Countdown Timer (Redux)

[twofoursixeight]

Continuing the discussion from Countdown Timer (3/10):

This guide uses repeaters, which consume a large amount of memory, but are friendly to beginners. If you would like to use the trigger, you can do so by altering the components to take advantage of triggers instead.

This is an improved version of an old guide I made back in 2023. It will show you how to make a Countdown Timer in Gimkit Creative. Uses less memory, but functionally the same (+ an extra feature)

Why I made this

After looking back from my old guide, I realized you don’t need to use the checker at all to make a timer like this. I also found a comment from a while ago.

Countdown Timer (outdated)

U don’t need a checker just go to the repeater and stop at the intervals the counter was gonna stop at

Ingredients

With no reset button

1x Button
1x Repeater
1x Counter
2x Wire

With a reset button (reset on timer end)

2x Button
1x Repeater
1x Counter
2x Wire

With a reset button (no reset on timer end)

2x Button
1x Repeater
1x Counter
3x Wire

Section A

activates the repeater

1. Place down your button and repeater.
2. Set your button to these settings:

Interaction Duration: Instant

3. Add a wire, set these settings:
   
   
4. Set your repeater to these settings:

Task Interval: 1.0
Stop Strategy: Channel

If you would like to reset the timer after it is done counting:

Stop Repeater On: [reset]

Otherwise, don’t put a channel for this if you don’t want the timer to reset.

Section B

The timer portion

5. Place down your counter.
6. Wire the repeater to the counter with these settings:
   
   
7. Set the amount of seconds you want your countdown to be:

FEATURED
Starting Value: [The number you want]

8. Program the clock to stop (counter settings).

TARGET
Use Target Value: Yes
Target Value: 0 # Value must be 0
Target reached when receiving on: [reset]

If you would like to reset the timer back to said number, do this:

CHANNELS
Reset counter when receiving on: [reset]

Otherwise, leave it be.

Additional Feature

You can also make another button to reset the timer at will.
Material: one button

9. Don’t wire the button to anything. Settings:

When button is pressed, transmit on [Reset]
Interaction Duration: Instant

Variant without resetting the counter on time expiration but do want to reset by button

For those that don’t wish to reset the counter on time expiration, you will want to make a new channel called [reset2].

When button is pressed, transmit on [Reset2]
Interaction Duration: Instant

Afterwards, go back to the counter and set this:

CHANNELS
Reset counter when receiving on: [reset2]

You will need an additional wire.
Wire the button to the repeater.
Then: Do this:

Afterwards, the timer is done.

You should be done from there.

[Fulcrum-19]

Couple of tips, try not to make guides on things people have made already,

How to make a countdown clock

You will need: Lifecycle x1 Repeater x1 Counter x1 Lifecycle: [image] Repeater: [image] Set the Time to Run for however much time you want the clock to be 3.Counter: [Screenshot 2023-12-12 5.43.22 PM] [image] The target value should be the same as the Time to Run Wire the counter to the repeater: [image] If you want to you can add barriers that players spawn in, and deactivate when the target value is reached.

And don’t use repeaters.

Please Never Use Repeaters (and a guide on looping)

This is really important. I see so many people using repeaters, but they are literally THE MOST USELESS DEVICE IN THE GAME. Everything about a repeater is inefficient. Let’s start with their most basic functionality. Repeating a signal. Let’s say it sends out on channel X every second. WOAH! We can do that with triggers too! If it has a delay of one, sends on channel X, and receives on channel X, WOW! It’s literally the same exact thing but with TEN TIMES THE MEMORY EFFICIENCY.

Let me tell …

With that said, I will say that this is a nice guide with a lot of effort put into it, and once you do find an idea that hasn’t been made already, it would probably be really good!

[Slim]

SPEED READ I’m speed reading this…I totally read this…yes I did… you can’t prove that I didn’t

Great guide and organizing everything! I love the GUI effort into this!

[twofoursixeight]

This was a redo on an outdated version of a guide I made back in October 2023 that had an unnecessary checker in it for some reason (and added a reset button) Countdown Timer (outdated)

[Fulcrum-19]

Yep I saw that and I think it’s ok to make improvements like that. You didn’t really do anything too wrong, but I still think if you’re going to improve it, you should really consider using triggers instead of repeaters lol

[twofoursixeight]

So the problem with triggers being used like repeaters is that THEY ARE NOT BEGINNER FRIENDLY. Repeaters are straight forward though, I tried messing with triggers and it’s kinda wonky to work with compared to a repeater. (It might be that repeaters are meant to be for beginners anyways and none of the experienced people use repeaters because they want to sacrifice memory. But if your game is low memory, then smth like repeaters work, otherwise I would perform the learning curve

---

Summary:
Repeaters for beginners, triggers for experienced people
Triggers confuse me.

[Blackhole927]

The problem with not using a trigger loop is that it’s straight up bad building practice, and by trying to maintain an anti-repeater mentality across the whole forums, beginners will learn to build better. Trigger loops are one of the easiest concepts of complex GKC, and they’re the foundation and first step towards becoming a much better GKC user.

Most people are scared of more complex mechanics, so rather than convincing them it’s a good idea, it’s easier to just force the mechanic on the user as being the solution for their problem. Again, trigger loops aren’t complex at all, so much so I can describe the entire setup for one in just a few words. (Wire one trigger to another, then wire the second trigger to the first. Set one of the trigger’s delay to be the time you want between iterations. Trigger one of the triggers to start the loop.) Trigger loops are one of the most beginner friendly mechanics that require a small bit of thinking, and it’s a good idea to encourage them.

Of course, in the end it’s up to you in what you put in your guides, but it’s generally better to discourage repeater use as much as possible, for the sake of trying to ensure learners get better at using devices fluently. Obviously, repeaters are useful in lazy situations, and I’ve personally used them when I’m trying to invent a new mechanic or test a complex system with many parts, but whenever I need a loop in a game, I go straight to trigger loops.

[Blizzy]

Aren’t you experienced though? You could say “this way for repeaters” and “this way for trigger loops”. Wow, BH that is a speech.

[twofoursixeight]

I don’t have the most knowledge so basically I try to help to the best of my knowledge but I don’t know some things

[Little_Green_Duck]

I think just saying ‘don’t use repeaters AT ALL’ is a bit harsh… There are valid points against repeaters, but here it was just easier to use one (there are less channels so it makes it easier to explain). If the reader wants to use a trigger instead of a repeater, they can happily do so, but I don’t think you should automatically decide that someone is wrong for using them. This is just my opinion though… You decide what you would use.

[Little_Green_Duck]

I agree! Repeaters use less channels and complicated setups, so they are so much more beginner-friendly. I know repeaters aren’t technically as memory-friendly as triggers, but they work better for this guide, so I think you did the right thing here.

[Little_Green_Duck]

Don’t you only need one trigger to make a trigger loop (a trigger that is triggered and sends on the same channel, just the one)? I might be wrong though…

[Blizzy]

Yeah, that’s still right. Here’s the whole thing:
Beginners: Oh, it’s definitely easier to use a repeater
“Advanced”: Triggers yay

Easy-to-build maps - Use a repeater. That way it’s easier.
Harder, more memory-consuming maps - Use a trigger loop. It’s efficient.

[twofoursixeight]

I’m going to add a note at the top of the guide saying this guide uses repeaters and that if they want to use trigger loops, they can do so by altering the triggers to behave like a repeater.
Done:

@twofoursixeight

This guide uses repeaters, which consume a large amount of memory, but are friendly to beginners. If you would like to use the trigger, you can do so by altering the components to take advantage of triggers instead.

[CyanTigerReigns]

Nice guide, @twofoursixeight !

[Blizzy]

You can use my comment too. Just to clarify stuff.

[Blackhole927]

I’m fully aware I’m not in the best position to say that trigger loops are easy, but I’ve never had an issue teaching them to anyone. The worst I can recall is it taking 20 posts to explain them to someone who was probably very very underage, but they got it down eventually. This isn’t just me claiming something random because I’m a technical person, this does actually work to help people improve.

@Little_Green_Duck

Don’t you only need one trigger to make a trigger loop (a trigger that is triggered and sends on the same channel, just the one)? I might be wrong though…

Yes; you can do that, but I explained a version of the trigger loop that would be more beginner friendly I guess, idk I was writing this on low sleep and wasn’t thinking straight lol

[Little_Green_Duck]

Thank you for clarifying that!