How to build vertically-scrolling starfield particle emitter

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

Hello,

I want to create a particle system emitting a vertically scrolling star field. The Particle Designer tool already has some emitters in its library that I want to use (e.g. “Stars in Motion”). They basically start emitting at the very top and have the stars fall down to the bottom.

Problem is though, when I use this emitter in my game, it takes some time until the star field fills the whole screen. What I need is an emitter that has the screen already filled from the very beginning, moves the stars down to the bottom and re-spawns them at the very top. I have no idea though how I can achieve this, I neither find an option in Particle Designer that allows be to do this, nor in Corona itself.

Does anyone have any pointers how I can achieve this?

Thanks

Tyrondis

#2

It’s most likely about the speed at which you create the particles at. If you create slow moving particles at a leisurely pace, like stars, then it’ll take a while for them to populate the screen. If the particles are generated fast and have a brief lifetime, then they’ll fill up the screen fast.

If you need a moment, you could also could also potentially create the particles while the user sees a loading screen or something, so that the particles have the time to populate the screen. You can play around with http://particle2dx.com/ and its templates. There are various emitters ready to use that should fill the screen in no time, if needed.

#3

@tyrondis,

  1. What made you want to choose an emitter to solve this issue?

  2. I don’t think an emitter is a good choice if you need the ‘particles’ both immediately and continuously.  @Xedur… has correctly pointed out it takes time (and there is no avoiding it) for the particles to move into place.

Note: You have both decided upon the effect you want and the solution, then asked us to make the solution work they way you want it to.  This doesn’t give us a lot of room to help.

I would suggest you write your own scrolling background generator instead.  Then you can control the effect.  

#4

It’s most likely about the speed at which you create the particles at. If you create slow moving particles at a leisurely pace, like stars, then it’ll take a while for them to populate the screen. If the particles are generated fast and have a brief lifetime, then they’ll fill up the screen fast.

If you need a moment, you could also could also potentially create the particles while the user sees a loading screen or something, so that the particles have the time to populate the screen. You can play around with http://particle2dx.com/ and its templates. There are various emitters ready to use that should fill the screen in no time, if needed.

#5

@tyrondis,

  1. What made you want to choose an emitter to solve this issue?

  2. I don’t think an emitter is a good choice if you need the ‘particles’ both immediately and continuously.  @Xedur… has correctly pointed out it takes time (and there is no avoiding it) for the particles to move into place.

Note: You have both decided upon the effect you want and the solution, then asked us to make the solution work they way you want it to.  This doesn’t give us a lot of room to help.

I would suggest you write your own scrolling background generator instead.  Then you can control the effect.