Ok, I am not giving up just yet... I found a mechanic, which, if achieved, will save my game... So here it is: The player presses his first finger on screen anywhere on the screen on a joystick touch area, to control a character. (like line zen) Then, without releasing his first finger, he taps with a second finger anywhere on the screen(this one taps, which means he presses and releases), which activates a navigation button. Can this be done? Please, someone...help...
There's a couple options I can think of right now. Maybe try using a menu jump in the game. Have the character hit the menu jump in the scene, at whatever point you want the character to begin shooting. The menu jump briefly brings up the UI containing the shoot button without pausing the world. I'm not sure if the UI will overide your UI containing the joystick controls. If so, you would have to have the UI with the shoot button also contain the joystick button as well. Whether or not the person would be able to use the joystick between the UI switches without re-tapping the joystick button again, i'm not sure, you'd have to test it out. Anyways, once you want the shooting to end, use another menu jump in the scene that brings up the UI with the joystick button only. The other option you can try is to use powerups that refill the shoot button. So the shoot button is put in the UI with the joystick control, the shooting button covers the entire screen. So, initially, you just have 0 shot powerups/ammo. In the game, the player picks up an invisible powerup that gives the user the ability to use the shoot button once, which is then activated by tapping the screen. If that doesn't make sense I can go more in depth if you'd like. I read your other forum regarding this issue, just to let you know, sometimes it's easier to just abandon a game idea because it simply isn't feasible using buildbox. For future purposes, in order to save yourself a lot of time, plan your games around the capabilities of buildbox. I understand from a creative perspective, this sucks, because it limits your design options, but it's realistic and is something you must come to accept.
I...I feel like banging my head against the wall right now... I know what you mean man, I really do.. It's just that I already spent weeks on building the game and I thought I could make this little detail work...Right now it just seems that I can't, and it sucks. Before I abandon the game though I would like to try EVERYTHING.... Thanks for your answers, but I have already tried the first option you suggested. Unfortunately, changing the UI will override it, and even if I have a joystick controller on the second UI it won't work unless the character releases his finger and retaps. You can imagine how this will come across as a bug to the player, causing frustration, so yeah...unfortunately I can't have the UI change, it has to be the same UI screen, from the time the player presses their finger until Game over... The second option sounds interesting, however I dont think its possible to pick up actions in the game for future use, without immediately activating them. The only way this is done is with the use of a purchase button, which again, is not a viable option here. But if it can be done, I would like to hear more. This is exactly why I ask for help, to see if anyone has any ideas that I haven't thought of. Looking forward to hear what you have in mind man, this could actually help! Anyway as always, I appreciate the help!
Why could it not be done using a purchase button? I just thought of another way you could do this, it depends on whether or not your game is coin based. What you could do, is have invisible coins for players to collect as they progress through the game. Once the player reaches a certain point and a acquires the number of coins needed to purchase the shooting ability, they have the ability to buy the shooting powerup, which you can set to purchase and use. So you would have the purchase button on top of the joystick control, the player cannot use the shooting powerup though, until they gain enough coins to purchase it.
It's because if the purchase button (or any button) is located on the screen on top of the joystick button, when the player presses their finger on the screen for the first time, they also press that particular button. So the button becomes useless. You can check if you want. If a button is kept pressed down with one finger, tapping it with a second finger won't activate it.. The only way that button gets activated is if the finger that pressed that button first is released, which is definitely not an option here, since the player has to hold down that finger as they control the character....
Ah, I see, okay, so limit the purchase button to a certain section of the screen. If the joystick is primarily used by the right thumb, then place the joystick on half of the screen, located on the right side. Have the purchase button to shoot on the left side. The joystick button doesn't need to cover the entire screen, in my opinion at least.
Well, if I did this, I could just as well place a "shooting button" somewhere on the screen and that's it. But the nature of the game forbids the "limiting shooting button", it has to be all over the screen. And yes, the joystick is primarily used by the right thumb, but that is the key word, "RPIMARILY". What if the player is left handed? What if he decides to control the character starting from the left side? What happens if he pauses the game and then the character is at the left side and he places his finger below the character, at that left side? In all these cases the joystick won't work. And that will look bad. What I want here is the player to be able to activate a button with a second finger, after there is already one finger pressed down...
I understand what you're trying to accomplish, like I said man, you kind of have to design around buildbox. So, based on what we've discussed, I imagine there are no other ways to get around the issue of activating a button after one finger is already pressed down. It will waste more time focusing on this issue alone. It is not difficult by any means to use a specific part of the screen as a firing button for users. Set up UI's for both left handed, and right handed individuals. Have the joystick controls for those right handed on the right side of the screen, then set the shoot button on the left side of the screen. In the beginning of the game, show where buttons are located via a tutorial. So show the user that tap and hold controls users via the joystick on the right, and then when they gain the ability to shoot, it can be activated by pressing the left side of the screen. If the user is left handed, design a UI following the same principles above, just opposite. Joystick on the left side, shoot on the right. Have it set so in the beginning of the game, users choose what control options they'd like, that way they can choose if they're left or right handed. Depending on their preference, it loads levels with UI's based on their choice. So you'd have levels with a left hand friendly UI and then levels with a right hand friendly UI. Yes, this complicates the set up, in my opinion just make the player control the character with the joystick on the left or right side and stick with just one control option. More likely than not, left handed individuals have been exposed to enough games where they have become ambidextrous with mobile games. If you put the joystick on the right side of the screen, and the shoot button on the left, I'm fairly certain it will be okay. Users will become accustomed to the setup of the UI, they will understand that the right side controls the character and the left side enables the character to shoot. If the character is at the left side of the screen, he will have to place his finger on the right side of the screen where the joystick area is located, if he presses the left side of the screen nothing will happen. Therefore, the player won't do this if you introduce the joystick being on the right side of the screen in the beginning of the game. So regardless of the position of the character upon pausing the game, the player will determine the character's next movements based on the joystick being located on the right side of the screen. So upon continuing the game from the pause screen, they will use the joystick controls located on the right, there would be no logical reason for them to press the right side of the screen. If that makes sense?
Oh well, if I have to be honest here, that's exactly how I had the game set up weeks ago... I just had a shooting button at the left side of the screen. I gave the game to some friends to test (all right handed), and they all told me that the controls are not intuitive. Because no matter how good the tutorial is or how clear the mechanics are, the user will always instinctively do the thing you don't want them to do. What happened is this: The player moves the character at the left side of the screen, then for some reason releases his finger for a split second, then an obstacle appears and they have to move. What they will do is instinctively place their finger below the character at that left side, and the joystick won't work. And then you see the frustration in their eyes, "hey man, your game sucks". "Why cant you do it to control the character anywhere on the screen?". Users dont understand anything, you have to treat them like 3 year olds, because in the end, that is how they will play the game. (I dont mean to sound salty, but that is the sad truth) So I will either do this completely correctly or not do it at all. At this point it would be easier for me to manipulate buildbox code if there is a way, to make a certain navigation button be activated on press. I don't know if that is possible, but I will sure as hell try. Either way thank you for the suggestions man, and I am sorry if I sound a bit too frustrated and obsessed. It's just that I don't like to let things go (generally speaking), and I also don't like to compromise(which is a huge issue with buildbox!)
