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Students explore the 'Looks' category to make their characters communicate using speech and thought bubbles.
Imagine your favorite cartoon character suddenly stopped talking. It would be pretty boring, right? What if you could give your own characters a voice and even make them share their secret thoughts?
To make your characters (called sprites) talk, you need to visit the purple Looks category. There are two main ways to show text. The say block creates a solid speech bubble, like when you talk out loud to a friend. The think block creates a fluffy cloud bubble with small circles, showing what the character is thinking inside their head. Using these blocks is like writing a script for a play where your sprites are the actors!
Let's make a sprite say hello: 1. Drag a purple say [Hello!] for [2] seconds block into the script area. 2. Click the block to see your sprite speak! 3. Change the text from 'Hello!' to 'Welcome to my game!'
Quick Check
What is the main difference between a 'say' block and a 'think' block?
Answer
A 'say' block shows a speech bubble for talking out loud, while a 'think' block shows a cloud bubble for internal thoughts.
Have you ever tried to read a book while someone flipped the pages too fast? It’s frustrating! In coding, we use duration to control how long a bubble stays on screen. The block says for [2] seconds, but you can change that number. If your sprite has a long sentence, you might need or seconds. If it's just a quick 'Hi!', then second is plenty. Finding the right balance makes your story much better for the player.
Let's make a sprite think about a math problem: 1. Use a think [Hmm...] for [2] seconds block. 2. Add another think [I think the answer is 10!] for [4] seconds block underneath. 3. Notice how the total time the sprite is 'thinking' is seconds.
Quick Check
If a sprite has a very long sentence to say, should you increase or decrease the number of seconds?
Answer
Increase the number of seconds so the player has enough time to read it.
To make two sprites talk to each other, you have to be a bit like a traffic cop. If both sprites talk at the same time, their bubbles might overlap! To fix this, we use the wait block from the Control category. While Sprite A is talking for seconds, Sprite B should wait for seconds before starting its own speech bubble. This creates a realistic back-and-forth conversation.
Let's coordinate a Cat and a Dog: 1. Cat Script: Say [Do you like bones?] for seconds. 2. Dog Script: Wait seconds, then Say [I love them!] for seconds. 3. Cat Script: Add a Wait seconds block after the first speech, then Say [Me too!] for seconds.
Which block would you use to show a cloud-shaped bubble?
If Sprite A speaks for seconds, how long should Sprite B 'wait' before replying so they don't overlap?
You can change the text inside a 'say' block to whatever you want.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember which color category contains the 'say' and 'think' blocks. (Hint: It's the color of a grape!)
Practice Activity
Try creating a joke between two sprites! Have one sprite ask a question, wait for the other to say 'Who's there?', and then deliver the punchline.