Delta Time

1. Polish Your Game

Understanding Loop Scripts and Frame Rates

In Easy FPS Editor, loop scripts are executed once per frame. This means their frequency depends directly on the game’s frame rate. A game running at 30 frames per second (FPS) will execute the loop script 30 times per second, while a game running at 60 FPS will execute it 60 times per second.

Calculating Time Accurately

To accurately measure the passage of time in a loop script, we need to consider the frame rate. A simple approach is to increment a counter by 1 on each loop iteration. However, this can lead to inaccuracies if the frame rate fluctuates.

Introducing Delta Time

Delta time is a variable that represents the elapsed time between the current and previous frame. It’s calculated as 1 divided by the frame rate (FPS). For example, in a game running at 30 FPS, delta time would be 1/30, or approximately 0.0333 seconds.

Using Delta Time for Accurate Calculations

By adding delta time to a counter on each loop iteration, we can ensure that the counter increments at a consistent rate, regardless of the frame rate. This allows for more accurate time-based calculations in our scripts.

Example:

global.time += $global.deltaTime

This code snippet increments the global.time variable by deltaTime on each loop iteration. This means that global.time will increase by approximately 1 second every time the loop script runs 30 times (for a 30 FPS game).

Benefits of Using Delta Time

Accurate Time-Based Calculations: Delta time ensures that calculations are performed consistently, regardless of frame rate fluctuations.
Smoother Game Behavior: By using delta time for movement, animations, and other time-based operations, you can achieve smoother and more responsive game play.
Frame Rate Independence: Your game’s behavior will be less affected by changes in frame rate, leading to a more consistent user experience.

By understanding and utilizing delta time in your Easy FPS Editor scripts, you open up a wide range of possibilities for your project.

Delta time has been added to the dev builds for Easy FPS Editor. >>>>They can be found here <<<<