Makecode Arcade having issues with variables and sprite types

Arcade Help
1

Though I don’t have images or clips of this happening, sometimes, either all variables or sprite types (excluding the ones that were already given to you like Player, Enemy, etc) will randomly get deleted from the project.

Other times, when variables aren’t deleted, they would get replaced another variable.

This has been slowing me a lot on my mini game jam project. I don’t think there’s need to reply to this, I just wanna report this issue.

3 Likes
2

This happens to me soo much! The newest version of makecode has so many bugs that aren’t getting fixed, or sometimes even acknowledged. I am really grateful for the makecode team, but at this point it might be better to go to a different game engine. :pensive_face:

1 Like
3
  1. Name all your assets explicitly: Go through your sprites, variables, and kinds, and give them clear, unique names right away. This seems to help prevent automatic cleanup or deletion by the editor.
  2. Clean up duplicates and unused items: Before saving or reloading, delete any duplicate assets (e.g., multiple copies of the same sprite) and replace them with a single, named version. Avoid using the “duplicate” function if possible, as it can trigger the issue.
  3. Save and backup frequently: Use the version history feature in MakeCode (under the project menu) to revert if things go missing. Also, consider exporting your project regularly as a .png or .mkcd file to have backups outside the editor.
  4. Reload carefully: If you notice things missing after a reload, try undoing (Ctrl+Z) immediately or switching between blocks/JavaScript views, which sometimes restores them.
  5. Test in a stable environment: Ensure you’re using the latest stable version of MakeCode (not beta), and try a different browser if you’re on Chrome/Edge—some users report fewer issues in Firefox.

If this persists or you can pinpoint steps to reproduce it (e.g., specific actions like deleting a block or adding a new sprite), it would be great to share more details on the official MakeCode forum threads discussing this, such as these ones for visibility and potential fixes from the devs:

4 Likes
4

Wow, thanks for collecting all the info, this is perfect!

Yeah, @BotWarrior it is frustrating, but they have actually acknowledged this bug a lot and keep trying to fix it! I think the new features we got from the most recent update outweigh the new bugs.

4 Likes
5

I do agree that browser extensions and all others were very good and fun to use, but losing two projects that were my big games, in a row, is kinda hard…

3 Likes