Create a Ball that Moves in 4 Directions

This lesson shows how to make a ball object move Up, Down, Left, and Right using the arrow keys in GameMaker.

Be sure to add all these groups
Animation Curves
Extensions
Fonts
Notes
Objects
Particle Systems
Paths
Rooms
Scripts
Sequences
Sounds
Sprites
Tile Sets
Timelines

STEP 1 — Create a Sprite

1. Right-click Sprites → Create Sprite
2. Name it: spr_ball
3. Edit Image → draw a simple circle
4. Close editor to save

STEP 2 — Create a Ball Object

1. Right-click Objects → Create Object
2. Name it: obj_ball
3. Assign the sprite: spr_ball

STEP 3 — Add a Create Event

This sets how fast the ball moves.

speed = 4;

STEP 4 — Add a Step Event

This code checks arrow keys and moves in that direction.

// default: no movement
direction = -1;

// up
if (keyboard_check(vk_up)) {
    direction = 90;
}

// down
if (keyboard_check(vk_down)) {
    direction = 270;
}

// left
if (keyboard_check(vk_left)) {
    direction = 180;
}

// right
if (keyboard_check(vk_right)) {
    direction = 0;
}

STEP 5 — Place in Room & Test

1. Open Room1
2. Drag obj_ball into the room
3. Click Run ▶

if (keyboard_check(vk_up))        { direction = 90;  speed = 4; }
else if (keyboard_check(vk_down)) { direction = 270; speed = 4; }
else if (keyboard_check(vk_left)) { direction = 180; speed = 4; }
else if (keyboard_check(vk_right)){ direction = 0;   speed = 4; }
else { speed = 0; }