Question: How do you detect keyboard keys in GameMaker?
Answer
In GameMaker, detecting keyboard input is a common task necessary for player control and other interactions. To check whether a specific key is pressed, released, or held down, you use GameMaker's built-in keyboard functions.
Here's an example of how to detect if a player is pressing the arrow keys:
// Inside the Step event of an object: // Check for left arrow key press if (keyboard_check(vk_left)) { // Move player or object to the left } // Check for right arrow key press if (keyboard_check(vk_right)) { // Move player or object to the right } // Check for up arrow key press if (keyboard_check(vk_up)) { // Move player or object upward } // Check for down arrow key press if (keyboard_check(vk_down)) { // Move player or object downward }
The keyboard_check
function returns true if the key is currently being pressed. You can also use keyboard_check_pressed
to detect if a key has been pressed in the current step or keyboard_check_released
to detect if a key was just released.
For alphanumeric keys, you would use the ord() function with double quotes to get the keycode:
// Check for 'A' key press if (keyboard_check(ord("A"))) { // Execute action when "A" is pressed }
It's important to note that these checks are typically done within the Step event of an object, as it allows you to continuously monitor the keyboard state each frame of the game.
For more complex input handling, you might want to create input maps or use arrays to manage multiple keys and their states.
Was this content helpful?
Other Common Game Engines Questions (and Answers)
- Can You Use C# in Unreal Engine?
- Is Unreal Engine Open Source?
- Can Unreal Engine make 2D games?
- Does Unreal Engine Use C++?
- Does Unreal Engine Use Python?
- What Language Does Unreal Engine Use?
- Does Unreal Engine Use JavaScript?
- Does Unreal Engine work on Linux?
- How Do I Uninstall Unreal Engine 5?
- Is Blender or Unreal Engine Better?
- Is Unreal Engine Good for Beginners?
- Does Unreal Engine Work on Mac?
Free System Design on AWS E-Book
Download this early release of O'Reilly's latest cloud infrastructure e-book: System Design on AWS.
Switch & save up to 80%
Dragonfly is fully compatible with the Redis ecosystem and requires no code changes to implement. Instantly experience up to a 25X boost in performance and 80% reduction in cost