Quick answer: “Set effect parameter” sets a value once — it doesn’t animate. Update it every tick toward a target, or drive it with a Tween. And confirm the effect itself is enabled.

A warp effect should ramp its distortion up over half a second. Calling “Set effect parameter” once just snaps to the value — there’s no animation.

It's a Set, Not a Tween

The action sets the parameter to whatever you pass, that instant. To animate, you have to change the value over time yourself.

Drive It Every Tick

Every tick:
    Set warp_amount to lerp(warp_amount, target_warp, dt * 8)
    Sprite → Set effect "Warp" parameter 0 to warp_amount

Lerp a variable toward the target and push it into the effect each tick.

Or Use the Tween Behavior

Tween a regular instance variable, then in “On tween… / Every tick” copy that variable into the effect parameter. The Tween behavior can’t target effect parameters directly — you bridge through a variable.

Confirm the Effect Is On

If nothing changes at all (not even a snap), the effect may be disabled. Check the effect is added to the object/layer and its “Set effect enabled” state is true. A disabled effect ignores parameter sets.

WebGL Required

Effects need the WebGL renderer. On a fallback canvas-2D context (rare, old devices), effects are skipped entirely — test on a real target.

Verifying

The warp distortion ramps up smoothly over the intended duration and ramps back down. Setting it once still works for instant changes.

“Set effect parameter is a one-shot set. Animate by updating it every tick toward a target.”

Build a small ‘animate effect param’ function group you can reuse — lerp-to-target plus the set, parameterized by effect name.