Controls

Switching between Control Methods

You can control Game Builder Garage with the following methods:

• Touch Controls
• Control Stick Pointer
• Motion-Control Pointer
• Mouse

In the pause menu’s control settings, you can configure settings for both TV mode controls and handheld/tabletop mode controls.
If a USB mouse is connected, the game will switch to mouse controls automatically.

General Controls



Press  on the Joy-Con controller to switch between the game screen and the program screen.



Press  on the Joy-Con controller to pause.
On the pause menu, you can quit the game or lesson, configure controls, read through the log, or check the Nodopedia.

Hold Down 

Hold down  on the Joy-Con controller while on the game screen to trigger a retry.

Press  or  on the Game Screen

If the If-Touched Nodon or Touch-Position Nodon are called, then pressing  or  on the game screen will activate the motion-control pointer. This is not affected by control-method settings.
When the motion-control pointer is active, pressing , , , or  will be treated the same as a physical touch. The If-Touched Nodon and Touch-Position Nodon will respond in the same way.

Clicking on the Game Screen with the Mouse

When a connected USB mouse is clicked on the game screen, it will be treated the same as a physical touch. The If-Touched Nodon and Touch-Position Nodon will respond in the same way.

Touch Controls

Touch

Touch the touch screen to press on-screen buttons, select Nodon and connections, and more. Touch an empty area on the canvas to deselect Nodon and connections.
You can also touch the screen to advance through conversations. Conversations can also be advanced with .

Drag

Move your finger while holding it down on the touch screen to drag.
Drag on a blank part of the canvas to move around.
You can move Nodon by dragging them.
Drag from a Nodon’s port to either draw or release a connection.

Spreading/Pinching with Two Fingers

Touch the screen with two fingers and spread them to zoom in on the canvas. Pinch the fingers to zoom out.

Dragging with Two Fingers

Hold two fingers to the screen and drag them to move around the canvas.
You can even do this if you are touching a Nodon or connection.

Double-Tapping the Canvas with Two Fingers

Double-tap a blank area of the canvas with two fingers to reset the canvas position and zoom level.

Dragging While Holding  or 

Drag on a blank area of the canvas while holding  or  to draw a box that lets you select several Nodon at once. This also works with dragging after a double-tap.

Touching While Holding  or 

While a Nodon is selected, tap on another Nodon while holding  or  to add it to the selection.
If multiple Nodon are selected, tap one of them while holding  or  to remove it from the selection.

Shortcuts

Control Stick Pointer

Left Stick

Move the pointer by tilting the Left Stick.
Keep moving the pointer while at the edge of the screen to scroll the canvas in that direction.



Push  to move the pointer slowly in each direction.



Press  with the pointer over a button to select it or to select a Nodon or connection. If you have a Nodon or connection selected, select a blank area of the canvas to deselect it.
You can also use  to advance through conversations.

Hold  While Moving Left Stick

Tilt the Left Stick while pressing  to drag.
Drag on a blank area of the canvas to move around.
Drag on a Nodon to move it, and drag on a port to draw or release a connection.

Hold / While Moving Right Stick Up/Down

While holding down  or , tilt the Right Stick up or down to zoom in and out of the canvas.
The zoom controls can be inverted in the settings.

Right Stick,  or  ＋ Left Stick

Tilt the Right Stick, or hold down / and tilt the Left Stick, to move the canvas around.
The movement directions can be inverted in the settings.

＋, ＋, ＋, or ＋

While holding down  or , press  or  to reset the canvas position and zoom level.

/ While Dragging

While holding down  or , point the pointer to a blank area of the canvas and drag while pressing  to draw a box that lets you select several Nodon at once. You can also do this by pressing  twice and dragging.

＋ or ＋

While a Nodon is selected, point at another Nodon and press  while holding  or  to add it to the selection. If you have several Nodon selected and select one of them while holding  or , that Nodon will be removed from the selection.

Shortcuts

Motion-Control Pointer

Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R)

To switch to motion-control-pointer mode, press any button or tilt the control stick of the Joy-Con controller you wish to control the pointer with.

Tilting the Joy-Con controller

Point the Joy-Con controller at the screen and tilt it up, down, left, or right to move the pointer.
Push  or  to reset the Joy-Con controller’s forward position to how you are holding it at that moment.

, , , or 

Press  or  on the left Joy-Con or  or  on the right Joy-Con to select on-screen buttons, select Nodon and connections, and more. Do this on an empty area on the canvas to deselect Nodon and connections.
You can also use this method to advance through conversations.

Hold /// while moving Joy-Con

While holding , , , or , move the Joy-Con to drag.
Drag on a blank part of the canvas to move around.
You can move Nodon by dragging them.
Drag from a Nodon’s port to either draw or release a connection.

 ＋ Left Stick Up/Down or  ＋ Right Stick Up/Down

You can zoom in and out of the canvas by holding  on the left Joy-Con and tilting the left control stick up/down, or by holding  on the right Joy-Con and tilting the right control stick up/down.
The zoom controls can be inverted in the settings.

Left Stick or Right Stick

Tilt the left control stick on the left Joy-Con, or tilt the right control stick on the right Joy-Con to move the canvas.
The move controls can be inverted in the settings.

＋ or ＋

Hold  and press  on the left Joy-Con, or hold  and press  on the right Joy-Con, to reset the canvas position and zoom level.

/ while dragging

Drag on a blank area of the canvas while holding  on the left Joy-Con or  on the right Joy-Con to draw a box that lets you select several Nodon at once. This can also be done by pushing , , , or  twice and dragging.

 ＋ ,  ＋ ,  ＋ , or  ＋ 

While a Nodon is selected, point at another Nodon, hold  on the left Joy-Con or  on the right Joy-Con, and press , , , or  to add the Nodon to the selection.
If you have several Nodon selected and select one of them when doing the above, that Nodon will be removed from the selection.

Shortcuts

A Pro Controller will be treated like a Joy-Con (R) when used with the motion-control pointer.

Mouse Controls

Move Mouse

Move the pointer by moving the mouse.

Left Click

Click the left mouse button with the pointer over an on-screen button to select it or to select Nodon or their connections. If you have a Nodon or connection selected, left click on a blank area of the canvas to deselect it.
You can also left click to advance through conversations.

Left Click and Drag

Move the pointer while holding the left mouse button to drag.
Drag a blank area of the canvas to move around.
Drag a Nodon to move it, and drag a port to draw or release a connection.

Mouse Wheel Up/Down

Roll the mouse wheel up or down to zoom in or out on the canvas.
The wheel directions can be inverted in the settings.

Middle Click and Drag

Hold the middle mouse button (or push in the mouse wheel) and drag to move around the canvas.
You can even do this if the pointer is on a Nodon or connection.

 ＋ ,  ＋ ,  ＋ , or  ＋ 

Hold  or  and press  or  to reset the canvas position and zoom level.

/ While Dragging

While holding down  or , drag on a blank area of the canvas to draw a box that lets you select several Nodon at once. You can also do this by double-clicking and dragging.

/ and Left Click

While a Nodon is selected, left click on another Nodon while holding  or  to add it to the selection.
If you have several Nodon selected and click on one of them while holding  or , that Nodon will be removed from the selection.

Shortcuts