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Building "Role Playing" Browser Games

Codeless Game Construction using Construct 2 or Construct 3.

Stephen Gose

This expanded chapter from the Construct Starter Kit Collection leads you through "White Labeled" Role Playing Game development. This tutorial uses both Construct3 & Construct2 encoding. It supplies client-side & php "back-end" encoding. These advanced "full-stack" development topics are for anyone interested in RPG "trade-secrets" development.

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About

About

About the Book

Siloed RPG "trade secrets" revealed!

Discover how to create Role-Playing Games using the methods in this expanded chapter from the Construct Game Starter Kit Collection. When you finish this workbook, you will have a production pipeline ready to create as many different RPG games as your imagination can dream up! This is the tool I use in my game production studio that solves RPG Data-intensive operations! You'll also get bonus content, downloads, Construct, PHP, and SQL source code examples, game variation tweaks, and references on how to do everything that works and does not work within this game design workbook. You could copy and paste any examples into your productions and then modify those resources with your bespoke artwork. This workbook will guide you in creating several RPG Game Mechanics (GM) styles as stand-alone or "Content-as-a-Service" (CaaS) by using an innovative approach from "Headless Game Design". We will use those game mechanics, front-end display mechanisms, and these development methods found in the Headless Game Design. By the end of this workbook, you should have a fully functional "RPG" game prototype - not just a copy of my game, but your very own product using your gaming assets. A supporting website is also available to download the bonus content included with your workbook's purchase. This extraordinarily comprehensive guide will teach you how to: 

  • Use either Construct 2 OR Construct 3 as the "Front-end" User's Interface Experience (UIX) for stand-alone RPGs AND if you have access to a back-end database server, create an RPG REST API for Business-to-Business access. 
  • Discover how to create "Single Player / Single- OR Multi-Avatar" RPG games exclusively on the client side without a backend server! Increase your game sales with this single feature alone! Live examples demonstrate this feature about "what works" and "what DOES NOT work".
  •  How to create Loyal Fans and B2B Licensed access within a "Syndicated Business Network" to generate bespoke modules and game expansions for "Syndication Affiliates Only". This is my "Trade Secret" since 1997 with 18 million game access!
  •  Automatically generate various new Quests with innovative features dynamically. 
  • Integrate your RPGs with "Interaction Fiction" (IF) Dialogues, and other game genres.
  • Design your RPGs with various styles of exchangeable "Conflict Resolutions Modules".

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    This workshop course is aligned to the Career Technical Education (CTE) and Computer Science Teacher's Association standards. Use these documents to justify public schools courses and after school computer club activities.
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    Use this additional Construct2 and Construct3 plugins to integrate workshop content in your Learning Management System (LMS) using SCORM.
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Author

About the Author

Stephen Gose

Avatar is an adorable cartoon sketch of my wife. My 48th anniversary is this coming Sept 1, 2026!

Stephen Gose, Ph.D. Information Systems (honorary) (and second-generation German) is a retired Professor Emeritus with a 41-year career as a certified network engineer, and "Certified Cisco Academy Instructor" (CCAI) since 2002. He is listed in the Who's Who for Information Technology for his directly related work for the Internet backbones in the Caribbean, Netherlands, Israel, and Russia. He was awarded "Letters of Appreciation" from AT&T, and the German, Israeli, Dutch, and Russian Governments. Steve has nearly three decades of international "teaching and conference lecturing" in both Local-Area and Wide-Area Networks, network security, Internet backbones, software engineering, and program/project management. He is a retired US Army Signal Corps Officer. He earned, in 2014, the ITT Technical Institute's "Instructor of the Year" out of 8,000 instructors across 144 campuses throughout the USA. 

He graduated from Grand Canyon University with his first B.A. in Religions and Music Education, then a B.S. in Business Admin. from the University of Maryland, and an M.B.A. in International Management from Liberty University.

He is currently pursuing his Th.D. He has been a licensed minister since 1972 and a missionary to Okinawa, Japan. He earned the US Army Chaplain Outstanding Service Award in 1983. 

In his spare time(?), Steve enjoys creating online casual games, software engineering, and managing his online gaming businesses. 

My driving theme: "Always stay humble and kind"

His website is: https://www.Stephen-Gose.com/

His game showcase is: http://www.renown-games.com

His theology website: http://kingdomofgodprinciples.com/

Game Support Site: http://makingbrowsergames.com/

Review my profile on LinkedIn.com: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-gose/

Contents

Table of Contents

Preface

  1. Distribution Permission
  2. Forewords
  3. Disclosures
  4. Disclaimer
  5. Workbook Content
  6. > For Amazon Patrons Only
  7. > About this Workbook
  8. > How to Read & Use this workbook:
  9. > Viewing the eBook:
  10. > External Links
  11. > References Used
  12. Your newly obtained skills …
  13. More Resources
  14. Programming Courses
  15. IPart I — Concept & Design

1Role-Playing Games Workshop

  1. 1.1About this Workshop
  2. 1.2Target Market Considerations

2Building HTML5 “RPG Adventures”

  1. What is the shortest-lived MMO? APB!
  2. What went wrong? … here’s the “inside” story.
  3. 2.1Game Genre Components & Data
  4. > Adventure games
  5. > RPG Foundation Elements
  6. 2.2RPGs vs. MMoRPGs
  7. 2.3Role-Playing Genre Background
  8. 2.4Historical background
  9. > Adventure Games
  10. > Adventure Game Sub-genres
  11. > RPGs Adventures
  12. “The Unlikely Birthplace of JRPGs”
  13. 2.5RPG Adventure — Storyline(s)
  14. 2.6RPG Adventure — Environments Overview
  15. 2.7“RPGs” into “Action-Adventures” — the “Ping-Pong”
  16. 2.8What makes a “Good” RPG?
  17. 2.9What’s Your Competition Doing?
  18. > Your Targeted Market — Who’s Playing What?
  19. What is your favorite game genre? — Separating Developers from Gamers!
  20. > Game Competitor Examples

3Introduction to Game Design

  1. Approaching Game Development
  2. Focusing Your Game
  3. 3.1Game Design System™ & Components
  4. > Separation of Concerns (SoC)
  5. 3.2Game Mechanics (GM) — Logic & Rules
  6. 3.3Game Display Framework Mechanisms
  7. GG Interactive — FREE Game Design Course
  8. 3.4“Replayability” — retaining “repeat customers”!
  9. > Deeper Dive: Solving Poor Replayability
  10. Opinion: Expanding The “Replay Value” Of Games

4RPG Design Considerations

  1. 4.1Deeper Dive: “Using Content-as-a-Service” (CaaS)
  2. What is a Content-as-a-Service (CaaS)?
  3. 4.2Story Plot Generation
  4. 4.3Story Generation Tools
  5. 4.4Labyrinth Generation Methods
  6. 4.5Fixed Generation (2D Frutti)
  7. > To infinity and beyond …
  8. Arrayed pros and cons
  9. Linked pros and cons
  10. > Deeper Dive: How it works …
  11. 4.6Fixed-Grid & Dynamic Rooms (2D Frutti with sprinkles)
  12. 4.7Pure Linear Labyrinths
  13. > Deeper Dive: Eller’s Algorithm
  14. > Rules for Creating the Perfect Maze
  15. > Depth-First Search (DFS)
  16. 4.8Open-path Worlds
  17. IIPart II: Construct2 Production

5Lesson 1: Game Project Launch

  1. 5.1About Your Project:
  2. 5.2Project Settings:
  3. 5.3Configuration Settings
  4. 5.4Design Consideration: CMS, PWA, or SWPA!
  5. > Creating a C2 SWPA Game Version?
  6. > FYI: Creating a C2 CMS or PWA Game Version?
  7. 5.5Comparing your code

6Lesson 2: Scaling Game Assets & Layouts

  1. 6.1C2 Environment Maps — with plugins
  2. > Rexrainbow Maps
  3. > C2 Rex Plug-in Summary
  4. > Strategic Quest Maps
  5. > Regional Quest Maps
  6. > Tactical Maps
  7. > Town and Settlement Maps
  8. 6.2The Campaign — “…There and Back Again!”
  9. > As above, so below … Multi-level Gaming!

7Lesson 3: Using Layout Layers.

  1. 7.1Lesson Instructions
  2. From the Manual: How to avoid “JANK”
  3. “Loose lips sink ships” … and revenues!
  4. Serif vs Sans-Serif:
  5. Using Web Fonts inside a Text Object
  6. 7.2Layout
  7. 7.3Comparing your code

8Lesson 4: Game Mechanics & Events.

  1. 8.1Game Mechanics Structure
  2. 8.2How to Create Events
  3. 8.3Game Set-up
  4. 8.4Game Play Phase
  5. 8.5Project #1 Practicum — “Epic Battles”
  6. > Project #1 Instructions
  7. 8.6Comparing your code

9Lesson 5: Conflict & Combat Resolution.

  1. 9.1Game Phase Preparations
  2. 9.2Game Data Preparations
  3. 9.3Pre-Combat Management
  4. > How Command Buttons Work …
  5. 9.4Game Play Transitions
  6. 9.5RPG Combat Module(s)
  7. 9.6Comparing your code
  8. 9.7Single Player with Multiple Avatars (SPMA)
  9. > Derelict Hulks™ — Artwork, Inspiration, & Rules

10Lesson 6: He says, “He’s already Got One”!

  1. 10.1Designing your RPG Inventory
  2. Determining the Right Inventory System for Your RPG
  3. 10.2Backpack Dictionary
  4. > Deeper Dive: SKUs vs. UPC codes
  5. What is a SKU and How Should You Use It?
  6. 10.3Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)
  7. What Are Blockchain Games?
  8. The alternative to what?
  9. In blockchain gaming, things are different.
  10. 10.4Modify a Gamer’s “Discoveries & Inventories”
  11. 10.5“Equipped” Items
  12. 10.6Inventory as a “Dress-up” game??
  13. > Dress-up and Construction Considerations
  14. 10.7Creating Your MMoRPG — the easy way!

11Lesson 7: “Japanese” vs. “Western” RPGs!

  1. 11.1Avatar Dialogs with NPCs as “Interactive Fiction” (IF)
  2. > Interactive Fiction (“IF”) Tools
  3. > Lesson Instructions: Construct “IF” Integration
  4. 11.2Dialogues with Facial Expressions
  5. 11.3Conversation Sequence
  6. > Dialog Data format
  7. 11.4Facial Dialogue Editor
  8. 11.5Dynamic Facial Dialogues
  9. > Deeper Dive: Understanding Facial Reactions
  10. > Deeper Dive: Locations and Environment Settings
  11. > Dialogue Pool Technology
  12. > Realistic Artwork Resources
  13. 11.6Deeper Dive: Languages & Cultural Interactions

12Lesson 8: “Game Lost & Won” Scenes!

  1. 12.1“RPG Quest Finished” Scene(s)
  2. > Determine Rules for “Encounter Won”
  3. > Determine Rules for “Encounter Lost”
  4. 12.2“Game Lost” Layout Commands
  5. 12.3Download Lesson 8 “.capx” file
  6. IIIPart III: Construct3 Production

13Lesson 1: Game Project Launch

  1. 13.1About Your Project:
  2. 13.2Project Settings: Color Theme, Start-up & Display
  3. 13.3Configuration Settings: Advanced & Editor
  4. 13.4Design Consideration: CMS, PWA, or SWPA!
  5. > Creating a C3 SWPA Game Version?
  6. > FYI: Creating a C3 CMS or PWA Game Version?
  7. 13.5Comparing your code

14Lesson 2: Scaling Game Assets & Layouts

  1. 14.1C3 Environment Maps — without plugins
  2. > Strategic Quest Maps
  3. > Regional Quest Maps
  4. > Tactical Maps
  5. How 3D works
  6. > Town and Settlement Maps
  7. 14.2The Campaign — “…There and Back Again!”
  8. >As above, so below … Multi-level Gaming!

15Lesson 3: # Lesson 3: Using Layout Layers.

  1. 15.1Lesson Instructions
  2. From the Manual: How to avoid “JANK”
  3. “Loose lips sink ships” … and revenues!
  4. Serif vs Sans-Serif:
  5. Using Web Fonts inside a Text Object
  6. 15.2Layout
  7. 15.3Comparing your code

16Lesson 4: Game Mechanics & Events.

  1. 16.1Game Mechanics Structure
  2. 16.2How to Create Events
  3. 16.3Game Set-up
  4. 16.4Game Play Phase
  5. 16.5Project #1 Practicum — “Epic Battles”
  6. > Project #1 Instructions
  7. 16.6Comparing your code

17Lesson 5: Conflict & Combat Resolution.

  1. 17.1Game Phase Preparations
  2. 17.2Game Data Preparations
  3. 17.3Pre-Combat Management
  4. > How Command Buttons Work …
  5. 17.4Game Play Transitions
  6. 17.5RPG Combat Module(s)
  7. 17.6Comparing your code
  8. 17.7Single Player with Multiple-Avatars (SPMA)
  9. > Derelict Hulks™ — Artwork, Inspiration, & Rules

18Lesson 6: He says, “He’s already Got One”!

  1. 18.1Designing your RPG Inventory
  2. Determining the Right Inventory System for Your RPG
  3. 18.2Backpack Dictionary
  4. > Deeper Dive: SKUs vs. UPC codes
  5. What is a SKU and How Should You Use It?
  6. 18.3Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)
  7. What Are Blockchain Games?
  8. The alternative to what?
  9. In blockchain gaming, things are different.
  10. 18.4Modify a Gamer’s “Discoveries & Inventories”
  11. 18.5“Equipped” Items
  12. 18.6Inventory as a “Dress-up” game??
  13. > Dress-up and Construction Considerations
  14. 18.7Creating Your MMoRPG — the easy way!

19Lesson 7: “Japanese” vs. “Western” RPGs!

  1. 19.1Avatar Dialogs with NPCs as “Interactive Fiction” (IF)
  2. > Interactive Fiction (“IF”) Tools
  3. > Lesson Instructions: Construct “IF” Integration
  4. 19.2Dialogues with Facial Expressions
  5. 19.3Conversation Sequence
  6. > Dialog Data format
  7. 19.4Facial Dialogue Editor
  8. 19.5Dynamic Facial Dialogues
  9. > Deeper Dive: Understanding Facial Reactions
  10. > Deeper Dive: Locations and Environment Settings
  11. > Dialogue Pool Technology
  12. > Realistic Artwork Resources
  13. 19.6Deeper Dive: Languages & Cultural Interactions

20Lesson 8: “Game Lost & Won” Scenes!

  1. 20.1“RPG Quest Finished” Scene(s)
  2. > Determine Rules for “Encounter Won”
  3. > Determine Rules for “Encounter Lost”
  4. 20.2“Game Lost” Layout Commands
  5. 20.3Download Lesson 8 “.capx” file
  6. IVPart IV: Expanding Your RPG Prototype
  7. > Replayability Summary: the ability to …

21Lesson 9: Adding Unique Features.

  1. 21.1“Play Again?”
  2. > Lesson Instructions
  3. > Reset the Global Variables.
  4. 21.2A Better “Game Start”
  5. 21.3Integrating Multiple Languages??
  6. 21.4Importing Language.json …
  7. 21.5Don’t tell me … Show Me!
  8. How Languages Got Their Directionality by Steph Koyfman April 28, 2021
  9. Right-To-Left Languages
  10. Top-To-Bottom Languages
  11. Content languages market position report.
  12. Compare Who uses the Internet as compared to their language.
  13. 21.6Main Menu as a “Picture Gallery”?
  14. 21.7“Levels & Campaigns” Layout
  15. 21.8“Create Your Own Adventures” (CYOA)
  16. 21.9Mobile User Interfaces — placement & size
  17. > Touch & Mouse Controls
  18. “Dynamically Detecting Gamer Inputs”

22Lesson 10: Quests & Chance Encounters

  1. 22.1Inserting Chance Encounters
  2. 22.2Inserting new Quests
  3. 22.3Saving & Loading Game Sessions & Scores
  4. VStarting Your Own Game Studio!

23Lesson 11: One “GM” to Rule them all …

24Lesson 12 Capstone: Exchanging Artwork

  1. D.R.Y. Speed Limit — 5 GPH (Games Per Hour)!
  2. 24.1Dynamically Generated Background Stories
  3. 24.2RPG “Back-end” Generation Tools
  4. 24.3Alchemist’s Apprentice™
  5. 24.4Agents from U.N.C.L.E.™
  6. 24.5Derelict Space Hulks™ — Single Player/Multiple Avatars
  7. 24.6Epic Battles — Project #1
  8. 24.7CYOA Strategic Map Quests
  9. 24.83D Castles, Dungeons, Lairs, Ruins, & Spaceships
  10. > Soldier’s Test™
  11. VIWhat’s next?
  12. “How to publish a game on the web??”

25Game Distribution & Marketing

  1. 25.1Introduction: 8-Step Deployment Method.
  2. FGL.com
  3. 25.2Port to a Console
  4. 25.3Selling Directly — The Advantages
  5. Shareably (SBLY) looking to rent your games
  6. 25.4Book Review Protocol
  7. 25.5Tell the world about your game!

26Conclusion

27Bonus Development Content

  1. 27.1Certification Examination
  2. Appendix

More Resources …

  1. “You don’t know JS Yet” by Kyle Simpson
  2. Construct Demo Tutorials

Appendix: Game Developer Tool Kits

  1. Artwork Resources
  2. Selling your Game Artwork & Assets
  3. JavaScript Garden

Additional Appendices

Appendix: Making 3D & WebXR Games!

Appendix: “How to Start a WebSocket”

  1. Testing Your Browser
  2. Test sites:
  3. WebSocket Protocol Handshake
  4. > Deeper Dive: WebSocket API
  5. Sample Source Code: Client-side WebSocket
  6. >Step #1: Game index page
  7. >Step #2: Generate Event handlers
  8. Appendix 2 — Back-end Systems
  9. Game Services (Back-end)
  10. Server-side Frameworks — the CMS
  11. Production release version.
  12. CodeIgniter & Construct as an Integrated CMS
  13. Learn CodeIgniter v3.x (CI3) a Step-at-a-Time
  14. Recipe for a “CodeIgniter v3.x (CI3) CMS”
  15. Creating a CodeIgniter (CI3) CMS
  16. > Deeper Dive: Authentication Systems using "Ion Auth" with CI3
  17. > Deeper Dive: Building a Fat-Free Framework (F3) for CI3
  18. Fat-Free Framework Tutorials
  19. Appendix: Safe JavaScript Using OLOO
  20. JS Objects: “TL;DR”
  21. 15.2.2 Inside the body of a class definition
  22. Deeper Dive: JS Delegation (aka “Inheritance”?)
  23. The old way
  24. “Object-Oriented JavaScript Pattern Comparison”
  25. ECMA-262 7th Edition / June 2016
  26. Objects Linking to Other Objects (OLOO)
  27. Compare your code
  28. Object.create
  29. Exercise Lesson 9:
  30. Exercise 1
  31. Game Singletons
  32. Deeper Dive: Object Manipulation objects in ES5/6
  33. Lesson Summary
  34. Resource References:

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