply, a "Doom" or "Quake" style game is out of the question. [ And it doesn't have a "save game" function, or multiplayer over the internet, modem, serial ports, or windows controls... ]

KNP was designed so that just about anyone of any age could learn its editors, and create simple shoot-the-badguys or destroy-the-aliens type of games. The better you become at using the editors, the more you will start to notice that you can do some pretty impressive & complex games.

Finally when you have mastered the editors, you can learn a little about making your game complete, things to look for to make it fun, and how to put a professional image on it.

(See: "5. Game Creation Questions III", below.)

First you should know certain terms:

A Quick Backdrop Object is just basically used for a screen pattern or a solid color background like a black screen for example. Characters that you create will not be able to detect collisions with this backdrop you make. The background or pattern that you make is placed once and is not moveable from within the game.

A Backdrop Object are all the objects that you make that you want to have collisions be detected with. Like you could create a border around your entire playfield and then make it a collision backdrop object. This way when your moveable characters that you create collide with the border you can issue a command to stop the character from moving or bounce the character off the wall. Either way you have effectively just stopped the character from leaving your playfield. The Backdrop Object is not moveable from within the game.

Active Objects are what you create for all your moveable characters. You can assign a variety of movement patterns or logic to the Active objects. They can detect collisions with each other and with Backdrop Objects. You can make many frames for you animated objects giving the illusion of the player running, or the many stages of a bomb exploding for example.
 

A Text Object is a string of text that you can place wherever you want on the screen. The Text Object editor allows you to select from many different fonts, sizes, and characteristics.

A Questions Object allows you to design a dialog box with a question that you can pose. Then you can list several answers. The player can click on one of your answers in the list and if it's right you can display a message or do something, if it's wrong you have the same options. It's also used for buttons for the player to select and jump to other frames. See: [KNP Examples Pack]

Score and Lives Objects allow you to setup and display the players score and lives. Score and lives can be setup individually for up to 4 players. I wouldn't suggest trying to have 4 people control 4 players on the screen at the same time, it would be very difficult at best. Score and lives can also be used for carrying values over to other frames. See: [4. Q #4.]

A Counter Object is just a storage place that you can store a number. The number can be very small or very large. You can have the number hidden for your internal game use, or display the number on the screen in the form of a number or a power bar. This object is very useful for all kinds of things.

You may want to have a counter set to display as a number for use as a timer that counts down to 0. Say your player just uncovers a bomb from under a rock. You set the counter to 100, and start decreasing it- the player sees the counter clicking down on the screen. When it hits 0 you explode the bomb. If the player didn't get away fast enough, then he's caught in the explosion. Or maybe you would have an invisible or hidden counter that would say keep track of how many hits the player takes before destroying the players life. Start the counter at 10. Each time the monster slashes the player subtract one from the counter, when it hits 0 then the player has been slashed 10 times and you could start up the player destroyed animation sequence. Then decrease player lives by one, and reset the slash counter to 10 for another go at it.
 

1. The Story Board Editor: This is where everything starts, and is where you can view all the frames of your game. A "frame" is one whole level of your game. It can be your whole game, or your game may consist of completing one level then moving on to the next frame until all frames are complete, or you may have set up your levels so that if the player goes through a door on the right of the player area- then level #5 is called for example. How you set up the frames in your game is up to you and what kind of game your trying to make. Every time you start up Klik & Play you will start in this editor.

The StoryBoard editor is also where you can add an animation file of the type ".FLI" and ".FLC". The AutoDesk Animation that you make could be a nice introduction to each level or you could even set up a big animated opening sequence like the professional games on the market. If you're not familiar with this subject don't worry- it's not needed to use KNP.
 

2. The Level Editor: This is by far one of the most important editors, second only to the event editor, which is the single most important editor in Klik & Play. You get to the Level editor from the StoryBoard editor by right clicking with the mouse on the actual frame that you want to edit. From the menu that pops up, select level editor.

Now this is the editor where you can create, import, or select one of the background images (supplied with KNP) for your playfield. Or you can just use the white default screen, and concentrate on just placing supplied animated objects on the screen and then learning how to make them move by right clicking on that object and then selecting object movement from the menu.

You can edit or make your very own animations for your games characters. To edit a character right click on the character and select edit animations. To createa character from scratch, click on the Tools button, and select Create New Active Object. Then use the editor that pops up to draw your character. And finally the Level editor is used to display and position text, and import a picture that you created with a paint program saved as a .BMP file format. See: [4. Q #9.] on color import problems.

The Level editor is also where you set and display Players Lives. If you play around with the little pictures of your players lives (the default is 3) you can have your own custom icon symbols for your players lives. You can also set up counters for things like energy levels and whether the counter will be displayed as digits or as a bar graph.

If you have less than 4 players you can use the extra players lives and scores to hold values to the next level or frame of your game. See: [4. Q #4.]
 

3. The Step Thru Editor: This editor is by far the weakest of all of them and I won't go into much detail here about it, but here's a description of what it is for: The idea behind this editor is that after placing your objects down and assigning movement to them you then go to the stepthru editor creates conditions in the Event editor for things that would happen in your game.

The editor simulates your game from the start, and gives you options of what effects you want when conditions are met. When the ball hits one of your objects that you placed on the playfield the stepthru editor will give you a box of possible actions to select- then you might select destroy object, and make a crashing sound.

There is no logic in the stepthru editor for creating your objects off the playfield area and out of sight, then having the character walk onto the playfield. There is no logic for creating monsters randomly on the screen at different locations and different times throughout your game. For each object that you have in your game the stepthru editor creates all kinds of default conditions in the event editor that you may never ever need, and then have to delete!

I highly recommend that you learn the event editor really, really well, and then never use the stepthru editor!
 

4. The Event Editor: Ahhhh, finally we get to the most powerful editor in Klik & Play. This editor is the brains and operation of your entire game. Want to create a monster off the screen and then move him on to the playfield? Here is where you do the logic for it. Want to create an alien every 10 seconds at a random place on the playfield? Here is where you do the logic for it. Want to have the player click on different buttons (that you created with the animation editor) to start your game, change the games difficulty level, go to a demo frame, or go to a frame where you display instructions for you game?

Here is the final answer. Go to the Event Editor by clicking on Game from the menu bar, then selecting Event Editor from the menu that pops up. Your game will consist of a list of conditions on the left, and across the top are the different objects that you have created for your game. At first you may not see any list because there is no logic created yet for your game. This is your job and this is where the real challenge of making a serious game comes in to play.

The basic idea is that you click on the big plus "+" sign on the options bar to add a condition like when the ball collides with the lamp. Clicking on the plus sign causes a window to pop up that wants you to double click on the object to test. If you created a ball in your game then go ahead and double click on the ball. Now a menu of options for what you can test the ball with will pop up. You would then select collisions, and then active object, then double click on the object you want to test for the collision with. (Like a lamp for example if you had made one). Then presto! Your first conditional statement will appear on your event list to the left.

Now follow that conditional line that you just made from cell to cell going right until you get to the cell that is under the column of the lamp. Right click this cell and a menu will pop up giving you options of what you can do with the lamp, select destroy and now you will notice that the cell now has a check mark in it. If you roll the mouse arrow onto that cell where the check mark is, a little description of what that check mark is will pop up. (In this example the word "destroy" would be displayed).

Congratulations! You have now made a condition in the event list that checks to see if the ball has collided with the lamp, and if it has then the lamp will be destroyed. You can add the crash sound effect by right clicking the very first cell on the condition line that you made, (under the picture of the speaker facing left) and a menu will pop up of options for sound effects. Select one of the crash sound effects, and then presto- you now have a check mark in the first cell for making a crashing sound WHEN the condition that you made becomes true. When the game is running the condition you made will become true when the ball collides with the lamp, and then you will hear a crash sound, and the lamp will be destroyed.

Things to know: On the top of this editor going to the right are pictures of all the objects that you created in the level editor, each one has it's own column going down. As you add conditions in your event list on the left, another line of cells is created for all the objects on the top. This way no matter what condition you create- you will have a cell for each of your objects so that you can do things with your objects if that particular condition is met.

One important note is about the first four icons pictures at the top that are always the same. These are game icon pictures and handle the game control such as making a sound effect, playing a music file, jumping from one level to the next, or selecting any level that you want to jump to. Adjusting player lives and score, and creating random numbers are all done with these four key icon pictures.

From left to right: What looks like a speaker facing left, this column is for adding sound effects and playing music scores. What looks like a pair of paddles with a ball between them, this column is for jumping to other levels, and for re-starting the current level or ending the game. What looks like a cracked egg, this column is for creating objects like an explosion or a new monster on the screen somewhere. And finally what looks like the face of a smiling kid with a baseball hat on, this column is for changing the players score, lives, and disabling player control so that the player can't move even though the mouse is rolling or arrow keys pressed.

One last note, I can't possible tell you how to do everything you need to know how to do in this FAQ. If you want to create a very impressive, complex game, then you will need to learn the editors very well first. The users manual may not be easy to read, but you should read it. Also the information in this FAQ is very useful. But what you really need to do- before creating that game of your dreams is to learn all the editors really well, most significantly the Event Editor. Your process of learning should be to try everything, click on everything, add every possible condition you can imagine into your event list, trying out every menus and options in Klik & Play and eventually you will become very familiar with how things work and then will be ready to tackle that awesome game. Your learning process may be helped by making small test games to get yourself familiar with and gain experience from the process. A good starting point is to follow the Toyland example tutorial included on the CD ROM version of KNP.
 

5. The Animation Editor: This editor is where you can edit the existing animated (or non-animated) characters in your game, or you can make your very own. This editor is started only from within the Level Editor, and to edit a character just right click on the character and select "Edit Animations" from the menu that pops up. You can make your very own character from scratch by clicking on the "Tools" button (in the lower left corner of the Level editor) then selecting Create New Active Object.

NOTE: This entire section presumes that you know the EVENT EDITOR pretty well, or at least are experimenting around in that editor. All the discussion and examples below use and reference the Event editor, or take place in that editor, and presume that you know how to do the basic things like create a condition and place an action for that condition in the editor.
 

I'm trying to create a random number between 0 and 10, but the manual has me lost. How do I create a random number?
 

Random numbers are created and used in the Event editor. You should become familiar with this editor and know how to create a "Counter Object" in the level editor first.

The KNP random number generator creates a range of numbers that is between "0" and one less than the number you specify. For example you want a number that is between "0" and "10" then you must specify your random number as "11". And here's how:
 

1. Create a counter object in the level editor. Name it "Random Number".
2. Go to the Event editor and click on the "+" sign to add a new condition to the event list.
3. Double click on the picture of the wrench and select "always", (which means that random numbers will be continually created during the game). You will notice that a condition has been added to your event list that says: "Always".
4. Now follow this line out to the "cell" or "box" (in the column of the counter object named Random Number) right click on this box and select "set counter" from the menu list.
5. Erase the "0" (zero) shown in the box and click on the button labeled "Edit".
6. Click on the button labeled "Retrieve data from object".
7. Double click on the picture of the wrench again and select "Generate a random number".
8. Enter the number "11" which will create a random number in the range of "0" to "10". Klik and play creates a random number from "0" to one less than the number you specify ("11" - "1" = "10").
9. Your expression will now say "random[11]". Click on "ok" again and now you will see that the box under the counters column has a check mark in it for creating a random number between 0 and 10.
10. The event list of all your conditions (including the one you just created) cycles again and again as long as your game is running, so in effect you are setting the counter to a random number all the time. You can now use this random number to do whatever it is that you created the random number for.



Some uses for a random number: As an event starter, say after the player destroys a monster you might want a random amount of time to pass before another monster appears on the screen. Perhaps you want to start from 1 to 10 monsters per level. Placing monsters at random places on your playfield, (random x and y coord's., or starting positions). These are just a few things a random number is used for.

What the heck are "Alterable Values" or "Variables"? What are they good for, and how do you set them up with values?

These are great little storage areas for like keeping track of the things in a game. All Active Objects have a set of variables A, B, and C. You can plug these with either positive or negative numbers. Your player for example has these, and lets say for example to complete the level your character has to fight through a horde of monsters, to get to a key, then fight through another obstacle to use the key on a door which leads to a room where you search for and find the gem, at which point you go to the end area of the level and warp to the next level.

Now lets say the player can go to that end area of the level anytime, and how are you going to know if your character has all the requirements to complete the level when he goes to that area? Well you would know because you would check the "A" variable in the event editor to see if it's set to a "1", which would indicate that he has gotten the key. All values are assigned "0" at the start of all frames or levels. When the player got the key, you would have a condition in the event editor that sets the characters "A" variable to a "1". The "B" variable could be set to a "1" when the player uses the key to enter the room, and the "C" variable when the player finds the gem. Now you only have to have one condition in the event editor like: Alterable Value 'A' = 1 + Alterable Value 'B' = 1 + Alterable Value 'C' = 1. Then you would click on the box in the "game paddles" column and add a condition to jump to the next level. (or whichever level you want). You set a value for the A, B, and C values by right clicking on your objects cell and select "Values".
 

Yeah I've had somewhat agitated KNP kids email me about this one. Quite frankly KNP should have allowed for this glaring little problem. Technically it's not a "bug" but it sure bugs me too. BUT hey- all is not lost! The players score and lives values do indeed carry over from frame to frame. THANKFULLY there are 4 players, and each player has one score values and one lives value. This means that a one-player game will leave 3 players lives and score values free. That's 6 or six, no matter how you slice it, different values that can hold over from one level to the next.

[ In addition to this, you can store more than one value into a live/score value using the modulus/division functions. Look at the MOD Demo in Sprite's Klik & Play Resource Center. ]

Yes. You're quite right, this is not clear but the answer probably is hidden in the users manual somewhere. You can set up your very own animated 4 player characters, assign movement, and "moved by" options, but I would suggest not trying to have them all controlled and moving out on the playfield by 4 players all at once. Theoretically possible using a combination of two Joysticks, a mouse and the keyboard all at the same time, but how many people would be able to use your game? Don't call me if you're attempting to do this.

Anyway to add players, or to just use their score and lives values you simply create a new active object. I would click on Tools then on Create Active Object, then in the Animation editor edit the first frame, select the fill tool, select the color black and fill the box. This way you will have a black box Active Object. Click ok place it anywhere then "right click" on that object and select Movement. Select 8-way movement and ok. Then right click again on that object, select movement again and BAM! There it is, the option to move the object by another player. Select Player 2, and you now have a new head in the event editor. Did you just say head? Yup there is now a smiling boy with a baseball hat on labeled "Player 2". You can now plug those score and lives values with numbers.

If you are setting up multiple players then just delete that black block you created and go use your animated characters, you now know how to setup more than one player.

If you are setting up additional values to hold over from one frame or level to the next then you should follow the above example for each player until you have set up 4 players. (or whatever number of value storage locations that you need) When you're done you should have 3 black boxes and one player character. Each black box will be needed to keep the Score & Lives counters for the game. You have now setup 4 smiling little heads in the event editor, which you can use to store hold over values from one frame to the next.

A: Did I mention somewhere in this document about bugs? Well you never really know about these things. If you're sure that there isn't some extra aliens hanging out just off the screen where you can't see them when your playing the game, (which means you haven't destroyed them all) then you might as well set up a counter in the level editor, and call it "aliens left". Set it to the number of aliens to destroy in your game.

In the event editor every time you shoot an alien and issue the "destroy" check mark, put a check mark in the new counter column's box to subtract one from the "aliens left" counter. Put a condition in the event editor to check the status of this counter and see if it has dropped to zero. Your condition line might say "if Aliens Left counter = 0" and then you would put a check mark in the game paddles column to "end the game", or "jump to next level".

A: I would suggest making the swords and the character one piece instead of two. It would be a lot easier to keep track of and animate the sequences. If I were going to do this type of game that is the logic I would use in starting it. See also the KNP Example Pack, which has a sample of two characters that can move on the screen at the same time being controlled by two human players. The player using the arrow keys has much better movement ability.

Put in a condition in the event editor to check for the last frame of the animation minus one. So if the animation is 10 frames long, then you would put a condition to check if the "current frame of the animation = 9" then issue the destroy check mark under the explosion column.

A: In the event editor create a new condition line called "Start of Level" (event editor "+" then double click on the game paddles). Then in the very first box on the line you just created you can add a check mark for playing a midi or wave file. (".mid" & ".wav"). A midi file is generally music, while wave files are usually for sound effects, like a bell, or clap sound. The check mark that you create to play the ".mid" file will start up the music as soon as you start the game ("Start of Level") and continues until the music is over.

One thing to check is what color depth your computer is set at, (which is also what KNP will be running in) and see if the conflict is there. For example: Your computer is set to 256 colors, but the image you're trying to import is a 16 million color image, well there is the problem. Switch your computer to 16 million colors, start KNP and import image. KNP does support file formats other than ".BMP". There is also a special procedure you can try if you are still having import color problems. See: Page 116 users manual.

Tricks & Tips of the trade:
 
1. You can delete a condition line by dragging the number in front on the line to the trash can.
2. You can create a new condition by clicking on the plus "+" sign, or by right clicking on the basic condition line called "New Condition". (This line is always in the event list and never goes away.)
3. You can test your game by clicking on the "right triangle" with the "00:00" above it.
4. If your computer is set to 800x600 screen resolution and you test your game in the event editor (see: #3 above) then you will be able to see your entire play area PLUS the outside area around the play area. This is great for testing you game that has objects that start off the screen and then move on. This way you can see your objects off the sides of the screen as you play your game.
5. You can set how big or small the grid size is by clicking on "Edit" then select "Preferences".
6. You can (and should) go to the Preferences and make sure that "Show empty events from Step Through editor" IS CHECKED. And the other two options listed in that same area should be UNCHECKED.
7. Click on the "Info" button to find out memory usage and information about your game objects.
8. You can very quickly make conditions for events by simply dragging the picture of your object from the top of the event columns to the line in the event list labeled "New Condition". This will pop up a list of things you can do with that object. For instance try dragging the picture of the game paddles to the New Condition event line. A menu will pop up with the ability to add a condition to check for the start or end of level. The speaker icon is the only one that I know of that doesn't work this way. This dragging method can be a lot faster and more direct than click on the plus sign, then location the object to test, then creating the proper condition.
9. If you just want to set some things up once at the very beginning of the level or frame, then add a condition called "Start of Level" and put the things you want done on that condition line.
10. You should group items of similarity together in your event list for keeping track of things and keeping your list clear and easy to edit. For example you could group all collision checking event lines together.
11. You can display a readout of any of the counters or values of the internal objects values by creating a counter called status, displaying it on the play area as numbers, then creating a condition to always set that counter to the "A" value (for instance) of one of your objects. This way you can always "see" the values displayed on your screen as you test the game.
12. To continuously plug a status counter with a number or value, click on the "+" to add a new condition, then double click on the wrench and select "Always". You can "plug" a status counter with a value of an object by using that "always" condition you just created, and clicking the cell under the counter, select "Set Counter", clear out the "0", click on the "edit" button, then on "Retrieve data from object", then double click on the object to get the value from, finally clicking on the value that you want displayed. (A, B, C value for example). This will setup a condition that constantly displays the value.

I've made a few "games", but they don't seem to be that much fun or professional or complete. How do I get my game to look like the professional games that people buy?

Making a "game" is more than just putting some monsters on the screen and having your "player character" shoot them up.

All games consist of 3 basic elements. A starting place. Game play. The end game.

The starting place is where your game starts. Do you want to have an animation introduction with a musical score playing as you present your game in a professional opening sequence? Do you want a title screen where the game player can select options that effect the game?

The game play is the actual mechanics of what you want to happen out on the playing field. How does the game begin? What is the sequence of events that you want to unfold? What kind of timing considerations do you need? What are the main goals and accomplishments and rewards of the game? What causes the game to end or call the next frame? (i.e.: next scene to unfold, or end game)

The end game is where the game is finished in a logical fashion. What causes the game to end? Do you want a fancy animation when the player has used up his last life? Do you want to give the player options or just return to the title screen to select another game? Do you want to do an end of the game sequence of animations?

Now that you have made your game "complete" you can focus on fun and polish.

The fun comes in when the player is getting something out of the game. The exciting journey or quest the player is on, rewards for completing tasks, finding hidden treasures, solving puzzles, and discovering things are all good examples of fun stuff. Forcing the player to do something, which is too hard, not clear, or otherwise tedious and difficult is considered examples of "not fun stuff". Levels that are hard to jump up on, areas that are hard to get into, your player getting "stuck" in places, and bad movement of the player due to the way you control the player via keyboard, mouse or joystick are also examples of not fun stuff.

The polish comes in when you make everything "look good" and work right. Your title screen should look good and not look like it was created by a 3-year-old (unless you are a 3 year old). You should have nice looking "buttons" to click on with the mouse to select logical options. Things should look clear, and run clean & smooth. You can add instructions for you game, and a demo mode that automatically shows your game in action.

With all these elements in effect you too can create a professional polished game. Why not holler out and give it a go?

This is mainly for advanced users who want total control over the objects movement. All objects have an X-coord and a Y-coord. that correlate to the actual position of the objects on the screen. Your screen is 640 pixels or dots wide, and 480 pixels or dots tall. Now when the object is in the upper left corner of the playfield, the X & Y positions will probably be something like 5,5. If the object is in the lower right corner of the playfield then the objects X & Y coordinates might be something like 580,460.

You can move an object across the screen by simply increasing or decreasing the X-coord. by a small amount. Increasing the X-coord. by 8 pixels by adding a conditional line in the event editor, will cause the object to zip from left right across the screen.

This is a totally advanced technique for moving objects and you should not even attempt to do this kind of thing unless you are very familiar with the event editor. Also I'm not going into any detail here on how to do this kind of thing. What you need to do is just play around with the event editor and with setting coordinates for objects. Eventually you will figure out how to do X/Y coordinate adjustments. You can study the KNPpack Scrolling example to see this type of movement in action. Please don't call, email or ask in any way for more information on this. You will just need to learn these techniques on your own.

The BUG #1:
 

PLEASE NOTE: there are some known conflicts or "bugs" in knp, but most of them are minor. HOWEVER THERE IS ONE THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR GAME, AND MAY MAKE YOUR GAME CRASH AND BECOME UNRECOVERABLE SHOULD YOU SAVE IT AFTER IT HAS BECOME CORRUPTED.
 

If your game is pretty large, and you create an active object in the "level editor", then create several events in the "event editor" with references to the active object , or linking it to other active objects , then go back to the "level editor" and delete the active object, you can cause serious problems because the "event editor" still had references to the object.
 

BOTTOM LINE:
 

ALWAYS DELETE ALL REFERENCES, EVENTS, AND LINKS FOR AN ACTIVE OBJECT IN THE "EVENT EDITOR" BEFORE DELETING THE OBJECT IN THE "LEVEL EDITOR". I.E.: No check marks in the column of the object to be deleted.
 

The BUG #2:
 

This is the "empty event line bug" in which you have created a condition line in the Event editor which has no actions associated with it. I've found very strange things can happen, including getting an error message that crashes your game. I found this one because I added a condition in the event editor to check for a collision, but then I never put any check marks for it- so what I had was an "empty event line". Then when I went to test my game, some stupid error message popped up and my game crashed then I had re-start KNP, and re-load my game. Then it kept happening, so eventually I figured out that I had a condition line with no actions happening on it, so I just deleted that condition line- and everything worked just fine after that. I've also had kids send in their games because something wasn't working the way it should, and after deleting empty condition lines things would work. The story here: If you create a condition line in the event editor- make sure you assign at least on check mark action on that line.
 

The BUG #3:
 

This is an incorrect movement bug that happens when you select Platform style of movement for the players character. This happens when you place an active object (moveable character) on to the playfield area, and then right click on that object and select "Movement", then click on the option "Select movement", and from the movement selection screen click on "Platform movement". This will setup the players movement for a platform style game, where you can setup levels, and ladders. Then place a background object down about an inch or two below the character and make it an collision obstacle.
 

Well that's all very good and everything, but when you go to test or play your game you will notice that the character takes off rapidly towards the bottom of the screen, goes right through the obstacle, and then actually goes right off the screen and is gone for good. I've noticed this happens after I've placed my character, then selected platform movement, then soon as I place another active object on the screen then this bug always happens- even after I ran the patch. Nothing you change about the characters attributes makes any difference. Uncheck the moving at start- no difference, set the initial movement direction to anything other than down- it makes no difference. I even checked this on other computers to make sure it wasn't just my computer.
 

The solution on this one is pretty simple. Create your levels (platforms) that the player will be walking and jumping on as background objects. Then right click on the platform object you just made. Select "Obstacle" and make sure "Yes" is checked. Next place one or more of these levels on the screen (like all the way across the bottom of the playfield). Next place the character a couple inches above that platform.
 

Next go to the Event editor and create a condition to detect a collision between the character and the backdrop. (See section 3. Game Creation: #4. Event Editor for useful information). Next, on that same condition line that you just created find the column for the player (little picture at the top of the event editor that looks like the character you created for your player) and in the cell under that column (and on the condition line you just made) right click on the cell and select "Movement", and then click on "Stop". Now a check mark will appear in that cell to stop the player if it's colliding with the platform (level backdrop) that you created earlier. Now go and test your game.
 

Your character will immediately take off towards the bottom of the screen, but since you now have a platform there, AND have put a condition in the event editor for the character colliding with it, the character will drop the two inches from above and stop right at the very top edge of the platform. Your character can now walk left or right and jump up on to other platforms you have placed as well.
 

The BUG #4:
 

The "display priority bug": I'd say the scrolling example from the KNP Example Pack really shows the problem perfectly, or rather it showed me the problem early in the development. Basically I would issue the "destroy" command in the event editor when the objects left the play area completely, and I would be creating objects to enter the play area. Ala Le Scrollin Exampl Per Cosmo

Well this was working great, only when the newly created mountain range scrolled behind the running man- it did just the opposite. The mountain segment had lost its display priority of being behind the running man and as such it scrolled in front of him. So I quickly learned that if you want to have display priority for your objects you can not destroy them, then must always remain active.
 

As such you won't find a single create or destroy check mark anywhere in the entire listing (in the event editor) for any of the objects in the scrolling example.
 

The BUG #5:
 

The "lost object bug": You can create objects and assign them the "path" movement and then place them off the screen with a path on to the screen. They will move on just fine. But I don't use "path" movement hardly ever. I find it quite limiting. I don't use it for the scrolling example in the Example Pack.
 

The lost object bug: Scrolling example again. This time I'm creating the objects outside the play area like some distance from the side of the screen. I was experimenting with having them all lined up outward from the left side of the screen and outward from the right side of the screen. Then I set the guy in motion. Walking right, things seemed to scroll on going left ok, but walking left and nothing was appearing. The objects were lost.
 

I knew something was up, so I experimented around. Finally the answer is this. You can't create an object that is anywhere off on the left edge and scroll it on (unless you are using "path" movement) but if just one little edge of the object is just barely touching the screen edge then the object will appear and scroll on. So that's what it finally came down to. I create the objects that are going to scroll on to the play area, right on the very edges of the screen and it works perfectly. I love this game designer program KNP even if it is a little problematic.
 
 
 

The BUG #6:
 

The common household everyday bug. You'll run into lots of these if you are into computers, games, programs, software, etc. And you'll probably find things don't always work right in KNP either. Off hand comes to mind the "shoot an object" ability in the event editor. Although very nicely automated to launch the projectile with a simple check mark in the box- it doesn't always work. Or to be honest, it sometimes stops working.
 

I've had two kids that have sent me their games now and everything was just fine in the games, but after shooting about a half dozen or so objects the shooting sound would still come on- but no objects would be shooting. The event editor showed that these kids were doing nothing wrong, but the shoot object function of KNP just stopped working. So I take that check out, and instead I have the object appear on top of the object launcher, then set the direction of the projectile to the direction that the launcher is facing. Finally issuing a command to start the object moving. Basically just doing manually what was being done automatically by the one "shoot an object" check mark.
 

You're going to run across some bugs yourself no doubt, but keep in mind with your creative and inventive mind you will always find a way around the problem to accomplish what you are trying to do. Just like I've demonstrated with this, and the last 2 bug examples above.
 

The BUG #7:
 

Actually this is not so much of a bug, but rather is a limitation factor to Klik & Play: You may have set up several counters storing important numbers or statistics of your game (like how many diamonds the player has in his inventory, or how many monsters the player has slain). Then when the player finishes the current frame, you transport the player to another frame in the game for the quest to continue, only surprise, surprise- all your counters are 0! Bummers dude.
 

Actually there is a way to transport key numbers from one level to the next. Counters and Player Variables (A, B, and C) are not transferable between levels, however the players score and lives are. Since you can have up to four players, you can effectively store important numbers in the players score & lives. You may already be using players #1 score & lives, and that fine. In the next frame they will still have the players score and lives totals. If you are not using players 2, 3, and 4, then you can use those players scores and lives to store important numbers for keeping from frame to frame.

See: [4. Q #4.] for more information on this.
 

For instance plug the number of diamonds that the player has accumulated into players 2 score. Plug the number of monsters slain into players 2 lives. Then jump to the next frame. Now you will still have those numbers available to continue to add diamonds to the players inventory total or monsters slashed to that total. This would give you 6 storage areas to hold over numbers from frame to frame. Since you're not using players 2, 3, and 4 then you're not displaying their scores or lives totals on the screen either- so in effect the numbers of your inventory won't be seen by the player. Of course you could display those inventories or statistics on the screen if you wanted.
 

The PATCH: (it doesn't fix the above mentioned buggies- it's for other stuff)
 

Europress has a patch that is available from their web page on the Internet. It updates Klik & Play from 1.0 to 1.1, but I haven't found this patch to do very much for me. If you are having problems with video display or with the speed of your game this patch may help, I should clarify these two areas though. For a display problem, like you only get a blank screen or the display doesn't look right you should first consult the sections 6 and 7 (below) of this FAQ for technical support information and see if there is something you can try before contacting Maxis.

If after talking with a live tech (or getting an email response from a tech) we have determined that you need that patch then I would suggest using it, otherwise your video or sound related problem may simply be due to outdated drivers. You might however try running the KNP setup program again, and then changing the video drivers that are used internally by Klik & Play. See: [6. Q #4]. By default when KNP installs into Windows3.1 or Windows95 it uses it's own set of internal highly optimized windows drivers, however they are not always 100% compatible with your computers video capabilities.

Strangely enough many crash problems can be directly blamed on your computer system using older sound card drivers as well. Anyway, see the tech support sections below, try things, if you still need help call, if all else fails you can download the patch from the Europress web page, or we can send it to you via email or on diskette. If you just want to run the patch it certainly wouldn't hurt anything perhaps it may even improve the way Klik & Play runs under Windows 95, but then again it may not solve your video or sound problem in which case you'll still need some technical support from us or this FAQ may solve your problems.

The patch comes with a help text file, and it does mention that the patch adds the ability for your game to run at the same speed on all computers. So if you made your game on a slow computer, and I play it on a super fast computer then game will run at the same speed on both computers- that way when I play your game I won't have the monsters and everything flying all over the screen at super fast speeds preventing me from enjoying your game! [ This is done by adding an active object, naming it "Machine Independant On" without quotes, and with that exact spelling. ]

[ Note: The patch is available on the developer's website, ClickTeam, at http://www.clickteam.com/. There are patches for all international versions of Klik & Play. ]

Whenever I select the option to play my game as finished, or even when testing my game I can never seem to get the whole play area on the screen. The sides are slightly cut off and I'm missing the top or bottom or both top and bottom edges of my playfield are cut off. How can I get the whole play area to show up?

This is a known situation with KNP when your resolution is set to 640x480. If you set your computers resolution to 800x600 you can see the whole play area in the level editor as you are making your game AND when you play the game you will notice that the whole play area shows up on the screen as well.

However, if someone else's computer is set to 640x480 and they want to play your game then you're right back to square one. Your games edges may be missing or incomplete as the player uses your game.

THE SOLUTION: In the Story Board Editor click on Edit (from the menu bar) then select Game setup from the drop down menu. In the Game setup dialog box half way down there is an outlined area labeled Window. Make sure that all boxes are unchecked except the one labeled Maximized on boot up. In that same area you should see a Size: setting right above the Border color button. This size setting should be set to 640 by 480.

Now when a person plays your game they will see the whole play area. Unfortunately unchecking those boxes means that the game will not have a menu bar for the player to click on while using your game to get to things like your instructions, or on File then Exit (for example) to exit your game. Yup, no menu bar. That is the draw back, however you can put a condition in the Event Editor to check for the player pressing the Esc key and if the player did press that key you could issue the command to exit your game and return to windows so that the player can get control of their computer back.

For instructions- instead of using the built in KNP instructions system you could make a title screen for your game with buttons to click on for starting the game, buttons for a demo of your game or setting difficulty levels, and a button for an instructions screen that you could create which would display text about how to play your game. Learn Klik & Play, then take control of your destiny.

KNPRES.DLL is a windows linked file, and when you start windows it may be linked into the system so that windows "thinks" it is being used- but actually it isn't. OR you may have KNP running, in which case you need to exit KNP then run the updater, then re-start KNP. If this doesn't work exit, and re-start windows and try the updater again. Sill not working? OK, find the file (using Explorer or File Manager) and DELETE IT. The updater writes a newer version of the file anyway.

A: These are all related problems. Basically your computer is probably trying to multitask too many things. In order to troubleshoot this problem you need to "shut off" all applications running in the background, shut off screen savers, make sure your resolution is in 640x480 with 256 colors, and end any virus protection programs or third party shells. The level, frame, or event editor not loading could be due to other circumstances like an empty event condition, or corrupted game file due to deleting objects in the level editor without FIRST deleting the conditions for it in the Event editor See: [5. Bugs section, and 6. Last Information]

For information on how to shut down screen savers, background applications, and setting resolution + KNP optimized video drivers see (and follow) the following several questions below.

Do the usual logical reasoning and start with the basics. Make sure your computers resolution is set to 640x480 and color depth of 256 colors. Make sure programs running in the background taking up valuable system resources are closed down properly and completely. Like screens savers. See the next question immediately following this one for a complete list of steps you should undertake when it comes to video, and or sound problems. Then come back here and try this procedure an additional technique, IF those things you tried didn't work:

You will need to run the program called "Setup.exe" off the KNP CD and then click on the button that says "Re-install selected graphic, sound and game files", then on the button that says "Change graphic mode" then in the dialog box if the "Klik & Play driver (recommended)" option IS SELECTED you can click on the other option for "Standard Windows driver" to change the drivers from KNP specialized drivers to generic windows drivers, and click on the "OK" button. This may solve your problem. If not you may need to get older video card drivers on your computer updated from the manufacturer of your video card. If the generic windows driver is the one already selected you might try switching to the KNP specialized drivers and try those.

Exit Windows, restart Windows (this gets windows resources back up again), then turn off any screen savers you may have on (like After Dark, Imaginaria, or any screen savers that came with windows), and shut down any applications you may have open. (After Dark and screen savers in general should be setup so that they are not active when windows starts up.) Then try starting KNP again.

For Windows 95 right click on your desktop background image and select "Properties", then click on the "Screen Saver" tab, and in the selected "Screen Saver" box, click on the down arrow to list the screen savers available, scroll to the top of the list and click on "none". Next check to see that your resolution is 640x480 and 256 colors by clicking on the last tab labeled "Settings" and then switch to that resolution which is the best resolution for KNP to work in and for your games to be compatible on everyones computers.

For Windows 3.1 you should double click on the "main group" from the program manager, and then double click on the "windows setup" icon, and make sure that the top display line indicates that you have a driver which is set to 640x480 256 colors or 640x480x256 or something to that effect. If it's a generic windows driver it might just say "vga" or "vga3.0".

*In Windows 95 you should check to see what applications are running by looking at the task bar (the one with the start button on it), and if any applications appear on that bar then right-click on the name and select "close" to shut down that application. Then while holding down the "Ctrl" key and the "Alt" key, give the "Delete" key a tap to display the "Close Program" window. Select all programs one at a time, and click on "End Task" to stop that program from running, and possibly conflicting with Klik & Play. EXCEPTIONS: You can leave "Explorer", "Systray", and "Mapisp32" if they appear there since those are needed by Windows 95.

*In Windows 3.1 you can check to see what applications are open by pressing both the "Ctrl" key + "Esc" key at the same time, which brings up a "task list" window. If anything other than "Program Manager" is there, then highlight that application and select "end task" until each program is terminated, but leave Program Manager there. EXCEPTIONS: When you have a Desktop Main icon that you click on to open the Program Manager window, (or opens a window that has the Program Manager icon in it) then you will have two items that show up in the "task list" window for the two icons. You can leave those.

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*NOTE: The next time you start either Win 95, or Win 3.1, all the programs you may have closed down will all be back and will show up in the "Close Programs" window, or the "task list" window again. The changes you made were only temporary.

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I'm getting a "write error" when trying to save my games sometimes, which prevents me from saving all the work I've just put into this game. How can I stop this from happening?

Check to see that you have at least 10 MB of hard disk space. Your "hard disk" is the disk in your computer that stores all your games. Windows (and KNP) needs temporary space for storing files so always keep 10 MB free + 1 to 10 more for your game which could grow to use quite a bit of disk space. Also make sure that you're not trying to save your game to the KNP CD ROM or KNP DISKETTES. This could result in a similar type of message.

Check for free hard drive space (see above), and if loading your game from a floppy diskette then make sure it is in the disk drive. If your game is still having trouble loading, then exit KNP, and exit Windows, re-start Windows, re-start KNP and try it again. Also see above for how to shut off other programs that could be causing conflicts with KNP.

No luck? That means your file (game) has probably become corrupted. Hopefully you were saving a backup copy that you can now retrieve- otherwise your game is most likely unrecoverable and you will have to start over from the beginning. Always save a backup copy (or several) at different points of creating your game. That way if you game file becomes corrupted you can load an older backup copy and you will only lose your most recent work and not the whole game.

[ Note: If your game is corrupted, ask the developers at ClickTeam to see if they are able to repair it for you. ]

The two files already exist on your computer, and so they need to be deleted for the installation to continue. This might be because you had the demo version on your computer before.

In Windows 95 click on the start button, then select "find files", and enter "KNP*.DLL". The two files "KNPS.DLL and KNPG.DLL" should be there. Highlight the two files that are there and delete them. If you get an error message that the files are already in use by windows, exit to DOS and delete the files from there. Note: Write down the directory path that is before the file names. (i.e.: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KNPS.DLL)

In Windows 3.1 start "file manager" and click on "File", then select "Search..." and in the box enter "KNP*.DLL". Make sure the search from box says "C:\". Click on ok, or hit the Enter key, and when the search finds the two files "KNPS.DLL and KNPG.DLL" highlight them, hit the "Delete" key and answer "yes" to delete them. If you get an error message that the files are already in use by windows, exit to DOS and delete the files from there. Note: Write down the directory path that is before the file names.

For DOS: Make sure that you completely exited windows and are not just using a "dos prompt in windows". Now at the real DOS prompt type in "CD" and a space, then the path name that you wrote down from the previous paragraph listed above. Your command line might look like this: "C:\WINDOWS>CD C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM", in which case your new DOS prompt will look like this: "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM>".

Now at the prompt enter this line: "DEL KNPS.DLL" and hit the Enter key to delete the file. Do the same for the KNPG.DLL file.

NOW THAT THE TWO FILES ARE DELETED, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY INSTALL KLIK & PLAY.

There were a few manuals that had a slight mistake in the printing of the serial number. A correct serial number will start with KPU and then have exactly 8 numbers following it. If you have 9 numbers after the KPU then just enter the first 8 and the install program will continue. If you only see 7 numbers after the KPU then email: cbowden@maxis.com or tech@maxis.com or phone: 1-510-927-3905 for a live tech who will give you a special serial number to use.

AND FINALLY, HERE IS SOME LAST MINUTE INFORMATION ABOUT KLIK & PLAY AND YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM:
 

NOTE: YOU SHOULD ALSO READ THE "REAME.DOC" FILE IN THE "C:\KNP" DIRECTORY OR IN THE KNP FOLDER. YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS FILE ON THE KNP CD ROM.
 
 

KNP optimized drivers

Klik & Play uses special video graphics programing to achieve high-speed games. This allows KNP to support any video resolution or color depth that your video card will support.

To achieve the best performance it is suggested that a specific color depth be used (especially on 386 PC's), the recommendation is that you run Windows in 256 colors. However if KNP works just fine at a resolution of 640x480 and 256 colors then you can experiment with increasing your resolution to 800x600 and either 16 bit or 24 bit colors.

Klik & Play requires that you run Windows in 386 Enhanced Mode (Microsoft calls it that whether you've got a 386, 486 or a Pentium). You can check to see if you are in Enhanced Mode by choosing Help in your Program Manager, then going to About Program Manager.... If About Program Manager says you are in Standard Mode, exit Windows, then restart with the command WIN/3 instead of WIN. This will force Windows to start in Enhanced Mode. If you cannot run Windows in Enhanced Mode, please verify that your system meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements printed on the system requirements label on the box your copy of Klik & Play came in.

If you don't have enough memory available to run Klik & Play, first ensure that you close any other program that may be running to free up the necessary memory to run Klik & Play Windows. If this doesn't correct the problem, consult your Windows manual and refer to the section entitled MEMORY. There are several different options explained within this area, from editing your startup configuration files to using Virtual Memory. Virtual Memory actually uses your system's hard disk drive to temporarily store information that would normally be kept in the system RAM memory. See below to setup your computer for Virtual Memory.

DON'T USE VIRTUAL MEMORY IF YOU ARE USING DISK COMPRESSION! DoubleSpace/DriveSpace, Stacker, Super Stor, etc. Most of these programs will come with their own utilities to use virtual memory, so refer to the documentation that came with your compression program for more information.)

1. Open the Main window from within the Program Manager.
2. Double-click the Control Panel icon to open the Control Panel Window.
3. Double-click the Enhanced icon (the icon looks like a computer chip -- if it is not there, you are not running Windows in Enhanced Mode. See the instructions above on how to start Windows in Enhanced Mode).
4. Click the Virtual Memory... button located on the right side of the window.
5. This will open the Virtual Memory window from which you can view the current virtual memory settings. You can increase the size by clicking on the Change button and increasing the size of virtual memory available on your system. We recommend that you have at least 5 MB of virtual memory.
6. Please see your Windows manual for more information concerning virtual memory.

Windows 3.1 & my normal open window is not "Program Manager"

Shell programs are third party replacement programs that you can use in place of the standard Windows Program Manager, such as HP Dashboard, the Norton Desktop, and XSoft's TabWorks (which comes installed on most Compaq computers). If you are having trouble installing or running Klik & Play, try either turning off the shell you are using, or using that program's File - Run command to run Program Manager. The command line to run Program Manager is C:\WINDOWS\PROGMAN.EXE.

Windows 95

You could have a shell going there too, if you have something in your startup menu. Generally you just want to have a clean desktop meaning you can see your background image and that the task bar or menu bar is clear of all programs. Any applications that show up as buttons next to the Start Button, you will need to right click on the button and select "Close".

Tech Support Email: tech@maxis.com
Maxis Tech Support Phone: 1-510-927-3900
Maxis handles the tech support for Klik & Play, please contact us first for problems or help.

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**Visit MAXIS on the World Wide Web: http://www.maxis.com
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Additional Support Europress: (England)
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Europress phone number: 011-44-625-859333

Europress web page: http://www.europress.co.uk

Europress email address: support@europress.co.uk
 

Europress mailing address: Europress Software Limited

Europa House

Adlington Park, Macclesfield

SK10 4NP, England

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Note: see pages II & III of the Klik & Play users manual for complete licensing agreements with Europress including general use of the software and distribution rights of the software.
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Learn Klik & Play, and have fun making the games of your imagination become real.

----Cosmo Bowden Tech/Customer Support, Maxis

[ Note: Maxis no longer supports Klik & Play. You can either ask me (sprite_gf@yahoo.com) for help or post a message requesting help on the ClickTeam forum. (Btw, ClickTeam is the guys that made Klik & Play, with François Lionet and Yves Lamoureux.) ]