pandemonium_engine_docs/getting_started/first_2d_game/02.player_scene.md

Creating the player scene
=========================

With the project settings in place, we can start working on the
player-controlled character.

The first scene will define the `Player` object. One of the benefits of
creating a separate Player scene is that we can test it separately, even before
we've created other parts of the game.

Node structure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To begin, we need to choose a root node for the player object. As a general
rule, a scene's root node should reflect the object's desired functionality -
what the object *is*. Click the "Other Node" button and add an `Area2D
( Area2D )` node to the scene.

![](img/add_node.png)

Godot will display a warning icon next to the node in the scene tree. You can
ignore it for now. We will address it later.

With `Area2D` we can detect objects that overlap or run into the player.
Change the node's name to `Player` by double-clicking on it. Now that we've
set the scene's root node, we can add additional nodes to give it more
functionality.

Before we add any children to the `Player` node, we want to make sure we don't
accidentally move or resize them by clicking on them. Select the node and click
the icon to the right of the lock; its tooltip says "Makes sure the object's
children are not selectable."

![](img/lock_children.png)

Save the scene. Click Scene -> Save, or press :kbd:`Ctrl + S` on Windows/Linux
or :kbd:`Cmd + S` on macOS.

Note:
 For this project, we will be following the Godot naming conventions.

          - **GDScript**: Classes (nodes) use PascalCase, variables and
            functions use snake_case, and constants use ALL_CAPS (See
            `doc_gdscript_styleguide`).

          - **C#**: Classes, export variables and methods use PascalCase,
            private fields use _camelCase, local variables and parameters use
            camelCase (See `doc_c_sharp_styleguide`). Be careful to type
            the method names precisely when connecting signals.


Sprite animation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click on the `Player` node and add an `AnimatedSprite
( AnimatedSprite )` node as a child. The `AnimatedSprite` will handle the
appearance and animations for our player. Notice that there is a warning symbol
next to the node. An `AnimatedSprite` requires a `SpriteFrames
( SpriteFrames )` resource, which is a list of the animations it can
display. To create one, find the `Frames` property in the Inspector and click
"[empty]" -> "New SpriteFrames". Click again to open the "SpriteFrames" panel:

![](img/spriteframes_panel.png)


On the left is a list of animations. Click the "default" one and rename it to
"walk". Then click the "New Animation" button to create a second animation named
"up". Find the player images in the "FileSystem" tab - they're in the `art`
folder you unzipped earlier. Drag the two images for each animation, named
`playerGrey_up[1/2]` and `playerGrey_walk[1/2]`, into the "Animation Frames"
side of the panel for the corresponding animation:

![](img/spriteframes_panel2.png)

The player images are a bit too large for the game window, so we need to scale
them down. Click on the `AnimatedSprite` node and set the `Scale` property
to `(0.5, 0.5)`. You can find it in the Inspector under the `Node2D`
heading.

![](img/player_scale.png)

Finally, add a `CollisionShape2D` as a child of
`Player`. This will determine the player's "hitbox", or the bounds of its
collision area. For this character, a `CapsuleShape2D` node gives the best
fit, so next to "Shape" in the Inspector, click "[empty]"" -> "New
CapsuleShape2D". Using the two size handles, resize the shape to cover the
sprite:

![](img/player_coll_shape.png)

When you're finished, your `Player` scene should look like this:

![](img/player_scene_nodes.png)

Make sure to save the scene again after these changes.

In the next part, we'll add a script to the player node to move and animate it.
Then, we'll set up collision detection to know when the player got hit by
something.