Making controls that work on phones

Most people who play on CraftNova are on their phones. But if you just ask an AI to "make a game", you often get a game that only works with a keyboard, which phone players can't play at all.

This guide covers how to build controls that feel good on a phone, and exactly what to ask the AI.

Decide first: portrait or landscape

Whether a phone game is played upright or sideways changes the whole layout and control scheme, so decide before you start.

• Portrait: playable with one hand. Great for puzzles, falling-block games, visual novels, and one-tap games
• Landscape: held with both hands. Great for action and racing games, like moving with the left thumb and jumping with the right

The "Game creation guidelines" on the posting page come in three versions: Phone (portrait), Phone (landscape), and PC browser. Give the AI the one that matches your game. When you post, choose the same orientation under "Screen orientation". If someone opens a landscape game with their phone upright, CraftNova shows a "Best played in landscape" hint.

Three controls that work well on phones

1. Taps and on-screen buttons

The easiest control of all. You can skip buttons entirely by splitting the screen: "tap to jump", or "touch the left half to move left and the right half to move right". If you do add buttons:

• Make them big: fingers are wider than you think, and small buttons get missed
• Put them where thumbs reach: near the bottom in portrait, along the left and right edges in landscape
• Allow two at once: if players need to move and jump at the same time, tell the AI to "support multi-touch"

2. Swipes and drags

Sliding a finger across the screen. Use it to move puzzle pieces, drag a character around, or flick to change direction.

The thing to watch for is the whole page moving instead of the game. Games built with the guidelines include settings like touch-action: none that stop the screen from scrolling or zooming.

3. Tilt (motion sensors)

Tilt the phone to roll a ball or steer a car. It's a fun control you only get on phones, and it needs a little setup:

• On CraftNova, the site passes the phone's tilt data to the game
• On iPhone, an "Allow sensors" button appears when the game starts, and the sensors turn on once the player allows them
• The guidelines include code that matches this setup, so give the AI the guidelines first, then ask for "a game controlled by tilting the phone"

What to ask the AI

After giving the AI the guidelines, spell out the controls clearly:

Make this a portrait phone game.
- Everything must be playable with touch only
- While touching the left half of the screen, move left; the right half, move right
- A quick tap makes the character jump
- If you add buttons, make them large and place them near the bottom
- Support using two fingers at the same time

To make it work on PC too, add:

So it can also be played on PC, support the same controls
with the keyboard (arrow keys and the space bar).

What to write when you post

Even a great game won't get played if people can't figure out the controls. Explain them in the "Description and controls" field of the posting form:

Controls
Phone: touch the left/right side to move, tap to jump
PC: left/right arrow keys to move, space to jump

Also pick an option under "Best played on": Best on mobile, Best on PC, or Mobile and PC. It helps players find games that suit their device.

Test on a real phone before posting

Something that works with a mouse in a desktop browser can still feel wrong under a finger. Post the game as Private, open CraftNova on your phone, and play it. If something feels awkward, tell the AI specifically, like "jumping is hard to time on a phone", and it can fix it.

Summary

• Choose portrait or landscape first, and use the matching guidelines
• Combine taps, swipes, and tilt so the game works with touch alone
• Make buttons big and put them where thumbs can reach
• Explain the controls in "Description and controls"
• Test on a phone as a Private game before you publish