Loading time - the GameScreen starts running before being displayed - performance

Question

I am using libGdx to code a Pong-like game.
In the GameScreen I want to display the remaining lives of each player.
For that, in the create() of the GameScreen I have a table containing several ImageButtons:
for(int i = 0; i < lifePlayer1; i++){
lives[i] = new ImageButton(skin, "Life");
lifeTable.add(lives[i]);
lives[i].setVisible(true);
lives[i].setTouchable(Touchable.disabled);
}
Each ImageButton represent a life. When a player loses a life, the ImageButton corresponding to the lost life is setChecked, and the imageChecked represents the lost life
Before the game start I want to display a message saying "Game Starts !". The message crosses the screen from left to right, and the game starts only when the message has disappeared.
The problem I encounter is that the instantiation of the lifeTable takes time, and the GameScreen starts running before the instantiation is finished. I explain :
When I disable the lifeTable, everything runs smoothly, the "Game Starts !" message crosses the screen from left to right and the game starts.
When I enable the lifeTable, when I press on the "New Game" button in my MainMenueScreen, there is a delay (let's say 0.5 seconds), like a loading time, and when the GameScreen is finally displayed, the "Game Starts !" message has almost finished crossing the screen.
I have a 2 players mode, with 2 lifeTable to load, and it's even worse, when the GameScreen displays, in 2 players mode, the "Game Starts !" message has already finished crossing the screen and the game has already started.
I am using an AssetManager, and every texture used in the game are already loaded before reaching the MainMenuScreen. The AssetManager helped to reduce the GameScreen loading time, but it's still not satisfying.
Is there something to preload the lifeTable, the same way we preload the textures with the AssetManager ?
Or, is there a way to have the render() of the GameScreen starts only when the create() has finished the instantiation of ever objects ?
Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

is probably not the most efficient way to make but which occurred to me while reading your question, and it is simple
Variable Class
private boolean loadForTest = false;
.
#Override
public void show() {
.//Other Code
image = new Image(YourAssetManager.get("YourImage.png", Texture.class));
image.addAction(Actions.sequence(
Actions.moveTo(Gdx.graphics.getWidth(),
(Gdx.graphics.getHeight()/2),
1f)));
image.setPosition((-100f), Gdx.graphics.getHeight()/2);
YourStage.addActor(image);
}
#Override
public void render(float delta) {
.//Other Code
Gdx.gl.glClearColor(0, 0, 0, 1);
Gdx.gl.glClear(GL20.GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
stage.act(Gdx.graphics.getDeltaTime());
stage.draw();
if (loadForTest == false){
if (image.getActions().size == 0){
Gdx.app.log("test" ,"now load table");
for (int i = 0; i <lifePlayer1; i ++) {
vidas [i] = new ImageButton (piel, "Life");
lifeTable.add(lives[i]);
lives[i].setVisible(true);
lives[i].setTouchable(Touchable.disabled);
}
loadForTest = true;
}else{
Gdx.app.log("test" ,"Your Other Code Play");
}
}
}
Edit
added another code because my English is not very good and did not know very well what you wanted to do
Variable Class
private boolean loadForTest = false;
.
#Override
public void render(float delta) {
.//Other Code
Gdx.gl.glClearColor(0, 0, 0, 1);
Gdx.gl.glClear(GL20.GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
stage.act(Gdx.graphics.getDeltaTime());
stage.draw();
if (loadForTest == false){
for (int i = 0; i <lifePlayer1; i ++) {
vidas [i] = new ImageButton (piel, "Life");
lifeTable.add(lives[i]);
lives[i].setVisible(true);
lives[i].setTouchable(Touchable.disabled);
}
loadForTest = true;
}else{
Gdx.app.log("test" ,"Your Image load, Your Other Code Play");
}
}