SKAction Moveto not completing within the duration? - ios

I am trying to make something like a clock with sweeping hands.
I pull the minutes from NSDate.
Then somewhat calculate a radian value and find an XY position where my sprite should move to in 1 min,
Then at the beginning of the next min I calculate the next XY position where my sprite should move to in that min.
so i have these codes inside the update function
//Get Current Minute
var currentTime = NSDate();
var nowCal = NSCalendar(calendarIdentifier: NSCalendar.Identifier.ISO8601)
var currMin = nowCal?.component(.minute, from: currentTime as Date)
//Print current minute
print(currMin)
// slicing the circle into 60 segments and getting which angle in radians the sprite should move to in the next min
var minAng = (2*CGFloat.pi)/60 * CGFloat(currMin!)
//calculating point on the circle where the sprite should move to in the next min
var newPt = CGPoint(x: (300 * cos(minAng)), y: -(300 * sin(minAng)))
//print out where the sprite currently is and where it should move to
print(hand.position)
print(newPt)
//move the sprite to the new location over 60 seconds, making sure the movement is linear
let moveHand = SKAction.move(to: newPt, duration: 60)
moveHand.timingMode = SKActionTimingMode.linear
hand.run(moveHand)
//move another placeholder sprite to the final destination instantly to visualise movment by waiting for the moving sprite.
handToBe.run(SKAction.move(to: newPt, duration: 0))
Assuming i am understanding everything correctly, it should move through the segment in 1 minute, reaching the end of the segment before needing to move to the next segment.
however, my sprite never reaches the end of the segment before needing to move to the next segment. the printouts shows that it is always too slow.
is there something i am not understanding about SKAction.move(to:), or is my logic flawed in this instance?

Try removing the code from the update function and just run it in a function that you call yourself. update gets called every frame, so the sprite starts to move, then the next frame it is told to move to another position, so it now has two move actions it needs to run at the same time. The frame after that it has 3 move actions it needs to run, etc. This could mean that it never really reaches its first intended position because of the other move actions that are affecting it at the same time.

Related

chasing enemy in an endless runner

I've been trying to code this for days now, without success.
My game is a 2D endless runner. My hero is locked onto a specific point on the X-axis. The obstacles are randomly spawned (height and distance) buildings.
I'd like to add a chasing enemy to the game. Currently for visuals only.
chasingCopNode = CopSprite.newInstance(position: CGPoint(x: -90, y: 0))
let follow = SKAction.moveTo(x: thiefNode.position.x - 50, duration: 5)
let wait = SKAction.wait(forDuration: 2)
let fallBehind = SKAction.moveTo(x: -90, duration: 4)
let chasingSequence = SKAction.sequence([follow, wait, fallBehind])
chasingCopNode.run(chasingSequence)
chasing = true
self.addChild(chasingCopNode)
I created this to move tha chasing sprite along the X-axis.
In my update function, I simply update the Y position of the enemy with the hero's Y position.
That is working, but not quite the thing I need. Since the Y positions are the same, the enemy sprite is flying sometimes (because there is no building under it).
I couldn't come up with any working ideas for the movement on the Y-axis.
I was thinking maybe add a function that calculates the needed Y impulse for the enemy to land on the next building, but I was not able to do that correctly.
thank you for your help!

Maintain correct SCNNode position in ARKit while walking, without calling run and .resetTracking on each CLLocation update

I'm building a simple navigation app with ARKit. The app shows a pin at a destination, which can be far away or nearby. The user is able to walk toward the pin to navigate.
In my ARSCNView I have an SCNNode called waypointNode, which represents the pin at the destination.
To determine where to place the waypointNode, I calculate the distance to the destination in meters, and the bearing (degrees away from North) to the destination. Then, I create and multiply some transformations and apply them to the node to put it in the proper position.
There's also some logic establish a maximum distance away for the waypointNode so it's not too small for the user to see.
This is how I configure the ARSCNView, so the axes line up with the real-world compass directions:
func setUpSceneView() {
let configuration = ARWorldTrackingConfiguration()
configuration.worldAlignment = .gravityAndHeading
configuration.planeDetection = .horizontal
session.run(configuration, options: [.resetTracking])
}
Every time the device gets a new CLLocation from CoreLocation, I update the distance and bearing then call this function to update the position of the waypointNode:
func updateWaypointNode() {
// limit the max distance so the node doesn't become invisible
let distanceLimit: Float = 80
let translationDistance: Float
if navigationInfo.distance > distanceLimit {
translationDistance = distanceLimit
} else {
translationDistance = navigationInfo.distance
}
// transform matrix to adjust node distance
let distanceTranslation = SCNMatrix4MakeTranslation(0, 0, -translationDistance)
// transform matrix to rotate node around y-axis
let rotation = SCNMatrix4MakeRotation(-1 * GLKMathDegreesToRadians(Float(navigationInfo.bearing)), 0, 1, 0)
// multiply the rotation and distance translation matrices
let distanceTimesRotation = SCNMatrix4Mult(distanceTranslation, rotation)
// grab the current camera transform
guard let cameraTransform = session.currentFrame?.camera.transform else { return }
// multiply the rotation and distance translation transform by the camera transform
let finalTransform = SCNMatrix4Mult(SCNMatrix4(cameraTransform), distanceTimesRotation)
// update the waypoint node with this updated transform
waypointNode.transform = finalTransform
}
This works fine when the user first starts the session, and when the user moves less than about 100m.
Once the user covers a significant distance, like over 100m walking or driving, just calling updateWaypointNode() is not enough to maintain the proper position of the node at the destination. When walking toward the node, for example, it's possible for the user to eventually reach the node, even though the user has not reached the destination. Note: This incorrect positioning happens while the session open the whole time, not if the session is interrupted.
As a workaround, I'm also calling setUpSceneView() every time the device gets a location update.
Even though this works OK, it feels wrong to me. It doesn't seem like I should have to call run with the .resetTracking option every time. I think I might just be overlooking something in my translations. I also see some jumpiness in the camera that seems to happen every time run is called when the session is running, so that's less desirable than simply updating translations.
Is there something different I could do to avoid calling run on the session and resetting the tracking every time the device gets a location update?

Swift Game Scene alter vertically moving background with time?

I have a moving background which is 1500 x 600 pixels and constantly moves vertically down the screen using this code:
let bgTexture = SKTexture(imageNamed: "bg.png")
let moveBGanimation = SKAction.move(by: CGVector(dx: 0, dy: -bgTexture.size().height), duration: 4)
let shiftBGAnimation = SKAction.move(by: CGVector(dx: 0, dy: bgTexture.size().height), duration: 0)
let moveBGForever = SKAction.repeatForever(SKAction.sequence([moveBGanimation, shiftBGAnimation]))
var i: CGFloat = 0
while i < 3 {
bg = SKSpriteNode(texture: bgTexture)
bg.position = CGPoint(x: self.frame.midX, y: bgTexture.size().height * i)
bg.size.width = self.frame.width
bg.zPosition = -2
bg.run(moveBGForever)
self.addChild(bg)
i += 1
}
I now want a new background to come onto the screen after x amount of time to give the feel the player is moving into a different part of the game.
Could I put this code into a function and trigger it with NSTimer after say 20 seconds but change the start position of the new bg to be off screen?
The trouble with repeatForever actions is you don't know where they are at a certain moment. NSTimers are not as precise as you'd like, so using a timer may miss the right time or jump in too early depending on rendering speeds and frame rate.
I would suggest replacing your moveBGForever with a bgAnimation as a sequence of your move & shift actions. Then, when you run bgAnimation action, you run it with a completion block of { self.cycleComplete = true }. cycleComplete would be a boolean variable that indicates whether the action sequence is done or not. In your scene update method you can check if this variable is true and if it is, you can run the sequence action once again. Don't forget to reset the cycleComplete var to false.
Perhaps it sounds more complex but gives you control of whether you want to run one more cycle or not. If not, then you can change the texture and run the cycle again.
Alternatively you may leave it as it is and only change the texture(s) after making sure the sprite is outside the visible area, e.g. its Y position is > view size height.
In SpriteKit you can use wait actions with completion blocks. This is more straightforward than using a NSTimer.
So, to answer your question - when using actions for moving the sprites on-screen, you should not change the sprite's position at any time - this is what the actions do. You only need to make sure that you update the texture when the position is off-screen. When the time comes, obviously some of the sprites will be displayed, so you can't change the texture of all 3 at the same time. For that you may need a helper variable to check in your update cycle (as I suggested above) and replace the textures when the time is right (sprite Y pos is off-screen).

How to make a node to rotate around a point outside of the node in a spritekit game project

I came across this answer, but the answer is not clear to me. Can someone provide some sample code?
Create an SKNode and set its position to the center of rotation. Add the node that should rotate around that center as child to the center node. Set the child node's position to the desired offset (ie radius, say x + 100). Change the rotation property of the center node to make the child node(s) rotate around the center point.
Specifically, "Change the rotation property of the center node" to what?
var centerNode: SKSpriteNode = SKSpriteNode(imageNamed: "image1")
centerNode.position = CGPointMake(self.frame.width/2, self.frame.height/2)
self.addChild(centerNode)
var nodeRotateMe: SKSpriteNode = SKSpriteNode(imageNamged: "image2")
nodeRotateMe.position = CGPointMake(self.frame.width/2 + 100, self.frame.height/2 + 100)
centerNode.addChild(nodeRotateMe)
// Change the rotation property of the center node to what??
centerNode.zRotation = ?
You have a couple of options:
1) You could rotate the centerNode over time in your SKScene's update: method by changing its zRotation property manually. You'll have to change the value slowly, at every call to update: to achieve a gradual rotation.
Note that the zRotation property is in radians, with means a 180 degree rotation would be equal to pi (M_PI). SKScene strives to update: at 60 FPS, which means to rotate 360 degrees over 5 seconds, you'd need to increment by 1/300th of a degree every call to update, which would be 1/150th of pi every update.
centerNode.zRotation = centerNode.zRotation + CGFloat(1.0/150.0 * M_PI)
Of course, there is no guarantee that your scene will be able to update at 60 FPS, so you may have to monitor the currentTime variable in update: and adjust accordingly.
2) Probably better, you could use an SKAction to rotate the centerNode for you.
let rotateAction = SKAction.rotateByAngle(CGFloat(2 * M_PI), duration: 5.0)
centerNode.runAction(rotateAction)
Note that the rotation angle is in radians, not degrees. Also note that the centerNode need not be a Sprite Node if you don't want to display an image there; it could be a regular SKNode.

How do I calculate the speed of which a user drags an image?

I have an image that the user can drag to the right and it will spring back when the user releases it. I want to execute some code when a user drags it quickly and releases it. Now I have a very awkward requirement that the user can drag the image, then keep it still for any length of time (for example 5 seconds), then drag it quickly and release it. As long as the image is moving above a certain speed when it is released, it will execute the code. If it falls below the minimum speed, it executes some different code. So that means I can't calculate the length of time between the beginning of the gesture and the end and execute the code depending on the length of time. What can I do? I guess I somehow need to know the speed at which the image is moving in it's last 500 milliseconds before the gesture ends. However I've hit a brick wall figuring out how to do that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Can you please include an explanation and possible example code with your answer as that would be a great help.
If you get the start X,Y coordinates of when the image is dragged, and the X,Y coordinates for when the mouse is released, you can use pythagoras' theorm to calculate the distance between the two points: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_theorem
Also, if you start a timer when the mouse is moved (and mouse button is down), and stop it in the mouseup event, you can calculate the speed using the time and distance (speed = distance / time)
edit following comments:
point delayedMousePos;
point previousMousePos;
bool secondDrag = false;
bool isStopped = false;
var timeFirstStopped;
var positionCount = 0;
array previousMousePositions[3];
// timer which monitors mouse position (set to an interval of say, 10ms)
function timerMonitorMousePos_Elapsed() {
point currentMousePos = getMousePos();
if (isStopped == false) {
if (positionCount >= 2) {
array_shift(previousMousePositions); // remove the first element of the array and move everything down to reindex numerical array to start counting from zero
positionCount = 2; // keep positionCount within array bounds
}
previousMousePositions[positionCount] = currentMousePos; // add the new position to the end of the 'stack'
positionCount++;
}
if (currentMousePos == previousMousePos) { // start check for stationary
isStopped = true;
if (timeFirstStopped == null) {
timeFirstStopped = NOW();
} else {
if (NOW() - timeFirstStopped >= 500) { // we have been stopped for at least 500ms (assumes time is counted in milliseconds)
secondDrag = true;
// previousMousePositions[0] = the mouse position 30ms before the mouse stopped
}
}
} else {
isStopped = false;
timeFirstStopped = null;
}
previousMousePos = currentMousePos;
}
I wouldn't use a timer. I would just save the starting date/time along with x,y position when the dragging starts.
When the dragging has ended, save the ending date/time and position. From those information, I can calculate the distance in pixel and duration in milliseconds.
After searching some more on the internet, I finally answered my own question.
I worked out what I needed to do:
My UIPanGestureRecognizer:
- (IBAction)handlePan3:(UIPanGestureRecognizer *)recognizer3
Get the velocity of the users finger moving across the screen:
CGPoint vel = [recognizer velocityInView:self.myView];
Then:
if (vel.x > /*value*/) {
// Your code
}
I was about to give up, but no! I got there in the end. Thanks for everyones help. I've upvoted one or two answers because they were helpful. bobnoble actually gave the suggestion to use velocityInView and I found this other stack overflow question which gave me the info I needed: iOS - Making sense of velocityInView on UIPanGesture

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