I just finished my first “game” using Sploder.  I suppose it is almost identical to most “first” Sploder games.  It includes a massive, intricate playfield, and some randomly placed obstacles and pick-ups.  You can play it below:

Making a game in Sploder is very easy.  It includes a very intuitive playfield designer that a lot like the polygon creator in Flash.  The basic playfield contains about a dozen “points”.  You can pull and move those points to re-shape the playfield.  As well, you can click on any line, and new point will be created that you can use to further modify the playfield.

After making your playfield, you then drop objects into it.  The objects fall into 4 basic categories: enemies, power-ups, obstacles and collectibles.   If you add a collectible to the game, it instantly changes your game into a “collection” type from a basic shooter.   When you are done, you can save your game, test it out, or publish it.  You can also get code to embed it in your site (like above).

The design of Sploder is simple, yet elegant.  It is true that right now Sploder is more like a “level editor” than a “game designer”, but it does show a lot of promise.   There was one object that I avoided in my first game that I plan to base a future game around: the magnet.  It seems to me that the magnet, coupled with a unique playfield, could be used to create some very interesting effects.  Also, the collectbiles, coupled with the invincibility power-ups could be used to create a version of Sploder Pac-Man.  I may just try that one next…