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How to implement camera scrolling in Scratch games

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GA

GameExplorer_Alex

Posted on August 4, 2024 • Intermediate

🎮 Need help with camera scrolling

Hi everyone! I’m working on a platformer and RPG game in Scratch, and I’m really confused about how to implement camera movement and scrolling. I want the camera to follow the player smoothly as they move around larger levels.

I’ve seen some games with amazing camera systems, but I have no idea how to create one myself. Can someone explain the basics of camera scrolling for future projects?

CP

CameraPro_Dev

Replied 1 hour later • ⭐ Best Answer

Great question @GameExplorer_Alex! Camera scrolling is one of the most important features for larger games. Here’s a comprehensive guide to get you started:

📹 Camera Scrolling System Overview

Here’s how camera scrolling works in Scratch games:

flowchart TD A[🚩 Game Start] --> B[📊 Initialize Variables] B --> C[📍 Set Player Real Position] C --> D[📹 Set Camera Position] D --> E{🎮 Player Input?} E -->|Yes| F[🏃 Update Player Real Position] E -->|No| G[⏱️ Wait Next Frame] F --> H[📹 Update Camera Position] H --> I[🌍 Move All Sprites] I --> J[🎨 Render Frame] J --> G G --> E subgraph "Camera Logic" K["📊 Camera X = Player Real X"] L["📊 Camera Y = Player Real Y"] M["🎯 Optional: Add Offset/Smoothing"] end subgraph "Sprite Positioning" N["🎮 Player: go to (Real X - Camera X), (Real Y - Camera Y)"] O["🌍 Background: go to (Real X - Camera X), (Real Y - Camera Y)"] P["👾 Enemies: go to (Real X - Camera X), (Real Y - Camera Y)"] end subgraph "Movement Types" Q["⚡ Instant Following"] R["🌊 Smooth Following"] S["📦 Bounded Camera"] end style A fill:#e1f5fe style B fill:#f3e5f5 style F fill:#e8f5e8 style H fill:#fff3e0 style I fill:#ffebee style J fill:#f1f8e9

🎯 Step 1: Understanding Camera Basics

In Scratch, we simulate camera movement by moving all sprites relative to camera position variables. The “camera” doesn’t actually exist - we just move everything else!

📐 Step 2: Set Up Camera Variables

Create these variables for all sprites:

  • cameraX - Camera’s X position
  • cameraY - Camera’s Y position
  • myX - Each sprite’s real X position
  • myY - Each sprite’s real Y position

🎮 Step 3: Basic Camera System

For each sprite that should move with the camera:

    when flag clicked
forever
go to x: ((myX) - (cameraX)) y: ((myY) - (cameraY))
end

🏃 Step 4: Player Movement with Camera

For your player sprite:

    when flag clicked
set [myX v] to [0]
set [myY v] to [0]
forever
// Handle player movement
if <key [right arrow v] pressed?> then
change [myX v] by [5]
end
if <key [left arrow v] pressed?> then
change [myX v] by [-5]
end
if <key [up arrow v] pressed?> then
change [myY v] by [5]
end
if <key [down arrow v] pressed?> then
change [myY v] by [-5]
end

// Update camera to follow player
set [cameraX v] to (myX)
set [cameraY v] to (myY)

// Position sprite on screen
go to x: ((myX) - (cameraX)) y: ((myY) - (cameraY))
end

🎯 Step 5: Smooth Camera Following

For smoother camera movement, use interpolation:

    when flag clicked
forever
// Smooth camera following
change [cameraX v] by (((myX) - (cameraX)) / [10])
change [cameraY v] by (((myY) - (cameraY)) / [10])
end

🔍 Step 6: Camera with Zoom

Add zoom functionality:

    when flag clicked
set [cameraZoom v] to [1]
forever
go to x: ((cameraZoom) * ((myX) - (cameraX))) y: ((cameraZoom) * ((myY) - (cameraY)))
set size to ((cameraZoom) * [100]) %
end

🎮 Step 7: Camera Boundaries

Prevent camera from going outside level bounds:

    // Set camera limits
if <(cameraX) < [0]> then
set [cameraX v] to [0]
end
if <(cameraX) > [1000]> then
set [cameraX v] to [1000]
end
if <(cameraY) < [0]> then
set [cameraY v] to [0]
end
if <(cameraY) > [600]> then
set [cameraY v] to [600]
end

This system will give you smooth, professional-looking camera movement! 🎉

GA

GameExplorer_Alex

Replied 2 hours later

@CameraPro_Dev This is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much! 🎉

The smooth camera following works perfectly. One question - how do I make sure sprites don’t disappear when they go off-screen?

OT

OptimizationTech

Replied 1 hour later

@GameExplorer_Alex Great question! Here’s how to handle off-screen sprites efficiently:

    define update sprite position
go to x: ((myX) - (cameraX)) y: ((myY) - (cameraY))
if <<(x position) < [-300]> or <(x position) > [300]>> then
hide
else
if <<(y position) < [-200]> or <(y position) > [200]>> then
hide
else
show
end
end

This hides sprites when they’re far off-screen, improving performance! ⚡

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

🚀 Master Advanced Camera Systems!

Excellent discussion on camera scrolling! For those ready to take their camera systems to the next level, our community can help you implement:

  • 🎯 Multi-target camera following
  • 🎬 Cinematic camera transitions
  • 🔄 Camera shake effects
  • 📱 Touch-based camera controls

📚 Related Topics

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