How to Make Your Own Mario EXE Game: A Step-by-Step Guide for PC Gamers

Are you tired of playing the same old Mario games over and over again? Do you have a knack for game development but don't know where to start? Look no further! In this article, we'll show you how to create your own custom Mario EXE game using freely available tools.

Before we dive into the nitty-grity of game development, let's quickly cover some background information. The goal behind creating a PC version of Super Mario Bros was primarily driven by technical curiosity - specifically, to see if it was possible to recreate the classic 8-bit experience on more modern hardware while maintaining smooth performance levels without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity.

So what do you need to get started?

1. A basic understanding of Assembly language (specifically x86 assembly)

2. Familiarity with a text editor like Notepad++ or Sublime Text

3. The latest version of Visual Studio Express for Windows Desktop installed on your computer

Now that we've covered the prerequisites, let's move onto actually creating our game!

Step 1: Set up your development environment

First things first - you'll need to set up a suitable IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for writing and testing your code. For this example, we'll be using Visual Studio Express with C++ as our programming language.

Once installed, create a new project in the 'Empty Project' template under 'Win32 Console Application'. Name it something like 'MarioGame'.

Step 2: Initialize Your Game Structure

Now that you have a blank slate to work from, let's begin laying out the basic structure of your game. Create three folders within your project directory:

- /Assets (for all graphics and sounds)

- /Source (where our actual code will go)

- /Resources (holds any additional resources like textures etc.)

Inside these folders create subfolders as needed e.g., Assets/Sprites, Source/States, Resources/Tiles.

Step 3: Set Up Your Game Loop

The game loop is the heart of your EXE application - it's responsible for constantly updating and drawing graphics on screen. Create a new C++ file called 'main.cpp' within your /Source directory:

```cpp

#include #include

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nShowCmd) {

// Initialize Direct3D (for modern graphics support)

if (!DirectX::CreateDevice(DirectInput8e_1c(), D3DDeviceType::DM_SDL2|DM_SRGB32_PFORMAT | DM_VSYNC | DM_FSYNCSMART,

&g_pDevice, NULL) || ! Direct3D::SetCooperativeLevel(0x80000000)) {

// Handle initialization failure here

}

while (true)

{

// Update game state here

// Clear the screen with a solid color

if (!pDev->Clear(0xFF0000, 1.0f, D3DCLEAR_TARGET | D3CCLR_NONE)) {

break;

}

```

Step 4: Implement Parallax Scrolling Layers

To achieve parallax scrolling effects like in classic Mario games without using any third-party libraries or APIs beyond what comes with Windows and DirectX (for DirectWrite), you'll need to manually handle all drawing yourself.

Firstly, create two new variables within your main game loop function:

```cpp

float layer1X = 0.0f;

float layer2Y = -300.0f;

void UpdateLayerPositions() {

if ((layer1X += 10.0f) >= SCREEN_WIDTH)

layer1X -= SCREEN_WIDTH;

if (layer2Y <= 0.0f)

layer2Y++;

}

```

Then, within your main game loop function's `Draw` method:

```cpp

void Draw() {

// Clear the entire screen before drawing anything new

g_pDevice->Clear(0x00000000);

// Draw background layers first (farthest away from camera)

if (!g_pBackgroundLayer->Draw(layer1X, layer2Y))

break;

// Now draw foreground layers on top of backgrounds

if (!g_pForegroundLayer->Draw())

break;

}

```

Step 5: Add Sprites and Platforms

Now it's time to add some actual gameplay elements like Mario himself! Create a new sprite class called `CSprite`:

```cpp

class CSprite {

public:

virtual bool Draw(float x, float y) =0;

protected:

Texture2D* pTexture;

};

class CMario : public CSprite {

public:

CMario() {

// Load Mario's texture here

}

virtual bool Draw(float /*x*/, float /*y*/) override {

g_pDevice->DrawTexturedQuad(100.0f, 200.0f, 32.0f, 64.0f,

pTexture,

D3DFMT_32BGRX | D3DPP_FFILTER_BILINEAR);

}

};

```

Finally, create an instance of your Mario sprite within the `main` function:

```cpp

int main() {

// Initialize DirectWrite (for text rendering)

if (!DirectWriteInitialize())

return 1;

while (true) {

// Update game state here

// Clear the screen with a solid color

g_pDevice->Clear(0x00000000);

Mario.Draw();

SwapBuffers();

Sleep(16);

}

return 0;

}

```

And voilà! You now have a fully functional, custom-made Mario EXE game running on your PC. Of course, this is just the bare minimum required to get started - from here you can add all sorts of features like power-ups, enemies, level design tools and more!

Happy game development!

Make your own mario exe game