How to Put Scratch Games on Game Jolt


Hey guys! Ever thought about monetizing your games? You can upload your Scratch games on Game Jolt, an indie game platform, and people can buy your games. (Note: Game Jolt currently only allows games. Other types of projects are no allowed.)

An old Scratch user, OmnipotentPotato, created a topic on Game Jolt about how to upload your game. However, you first have to make sure you have a text file program on your computer that can save as a ".html"; most computers with Windows 8 or higher have it.

Click here to see the tutorial post.

~ScratchStang



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Mass Interview: Inspiration


I posted "How do you get ideas for projects?" on my profile and the previous interview. Here are the responses! :)


I don't have a quote for this mass interview because I recently wrote a post on how to get ideas. Click here to read it!

"Getting ideas for projects is actually quite hard, even if I'm the guy who gets inspiration from nearly everything. For games, just backgrounds, environments etc. For animations, music, lyrics, my own feelings, when I'm on the Internet etc. Usually I don't even know where I get these ideas from, like you see something and it triggers an idea from your subconsciousness?"
@cl0450

"Helping around and shop requests, but I also find a guide on the Raspberry Pi website and use it with my pi."
@banana439monkey

"I get ideas from the community around me and everyday life. What I really enjoy is when I get a totally random idea and just need to start working on it."
@Wahsp

"I really get ideas from scratchers who do cool things! A simple project such as, a chicken shooter, may give me great ideas! Just scratchers in general may give me ideas too! If I was to go to Driftersheep's profile, I would get good pixel ideas! If I were to go to Dragofish's I would get castle ideas."
@Vilix

"I get ideas by looking at popular games on the app store and seeing if I could make a similar game. If that does not work, I see what is popular on Scratch and plan my next game around it. Also, in my everyday life, I look around and see if I can find any new material for a game. Bouncing your idea off other Scratchers also helps..."
@RacingHans

"I get ideas by lots of things. Let's see, books, ads, real-life games, and lots of others. Sometime it's art that pops in my head, sometimes it's a game, and sometimes it's an animation."
@ Helveticaz 

"I have no idea how I get ideas. Maybe I can make an idea machine that thinks up ideas for the idea-less. Now there's an idea. (Reading and drawing a lot and generally just having an active imagination is great, but if you aren't naturally disposed toward that, try this: http://www.insanityjam.com/idea/ )"
@-TotallyEpic- 
Note: The link is really, really cool.

"I get ideas many ways. I can get ideas by thinking about what has happened to me, or some projects on Scratch I saw or made, or comments in projects."
@sushi77 

"I get ideas either from looking at other projects, or when something just pops into my mind."
@JBGT (@Tildo)

"I get ideas when I think about events in real life, or when I see a game I really like. I ask myself; "Is there a way to make it even better?" and make it. But, I never seem to finish it."
@EinsteinFans123

Thank you everyone who participated! We had a lot less respondents this time because I didn't ask around the community. However, I hope you all enjoyed reading this. If you have another method, feel free to comment below!

Thanks for reading, scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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Flat Design


Flat design is a cool design style so here's a quick overview of it.

According to Wikipedia:
"Flat design is a style of interface design emphasizing minimum use of stylistic elements that give the illusion of three dimensions (such as the use of drop shadows, gradients or textures) and is focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors."
In people-talk it's flat, generally simple and has no ambient shadows. Shadows have a gradient (they fade from one color to another) or are hard (a solid color). Flat design is useful because it removes all the clutter and cuts to the chase. It efficiently conveys info and looks great, too.

Here's some examples of flat design.


Flat design is commonly used in icons and logos.


It also looks great on websites.


In addition, it can be applied to games!


Thanks for reading! I hope this provided helpful insight or sparked your interest in flat design. Scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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How to Get Ideas for Projects


Run out of ideas for projects? Here's five tips to naturally think of creative ideas.

1. Fix a Problem
Had an annoying problem that you want to fix? You can make a funny animation about it if others can relate or remake it to show how to fix the problem. For example, one day I had the urge to play Minecraft but it kept crashing on me so I tried remaking it and ended up with a 3D building project.

2. What if?
Ever had any crazy ideas you wanted to share with the world? Now you can!

3. Challenge yourself
Instead of a boring old one-leveled fighting game why not make one with ten levels? Or fifty? A hundred? Challenge yourself to make epic, large-scale projects you'll be proud of. Or, if you see something you think is cool, like an OS, you can challenge yourself to make one but in your own style.


4. Dreams
Dreams can provide crazy ideas your conscious mind wouldn't have thought of.

5. Try something new
Try playing a new game, a new art style or activity. Sitting around purposely trying to force out ideas doesn't work well. Let the ideas come naturally. A new experience might just inspire your next great project idea! However, sometimes ideas can come from old things too, like favorite childhood toy or activity.

Also, Orteil's Game Idea Generator is a great website too! Check it out here.

Remember, it's fine if your project strays from the original plan. You might have to change some parts to fit and it might turn out better than expected!

How do you get ideas for project and what are your ideas? Comment below!

Thanks for reading, scratch on!

—Stang

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My Scratch 2 Week Break


What's it like to take a two-week, self-imposed break from an addiction?

Recently I took a two week break from Scratch to focus on school since final exams were right around the corner. At first I had a lot of trouble staying off Scratch. For the first few days, I still browsed around since the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) was really getting to me but I managed to restrain myself from commenting. After not being present on the site for a few days, I began to care less in a good way. I realized every petty thing isn't important. Despite minimal browsing and thinking about it, I stayed off Scratch for the next few weeks. Near the end, when I knew school was ending, I actually "sneaked" on (even though it was self-imposed) and animated a few things.

It was interesting to take a step back and see how the community was as a whole when I wasn't focused on replying to messages or merely what people I was following or close to were doing. This part is kind of self-centered but it was also interesting seeing who came back to visit my profile or say they missed me. (I wrote that I was busy on my What I'm Working On.)

To be honest, despite missing the community, it was nice to get this new experience. Unless you're super-humanly appreciative, doing the same thing over and over get tedious over time and you develop an immunity to the joys or woes it brings. Two weeks isn't that long so I returned to my original routine pretty quick but it was new and maybe even eye-opening.

Taking the break also gave me more time to think. On Scratch I felt a pressure to force out a new, creative project every week. Some weeks I had ideas. Some I didn't. (Thankfully I make one or two projects ahead of time, shhhh....) On my break, I didn't feel the pressure and ideas came naturally. They're very different from what I usually make but that's alright. I'm open to change. I just hope everyone else enjoys it too; I recently got into animating and, feeling comfortable with making games, decided to focus my attention and motivation on something new. I came up with some OCs which I got pretty carried away with and developed personalities, names, fears, likes, personalities and secrets. So watch out for an upcoming series. As you'll see soon, they're pretty detailed so I might turn them into comics or short animations.

I've taken a few breaks before this but none as long. All in all it was a new experience that paid off in the end. (The exams went very well.)

Anyway, thanks for reading! Stay tuned and scratch on!

—Stang

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Live Streaming TV


Hey everyone, I released my new project, Live Streaming TV! It's a collaboration with Geocashing and 8 other animators. The same animation shows up on every single device playing the project at the same time.

Click here to check it out!

—Stang
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Mass Interview: Biggest Scratch Goal


Here is the next installment of the Mass Interview Series! Numerous Scratchers shared their biggest goal on Scratch, which ranged from being featured to inspiring others.
Here are over thirty quotes.

"My biggest goal? Hmm that's a hard question, considering that I'll always be improving and moving forward, finding new goals to reach. My biggest goal on Scratch is probably to have such a large impact on the community that I will be remembered positively for a long time. I want to inspire others and bring joy to their lives. I want to be the reason why someone joined, decided to learn programming or try something new. I want to do something big. I want to positively influence numerous lives."
@ScratchStang

"My biggest goal in Scratch is to inspire as many people as I can. That may sound a little cheesy, but I believe that if I inspire one person to create a great project then they may inspire other people who inspire other people and so on. Anyone can create an amazing project if they just have the inspiration to do it. Anyway, that's my biggest goal on Scratch"
@CloudySkies

"Getting featured would be great but it's not about the amount of views or followers I amass. I think a lot of people forget that scratch was created not as a popularity site as whoever has the most amount of followers is the most respected and the best. It was created to give the feeling I can make anything that anyone else on this website can make if I put my time and effort into this. Now it might take a couple of tries (Look at my projects how they have evolved my first one is so bad lol). My goal on scratch has already been reached honestly. To make peoples eyes go wide and know that I amazed or inspired someone is great! That person might have clicked see inside and from that understood and learned and is now off and making there own games. It is a great feeling a hard one to describe but yeah to say what are my goals that is about it."
@EJTgames

"Hmm...well, to be honest, I don't exactly have a big "goal" for scratch? I really just wanna make funny little videos (and sometimes AMV's or more serious ones) and post my art and stuff, and once the time comes later on, I hope to go on to art college and once that happens I don't know if I'll have time for scratch anymore...although scratch is really special to me, so hopefully I'll find a way where I'll have time to keep doing it...I don't know..."
@PlZZAZZ

"My biggest goal in programming is to create a fully functional artificial intelligence with a slick interface and cute vector design. I've already been featured but still I have hopes of one day making an Artificial intelligence."
@Chameleon20

"My biggest goal is to be happy and helpful on Scratch. I like to try and make Scratch a better place to be."
@syang19

"My biggest goal in Scratch is to become an FPC and to get an episode of The Wand featured! And to become a front page curator, or get featured. Something like that."
@D_i_a_v_l_o

"I first saw Scratch browsing on the internet. It was 2 years ago. I found some people named "scratchU8" and "WazzoTV". They were my inspirations. After 2 or 1 year(s) of looking at projects, I wanted to make my own! Soon, StoneHedgehog15 was born. I was on scratch for 7 months. After having 365 projects, I wanted to change my name and stuff. That's when I came in. I haven't shared as much as my old account, but I'm still a old pro. That's my Scratch story."
@-_Thunder_-

"My biggest goal in programming is...well either to make an iOS game/app (that'll hopefully go viral...? Ok, never mind) and a DAW that'll be cheap, easy to use and professional."
@Tildo

"For Scratch I just wanna have fun, for programming, I wanna make some game I have come up with already that Scratch probably cant handle (cause they're 1st person 3D and stuff)."
@djherm2

"My goal in Scratch Programming is to get better!"
@makethebrainhappy

"To be as good as my mentors, You, Griffpatch, Ceebee, etc, etc."
@frenchornboy

"Yeah... just one, err... Top Loves."
@A-KouZ1

"I create many different projects in scratch but mostly in the form of drawings and my main goal is to make people smile with them. I draw things as gift to people I love, to show my appreciation, and giving inspiration for others. In short, my goal is to spread happiness in scratch as scratch gave me the happiness to express my feelings."
@Rosyda

"I would love getting featured or becoming an SDS curator, but that's not my biggest goal on Scratch. My biggest goal on Scratch is to inspire other scratchers to program and be proud of their work. Another big goal of mine is to have 1000+ followers, because that shows how much my hard work has payed off. Overall, I would like to be a role-model for other scratchers and to have 1000+ followers."
@SimplyUnliked

"I started scratch nearly 3 years ago with the help of @LionScratch- and made an account called @JacobLOLZ44. I then switched to a different account; @BananaMan444TV- and then I really changed. My art improved drastically, and I was very happy with my take on Scratch there. But then I moved again- to this account. I made a few animations, and then at 300 followers- without saying anything- I left. For over a year. ......... Then I decided to come back- and I re-shared a project that I had started before I left; Oreo. I finished the project- and had it up for a few days. Then- a couple people said "this is featured" and at the time I didn't know what that meant, but then I go onto the Scratch homepage- AND THERE IT IS! MESSAGES COME IN LIKE CRAZY - AND IT ULTIMATELY REACHES 10000+ FAVORITES!!! So I would say that is my biggest accomplishment on Scratch- getting Oreo featured. The rest is just project making history."
@FunnyAnimatorJimTV

"To get prepared for my future career as a computer programmer!"
@fireaction2001

"My biggest goal; personality: gentle, helpful, respectable; model: ScratchStang. Programming: 3D image, a nice long adventure game, etc. Model: ScratchStang. I'm not kidding."
@EinsteinFans123

"Leveling up my computer programming skills. That's now a bit now leaning to learn lots about Scratch, and give it back to Scratchers. (via the forums)"
@Econinja

"My biggest goal on Scratch is to meet as many people as possible, and I love working in the SDS so being a curator would be amazing."
@ellielocks

"My biggest goal would be to become a SDS Curator and a FPC."
@rainbow_waves

"To meet people on Scratch and become a senpai/mentor for someone. To someday become an SDS curator."
@Starflyer

"Become FPC!"
@-Coralreef-

"My biggest goal is to become Front Page Curator! I've actually applied 3+ times, so it's really important for me."
@cs96871

"My biggest goal on scratch is to be like Griffpatch and as boss as you! I would like to be like you and Griffpatch because all those followers would inspire me to make more interesting projects! I would also like to be a part of the Scratch Team because I have never been on a team for scratch before. But it would also be cool if I could be featured though! My 1 big goal in Scratch is to get 50 followers! 37 to go!"
@wghenry

"My biggest goal on scratch is to become as good as you (ScratchStang) and Unrealisation. I'm preparing for a future programming career, I already take camps. I have gone to MSU, Hope college, and this summer I'm going to university of Michigan for a java scripting camp."
@TylerHosman

"My biggest goal has to be having my animations be recognized enough in order to be used as an inspiration to other people."
@Jabox

"Probably earning enough experience with animation to earn me a well-paying job later on in my life."
@BIazeheart

"I'd have to say getting to be an SDS curator, or maybe helping out in the community some other way."
@SquiggleStudios

"Well, I guess my biggest goal on Scratch would probably be to just inspire those around me and keep the site together, I guess! Cheesy as it sounds, that's all I've really wanted to do!"
@XxwarriorwolfgirlxX

"My biggest goal... probably getting featured, as long as it's a project I'm really proud of and want people to see."
@Paperclips


Thanks everyone for participating! These goals are all amazing and will inspire us and many others to learn and scratch on.

If you haven't been interviewed twice yet, feel free to participate in the next one! Just answer:
How do you get ideas for projects?
You can answer it in the comments below (please say your username) or on my Scratch profile. Check out the series page for past interviews!

Thanks for reading, scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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Speed Coding: Cortex


Here's my first real video, Speed Coding: Cortex. It's the first in the Speed Coding series and upcoming videos will be relatively similar to it.

Click here to play Cortex!


I made some basic things before recording it (to make sure it was going to become an actual game) and some minor things in the middle so you don't see everything. By the way, I stole some script from my other game, Last, at around 6:45 haha. I actually made this game before Last except for minor changes.

If you have any questions about the code, let me know! I'd gladly explain it to you.

I might make an intro but for now, there's only a short outro for now.

Please support me by subscribing, sharing and liking it. Comments are appreciated too! Also, thanks everyone for 24 subs and over 100 views in less than a week! I'm amazed that my channel has gone so far so fast :)

~ScratchStang
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Pros and Cons of Moving Accounts


Here are the pros and cons of moving accounts.

Pros:
  1. Fresh new start
  2. If you had too many followers to be curated, now you have a chance to get curated again, plus your followers will come back too
  3. Honestly not much else; this post is pretty biased since I don't like it
Cons:
  1. Annoying
  2. You lose a lot of followers because some may be inactive
  3. Annoying
  4. We don't like it
  5. Just don't do it
Haha, okay seriously don't move accounts.

—Stang
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How to: Previous Costume



Many people have been asking the Scratch Team to create a previous costume block or drop-down menu option but they have not created it. Why? Because it can be solved using just two additional blocks.

Just do this:


If you can not read it because you translated the page or due to other reasons, it is [switch costume to (costume # - 1)].

Thanks to @DadOfMrLog for discovering/publicizing the method!

Hope that was helpful, thanks for reading and scratch on!

—Stang

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Things We Can Learn From: Fantage


Fantage is a multiplayer role-playing virtual world containing a range of online games and activities; players can customize their avatars from hair color to clothes and explore a town-like virtual world.

One of my favorite things about Fantage is that the game designers discovered a way to get around animating legs; they used hover-boards. This saves time, effort and adds a unique twist to the game. (I'm pretty lazy haha.)


I like the social aspect of the game; most people get really into Fantage because they can talk to friends and meet people. 

However, it takes forever to earn money and everything is expensive. Honestly people just ended up buying money (with real money, which is great for the company but most likely won't attract new players). They left out the "fun" factor in collecting items. Some may say that it is enjoyable because you play mini-games to earn money but after the 20th round I just can't bear it. 
They can solve this by either making games give you more money, lowering item prices or creating new "stores" that sell new objects for a cheaper price so beginners can buy small things before they get really into the game and decide to put in the effort to buy expensive things. 

Imagine playing Connect Four twenty times in a row with a computer. Not fun.


Another thing is that non-members can barely do anything. This, like how money is hard to earn, may discourage new players. Non-members are actually very important in social games; they may invite their friends to play who may buy the membership and therefore help the company earn money. This part isn't for Scratch games, however, since you can't earn money. 

To wrap up this post, the main lessons your can learn and apply to your games are: 
  1. Find cool ways to get around animating legs. (For lazy people like me haha, plus it reduces lag.)
  2. Social aspects of games are very important.
  3. Don't forget about the fun factor! Make sure goals aren't too hard or easy to reach.
If you have anything additional to say about Fantage, feel free to comment below! I only played Fantage for roughly a week so I didn't cover everything. 

Thanks for reading, scratch on!

—Stang

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Make Free GIFs, No Watermark


Numerous GIF creating websites leave a distasteful watermark in the corner and many programs that don't leave one may cost money.

I found a great website for making GIFs for free without a watermark! It's called GIF Creator. Click here to go to it.

Also, the program LiceCap can turn short recordings into GIFs which is very useful for game previews, as seen on the Games page of this website. Click here for a website to download it from.

Both programs are very useful. For example, if you want to make post-recording modifications to your LiceCap GIF, you can insert it into GIF Creator and edit it there.

—Stang

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Intro to Javascript


Welcome to the first lesson of Javascript! Today you'll learn how to draw shapes.

Don't know what Javascript is? Read this first.

Below are a list of shapes and the code for them. The things inside the parenthesis are represented by letters. Here's what they mean:
  • x = x coordinate of center
  • x1, x2, x3 = multiple x coordinates of points
  • y = y coordinate of center
  • y1, y2, y3 = multiple y coordinates of points
  • w = width
  • h = height
Rectangle
rect(x, y, w, h);

Ellipse
rect(x, y, w, h);

Tirangle
triangle(x1, y1, x2, y2, x3, y3);

Line
line(x1, y1, x2, y2);

Point
point(x, y);

Arc (start and stop are the angle measures of the start and end of the line)
arc(x, y, w, h, start, stop);

Bezier (see explanation below)
bezier(x1, y1, cx1, cy1, cx2, cy2, x2, y2);
A bezier is one of the most complex shapes so here's some explanations. 
The bezier is the curved shape below. It is like an arc but it isn't always in a circular shape. I added in some lines to help you visualize what the variables mean; "x1 and y1" are the start points of the line; "x2 and y2" are the endpoints; "cx1 and cy1" determine how slanted the curve will be (it basically controls the area boxed in the image below); "cx2 and cy2" determine the sharpness of the arc. 


Quadrilateral
quad(x1, y1, x2, y2, x3, y3, x4, y4)

Go here to test out your skills! (Remember to substitute numbers for the variables.)

Click here for the first Java post. (Including my first "game" in Java.) See future lessons on the Series page.

I hope that was helpful! In the nest lesson I will teach you animation. Scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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Mass Interview: Why Did You Join Scratch?


Ever wondered how Scratch got more than ten million users? More than 30 Scratchers answered why they joined Scratch.


"My story about why I joined Scratch goes back pretty far. About 5 years ago, I started playing a game called Animal Jam. I hate to say this but I got, well, addicted. I loved it so much I wanted to make a game similar to it. I did some research and discovered that I costs way too much to buy a program that can run multiple multiplayer servers. However, someone I'm very close to in real life knew I wanted to make a game so that person introduced me to Scratch. At first I just played games but when I decided to make my first game, I made an account to share it and so that's how I got on Scratch."
@ScratchStang

"I joined Scratch because I joined a Summer Camp about Scratch. I was interested about Scratch, I tried it, and I loved it. That's why I am here."
@syang19

"I joined Scratch because my friend was using it and I wanted to know what it was and how to use it. I used it for school in the beginning, but then I started making my own projects."
@Chowm1

"Before I was in Scratch, I used to make games on Sploder. It was easy and okay, but I really wanted to "actually" script a game. Then my brother showed me this thing called Scratch and a game he made. I wanted to try and use it so I made an account and went to making a game! The problem was, it was so confusing to me! I never made a game, and my profile was empty for 2 years. Then just for fun in last November, I decided to make a game on Scratch. I actually took my time and learnt how to use the program. I decided to make more games after that, and that's pretty much how I joined Scratch!"
@applepiesleth

"Well, 5 years ago I was researching how to create games on YouTube and a appeared tutorial on Scratch. From there I went into the Scratch."
@lucasoanimador

"As a young kid, I always loved creating things. The first things I ever created on a computer were animations. However, I had no animation software, so I used Microsoft power point transitions to manipulate images. One day I sat down at my Dad's computer to open up power point when I noticed a new icon on his desktop: A funny looking cat. Being a curious kid, I clicked on it, and discovered Scratch! I looked up a few tutorials on YouTube, figured things out, and eventually made an account."
@PullJosh

"I knew it would help me on later when i move on to bigger things like java or python, but I have found great difficulty moving on cuz i made good friends and because Scratch is more FUN!"
@iRocket3

"I was hooked on Scratch almost immediately after my middle school sub teacher introduced it to me for our programming unit. I decided to join Scratch (the day before Scratch 2.0 was released) a few days since it was introduced to me, and the first project I created was featured in a featured studio - inspiring me to share more projects. On my first account, I usually worked on games or interactive projects - but then I considered trying something unique, such as making personality quizzes (which Scratchers like, apparently), hence the username. I enjoyed making them as well, and will probably continue to do so, knowing that my eager followers like them. Scratch expresses my creativity pretty well. And I'm happy to inspire many Scratchers to make personality quizzes as well."
@Personalities

"My Dad introduced it to me and I got really into it! It was a fun, engaging way to make games, friends and help out the community!"
@frenchornboy

"I joined Scratch because I saw it a while back and thought of it as a bad website, then I messed around with it and stuff, and it was fun, so I joined Scratch."
@djherm2

"I joined scratch because my brother just learned about it and my mom heard about it too."
@-TechCode-

"A long time ago, my brother had to use Scratch for his schoolwork, and so I saw him using it one day, and I've always been interested in how games worked, and I really wanted to make one. So I made an account, tried it out, and I loved it."
@Cypher56

"Sure, hmm I joined scratch, because I had this class called D&T and we were learning to make a Scratch project. It was fun and really like it, so I joined."
@TheKingaroo

"I was searching for Warrior cat games online when Scratch came up, so I clicked on it. I viewed a lot of AWESOME games, and I saw that if you were a member, you could make your own. That's when I decided to join, because I LOVE being creative."
@FirestarisTHEBEST

"My dad taught me it when I was 10, and I had always loved the idea of programming and making games. So I joined under @Tannerox777 a few years later. I moved to this account six months ago."
@Red-Cloud

"I joined scratch because I went to a summer camp where they introduced coding to me and I fell in love with it and made an account. Also, Scratch really has given me a place to express myself through art and games."
@robo9

"I joined Scratch because I heard about it in computer class and had wanted to give it a try. One day, I started making a game (called JumpShip... it was never shared) and had to make an account to save my progress. I threw in the username @KryptykProductions (inspired by my teacher's cat's name, Cryptic) and went with it."
@KryptykProductions

"I chose the name @TylerHosman because it's my real name. well my first and last name. I joined scratch because i was into programming but couldn't java script so I was recommended scratch from a friend. And now I'm addicted to it and program so much that my brain hurts."
@TylerHosman

"My mom found a book at the library called 'teaching your kids to code', or something like that, and she thought I might like it. She's not at all interested in computer stuff, so I just taught myself with it. It had a section about Scratch, so I tried it out and loved it instantly."
@Celestialstar

"I joined Scratch because we have a coding club at school. A couple years ago my classmates were playing Paper Minecraft ( @griffpatch's project), and before that I didn't know what Scratch was. Now I've been on scratch for almost a year, and I use scratch every time we have coding club."
@Turtle_Fanatic

"I joined Scratch thanks to @MistiqueLuna16 and @Eloquencee (who was on the account @sralewis at the time). They showed me the website in class. Also, our school's computer guy came in to the class one day to show us Scratch, and I was immediately interested."
@waffles66

"I joined Scratch because my math teacher assigned us a project where we had to make a math game. In the rubric, he listed Scratch as a site where we could do the project. I tried it, and got hooked, it was so fun making the game and playing other people's games."
@MLG_David

"I joined because I thought it was cool when coding was introduced in my school. I took it to a whole new level here."
@SpikePie

"I joined scratch because I wanted to make games to entertain people and have bragging rights that I knew how to 'code'."
@Smosher200

"I joined scratch because I wanted to learn to program and make cool stuff. I actually messed around with the offline editor for a long time before I actually made an account and started to share. It's been two years since then, and scratch has really helped me to think like a programmer."
@-TotallyEpic-

"I joined Scratch after the hour of code for school. I really wanted to learn how to program, and I thought Scratch was a great start."
@RoastedSquirrel64

"I first joined scratch on my first account 2 years ago for my new school'd curriculum. I never coded before, so Scratch was AWESOME! I loved it! I would spend my freetime on it, and I made a few accounts afterwards to make my own, no instructions, games."
@-Royale-

"I joined scratch because of my sister. She joined scratch because she was bored one day and she came across this wonderful website!"
@Altion

"My friend got me interested in computers in May of 2015. And when summer started, I had a lot of free time on my hands, so my mom signed me up for a free Scratch class at our local library. The rest is history."
@Mibli

"I joined scratch because I wanted to try something new. I thought it could really help me learn for the future and i wanted others to see that even if your young you can achieve great things. Also, I joined scratch because i love to work hard and i see my brother @Username132 work amazingly every day to pursue his dreams of a computer programmer and game designer. I wanted to do something special like my brother!"
@Yayme123552

"I joined Scratch because I'd seen my friends playing around with it a couple years before I joined. I'd had scratch 1.4 before that, but I just messed around with it and didn't really code anything. So one day I thought "Oh, I'm bored so I'll make a Scratch account!" It was really interesting after I learned how to code, and I've gotten much better at coding since I created my first account on Scratch."
@Influenzi

Thank you everyone who participated!
Want to be featured in the next interview? Answer this:
What is your biggest goal in Scratch or programming? (For example, making an app, working at Apple, getting featured and so on.)
Thanks for reading! Check out the Series page for more from the Mass Interview series. Click here to read the first one. If you don't want to comment your answer here, you can comment on the discussion page or my New Blog project. Scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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How to Make an "OS"


What is an OS and how do you make one? Here are all the basics for mimicking an OS.

Author's Note: This blog post will not teach you how to make a real Operating System! It will only teach you how to make a program that looks like and has the format of one. This blog post is outdated and was created during the OS-craze on a beginner's programming website called Scratch. 

An OS is an operating system that manages a computer. It lets you log in, organize programs and a lot of cool, useful things. Common operating systems include Windows and Mac.

A lot of people on Scratch like to make an OS because it is a great way to showcase design.
For example, here is Fiber OS 5.1 by N25Games.



For an example of a very basic OS, check out my project Orange OS.

A high-quality OS is:
  1. Easy to use and navigate
  2. Simplistic and clean graphics that contribute to the UI and UX
  3. Very useful and has multiple apps/programs (common programs include games, drawing, messaging, reading, searching, and music)
  4. Full of smooth transitions
The main features are the logo, loading screen, lock-screen and/or log in page and apps.


You can draw inspiration from any computer. Most will have decent design and transitions you can base yours off of.

Tips: Using real images (preferably blurred) as backgrounds make your OS look professional.

Here is a compilation of multiple great user interface examples. Notice how each section is clear and easy to use. Common symbols convey meaning without making the user read too much.



Basic apps commonly already downloaded on an operating system include Notes, Internet, Photos, Videos, Settings, Calculator, Time, and Calendar. Be creative and add your own apps as well, such as music or a game.

—Stang
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How to: Location Not Given


How to change your location to "Location Not Given" in under a minute. 

Click on your logo, then click on Account Settings. 


It'll bring you to the account tab. Your username and location will be displayed. 


Open the drop-down menu and click the first item, your current location. 


Click "Save my Changes" and the page should reload to show a blank location. If you go on your profile, it'll say "Location Not Given". 


Thanks for reading! Check out the tutorials page for more tutorials. Share to support and scratch on, bye!

~ScratchStang

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Being Interviewed by the Scratch Team


Recently I got interviewed by the Scratch Team.

One day, I got an alert on my profile. I've never gotten one prior to this so I didn't even know what alerts looked like, so if you don't know either, this is what it looks like:


I was chosen because I am very active in the Scratch community.

Anyway I followed the instructions and set up an interview. Instead of choosing to call or Skype them, I emailed a Scratch Team member my answers.

The questions included very personal things, such as who I am and how my school, friends and family views Scratch. It also dealt with what I do in the Scratch community, things I like or dislike, social interactions, how I discovered Scratch, learning processes, and general tech questions.

All of the interviewees' answers are anonymous and help the Scratch Team and people at MIT improve Scratch.

Thanks for reading! Share this post to support my blog and feel free to comment. Scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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How to Get Curated


Ever wondered how projects got curated on the front page and how to get yours up there? This post holds the answers to all of your questions!

First, someone applies to become a curator in the Front Page Curator studio by making a project showing why they want to become a curator and their project requirements.


In addition, they will create a studio showing what types of projects they will curate. Above is an example of a studio.

Once someone has been accepted by the Scratch Team to become a curator, you can ask them to consider curating your project. But first, you must check that your project and you meets all of the requirements; you can not have too many loves, favorites and followers.

To find out who the upcoming curators are, read the "About Me" section of @TheNextCurator.

Thanks for reading! Scratch on!

~ScratchStang

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Welcome


Hey there! I'm Stang, a teen programmer most well-known on Scratch as ScratchStang. I enjoy posting coding tutorials, updates on my games and various interesting topics.


My blog will reflect my interests, which are mainly programming, games, programming games, technology, design, art and some random fun stuff, like dogs with hats.

I hope you enjoy this blog! Feel free to leave a comment anytime; all feedback is appreciated.

 —Stang
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