Games teaching skill 3/21

Game writer Dan Taylor explains in a blog post that "Good level design constantly teaches the player something new". Here's an excerpt of this article: 

"In his book “A Theory of Fun”, Raph Koster explains how the human mind enjoys processing information from the world around it into patterns for easier processing later. In gameplay terms, this implies that a large part of the fun is generated by the learning, and subsequent mastery, of your various mechanics. Koster cautions that if players understand the pattern and master the mechanics too easily, they'll quickly become bored and stop playing. This risk of boredom can only be avoided with good level design.
A good level should either introduce a new game mechanic or put a spin on an old one to make the player re-evaluate his or her established paradigm. On a larger scale, this constant learning should be measured out across the entire game, to make sure that each level delivers fresh gameplay."

1) What does the word paradigm mean in this context? Explain. 
In this context, he means playstyle because the author is talking about changing the player's paradigm. A new mechanic can change the players play style.
2) Do you agree or disagree with Taylor's assessment on this point? Provide an example or counterexample of a game you've played, and explain in detail why it supports your opinion.
I agree with this because every time Fortnite adds a new weapon to the game the meta changes and so does the players play style. 

Fortnite specs 4/1

Check out the attached image.

Then, do some research on one of your favorite video games. How much space does it need on your hard drive to run? What about RAM? How much data bandwidth does it need over the internet to play without lag? Use the terminology in the graphic below to describe the data needs of your game.

Minimum Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit.
• Processor Core: i5 2.8 GHz.
• Memory: 8 GB RAM.
• Video Card: Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 equivalent DX11 GPU.
• Video Memory: 2 GB VRAM.
•  17.4 GB

Game I dont like but is good. 2/28

What's a video game that you personally don't like, but have to admit it's a really good game? What makes it good? What makes you not like it? Can you think of any games that became really popular, even though they were badly designed or vice-versa, games that were really great, but for some reason didn't catch on? In each case, explain why you think this happened?

One game that comes to mind that I do not like is Smite. I don't like it because it is hard for me to learn. Although I didn't like it, it is very popular with a large fanbase. It is well funded battle arena with good mechanics if you know how to use them. I played with friends who are experienced players. I could not get into the game so I just stopped playing it.  

array/vector 2/26

Explain how arrays/vectors are used in SNEK so far. Where in the code are they used, and how are they used?

Arrays and Vectors are being used as the tail function, adding onto the trail and getting rid of it. It is also used to put apples on the map. Most of this stuff is used in the timer section.

post mortem 2/22

Do quick internet research of what Post Mortems are in the Game Development Industry. Briefly explain what they are and why they're useful.

Then, do a short post mortem on one of your most recent games or programs

Post Mortem- A project post-mortem is a process, usually performed at the conclusion of a project, to determine and analyze elements of the project that was successful or unsuccessful.

My Pacman Game

Good

• Death function worked
• winning condition worked
• when you eat the dots it added to the score
• wall collision worked well
• losing condition worked
  Bad
• The ghost AI was really dysfunction full
• no sprites 

Semester progress 2/21

Think on the semester so far. What's going well for you? What have you learned? What are you struggling with?

How could Dr. Mo improve the class? Any teaching strategies to recommend? What sort of assignments/projects would you personally like to see?

So far I have been doing good this semester, there are some things that I want to expand on. One thing I am still struggling on is vectors. I have no advice on improving the class because so far it seems fine to me. 

Plans after high school 2/20

Tell me about your plans after high school. Are you planning on working, going to school, or both? Where and what will you be doing?

I am going to take advantage of the 5th year that cec is doing and get my associates. 

Game critique 2/18

Based on what you noticed from this article, what are your goals when you write your next game critique?

My main goal is to blow up and then pretend like I don't know nobody jajajaja

Drawing circle and rectangle 2/19

Describe how the Allegro draw circle and draw rectangle functions work. What parameters do they take and how do they impact the shape drawn?

 For the circle, you need the x and y coordinate and then the radius, the color and then the thickness. 
For the rectangle, you need the first  x coordinate, the y position, and then the second x coordinate , and then the second y position. You need to have correct coordinate or it will look wonky. 

critique

Based on what you noticed from this article, what are your goals when you write your next game critique?
Try to use my past experiences in my writing. 

for loop

How would you explain for loops to a non coder? What do they do, and how would you write one to print out the numbers 1-10? 

Loops are when the program ends it goes back to the beginning and start again.

for(int i =0; i<10;i++)

cout<<i<<endl;

What's the difference between a single for loop and a nested for loop? What do nested for loops look like in code? What sorts of things are they used for in game programming?

A single for loop is one for loop and a nested for loop is 2 for loops. A nested for loop is one for loop on top of another. They are used to make boxes. 

What do you think the most common bugs are when coders work with for loops? Are there any mistakes you regularly make with for loops, or any parts about them that make you confused still?

I think the common bug is the way they have the for loop set up. 

array v vector

 Compare and contrast arrays and vectors. How are they similar? How are they different? Think of example of when you'd use each in a game.

Arrays and vectors both hold variable that would've been multiple separate ones. They are different by arrays have a set number of spaces when vectors are dynamically created which means can be flexible. A array can be used as a fixed inventory in a adventure game. A vector can be used when you use an upgrade to increase the size of you inventory. 

surrealism

What is a non-sequitur? Provide an example. 
It is when someone responds to your argument but it does not logically follow what you said. One example is when you are arguing with someone on call of duty, they are gonna sound stupid every time they respond. 

What is surrealism? Do an image search and post a picture of your favorite surrealist work.
a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.

Do you agree with the Idea Channel's claim that Mario Brothers is surrealist masterpiece? Why or why not? Provide examples of other games that fit your opinion.
Yes it is because of the unnatural environment. Another one that fits is Sonic the hedgehog. 

array

 Arrays are super important for storing data in games, especially maps. Review what an array is and what they look like in code. Explain how to iterate through an array using a for loop. When is it best to use a set of variables versus an array? Why would you want to use an array, and not just a series of variables?

An array is a variable of any type that can store what you need. They would go above main and look like this: 

int array[5];

The for loop would go above the array and you out how big your array is in the for loop like this: 

for(int i = 0; i<0;i++)

array[i];

It is best when you have to input multiple things, and you would use array instead a set of variables because it is easier.

"easy to learn, difficult to master"

A good video game should be "easy to learn, difficult to master". Think of a game that really fits this description, and explain why it fits, using specific examples from the game itself. Then list a counterexample, of a game that has a tough learning curve, making it frustrating from the beginning. Did you have to read instructions? How far did you play it and why?

Fortnite is a free game anybody can learn and play but what is so difficult to master is the fights you get into. Everybody you fight is different, so you have to adapt to every situation. I feel like one game that was hard to learn right away was smite. Thank the lord and savior tachanka I played with my friends because I would struggle so hard if I played solo. They taught me the essentials of the game. For example the character build you want, I would have never learned that.

Moving shapes

 How do you move shapes on a game screen? What variables do you use, and how do they change?

To move the shapes on the screen you can use a variable called offset. They can change determining on what project you are working on. Offset can make the shape go left, right, up, down and you can make it go in a loop.

Offset

Tell me what offsets are, and how to use them. Provide specific code examples. How can I use an offset to move an image horizontally, versus vertically? How do you set it up so it scrolls across and reappears on the other side?

Offset is what moves the map with the player. One example of this is from this plat former I am working on right now is:

al_draw_filled_rectangle(j * 50 + offset, i * 50, j * 50 + 50 + offset, i * 50 + 50, al_map_rgb(255, 0, 0));

Now for moving the object horizontal vs vertically, you just have to add it to either the x-axis or the y-axis. X-axis is moving the object horizontally and adding offset the the Y- axis moves it vertically. For the object to reappear back on the other side you need to add a reset coordinate, which mean once the object gets to a certain coordinate you would reset the offset by subtracting how far you want to go. 

Math in programming

Using 5 or more sentences, compare and contrast how the math in this class is similar to the math in your core math class, and how it is different?

Math in this class for me I feel like is way easier equations. The difference is sometimes you don't even notice the math in this class. There was one time I used programming for a physics project, so the equations and math was the same. 

drawing a triangle

 You have a 300x300 game screen. Explain what numbers you'd use as parameters in al_draw_triangle if you wanted to slice the square game screen in half diagonally. Make sure you both type the function out AND explain each number please :)

For al_draw_triangle i would do al_draw_triangle(100,100, 250, 250, 100, 250, al_map_rgb(128, 0, 0);

The first 2 100 are the coordinates of the first coordinates of a point on the triangle, the  two 250's are the second point of the triangle, and the last 2 cordinates are the the last points of the triangle. The last part is the color of the triangle.

allegro drawing a circle

 You have a 800x800 game screen, and need to draw a circle with a radius of 200 directly in the center. How would you go about drawing this? What would the Draw_Circle function call look like, and what parameters would it take and why?

al_draw_circle(400, 400, 200, al_map_rgb(128, 0, 0), 5)

Paired programming

 When you were paired up with someone to do a programming assignment, what were your strengths? In what ways were you most helpful? What were your weaknesses? Where could you improve?

My strength is I would always think similarly to my partner. One big thing that is helpful is that when I didn't know where to start we would brainstorm with each other and we solve the problem. Sometimes I would be too tired to talk so I wouldn't help that much and it sucks. 

I need to improve my sleep schedule. 

More games

I would love to do a mario brothers type game