Question: How do you flip a sprite in GameMaker?

Answer

Flipping a sprite in GameMaker can be done by adjusting the image_xscale and image_yscale properties of an instance. These properties can be set to -1 to flip a sprite horizontally or vertically.

Here's how you can flip a sprite:

Horizontally:

// This will flip the sprite horizontally
image_xscale = -1;

Vertically:

// This will flip the sprite vertically
image_yscale = -1;

When flipping sprites, consider the following points:

• A value of 1 for image_xscale or image_yscale means no scaling is applied, and the sprite is drawn normally.
• A negative value flips the sprite across the corresponding axis.
• You can also apply these properties to stretch a sprite by setting them to a value other than -1 or 1.
• If you want to flip the sprite back to its original state, set image_xscale and/or image_yscale back to 1.

Finally, if you need to flip the sprite for a specific drawing event rather than altering the instance itself, use the draw_sprite_ext function:

// Draw the sprite flipped horizontally without affecting the instance's actual image_xscale
draw_sprite_ext(sprite_index, image_index, x, y, -1, 1, 0, c_white, 1);

// Draw the sprite flipped vertically without affecting the instance's actual image_yscale
draw_sprite_ext(sprite_index, image_index, x, y, 1, -1, 0, c_white, 1);

In this way, flipping is done on-the-fly during rendering and does not change the underlying properties of the instance.