Build your first theme and course in the Theme Workshop
Build your first theme and course in the Theme Workshop Path Protocol is an open-source browser precision game — 100 levels, MIT licensed. But the part I'm most excited for people to try is the Theme Workshop : a built-in editor for creating your own themes and courses. This tutorial walks you through creating your first theme + course from start to finish and publishing it. No prior game-dev…
The Theme Workshop Path Protocol is an open-source browser game featuring 100 levels and an MIT license. However, the most exciting feature is the built-in Theme Workshop editor. This tutorial explains how to create your first theme and course from scratch and publish it. No prior game development experience is necessary.
1. To begin, register and log in to the Theme Workshop. Upon first use, you are prompted to select an official campaign or an enabled public theme to serve as your starting point.
2. Next, create a demo theme and level by selecting the "Create demo theme and level" option. This action clones the default campaign and appends a showcase hole. "Cloned" means that only the level's JSON file is copied, not the visual assets. It's crucial to note that the game maintains collision geometry and presentation separately.
3. Edit the course within the editor, which operates on a 10-unit grid in a 1600 × 900 logical world. Resize objects by dragging their edge or corner handles. Right-click (or Shift+F10) to access image, sound, and JSON actions. Add obstacles using the Kenney Course Builder palette, which includes fairway, green, ramp, and hazard templates. You can reshape these objects after placement. Set the arena boundary to a rounded rectangle, ellipse, or polygon.
4. Assign visual elements by selecting a GLB model from the 126-model Kenney Minigolf catalog. Note that the geometry remains JSON-owned, while the model is solely for presentation purposes. Replace an object's image or sound using the media browser, which supports recursive folders, search, preview, and provenance.
5. Before a level is accepted, it undergoes schema validation and generated-course gameplay checks. Invalid levels are rejected, ensuring community content remains safe and consistent. Fix any issues flagged by the validator and save your changes.
6. Playtest your level to observe the token-center trail. This visual representation shows the actual collision path your ball takes, providing the ground truth for how the course performs.
7. Finally, publish and share your completed theme as a public theme. A moderation system is in place, while the default campaign remains read-only. Once published, copy the link and share it with the community. The author encourages others to build their own courses and share them by dropping the link in the comments.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
