User input is a critical aspect of any game. On Day 4, we’ll implement various input methods—touch, swipe gestures, and button clicks—to make the game interactive and responsive across devices.
1. Understanding Input Handling in Phaser
Phaser provides flexible methods for handling user input:
- Pointer Events: Touch and mouse interactions (e.g.,
pointerdown,pointerup). - Keyboard Events: Key presses for desktop gameplay.
- Gestures: Swipe, drag, and multi-touch.
2. Adding Touch and Pointer Input
Step 1: Basic Touch Interaction
Update the create method in Game.js to add touch functionality:
create() {
this.player = this.add.image(400, 300, 'player').setInteractive();
// Add touch interaction
this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer) => {
this.player.x = pointer.x;
this.player.y = pointer.y;
});
}
- The player moves to the position where the user taps.
Step 2: Adding Dragging
Enable dragging for the player sprite:
create() {
this.player = this.add.image(400, 300, 'player').setInteractive();
// Enable dragging
this.input.setDraggable(this.player);
this.input.on('drag', (pointer, gameObject, dragX, dragY) => {
gameObject.x = dragX;
gameObject.y = dragY;
});
}
- Users can drag the player sprite across the screen.
3. Adding Swipe Gestures
Step 1: Detect Swipe Gestures
Track swipe start and end points to detect the direction:
create() {
let swipeStart = { x: 0, y: 0 };
this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer) => {
swipeStart.x = pointer.x;
swipeStart.y = pointer.y;
});
this.input.on('pointerup', (pointer) => {
const deltaX = pointer.x - swipeStart.x;
const deltaY = pointer.y - swipeStart.y;
if (Math.abs(deltaX) > Math.abs(deltaY)) {
if (deltaX > 0) {
console.log('Swipe Right');
} else {
console.log('Swipe Left');
}
} else {
if (deltaY > 0) {
console.log('Swipe Down');
} else {
console.log('Swipe Up');
}
}
});
}
4. Adding Button Inputs
Step 1: Create a Button
Use Phaser’s built-in text objects to create a button:
create() {
this.startButton = this.add.text(400, 500, 'Start Game', {
fontSize: '32px',
color: '#ffffff',
backgroundColor: '#0000ff',
})
.setOrigin(0.5)
.setInteractive()
.on('pointerdown', () => {
console.log('Game Started!');
});
}
Step 2: Style the Button
Add hover effects for a better user experience:
create() {
this.startButton = this.add.text(400, 500, 'Start Game', {
fontSize: '32px',
color: '#ffffff',
backgroundColor: '#0000ff',
})
.setOrigin(0.5)
.setInteractive()
.on('pointerdown', () => {
console.log('Game Started!');
})
.on('pointerover', () => {
this.startButton.setStyle({ backgroundColor: '#ff0000' });
})
.on('pointerout', () => {
this.startButton.setStyle({ backgroundColor: '#0000ff' });
});
}
5. Integrating with React Native
Update the WebView in App.js:
Modify the phaserHTML to include the updated game logic:
const phaserHTML = `
<html>
<head>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/phaser@3/dist/phaser.min.js"></script>
<script>
const config = {
type: Phaser.AUTO,
width: 800,
height: 600,
backgroundColor: '#2d2d2d',
scene: {
preload: function () {
this.load.image('player', 'https://your-image-url.com/player.png');
},
create: function () {
let swipeStart = { x: 0, y: 0 };
this.player = this.add.image(400, 300, 'player').setInteractive();
this.input.setDraggable(this.player);
this.input.on('pointerdown', (pointer) => {
swipeStart.x = pointer.x;
swipeStart.y = pointer.y;
});
this.input.on('pointerup', (pointer) => {
const deltaX = pointer.x - swipeStart.x;
const deltaY = pointer.y - swipeStart.y;
if (Math.abs(deltaX) > Math.abs(deltaY)) {
console.log(deltaX > 0 ? 'Swipe Right' : 'Swipe Left');
} else {
console.log(deltaY > 0 ? 'Swipe Down' : 'Swipe Up');
}
});
this.input.on('drag', (pointer, gameObject, dragX, dragY) => {
gameObject.x = dragX;
gameObject.y = dragY;
});
},
},
};
new Phaser.Game(config);
</script>
</head>
<body></body>
</html>
`;
6. Running the Game
Step 1: Start the Development Server
npm start
Step 2: Test on a Mobile Device
- Test touch, swipe, and button interactions in the Expo Go app.
Next Steps
On Day 5, we’ll implement game state management and scoring, enabling tracking of player progress and points.
References and Links:
SEO Keywords: Phaser input handling, touch gestures in mobile games, swipe detection in Phaser, adding buttons in Phaser, React Native WebView game controls.
