Working Together on Projects in MakeCode Arcade (Advanced)
Sometimes, students want to work together to create something epic in Microsoft MakeCode Arcade. While we don’t have the ability to co-edit in real time from multiple computers, we do have quite a few features that make it possible to collaborate on something special.
If you want to see some amazing methods in action, look no further than our Stream Team, building games live together on Twitch (almost) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1pm PST. Past videos can be found on the MakeCode YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@MicrosoftMakeCode).
Here are some of the top techniques used when building Arcade games with multiple people:
1) Work Together Live
If everyone is in the same room, you can utilize the steps from my first collaboration blog story, and try Pair Programming. Pair Programming is when multiple people sit at the same computer to work on the same project and one “drives” while the other one “navigates.”
The driver will control the mouse, do the typing, and decide which element of the program is being worked on at any given time. The navigator will think through problems, make suggestions, and help problem-solve along the way.
2) Work from a shared document
If multiple people *all* want to be drivers (and are familiar with JavaScript or Python) then it’s possible to divide and conquer. For the most simple experience, the team can decide which elements need to be coded and agree upon functions that each person will work on. This method works best if everyone keeps their functions nice an modular and is very clear on the input and output for each procedure.
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When each function is ready to go, it can be placed into a shared document to be copied into the main program when the coder is ready.
3) Use Extensions
If your group is not comfortable with text-coding or you’re not working at the same time OR in the same place, you might consider using extensions. Extensions allow you to share your code by importing someone else’s project directly into your codebase. Extensions are very easy to both add and delete (if you’re comfortable switching into text coding for a few seconds) which means changes are fairly simple to make.
You can also use this method to share images across projects. If your group has an artist, they can make all of their sprites in one project and share that link as an extension for the programmer to import. It really is that easy!
4) Use GitHub
If you have access to GitHub and you want to make it even easier for multiple people to update the same project, try creating extensions and uploading them to a GitHub repo. This will allow the main programmer to connect all of the extensions initially, then when other programmers change their code, the main programmer can simply update the affected extension and they’ll have any changes instantly!
Using these key features, people can easily collaborate on games from their own computers without interrupting anyone’s flow or stepping on their code.
Give it a try and see what your team can come up with when working together!
