Learning Goals 3 min
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Use
say [Hello!] for (2) secondsto show a line that clears itself. - Choose the right say block for a given job, and justify the choice.
- Time a two-character conversation so the lines do not overlap.
Warm-Up 7 min
Your cat can hold a bubble up while it moves. But every one of those bubbles has to be cleared by hand, and in a long scene that becomes a lot of tidying up.
Quick-fire puzzle
Hafiz wrote a three-line conversation using plain say blocks. When he ran it, the audience only saw the last line. What happened to the other two?
when flag clicked
say [Where were you?]
say [I was at the shop.]
say [Did you get roti?]
Reveal the answer
All three ran, in order, in a single frame. Each bubble replaced the one before it far too quickly to read, so only the last one survived.
He could fix it with waits between them — or with the block that has the wait built in, which is today’s.
New Concept — a bubble with a built-in timer 15 min
Last lesson you learned that the plain say block does one job: put a bubble up. Today’s block does three — put a bubble up, wait, and take it down again. One block, three jobs, which is why it is the one you will reach for most.
Blocks reference
| Block | Category | What it does |
|---|---|---|
say [Hello!] for (2) seconds | Looks | Shows a bubble, holds the script for that long, then removes the bubble and carries on. |
say [Hello!] | Looks | From last lesson. Shows a bubble and moves on immediately, leaving it up. |
Three blocks in one
Written out longhand, the timed block is really this:
say [Hello!]
wait (2) seconds
say []
say for seconds block. Now you know what it is doing under the hood.That matters for a practical reason: those three blocks cost you three of your eight, and the timed version costs one. In a Level 1 script that difference decides what else you can fit in.
Which one, when?
| What you want | Which block |
|---|---|
| A line of dialogue, then the next line | say [Hello!] for (2) seconds |
| A label that stays while the sprite moves | say [Hello!] |
| Speech and movement happening together | say [Hello!] |
| A conversation where characters take turns | say [Hello!] for (2) seconds |
The pattern underneath: use the timed one when the speaking is the action, and the plain one when speaking happens alongside something else.
How long is a line?
Reading takes longer than you think. A short line needs about two seconds; a longer one needs three or four. Test it by reading your line out loud at a comfortable speed and counting.
Why it matters
Dialogue is the backbone of every story project. Timed bubbles let you write a conversation as a straight list of lines, in order, with no tidying up — which is exactly how a script for a play is written.
Worked Example — a proper conversation 15 min
We write a two-character exchange where the lines take turns instead of talking over each other.
Step 1 — Write the cat’s lines
On the cat, build two timed say blocks with a gap between them for Abby’s reply.
when flag clicked
say [Where were you?] for (2) seconds
wait (3) seconds
say [Did you get roti?] for (2) seconds
Step 2 — Write Abby’s lines
Select Abby and build the mirror image: wait first, then speak.
when flag clicked
wait (2) seconds
say [I was at the shop.] for (3) seconds
wait (2) seconds
say [Of course I did!] for (2) seconds
Step 3 — Run it and listen for the overlap
Click the flag. If the timing is right the four lines land one after another. If two bubbles are ever up together, one of the waits is wrong.
Step 4 — Do the arithmetic
Add up the cat’s timings: 2 seconds speaking, then 3 waiting, so its second line starts at the 5-second mark. Abby waits 2, speaks for 3 — she finishes at 5 exactly. The two scripts fit together because the numbers were made to.
This is the hidden difficulty of dialogue. Neither sprite can see the other, so the only thing keeping them in step is arithmetic you did in advance.
Step 5 — Break it deliberately
Change Abby’s first wait to 0 and run it again. Both characters now speak at once and the conversation becomes unreadable — which is exactly what happens in every pupil’s first attempt.
Step 6 — Give the lines room
Read the longest line aloud while watching its bubble. If you are still reading when it vanishes, add a second to that block and to the matching wait on the other sprite. Both numbers have to move together.
What changed: you have written a scene rather than a set of announcements — and discovered that timing two characters is arithmetic, not luck.
The full assembled scripts (your reference)
when flag clicked
say [Where were you?] for (2) seconds
wait (3) seconds
say [Did you get roti?] for (2) seconds
when flag clicked
wait (2) seconds
say [I was at the shop.] for (3) seconds
wait (2) seconds
say [Of course I did!] for (2) seconds
Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min
Goal: Fix Hafiz’s broken conversation from the Warm-Up so all three lines can be read.
when flag clicked
say [Where were you?] for (2) seconds
say [I was at the shop.] for (3) seconds
say [Did you get roti?] for (2) seconds
Think: no wait blocks needed at all, because each timed say contains its own. Seven seconds of dialogue from four blocks.
Goal: Give each line the time it actually needs. Write three lines of very different lengths and tune each bubble until every one is comfortable to read.
when flag clicked
say [Hi!] for (2) seconds
say [Where have you been?] for (3) seconds
say [I went to the shop for roti canai.] for (4) seconds
Think: read each one aloud while it is on screen. If you are still reading when the bubble goes, that number is too small.
Mini-mission: an interruption. Write a scene where one character cuts the other off mid-sentence — so the timing has to be deliberately mismatched rather than neat.
It works if: a watcher can tell the interruption is deliberate rather than a timing bug, and can say roughly when the second character comes in. Keep each stack under 8 blocks.
Think: everything so far has been about keeping lines apart. What has to change about Abby’s opening wait to make her land during the cat’s line instead of after it?
Mini-Challenge — the right block for the job 5 min
“One scene, both blocks”
Build a short scene that genuinely needs both say blocks — one moment where the timed version is right, and one where only the plain version will do.
It works if:
- One flag click plays the whole scene.
- One line is delivered standing still and clears itself.
- One line stays visible while the sprite travels.
- You can explain why swapping the two blocks over would spoil it.
- No bubble is left on screen at the end.
Reveal one valid solution (teacher)
when flag clicked
go to x: (-160) y: (0)
say [I'd better go.] for (2) seconds
say [Off I go!]
glide (3) secs to x: (160) y: (0)
say []
The first line is the action, so it is timed. The second accompanies the walk, so it is plain — and needs clearing afterwards. Pupils who use the timed block for the second line will see the cat stand still to speak and only then set off, which makes the distinction obvious.
Recap 2 min
The timed say block is really three blocks in one: show a bubble, wait, clear it. That makes it the right choice whenever speaking is the action, and the wrong one whenever a sprite needs to talk and move at the same time. Line length should decide the number of seconds — and when two characters are talking, their waits and their speaking times have to be worked out together, because neither can see the other.
- say for seconds
- Shows a bubble, pauses the script, then clears the bubble automatically.
- Dialogue
- Characters speaking in turn. Needs timing so lines do not overlap.
- Reading time
- How long a line needs on screen. Longer sentences need more seconds.
- Turn-taking
- Matching one sprite’s waits to another’s speaking times so they alternate.
Homework 1 min
The four-line scene. Write a short conversation between two sprites and time it so nobody talks over anybody.
- Write your four lines on paper first, and note how long each needs.
- Build the cat’s script, then Abby’s, matching her waits to his speaking times.
- Run it and check for overlaps. Adjust until it reads cleanly.
- Screenshot both Script Areas.
when flag clicked
say [Where were you?] for (2) seconds
wait (3) seconds
say [Did you get roti?] for (2) seconds
Bring back next class:
- Screenshots of both scripts.
- Your running totals written out — the second at which each of the four lines begins.
Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-25 introduces thought bubbles, so your characters can have opinions they do not say out loud.