Mobile game controls can make or break the player experience. Renato Cassino tackled this challenge by creating a responsive virtual joystick for PhaserJS, inspired by Brawl Stars' smooth controls.
The Challenge
Virtual joysticks often suffer from inconsistent touch points that cause unintended character movements. Players need predictable, natural controls that respond exactly as expected.
Key Features
The solution addresses common control issues with several design choices:
- Dynamic repositioning - The joystick moves to wherever the player first touches
- Screen zone limiting - Active area restricted to left side to avoid button conflicts
- Analog movement - Distance and angle calculations enable variable speeds and directions
- Normalized input - Both axes map to a standard [-1, 1] range for consistent behavior
Results
This approach delivers the responsive, intuitive controls that mobile games require. The joystick adapts to player habits while maintaining precise movement control.