| Characters
| In Power Game Factory, Character is a loose term applying to any entity with complex behavior or properties. For example, an enemy soldier is obviously a character, but so too is a wooden crate that can be stood on, that can also slide down a slope and shatter upon being hit by gunfire. The similarities between the two include the existence of physical properties such as mass and volume. The differences between the two (besides differences in appearance) lie largely in the extent to which they can control their own behavior. Characters are usually placed in specific locations within a level by the game designer, but once the game begins they are allowed to move freely and behave in accordance with the physical and behavioral properties of the character type to which they are associated. The concepts of character types and character sets are described below. The linked headings connect to pages summarizing the properties of character types and character sets.
Character Types | Both the enemy soldier and the inanimate yet physically sophisticated wooden crate exist in a level as characters, which are themselves based on overarching character types. It is possible to have many different characters in a level that are all based on the same character type (for example there could be a character type called "Enemy Solider"). Every character that is based on the Enemy Soldier type would share certain properties that determine their behavior and physical limitations; for example they would all have the same maximum speed and they could all jump to the same height. This makes it easier to populate a level with many enemies ("Soldier 1", "Soldier 2", "Soldier 3", etc.), all of whom look and act the same, without having to recreate every aspect of each character from scratch.
Character Sets | Certain aspects of a character are further generalized by an overarching Character Set, which determines, among other things, a character's appearance and sounds. It is possible for a single character set to provide the graphics and sound effects used by several character types.
| To summarize, a character in a level, "Soldier 1", could be a character of the "Enemy Soldier" type. Further, all characters of the "Enemy Soldier" character type use graphics and sound effects from the same character set, for example the "Soldier Set." (There could also be a "Friendly Soldier" character type using graphics and sound effects from the Soldier Set, but with properties dictating nonviolent behavior.) The several tiers of character data make it possible to create large numbers of characters in a game while limiting potentially tedious aspects of the character creation process, such as animation and behavioral design. Information on creating character types and character sets is available in the Character Creation section. Characters may be added to levels and manipulated as described in the Adding Level Objects and Level Object Manipulation sections.