Your First Playable Game on iPad: A Beginner Guide

Your first iPad game should teach you how a game loop works. It does not need several levels, a detailed story, or finished art.

This beginner project uses one input and one objective: tap to move a character upward, collect three stars, and restart after touching a hazard. You will use Scenes, Objects, Attributes, UI, and Behaviors in hyperPad, then test the complete loop on iPad.

What you will build

The first version needs seven parts:

The rule is simple: collect all three stars without touching the hazard.

Step 1: Create the Scene

Create a Project and open its first Scene. Scenes contain the Objects and logic for each playable part of your game.

Add a background, the player, three star Objects, and one hazard. Use simple shapes or placeholder graphics. Placeholder art keeps the first test focused on rules and controls.

Place the player near the bottom of the screen. Arrange the stars so the player must move to collect them. Put the hazard where it creates a decision without blocking the entire route.

Step 2: Store the game state

Add an invisible controller Object. In its Object Attributes, create:

• score with a starting value of 0
• targetScore with a starting value of 3
• gameOver with a starting value of false

State is information the game needs to remember. The score changes during play. The target stays fixed. The game-over value prevents input or scoring after the round ends.

Add a label to the UI layer and set its starting text to Stars: 0/3.

Step 3: Connect the input

Add a touch area that covers the part of the screen where the player can tap. Connect Started Touching to Set Velocity on the player.

Set the vertical value high enough to create a clear movement, then test it. The exact value depends on the player’s physics settings and the feel you want.

Before adding more logic, check:

• one tap creates one predictable response
• the player remains visible
• repeated taps do not make control impossible
• the player can reach all three stars

This input-to-action connection is the first complete piece of programming logic in the Project.

Step 4: Collect a star

Use Collision Event to detect contact between the player and a star.

Connect the collection flow in this order:

1. Check that gameOver is false.
2. Read score with Get Attribute.
3. Add one to the value.
4. Save it with Set Attribute.
5. Update the score label with Set Label.
6. Remove or disable the collected star.

Test one star first. Confirm that it scores only once. Then apply the working pattern to the other stars.

Step 5: Check the win condition

After updating the score, use an If Behavior to compare score with targetScore.

When both values match:

• set gameOver to true
• show a result overlay
• display a short completion message
• enable the replay control

The condition matters because collecting a star and winning are not the same event. The score changes after every collection, while the win happens only when the target is reached.

Step 6: Add the failure condition

Add another Collision Event for the player and hazard.

When they touch:

1. Confirm that gameOver is false.
2. Set gameOver to true.
3. Show the result overlay.
4. Display a retry message.

Use different visual or sound feedback for winning and failing. The player should understand the outcome immediately.

The Overlays guide explains how a transparent Scene can sit above gameplay for a result or pause menu.

Step 7: Reset every changed value

A replay is complete only when the whole game returns to its starting state.

Verify that replay restores:

• player position
• all three stars
• score to 0
• gameOver to false
• the label to Stars: 0/3
• the result overlay to its closed state

Test this sequence: win, replay, hit the hazard, replay, then win again. If every round behaves the same way, the reset is dependable.

Step 8: Replace placeholders carefully

Once the game loop works, replace the placeholder graphics one group at a time.

Import art and audio through the Asset Library. After replacing each Object, recheck its size, anchor point, collision shape, and position. New artwork can change how a collision feels even when the Behavior logic stays the same.

Use assets you created or have permission to use.

Step 9: Ask someone to play without instructions

Give the Project to another person and watch the first attempt. Do not explain the controls unless they cannot begin.

Look for evidence:

• Do they know where to tap?
• Do they see that a star was collected?
• Can they read the score?
• Do they understand the hazard?
• Can they replay without help?

Change the game based on what the player does, not what you expected them to do.

You can share a test version through the hyperPad Hub and use the Forum to discuss a specific design or Behavior problem.

What this first Project teaches

This small game includes the core parts of a larger production:

• input triggers an action
• collision creates an event
• Attributes store state
• a condition checks progress
• UI communicates change
• an overlay handles the result
• reset logic creates another playable round

Finish this loop before adding another level. A reliable one-screen game will teach you more than a large unfinished plan, and it gives you a working base for your next mechanic.