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Debugging controls not registering in Scratch games

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💡 Game controls suddenly stopped working? Input not responding properly? 🚀 Get Help Now

GD

GameDebugger_Alex

Posted on July 25, 2025 • Beginner

🎮 Controls suddenly stopped working - need help!

Hey everyone! I’m working on a top-down game where you use the arrow keys to move and turn. It was working perfectly 5 minutes ago, but then I tried to reorganize some scripts and now the controls don’t respond at all! 😫

I’ve removed all the scripts I added, but it’s still broken. The movement system uses:

  • Up/Down arrows for forward/backward movement
  • Left/Right arrows for turning

Everything looks correct in the code, but the character just won’t move. Has anyone encountered this before? Any debugging tips would be amazing! 🙏

DB

DebugMaster_Pro

Replied 2 hours later • ⭐ Best Answer

I can help you debug this @GameDebugger_Alex! Controls suddenly stopping usually indicates a variable or logic issue. Let’s go through the most common causes:

🔍 Control Debugging Flow

Here’s how to systematically debug input issues:

flowchart TD A[🎮 Key Pressed] --> B{Key Detection Working?} B -->|No| C[❌ Check Key Blocks] B -->|Yes| D{Variables Correct?} C --> E[Fix Key Detection] D -->|No| F[❌ Check Variable Values] D -->|Yes| G{Movement Logic OK?} F --> H[Reset/Fix Variables] G -->|No| I[❌ Check Movement Code] G -->|Yes| J{Sprite Responding?} E --> K[Test Again] H --> K I --> K J -->|No| L[❌ Check Sprite Scripts] J -->|Yes| M[✅ Controls Working] L --> N[Fix Script Issues] N --> K K --> O[🎯 Problem Solved] style A fill:#e1f5fe style C fill:#ffebee style F fill:#ffebee style I fill:#ffebee style L fill:#ffebee style M fill:#e8f5e8 style O fill:#c8e6c9

🔧 Common Issue #1: Variable Multipliers

The most common cause is a variable that’s accidentally set to 0, which multiplies your movement to nothing:

    // ❌ PROBLEM: AbleToMove is set to 0
when flag clicked
set [AbleToMove v] to [0]  // This breaks everything!

forever
if <key [up arrow v] pressed?> then
change y by ((speed) * (AbleToMove))  // 5 * 0 = 0 movement!
end
end

Solution: Check all variables that affect movement:

    // ✅ SOLUTION: Set control variables correctly
when flag clicked
set [AbleToMove v] to [1]  // Enable movement
set [speed v] to [5]
set [turn speed v] to [10]

// Show variables while debugging
show variable [AbleToMove v]
show variable [speed v]

🔧 Common Issue #2: Boolean vs Value Variables

Sometimes variables get set as values instead of true/false:

    // ❌ PROBLEM: Using variables as booleans incorrectly
if <(up arrow) = [true]> then  // Won't work if 'up arrow' is text
move [10] steps
end

// ✅ SOLUTION: Use proper key detection
if <key [up arrow v] pressed?> then
move [10] steps
end

🔧 Common Issue #3: Script Order Problems

Scripts running in wrong order can cause issues:

    // ❌ PROBLEM: Movement happens before input check
when flag clicked
forever
// Movement code runs first
change x by (speed x)
change y by (speed y)

// Input check happens after (too late!)
if <key [right arrow v] pressed?> then
set [speed x v] to [5]
else
set [speed x v] to [0]
end
end

Better approach:

    // ✅ SOLUTION: Check input first, then move
when flag clicked
forever
// Check all inputs first
if <key [up arrow v] pressed?> then
set [speed y v] to [5]
else
if <key [down arrow v] pressed?> then
set [speed y v] to [-5]
else
set [speed y v] to [0]
end
end

if <key [left arrow v] pressed?> then
turn left [10] degrees
end
if <key [right arrow v] pressed?> then
turn right [10] degrees
end

// Apply movement after all input is processed
change x by (speed x)
change y by (speed y)
end

🛠️ Debugging Checklist

Follow these steps to find the issue:

  1. Check variable values: Show all movement-related variables on stage
  2. Test key detection: Add say blocks to confirm keys are detected
  3. Verify movement math: Make sure no variables are 0 or negative when they shouldn’t be
  4. Check sprite scripts: Ensure the right sprite has the movement code
  5. Look for conflicts: Multiple scripts might be fighting each other
    // 🔍 DEBUGGING: Add these temporarily
when flag clicked
forever
if <key [up arrow v] pressed?> then
say [Up pressed!] for [0.5] seconds
end

// Show current speed values
set [debug text v] to (join [Speed: ] (speed))
end

The key is to isolate each part of your control system and test them individually! 🎯

GD

GameDebugger_Alex

Replied 7 hours later

@DebugMaster_Pro THANK YOU! 🎉 It was exactly what you said - I had an “AbleToMove” variable set to 0 from when I was trying to fix pushable boxes earlier!

I completely forgot about that variable when I was cleaning up my code. Setting it back to 1 fixed everything instantly. Your debugging checklist is going in my bookmarks! 🔖

CD

CodeDetective_Sam

Replied 1 hour later

Great debugging work! 🕵️ Here’s a pro tip to prevent this in the future:

    // 🛡️ PREVENTION: Add safety checks
when flag clicked
// Initialize all control variables with comments
set [AbleToMove v] to [1]  // 1 = can move, 0 = frozen
set [speed v] to [5]       // Movement speed
set [turn speed v] to [10] // Rotation speed

// Add a debug mode
if <key [d v] pressed?> then
say (join [AbleToMove: ] (AbleToMove)) for [2] seconds
end

Always comment your variables so you remember what they do! 📝

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

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