Video Game Design and Coding · PLECK lesson

PLECK lesson 61 · suggested week 13, day 1

Understand platform coordinates and acceleration

Objective. Distinguish horizontal control, vertical velocity and gravity.

Godot Engine Standard desktop editor 4.7.2-stable, GDScript (Godot 4), Compatibility renderer. Headless Godot 4.7.2.stable.official.ed1daf0bf passed 106 assertions on the supplied scaffolds, including malformed JSON saves. Audio used the Dummy driver and a synthetic WAV, not a speaker. The visual editor, browser export, and signed-in submission were not tested. The desk still does not run a student's own upload.

About 55 minutes. The due date is chosen by a parent.

Gravity, jumps, floor checks and safe geometry

Suggested pace: Recall and predict 5 min; Read instruction and scaffold 12 min; Build or design the assigned artifact 25 min; Run acceptance tests 8 min; Explain and checkpoint 5 min.

Materials: Paper and pencil or a private text document, Local course folder and prior checkpoint, No paid assets or public account required.

Comes after VGC-L060.

Relay Runner is a short delivery platformer. Horizontal input directly selects a sideways velocity, while gravity accelerates the player downward over time. In 2D positive y is down, so a jump begins with negative y velocity. Acceleration changes velocity; velocity changes position through move_and_slide. Do not add gravity directly to position. Draw the expected vertical-velocity signs for rising, peak and falling. Keeping these ideas separate helps diagnose a jump that moves backward or falls upward.

Worked example

A ball thrown upward begins with negative y velocity. Gravity adds a positive amount each physics step, slowing the rise and eventually producing downward motion.

Understand platform coordinates and acceleration — evidence task

  1. 1. Sketch a jump arc and label y-velocity signs.
  2. 2. Predict what doubling gravity does if jump speed is unchanged.

Deliverable. Annotated jump diagram and prediction note.

Acceptance checks

Understanding question. What is vertical velocity near the top of a jump?

Submit readable text or photos/scans of each numbered design page. Audio explanation may supplement a diagram or text, not replace requested artifacts.

If this is still shaky. Use C-PLATFORM with one wide floor and no hazards. Verify floor contact before adding platforms. Start with the first assigned task and re-run its acceptance test before adding the remaining feature.

Optional extra. Compare two gravity/jump-speed pairs while keeping horizontal speed fixed. Document one changed parameter, your prediction, and the observed effect; optional, not required for completion.

Name ____________________ Date ____________________