I Need Some Serious Help Please

[Dark]

Ok... First of all I am very new to this site... I came across it while surfing for help on how to program... It seems to be very helpful and useful... But I think I will try asking instead of searching topics

Here is my question: Ok, I am making one of those games on my calculator(Just a word one b/c I dont know... Well ill get to it) But I ran into a few bumps on the way... I have made the easy programs such as problem solvers... But i am clueless when it comes to games and creating them... Here it goes

1. How do I make it so if somone selects something it will remember it (I dont know how to make store do that)

2. How would I make a highscore list

3. Can i make a game with my calculator (Making sure its possible)

4. THis is my main question that i dont really know how to ask... How do i make a game interactive such as pac man or somthing... I can get a pic to display but i can really make it so if you press the arrow key it will move it the certian desired direction... I really need help on this


So please I am begging... Dont think of me as a newbie calculator user... Think of me as an apprentice learning the ways... Lol, anyway Help would be apprectiated if anyone has the time... I hope I came to the right site

[sgm]

Well, first I would say that game programming is probably the most complicated area of programming (with the possible exceptions of OS's, kernels, and CAS's), so you should be sure to become acquainted with more "traditional" programming before you attempt a game.

[Jedd]

I'm going to respond as best I can, but your questions are so vague it will be hard. This is all assuming you have a TI 83 or 83+.

You probably know from your past programs that the letters A through Z can be used to store numbers, and we call the letters variables. However once you get into more complicated programs (like games) you run out of variables. The best way to remedy this is with a "List." There are 6 lists that the calculator uses for graphing and memory and such. You can use them by pressing [2nd] and then a number key 1-6 (look above each number and you'll see a little yellow L1 or L2 etc). To use them, you first have to tell the calculator how big you want it to be. To do so, use dim(, found in the list ops menu (press [2nd] [STAT] [(Right)] [3]). Here is how we make "list 4" 20 variables long:

20->dim(L4)

(-> is the [STO->] key, found above the [On] button) Put that line of code in your program to set up the dimensions (how big) of L4. It might already have some numbers in it, so clear them using Fill( and putting zero's in each space.

Fill(0,L4)

Now you want to use the numbers that are in there. You can do this by telling the calculator to store a number you give it into one of the places in the List. Doing so is simple. Here's an example of storing the number 7 into the 5th position of L4.

7->L4(5)

You can also do the same thing in reverse, by placing the 5th number of L4 into another variable (we'll use variable H):

L4(5)->H

Lists are just one form of memory. There are also strings (store letters and words) and matrices (store numbers in a block) which are both commonly used in games. Look in the manual for information on these if you want, they function simalerly to lists.

I said all that stuff above because it's at the core of game design. Extra memory becomes extremely important in complex games and programs (like remembering what someone selected).

To make a high score list, you would use a list again. However you calculator often uses lists for other things, so you have to make you own list that nothing else will touch. You can call the list just about anything you want. To create a new list, simply give it the dimensions you want it to have. Here's how to create a list called HELLO, which will be 25 numbers long:

25->dim(LHELLO)

That L before the name of the list stands for list, but you can't use a normal L. Go to the list ops menu (see above) and scroll all the way to the bottom. There you will find a little L. Put that right before HELLO every time you use it. These lists that you title work just like any other list, and can be used to store high scores. Let's say you wanted to display the first number in the list HELLO, which is the high score:

Disp LHELLO(1)

It's just that simple.

#3: Yes, you can make games on your calculator (hopefully you already know that)

Phew...ok my fingers are getting tired. Anyway...how to make a game interactive. You probably already know about Input and Prompt. They ask the user of a program for a number and store it in the memory. While this is great for some programs, it's not good enough for true games. In order to get information about what key on the calculator the user has pressed, use getkey. It can be found in the program menu under I/O. Normally you use it like this:

getkey->G

G is a variable, and can be any variable you want. A number is stored into G. This number represents the last key the user pressed. Every key on the calculator has a number (with the exception of [ON]). For example, when the user presses [ENTER], 105 is stored into G because that is the number the people at Texas Instruments chose to represent Enter when they were making the calculators (I have no idea why they chose the numbers they did). Since every key on the calculator has a number, it is difficult to know what to use. Because of this the kind people at TI have made a map of them, and can be found on page 16-21 of the TI 83+ handbook. Ther four used most are the arrow keys, since they are used for games:

[Left]=24
[Right]=26
[Up]=25
[Down]=34

So how do you use this to move something (like a Pac Man) on the screen? Well as you may or may not know, the object moving on the screen is placed there by coordinates, which you probably know about from math class. Coordinates are just 2 variables that tell you where the PacMan is. If Y gets bigger or smaller, it will move up or down. If X gets bigger or smaller, it will move right or left. So here's the code for a PacMan whose coordinates are Y down and X over, and looks like an O on the screen...

(If I write //, that means I'm just making a comment, it's not part of the program)


0->G // This makes G equal to zero
2->Y
2->X // PacMan will start 2 down and 2 over on the screen
Repeat G=105 // This program will keep going until you press enter
getkey->G
If G=24
X-1->X // If the user pressed left, subtract 1 from X, moving him 1 to the left.
If G=26
X+1->X //Same as before, but now move right 1.
If G=25
Y-1->Y //Up
If G=34
Y+1->Y //Down
ClrHome // Clear the screen
Output(Y,X,"O") // Draw him on the screen!
End // This ends the block of code started by the Repeat command


There are other, faster ways to do the same thing, but I want to give you an idea.

I still can't figure out why I spent so much time on this post. Oh wait...I was bored out of my mind.

PS That program I wrote has not been tested. If it doesn't work, tell me and I'll try to fix it.

[Babyboy]

also, take a look at these good tutorials

tutorials

[Jedd]

Yeah that one should be done soon. Check back for an update every few weeks and it may be partially done. There are some more on the web, or you can always learn from chapter 16 of your handbook (that's where just about everyone on this site started).

[Babyboy]

when did this site start?

[Jedd]

I meant that all of the members who post here probably started programming their calcs by reading the manual it came with.

[Jedd]

Ok Dark, here's a few links to get you started. Since you've already done some programs, they may be a little too easy in the beginning.


Someone who asked a similar question (forum):
http://www.unitedti.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=556

Tips and tricks (forum):
http://www.unitedti.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=25

Lots of tutorials:
http://bgo.netfirms.com/tutorials/index.html

Also check:
http://www.ticalc.org/

[Dark]

Wow! That helped a lot thank you, both of you... Now it seems kinda obvious how you do some of the stuff I asked, I have no idea why I didnt know... Well again thank you, Im off to create a game... (I hope) Cya Later

[Toksyuryel]

[Jedd]

Wow good point, I never realized that. Btw matrices are'nt useless, theyre an important part of any complex game. Unless you were being sarcastic.

[Arcane Wizard]

They're an important part of any basic game programmed by a programmer who doesn't know how to use lists or strings.

[Adm.Wiggin]

but that doesnt change the fact that they are big memory hogs... :lol:

ok, 9 times <columns> times <rows> will be an approximate of how big it will be


gets huge very fast...

[DarkerLine]

plus, you can only have 99 rows or columns. That is irritating: the only time I used matrices in my life, for a maze game, I could only do a maze with 99 nodes because the matrix couldn't be 100x4.

[62 52 53 53]

Matricies are, place for place, the same size(in terms of memory taken up) as lists

[DarkerLine]