Taps, drags, holds, swipes, and several fingers at once: how a player controls your game on a phone.
Try each example, then copy the words under it and paste them to your AI. You can also send your AI the link to an example.
The simplest control there is, and the one every phone game starts with.
Tap anywhere in the example.
When the player taps anywhere, make a star appear where they tapped.
if (game.isPointerPressed()) {
const item = game.add(new ImageSprite(game, "star", game.pointerX, game.pointerY));
game.animateIntegrate(item);
}Tap the coin, then tap next to it.
Only count a point when the player taps the coin itself; if they miss, shake the coin.
if (game.isPointerPressedOverSprite(coin)) {
score += 1;
game.animatePulse(coin, 1.3, 200);
} else if (game.isPointerPressed()) {
game.animateShake(coin, 12, 250);
}Press and hold inside the example.
While the player holds a finger down, make the ball rise; when they let go, it falls.
if (game.isPointerDown()) {
ball.vy -= 1400 * dt;
}Controls where the finger moves, not only where it lands.
Drag the gem.
Let the player drag the gem around with a finger.
if (game.isPointerPressedOverSprite(gem)) dragging = true;
if (!game.isPointerDown()) dragging = false;
if (dragging) {
gem.x = game.pointerX;
gem.y = game.pointerY;
}The object glides toward the finger instead of jumping to it, which feels smoother for a paddle or a basket.
Hold a finger down and move it.
Make the basket slide toward my finger smoothly, only left and right.
if (game.isPointerDown()) {
heart.x += (game.pointerX - heart.x) * Math.min(1, 8 * dt);
}Swipe left or right.
Move the ball one lane when the player swipes left or right.
// On release, compare where the finger started and ended.
const dx = endX - startX;
if (Math.abs(dx) > 60) lane += Math.sign(dx);Each finger is tracked on its own, so a player can steer with one thumb and fire with the other.
On a touchscreen, put several fingers on the example.
Let the player hold the left side to steer and tap the right side to fire at the same time.
for (const finger of game.getPointers()) {
if (finger.x < game.width / 2) steer(finger.x);
else fire();
}Players on a computer have a keyboard, but players on a phone do not.
On a computer, click the example, then use the arrow keys.
Move the ball with the arrow keys on a computer, and by dragging on a phone.
if (game.isKeyDown("ArrowLeft")) ball.x -= 400 * dt;
if (game.isKeyDown("ArrowRight")) ball.x += 400 * dt;