Timers

[boomblaster3]

I am making a game of survival and i would like to make a timer showing how long you have lasted in seconds how would i do this

[Sgt. Sparky]

I am making a game of survival and i would like to make a timer showing how long you have lasted in seconds how would i do this

make a variable(integer) called Time(make it global as well),
on the create Actor event of your Actor Create a timer that repeats with the duration of 1000 MS,
on this timer event use this Code,

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Time++;

and on the draw actor event of a text actor(to display your Time),

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textNumber = Time;

if you still need help let me know.

[pixelpoop]

hey,
do timers in GE work off the system clock or by frames per second? if their is slow down in the fps do the timers go off later or on time?

[DilloDude]

They go off actual time. So if the framerate slows down, the number of frames in the time-limit will be fewer. This can be a major draw-back, so I usually prefer to use variable counters...

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//time is an int (or a real)
time ++;
if (time >= 50)
{
    //some action
}

...or something similar.

[Sgt. Sparky]

They go off actual time. So if the framerate slows down, the number of frames in the time-limit will be fewer. This can be a major draw-back, so I usually prefer to use variable counters...

Code: Select all

//time is an int (or a real)
time ++;
if (time >= 50)
{
    //some action
}

...or something similar.

but that is a 30 second/frame Timer,
you must use set the timer to the fps rate(you could accually set it to the current FPS rate[real_fps]) to make it a 1 second (or somewhere around there because of Changes.)
but you are right,
variable timers come in handy alot,
I use 3 or 4 in my Card Game(Skip-Jo) that I made and one normal Timer.
1+ for Dillo Dude.

[makslane]

Is better use the Timer event to track the seconds.

[DilloDude]

It really depends. If you want to actually know how long you've been playing, use a timer. If you want to have a record for the shortest time, a counter is better. Otherwise, someone with a faster computer can always beat your score if your computer keeps dropping in fps to like 15. The other scenario is a dorr and a switch. When the switch is switched, the door opens and stays open for a certain time. You have to get to the door before the time runs out. If using a timer, and the fps lags, this can maki it impossible. GE does have a motion compensation to help when you get low framerates, but I haven't tried it and I'm not sure how well it works (although it obviously does some god or it wouldn't be there).

The other reason I prefer variable counters is that they sit nicely in a draw-actor script, and you can see easily where they go.=, and what they do, rather than having it hidden in a separate event. You can also vary the flow of time easily, or the speed at which you go. And then you have a variable that you can use in other cases, so although the time keeps counting, you can have if its less than a certain amount, do one thing, but otherwise, do another. But using actual timers is good when you want actual time.