How to move an SKNode? - swift

I'm writing a Pong-like game using SpriteKit and Swift 5 for learning purpose. And I'm trying to made the player's paddle (an SKNode rectangle) move across the screen in the x coordinate but couldn't.
I've tried this simple solution:
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for t in touches {
let location = t.location(in: self)
playerPaddle.position.x = location.x
}
It works but seems like the paddle only moves on clicks (touches), but not drags.
Also I've tried using the UIPanGestureRecognizer, but I don't really understand how to call it, here is the code which I copied from the official Apple Developer's doc and changed a little to match my situation:
#IBAction func panPiece(_ gestureRecognizer : UIPanGestureRecognizer) {
guard gestureRecognizer.view != nil else {return}
let piece = gestureRecognizer.view!
let translation = gestureRecognizer.translation(in: piece.superview)
if gestureRecognizer.state == .began {
self.initialPos = piece.center
}
else if gestureRecognizer.state != .changed {
let newPos = CGPoint(x: initialPos.x + translation.x, y: initialPos.y)
piece.center = newPos
}
}

Your touchesMoved solution works for me, so I'd assume that something else is amiss. Regardless, I can offer an alternative:
I also built Pong to learn Swift and SpriteKit, and I implemented the paddle movement using SKActions. Any time a touch begins, cancel the paddle's current actions and begin moving to the new x location.
If you want to keep it simple to start, then you can have a constant move time, like 0.5 seconds. Otherwise, you can calculate the time to move by getting the absolute distance between the paddle and touch location and dividing by some constant. Changing the constant will change the speed at which the paddle moves.
Here's an example with the constant move time:
override func touchesBegan(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
if playerPaddle.hasActions() { playerPaddle.removeAllActions() }
for touch in touches {
let newX = touch.location(in: self).x
let oldX = playerPaddle.position.x
playerPaddle.run(.moveBy(x: newX - oldX, y: 0, duration: 0.5))
}
}

Related

Spritekit: Dragging a SKCameraNode()

I am rather new to Swift and SpriteKit. I made a plane move around on a big background. What I am trying to do now is DRAG the "camera" so i can see the plane when its outside my view.
I made a SKCameraNode()
I can change its position without problem. And then I tried this for drag:
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
if let touch = touches.first {
let location = touch.location(in: self)
camera?.position = CGPoint(x: location.x, y: location.y)
}
}
The camera moves when i drag, but super fast and far far far away...
Some ideas? Thanks!

How to control sprite using swiping gestures so sprite can move along x axis

At the moment I have a game in which the sprite can be controlled and moved along the x axis (with a fixed y position) using the accelerometer of the device. I wish to change this so the user can control the sprite by dragging on the screen like in popular games such as snake vs.block.
I've already tried using the touches moved method which gives the correct effect, although the sprite first moves to the location of the users touch which I don't want.
Below is the environment I've been using to experiment, the touches moved gives the correct type of control I want although I can't seem to figure out how to stop the sprite first moving to the location of the touch before the swipe/drag
import SpriteKit
import GameplayKit
var player = SKSpriteNode()
var playerColor = UIColor.orange
var background = UIColor.black
var playerSize = CGSize(width: 50, height: 50)
var touchLocation = CGPoint()
var shape = CGPoint()
class GameScene: SKScene {
override func didMove(to view: SKView) {
self.backgroundColor = background
spawnPlayer()
}
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for touch in touches{
let touchLocation = touch.location(in: self)
player.position.x = touchLocation.x
}
}
func spawnPlayer(){
player = SKSpriteNode(color: playerColor, size: playerSize)
player.position = CGPoint(x:50, y: 500)
self.addChild(player)
}
override func update(_ currentTime: TimeInterval) {
// Called before each frame is rendered
}
In summary, I'm looking for the same method of controlling a sprite as in snakes vs blocks
Hey so you have the right idea, you need to store a previous touchesMovedPoint. Then use it to determine how far your finger has moved each time touchesMoved has been called. Then add to the player's current position by that quantity.
var lastTouchLoc:CGPoint = CGPoint()
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for touch in touches{
let touchLocation = touch.location(in: self)
let dx = touchLocation.x - lastTouchLoc.x
player.position.x += dx // Change the players current position by the distance between the previous touchesMovedPoint and the current one.
lastTouchLoc.x = touchLocation.x // Update last touch location
}
}
override func touchesBegan(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for touch in touches {
// When releasing the screen from point "E" we don't want dx being calculated from point "E".
// We want dx to calculate from the most recent touchDown point
let initialTouchPoint = touch.location(in: self)
lastTouchLoc.x = initialTouchPoint.x
}
}
You want to use SKAction.move to perform what you want.
func distance(from lhs: CGPoint, to rhs: CGPoint) -> CGFloat {
return hypot(lhs.x.distance(to: rhs.x), lhs.y.distance(to: rhs.y))
}
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for touch in touches{
let touchLocation = touch.location(in: self)
let speed = 100/1 //This means 100 points per second
let duration = distance(player.position,touchLocation) / speed //Currently travels 100 points per second, adjust if needed
player.run(SKAction.move(to:touchLocation, duration:duration),forKey:"move")
}
}
What this does is it will move your "snake" to the new location at a certain duration. To determine duration, you need to figure out how fast you want your "snake" to travel. I currently have it set up to where it should take 1 second to move 100 points, but you may want to adjust that as needed.

How can I limit the range of motion on a custom UIControl Knob?

I'm following the tutorial here, which demonstrates how to implement a custom UIControl. However, I'd like to stop the custom control from spinning endlessly. I've been able to hinder the ability to spin the knob but have been unable to create a definite stopping point.
My Attempt
In the code below I'm using the authors angle variable which ranges from 0 to 360. The logic is a bit wonky, but I'm
override func continueTrackingWithTouch(touch: UITouch, withEvent event: UIEvent?) -> Bool {
super.continueTrackingWithTouch(touch, withEvent: event)
if (angle <= 1) {
angle = 2
return false
} else if angle >= 356 {
angle = 355
return false
} else {
let lastPoint = touch.locationInView(self)
self.moveHandle(lastPoint)
self.sendActionsForControlEvents(UIControlEvents.ValueChanged)
return true
}
}
view code on github
note: I've tried all of the obvious operators and logic. I feel like this is the wrong approach entirely.
Result
Basically, the controls motion will stop at 1, but only if I'm moving slowly. If I quickly drag the knob, it'll spin right past the 1, allowing the control to spin endlessly.
Question
How can I properly limit the UIControls range of motion from 1 to 355?
I've put together a simple working project that you can download and test.
project files
Change continueTrackingWithTouch to:
// Part of UIControl, used to track user input
override func continueTrackingWithTouch(touch: UITouch, withEvent event: UIEvent?) -> Bool {
let lastPoint = touch.locationInView(self)
self.moveHandle(lastPoint)
return super.continueTrackingWithTouch(touch, withEvent: event)
}
Change moveHandle to:
func moveHandle(lastPoint:CGPoint){
let threshholdAngle = 180
let centerPoint:CGPoint = CGPointMake(self.frame.size.width / 2, self.frame.size.height / 2)
let currentAngle:Double = AngleFromNorth(centerPoint, p2: lastPoint, flipped: false)
let angleInt = Int(floor(currentAngle))
let newAngle = Int(360 - angleInt)
if abs(newAngle - angle) > threshholdAngle {
return
}
//Store the new angle
angle = newAngle
sendActionsForControlEvents(UIControlEvents.ValueChanged)
//Update the textfield
//textField!.text = "\(angle)"
//Redraw
setNeedsDisplay()
}

SpriteKit Swift: How to make a sprite jump in place when tapped?

So Ive been working on a game and have a little sprite that is currently running in place. I need to make him jump up whenever the user taps the screen to dodge obstacles. I also need him to return to his starting point on the ground after he jumps.
You can try something like this!
import SpriteKit
class GameScene: SKScene {
var player: SKSpriteNode?
override func didMove(to view: SKView) {
player = self.childNode(withName: "player") as? SKSpriteNode
}
override func touchesBegan(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for t in touches { self.touchDown(atPoint: t.location(in: self)) }
}
func touchDown(atPoint pos: CGPoint) {
jump()
}
func jump() {
player?.texture = SKTexture(imageNamed: "player_jumping")
player?.physicsBody?.applyImpulse(CGVector(dx: 0, dy: 500))
}
override func touchesEnded(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for t in touches { self.touchUp(atPoint: t.location(in: self)) }
}
func touchUp(atPoint pos: CGPoint) {
player?.texture = SKTexture(imageNamed: "player_standing")
}
}
On the player's attribute inspector window make sure you select 'Dynamic' and 'Affected By Gravity' options only, otherwise it will not fall back to the ground after the jump.. :)
I don't think physics would be overkill for a simple game as someone said in the previous answer... It's not a big deal for an iPhone or iPad hardware, they have a crazy computing power.
Using physics is overkill for a game like this. Not even the 2D Mario games use physics so I doubt you will need it.
As a very simple implementation you can use a sequence of SKActions.
// move up 20
let jumpUpAction = SKAction.moveBy(x: 0, y: 20, duration: 0.2)
// move down 20
let jumpDownAction = SKAction.moveBy(x: 0, y: -20, duration: 0.2)
// sequence of move yup then down
let jumpSequence = SKAction.sequence([jumpUpAction, jumpDownAction])
// make player run sequence
player.run(jumpSequence)
That should work. I may have mistyped something in the browser though.
You can tweak this to make the jump look more natural. Maybe add a few more steps to the jump process to change the speed of the rise/fall over time to make it look like he's accelerating. etc...

How to recognize continuous touch in Swift?

How can I recognize continuous user touch in Swift code? By continuous I mean that the user has her finger on the screen. I would like to move a sprite kit node to the direction of user's touch for as long as the user is touching screen.
The basic steps
Store the location of the touch events (touchesBegan/touchesMoved)
Move sprite node toward that location (update)
Stop moving the node when touch is no longer detected (touchesEnded)
Here's an example of how to do that
Xcode 8
let sprite = SKSpriteNode(color: SKColor.white, size: CGSize(width:32, height:32))
var touched:Bool = false
var location = CGPoint.zero
override func didMove(to view: SKView) {
/* Add a sprite to the scene */
sprite.position = CGPoint(x:0, y:0)
self.addChild(sprite)
}
override func touchesBegan(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
touched = true
for touch in touches {
location = touch.location(in:self)
}
}
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
for touch in touches {
location = touch.location(in: self)
}
}
override func touchesEnded(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
// Stop node from moving to touch
touched = false
}
override func update(_ currentTime: TimeInterval) {
// Called before each frame is rendered
if (touched) {
moveNodeToLocation()
}
}
// Move the node to the location of the touch
func moveNodeToLocation() {
// Compute vector components in direction of the touch
var dx = location.x - sprite.position.x
var dy = location.y - sprite.position.y
// How fast to move the node. Adjust this as needed
let speed:CGFloat = 0.25
// Scale vector
dx = dx * speed
dy = dy * speed
sprite.position = CGPoint(x:sprite.position.x+dx, y:sprite.position.y+dy)
}
Xcode 7
let sprite = SKSpriteNode(color: SKColor.whiteColor(), size: CGSizeMake(32, 32))
var touched:Bool = false
var location = CGPointMake(0, 0)
override func didMoveToView(view: SKView) {
self.scaleMode = .ResizeFill
/* Add a sprite to the scene */
sprite.position = CGPointMake(100, 100)
self.addChild(sprite)
}
override func touchesBegan(touches: Set<UITouch>, withEvent event: UIEvent?) {
/* Start moving node to touch location */
touched = true
for touch in touches {
location = touch.locationInNode(self)
}
}
override func touchesMoved(touches: Set<UITouch>, withEvent event: UIEvent?) {
/* Update to new touch location */
for touch in touches {
location = touch.locationInNode(self)
}
}
override func touchesEnded(touches: Set<UITouch>, withEvent event: UIEvent?) {
// Stop node from moving to touch
touched = false
}
override func update(currentTime: CFTimeInterval) {
/* Called before each frame is rendered */
if (touched) {
moveNodeToLocation()
}
}
// Move the node to the location of the touch
func moveNodeToLocation() {
// How fast to move the node
let speed:CGFloat = 0.25
// Compute vector components in direction of the touch
var dx = location.x - sprite.position.x
var dy = location.y - sprite.position.y
// Scale vector
dx = dx * speed
dy = dy * speed
sprite.position = CGPointMake(sprite.position.x+dx, sprite.position.y+dy)
}
The most difficult thing about this process is tracking single touches within a multitouch environment. The issue with the "simple" solution to this (i.e., turn "istouched" on in touchesBegan and turn it off in touchesEnded) is that if the user touches another finger on the screen and then lifts it, it will cancel the first touch's actions.
To make this bulletproof, you need to track individual touches over their lifetime. When the first touch occurs, you save the location of that touch and move the object towards that location. Any further touches should be compared to the first touch, and should be ignored if they aren't the first touch. This approach also allows you to handle multitouch, where the object could be made to move towards any finger currently on the screen, and then move to the next finger if the first one is lifted, and so on.
It's important to note that UITouch objects are constant across touchesBegan, touchesMoved, and touchesEnded. You can think of a UITouch object as being created in touchesBegan, altered in touchesMoved, and destroyed in touchesEnded. You can track the phase of a touch over the course of its life by saving a reference to the touch object to a dictionary or an array as it is created in touchesBegan, then in touchesMoved you can check the new location of any existing touches and alter the object's course if the user moves their finger (you can apply tolerances to prevent jitter, e.g., if the x/y distance is less than some tolerance, don't alter the course). In touchesEnded you can check if the touch in focus is the one that ended, and cancel the object's movement, or set it to move towards any other touch that is still occurring. This is important, as if you just check for any old touch object ending, this will cancel other touches as well, which can produce unexpected results.
This article is in Obj-C, but the code is easily ported to Swift and shows you what you need to do, just check out the stuff under "Handling a Complex Multitouch Sequence": https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/EventHandling/Conceptual/EventHandlingiPhoneOS/multitouch_background/multitouch_background.html
Below is the code to drag the node around on X position (left and right), it is very easy to add Y position and do the same thing.
let item = SKSpriteNode(imageNamed: "xx")
var itemXposition = 50
override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
// updates itemXposition variable on every touch
for touch in touches {
let location = touch.location(in: self)
itemXposition = Int(location.x)
}
}
// this function is called for each frame render, updates the position on view
override func update(_ currentTime: TimeInterval) {
spaceShip.position = CGPoint(x: self.itemXposition , y: 50 )
}