How to Wait in Gamemaker: A Comprehensive Guide
In the world of game development, understanding how to implement certain functions is crucial for creating a smooth and engaging gameplay experience. One such function is the ability to make a game wait for a specific amount of time. This is particularly important in situations where you want to control the flow of the game or introduce delays between certain events. In this article, we will explore how to wait in Gamemaker, a popular game development engine, and provide you with a comprehensive guide to help you achieve this functionality.
Understanding the Basics of Gamemaker
Before diving into the specifics of waiting in Gamemaker, it’s essential to have a basic understanding of the engine itself. Gamemaker is a versatile tool that allows developers to create games for various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. It features a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced developers.
Using the Wait Function
To make a game wait in Gamemaker, you can use the “wait” function. This function allows you to pause the execution of your game for a specified amount of time. To use the wait function, follow these steps:
1. Open your Gamemaker project and navigate to the “Create Event” dialog.
2. Select the “Timer” event, which is responsible for handling time-based actions.
3. In the “Timer” event, click on the “Add Action” button and search for “wait.”
4. Once you find the “wait” action, drag it into the event list.
5. In the “wait” action, enter the desired time in milliseconds. For example, to make your game wait for 2 seconds, enter “2000.”
Handling Different Time Units
The wait function in Gamemaker accepts time values in milliseconds. However, you can also use other time units by converting them to milliseconds. Here are some common time units and their corresponding millisecond values:
– 1 second = 1000 milliseconds
– 1 minute = 60000 milliseconds
– 1 hour = 3600000 milliseconds
By using these conversions, you can make your game wait for any desired duration.
Example: Waiting for a Key Press
Let’s say you want to make your game wait until the player presses a specific key before proceeding. To achieve this, you can use the “wait” function in combination with the “key pressed” condition. Here’s an example:
1. In the “Timer” event, add the “wait” action as described earlier.
2. After the “wait” action, add a “key pressed” condition. In the “key pressed” condition, specify the key you want to wait for (e.g., “Space”).
3. Connect the “key pressed” condition to the “wait” action using the “And” operator.
By following these steps, your game will wait for the player to press the specified key before continuing.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed how to wait in Gamemaker, a crucial function for controlling the flow of your game. By using the “wait” function and understanding different time units, you can create engaging gameplay experiences. Whether you want to introduce delays between events or wait for player input, the wait function in Gamemaker is a powerful tool to have in your game development arsenal.
