Sometimes need to enter an input multiple times into scanner before it works?

Question

Hi I'm very new to programming. I have recently started a text "escape the room" type game and when I run it, it does not work correctly. I have to enter the input multiple times before it will actually run the next thing.

import static java.lang.System.*;
import java.util.Scanner;

public class RoomEscape {
public static void main(String args[]) throws InterruptedException{

    Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in);

    out.println("Welcome to Room Escape.");
    out.println("Please type \"start\" to continue");
    String sta = scan.nextLine();
    if (sta.equals("start"))
        game();
}

public static void game() throws InterruptedException {
    boolean run = true;
    int ori = 1;
    Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in);
    String ew = scan.nextLine();
    String input = scan.next();

    out.println("You wake up in a room.");
    Thread.sleep(1000);
    out.println("You don't know how you got there.");
    Thread.sleep(1000);
    out.println("You feel dizzy, tired, and hungry.");
    Thread.sleep(1000);
    out.println("Your objective is to leave the room");
    Thread.sleep(1000);
    out.println("Type \"help\" for your commands and inventory at any time.");

    while (run) {
        if (input.equalsIgnoreCase("help")) {
            out.println("Commands are: \"right\" to turn right");
            out.println("\"left\" to turn left");
            out.println("\"examine\" to look more closely at an object");
            out.println("\"pick up\" to put an object in your inventory");
        } 
        else if (input.equalsIgnoreCase("right")) {
            ori++;

        }

    }
}}

When running the code above, it sometimes takes two or three times entering "start" for game() to run. Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

Your problem is when you are in game() you are scanning for input before the game even starts, not inside the main loop. You have

String ew = scan.nextLine();
String input = scan.next();

I am not certain why you are even using ew .

Just put

String input = scan.nextLine();

at the beginning of your while loop and take them out of the beginning of the game function.