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Debugging Complex Game Issues in Scratch

💡 Struggling with complex game bugs? Need systematic debugging help? 🚀 Get Help Now

JG

JustAGameMaker

Posted on August 4, 2025 • Advanced

🐛 Complex game debugging help needed

Hello everyone! My game “Geo Escape” has grown quite complex, but now it’s becoming increasingly buggy as I add more content. Here are the main issues I’m facing:

  • Key card on the first level doesn’t appear until I leave and return to the screen
  • Problems get worse as levels progress
  • Levels 4 and 5 are completely broken
  • The game becomes more unstable with each level

I’d really appreciate if someone could help me understand what’s going wrong and how to fix these systematic issues! 🙏

DB

DebugMaster_Pro

Replied 2 hours later • ⭐ Best Answer

Great question @JustAGameMaker! Complex game bugs like these are very common as projects grow. Let me help you with a systematic debugging approach:

🔍 Step 1: Identify the Root Cause

The key card visibility issue suggests a scene management problem. Here’s how to fix it:

    // Add this to your level initialization
when I receive [start level v]
wait [0.1] seconds
broadcast [refresh scene v]

// In your key card sprite
when I receive [refresh scene v]
if <(current level) = [1]> then
show
go to x: [100] y: [50] // Set proper position
else
hide
end

🏗️ Step 2: Fix Scene Management

Create a proper scene management system to prevent cascading bugs:

    // Main scene controller
when flag clicked
set [current level v] to [1]
broadcast [initialize game v]

define load level (level number)
set [current level v] to (level number)
broadcast [clear scene v]
wait [0.2] seconds
broadcast [setup level v]
wait [0.1] seconds
broadcast [show objects v]

// In each sprite
when I receive [clear scene v]
hide
stop [other scripts in sprite v]

when I receive [setup level v]
if <(my level) = (current level)> then
show
go to x: (my x) y: (my y)
// Initialize sprite-specific variables
end

🧹 Step 3: Clean Up Variable Management

Prevent variable conflicts between levels:

    // Create level-specific variable management
define reset level variables
set [player x v] to [0]
set [player y v] to [0]
set [keys collected v] to [0]
set [enemies defeated v] to [0]
delete all of [active objects v]
delete all of [collision list v]

when I receive [start level v]
reset level variables
wait [0.1] seconds
load level (current level)

🎯 Step 4: Implement Proper Object Spawning

Fix the progressive bugs by controlling object creation:

    // Object spawner system
when I receive [setup level v]
if <(sprite type) = [key card]> then
if <(current level) = [1]> then
create clone of [myself v]
end
end

when I start as a clone
if <(current level) = [1]> then
show
go to x: [100] y: [50]
else
delete this clone
end

🚨 Step 5: Add Debug Information

Create a debug system to track what’s happening:

    // Debug display (create a text sprite)
when flag clicked
forever
set [debug text v] to (join [Level: ] (current level))
set [debug text v] to (join (debug text) (join [ | Objects: ] (length of [active objects v])))
set [debug text v] to (join (debug text) (join [ | Keys: ] (keys collected)))
say (debug text)
end

// Add debug triggers
when [d v] key pressed
if <(debug mode) = [1]> then
set [debug mode v] to [0]
else
set [debug mode v] to [1]
end

🔧 Step 6: Level-Specific Fixes

For levels 4 and 5, implement proper state management:

    // Level 4 & 5 specific fixes
when I receive [start level v]
if <(current level) > [3]> then
// Extra cleanup for complex levels
stop [other scripts in sprite v]
wait [0.3] seconds
broadcast [deep clean v]
wait [0.2] seconds
end

when I receive [deep clean v]
// Reset all complex systems
delete all of [enemy list v]
delete all of [projectile list v]
set [game state v] to [loading]
wait [0.5] seconds
set [game state v] to [playing]

💡 Pro Tips for Complex Games:

  • State Management: Always have a clear game state (loading, playing, paused, etc.)
  • Cleanup Scripts: Run cleanup between levels to prevent memory issues
  • Modular Design: Keep each level’s logic separate and self-contained
  • Testing: Test each level individually before testing progression

Try implementing these fixes step by step, and your game should become much more stable! Let me know if you need help with any specific part! 🎮

SF

SceneFixer_Expert

Replied 1 hour later

@DebugMaster_Pro gave excellent advice! For the key card issue specifically, the problem is likely that your scene change isn’t triggering the sprite’s initialization properly.

Quick fix for the immediate key card problem:

    // Add this to your key card sprite
when flag clicked
wait [0.5] seconds // Give other scripts time to initialize
if <(current level) = [1]> then
show
go to front
end

// Also add this backup trigger
when I receive [level loaded v]
if <(current level) = [1]> then
show
go to front
end

This should fix the immediate visibility issue while you implement the larger fixes! 🔧

JG

JustAGameMaker

Replied 30 minutes later

@DebugMaster_Pro @SceneFixer_Expert Thank you both so much! This is incredibly helpful! 🎉

I can see now that my scene management was the root cause. I was just adding features without proper cleanup, which explains why it got worse with each level. Going to implement these fixes systematically!

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

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