How do I implement a full-screen toggle option in my game’s settings menu?

Implementing a Full-Screen Toggle in Defold

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the implementation, it’s essential to understand how full-screen toggles work in game engines. Typically, this involves changing display settings and updating the user interface (UI) to reflect the changes. In Defold, we handle this through scripts that adjust window settings and UI elements.

Steps to Implement Full-Screen Toggle

1. Define a User Interface Button:

   function on_input(self, action_id, action)

   Create a button in your game settings menu that will trigger the toggle action. You can use Defold’s GUI components to create this button.

2. Implement the Toggle Logic:
   Use Defold’s scripting language, Lua, to detect input and toggle between windowed and full-screen modes as follows:

   if action_id == hash('toggle_fullscreen') and action.pressed then
       local options = sys.get_sys_info().system_name
       if self.fullscreen then
           window.set_fullscreen(false)
           gui.set_text(self.fullscreen_text, 'Enter Full Screen')
       else
           window.set_fullscreen(true)
           gui.set_text(self.fullscreen_text, 'Exit Full Screen')
       end
       self.fullscreen = not self.fullscreen
   end

   This code snippet toggles the window state based on user input.

3. Persist User Preferences:
   It’s crucial to save user preferences so that the full-screen state persists across game sessions. Use Defold’s built-in sys.save() and sys.load() functions to store the user’s choice in a settings file. Example code snippet:

   function init(self)
       local settings = sys.load('settings_file') or {}
       self.fullscreen = settings.fullscreen or false
       window.set_fullscreen(self.fullscreen)
       gui.set_text(self.fullscreen_text, self.fullscreen and 'Exit Full Screen' or 'Enter Full Screen')
   end

Testing and Optimization

• Test Across Platforms: Ensure that your implementation behaves consistently across different platforms (e.g., Windows, MacOS, Linux).
• UI Feedback: Provide clear visual feedback to the user, indicating the current mode (windowed or full-screen).
• Performance Considerations: Monitor performance during the toggle to ensure smooth transitions without lag or graphical glitches.

Conclusion

Implementing a full-screen toggle enriches the player’s user experience by offering flexibility in display settings. By following these steps in Defold, you can effectively manage window states and enhance your game’s settings menu functionality.

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