In this section, you’ll learn how to create interactive buttons and menus in Phaser, which are essential for building user interfaces (UI) such as main menus, pause screens, and in-game options. We’ll cover the basics of button creation, handling button events, and organizing menu layouts.
- Why Are Buttons and Menus Important?
- User Navigation: Allow players to start, pause, or exit the game.
- Game Options: Provide access to settings, instructions, or level selection.
- Feedback: Give visual and audio feedback for user actions.
- Creating a Simple Button
Phaser provides several ways to create buttons. The most common approach is to use images or sprites and make them interactive.
Step-by-Step Example: Image Button
1. Load Button Image
First, preload the button image in your scene’s preload method:
2. Add and Make the Button Interactive
Add the button to the scene and enable interactivity:
create() {
// Add the button image at position (400, 300)
const playButton = this.add.image(400, 300, 'playButton');
// Make the button interactive
playButton.setInteractive();
// Listen for pointer (mouse/touch) events
playButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
console.log('Play button clicked!');
// Start the game or switch scenes here
});
}Explanation
setInteractive(): Makes the image respond to input events.pointerdown: Event triggered when the button is pressed.
- Adding Visual Feedback
It’s good practice to provide feedback when a button is hovered or pressed.
Example: Button Hover and Click Effects
create() {
const playButton = this.add.image(400, 300, 'playButton').setInteractive();
playButton.on('pointerover', () => {
playButton.setTint(0x44ff44); // Green tint on hover
});
playButton.on('pointerout', () => {
playButton.clearTint(); // Remove tint when not hovered
});
playButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
playButton.setScale(0.95); // Slightly shrink on click
});
playButton.on('pointerup', () => {
playButton.setScale(1); // Restore size
// Start the game or perform action
});
}
- Creating Text Buttons
You can also use text as a button:
create() {
const startText = this.add.text(400, 300, 'Start Game', {
fontSize: '32px',
color: '#ffffff',
backgroundColor: '#0000ff',
padding: { x: 20, y: 10 }
}).setOrigin(0.5).setInteractive();
startText.on('pointerdown', () => {
console.log('Start Game clicked!');
});
}
- Building a Simple Menu
Menus are usually groups of buttons or text options. You can organize them using containers or by positioning elements manually.
Example: Main Menu Scene
class MainMenu extends Phaser.Scene {
preload() {
this.load.image('playButton', 'assets/play_button.png');
this.load.image('optionsButton', 'assets/options_button.png');
}
create() {
// Play Button
const playButton = this.add.image(400, 250, 'playButton').setInteractive();
playButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
this.scene.start('GameScene');
});
// Options Button
const optionsButton = this.add.image(400, 350, 'optionsButton').setInteractive();
optionsButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
this.scene.start('OptionsScene');
});
// Title Text
this.add.text(400, 150, 'My Phaser Game', {
fontSize: '48px',
color: '#fff'
}).setOrigin(0.5);
}
}Explanation
- Each button is positioned vertically.
- Clicking a button switches to a different scene.
- Organizing Menus with Containers
Phaser’s Container allows you to group multiple elements and move or scale them together.
Example: Grouping Menu Items
create() {
const playButton = this.add.text(0, 0, 'Play', { fontSize: '32px', color: '#fff' }).setInteractive();
const optionsButton = this.add.text(0, 60, 'Options', { fontSize: '32px', color: '#fff' }).setInteractive();
const menu = this.add.container(400, 250, [playButton, optionsButton]);
playButton.on('pointerdown', () => { /* ... */ });
optionsButton.on('pointerdown', () => { /* ... */ });
}
- Table: Button Creation Methods
| Method | Description | Example Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Image Button | Uses an image as a button | Main menu, icons |
| Text Button | Uses text as a button | Simple menus, labels |
| Sprite Button | Uses a sprite with animations | Animated buttons |
| Container | Groups multiple UI elements | Complex menus, popups |
- Exercise: Create a Pause Menu
Task:
Create a pause menu with two buttons: "Resume" and "Quit". When "Resume" is clicked, the game resumes. When "Quit" is clicked, return to the main menu.
Solution
class PauseMenu extends Phaser.Scene {
create() {
// Resume Button
const resumeButton = this.add.text(400, 250, 'Resume', {
fontSize: '32px', color: '#fff', backgroundColor: '#008800', padding: { x: 20, y: 10 }
}).setOrigin(0.5).setInteractive();
resumeButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
this.scene.stop(); // Stop pause menu
this.scene.resume('GameScene'); // Resume game
});
// Quit Button
const quitButton = this.add.text(400, 320, 'Quit', {
fontSize: '32px', color: '#fff', backgroundColor: '#880000', padding: { x: 20, y: 10 }
}).setOrigin(0.5).setInteractive();
quitButton.on('pointerdown', () => {
this.scene.stop('GameScene'); // Stop game scene
this.scene.start('MainMenu'); // Go to main menu
});
// Menu Title
this.add.text(400, 180, 'Paused', {
fontSize: '40px', color: '#fff'
}).setOrigin(0.5);
}
}Common Mistakes & Tips:
- Forgetting
setInteractive(): Without this, buttons won’t respond to clicks. - Incorrect Scene Names: Ensure you use the correct scene keys in
start,stop, andresume. - Button Overlap: Position buttons with enough space to avoid accidental clicks.
- Summary
- Buttons in Phaser can be created using images, text, or sprites, and made interactive with
setInteractive(). - Menus are collections of buttons and UI elements, often organized with containers or manual positioning.
- Always provide visual feedback for button states (hover, click).
- Use scene management to switch between menus and game states.
Next: You’ll learn how to display scores and create a HUD (Heads-Up Display) to show game information to the player.
Phaser - Game Development with JavaScript
Module 1: Introduction to Game Development and Phaser
- What is Game Development?
- Overview of Phaser
- Setting Up Your Development Environment
- Your First Phaser Project
Module 2: Phaser Basics
- Understanding the Game Loop
- Game Configuration and Scenes
- Loading and Displaying Images
- Working with Text
- Handling Input (Keyboard and Mouse)
Module 3: Sprites and Animation
Module 4: Game Physics and Interactivity
- Introduction to Physics in Phaser
- Enabling Physics on Sprites
- Collisions and Overlaps
- Interactive Objects and Events
