Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

Summary:

Just a quick 'warm-up' challenge running this weekend

Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

PiscesMike 13 May 2014 00:10

Greetings all!

The other day I woke up itching to do some coding, but since I had a lot of housework to get done I couldn't get to it. So, with the game challenge coming up in just a little under 2 weeks I thought it might be good to have an informal one day challenge over the weekend. RB has talked about doing this a couple times and we just haven't gotten things set up for it.

So, the plan would be to do a game in 8 to 10 (or even 12) hours one day this weekend. It could be Saturday or Sunday, or any combination thereof. There's no rules or guidelines to encourage you to do everything from concept to artwork to code all in one shot.

I'll be doing it, and RB has expressed interest, so we hope you can pop in and join us. We can post updates and examples here if you so desire!

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"May the mercy of His Divine Shadow fall upon you." - Stanley H. Tweedle, Security Guard class IV, The League of 20,000 planets

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

rbwhitaker 13 May 2014 00:42

Yeah, barring anything unusual, I'll definitely be doing this, and I'm planning on doing it on Saturday. I think I'm going to be prototyping some pieces of my game for the competition that I'm most nervous about, to make sure they're doable in some form or fashion, before I commit to it for the competition.

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

Swatacular 14 May 2014 15:40

I'm up for it, ill probably do something tiny compared to you guys but I think ill be doing some pieces of my game that im worried about too. like RB (but probably to a lesser extent).

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

PiscesMike 16 May 2014 20:27

Looks like I'll be doing mine on Saturday as well… although I can't really commit to a 9 to 5 schedule.. it will just have to be when I get a chance to get in front of the computer. On the good side of things, the wife will be spending the day and night with her mother for church on Sunday, so I should be relatively distraction free!

I've decided to go with the old 'Snake' game for this one day challenge. It seems simple enough that I'll actually be able to complete things on time while still producing a complete game. Additionally, since I've gotten RB's book and read it, I'm going to be applying some of the things I learned. Namely I'm going to be using a List<> of Structs to maintain the snake segments. Not anything super advanced or anything but it will be good practice before I delve into some the more complicated aspects of generics and events.

Anyways, just an update of where I'm at and what I'll be doing this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you all in chat or on the forums!

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"May the mercy of His Divine Shadow fall upon you." - Stanley H. Tweedle, Security Guard class IV, The League of 20,000 planets

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

PiscesMike 17 May 2014 21:26

Well, I started at midnight early Saturday morning for my Snake game. I was able to get it up and running in just a couple hours. I didn't track the time precisely but it seems it took somewhere between 2 and 4 hours to get it finished, with a few breaks and interruptions around the house. It doesn't have any bells or whistles, but it runs and works correctly.

Controls are: Arrow keys for movement, and Esc to quit - if you don't die first, lol! You will get killed if you run off the edge of the screen, or if the snake hits itself.

In contrast to my previous entries, I did not use the framework code I've been polishing, but instead created the whole thing from scratch, and was able to fit everything in just the standard Game1.cs class. I'll be posting the code for it here shortly after adding a few more comments to make things a little clearer.

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"May the mercy of His Divine Shadow fall upon you." - Stanley H. Tweedle, Security Guard class IV, The League of 20,000 planets

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

PiscesMike 18 May 2014 00:39

Ok, I've finished adding comments for now. Honestly I think that took longer than writing the code!

At any rate, if you start a new project and cut and paste this, you'll need to add your own snake segment texture, food texture, and sprite font. Of course, you'll also need to edit the appropriate code lines in this example. I'll be uploading both a project file with the source code (VS2013), and an executable demo shortly.

So, here's the code, all in the Game1.cs class:

// This is my 'Snake' game created for the 8 hour game challenge at: http://rbwhitaker.wikidot.com/forum/t-860562/informal-8-10-hour-game-challenge-this-weekend#post-2033776 on
// 05.17.2014.
 
// The using statements we need
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input;
 
namespace Snake
{
    public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game
    {
        GraphicsDeviceManager graphics;                             // Our graphics device object
        SpriteBatch spriteBatch;                                    // Our spriteBatch object for rendering
 
        Texture2D SegmentTexture, FoodTexture;                      // These hold the textures we'll be using to draw the 'Snake' and it's 'Food'
        Vector2 FoodPosition = Vector2.Zero;                        // This will hold the Vector2 position where the food will appear in the playing field
        SpriteFont Font;                                            // Our SpriteFont object used for drawing text to the playing field
 
        float currentTime = 0.0f, delayTime=0.035f;                 // These are used for a simple timer that helps slow the 'Snake' down. Without it, he is
                                                                    // just too darned fast!
        bool TimerEvent = true;                                     // This is used to trigger updates to the 'Snake' so it syncs with the timer
        int Score = 0;                                              // This tracks our score
 
        List<Vector2> SegmentList = new List<Vector2>();            // This is a list of Vector2's which represent the Snake's segments
 
        Random Random = new Random();                               // Our Random class to create random numbers - used to place the food in the playing field
 
        public enum Direction                                       // An Enumeration used to track which direction the player travelling in
        {
            North, East, South, West                                // Our cardinal directions representing up, right, down, left
        }
 
        public Direction CurrentDirection = Direction.North;        // Set our starting direction to North (Up)
 
        public Game1()
        {
            graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(this);             // Standard code for setting up the graphics device manager
            Content.RootDirectory = "Content";                      // Set our default Content directory
        }
 
        protected override void Initialize()                        // Standard method for Initializing our base values
        {
            SegmentTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("segment");    // Load our Segment Texture, used for rendering the snake
            FoodTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("star");          // Load our Food texture so our snake has something to eat
            Font = Content.Load<SpriteFont>("kootenay");            // Load up our Font Object so we have some letters to write with
 
            SegmentList.Add(new Vector2(100, 100));                 // Starting out, the snake will have 4 segments. This code adds these first four
            SegmentList.Add(new Vector2(100, 110));                 // segments to the list so we have something to render
            SegmentList.Add(new Vector2(100, 120));                 // 3rd segment
            SegmentList.Add(new Vector2(100, 130));                 // 4th segment
 
            GenerateRandomFood();                                   // Call our GenerateRandomFood() method, located at the end of the code listing. This
                                                                    // sets the location of our snakes food randomly somewhere in the playing field
            base.Initialize();
        }
 
        protected override void LoadContent()                       // Standard LoadContent method, used to setup our spriteBatch and load additional
        {                                                           // resources, if needed. We did ours in the Initialize method.
            spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(GraphicsDevice);          // Instanciate our spriteBatch object
        }
 
        protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime)           // Standard Update method - this is where our magic happens!
        {
            TimerEvent = false;                                             // Set the timer event to false at every update so it doesnt get left on 
            currentTime += (float)gameTime.ElapsedGameTime.TotalSeconds;    // Time passed since last Update(), a running total measured as a float 
 
            if (currentTime >= delayTime)                                   // We check to see if our elapsed time (currentTime) has exceeded the delay
            {                                                               // time we're using, in this case 0.035 seconds. If so, we 'fire' the Timer
                TimerEvent = true; currentTime = 0.0f;                      // event which causes the snake to update. This is needed because without it
            }                                                               // the snake updates way too fast and is impossible to control
 
            // Check for user input - any and all keys the player may use in game
            if (Keyboard.GetState().IsKeyDown(Keys.Escape))                 // Check to see if they've pressed Escape. If so, we exit the game
                this.Exit();
 
            if (Keyboard.GetState().IsKeyDown(Keys.Up))                     // Check to see if they've pressed the Up arrow. If so, we set the
                CurrentDirection = Direction.North;                         // CurrentDirection to North, which represent going up
 
            if (Keyboard.GetState().IsKeyDown(Keys.Right))                  // Check to see if they've pressed the Right arrow. If so, we set
                CurrentDirection = Direction.East;                          // the CurrentDirection to East, representing travel to the right
 
            if (Keyboard.GetState().IsKeyDown(Keys.Down))                   // Check to see if they've pressed the Down arrow. If so, we set
                CurrentDirection = Direction.South;                         // the CurrentDirection to South, representing going down
 
            if (Keyboard.GetState().IsKeyDown(Keys.Left))                   // Check to see if they've pressed the Left arrow. If so, we set
                CurrentDirection = Direction.West;                          // the CurrentDirection to West, representing travel to the left
 
            if (TimerEvent)                                                 // Check to see if the TimerEvent has fired. (Every 0.035 seconds). If it has,
            {                                                               // we 'move' the snake by taking the segment from the end out of the list, and
                                                                            // and adding a new segment to the beginning of the list based on the direction
                                                                            // of travel.
 
                SegmentList.RemoveAt(SegmentList.Count - 1);                // Remove the last segment fromt the list
                Score++;                                                    // Update the score since the player is still alive
 
                // Insert the new segment at the beginning of the list, based on the direction the player is going
                Vector2 vectorTemp = SegmentList[0];                        // First we get a copy of the Vector2 at the beginning of the list. This will
                                                                            // give us a reference for placing the new segment
 
                switch (CurrentDirection)                                   // Grab our CurrentDirection in a switch statement
                {
                    case Direction.North:                                   // Hey, we're going North, or Up, so lets add the next segment above the old one
                        SegmentList.Insert(0, new Vector2(vectorTemp.X, vectorTemp.Y - 10));        // Insert the new segment
                        return;                                                                     // Got to return so its a complete code path
 
                    case Direction.East:                                    // Moving to the East, or Right, so lets add the next segment to the right
                        SegmentList.Insert(0, new Vector2(vectorTemp.X + 10, vectorTemp.Y));        // Insert the new segment
                        return;                                                                     // Return so we have a complete code path
 
                    case Direction.South:                                   // Moving South, or Down, so lets add the next segment below our current one
                        SegmentList.Insert(0, new Vector2(vectorTemp.X, vectorTemp.Y + 10));        // Insert the new segment
                        return;                                                                     // Return so we have a complete code path
 
                    case Direction.West:                                    // Moving West, or to the Left, so lets add the next segment appropriatly
                        SegmentList.Insert(0, new Vector2(vectorTemp.X - 10, vectorTemp.Y));        // Insert the new segment
                        return;                                                                     // Return so we have a complete code path
                }
            }
 
            // Collision detection to see if the snake has hit itself
            for (int i = 1; i <= SegmentList.Count - 1; i++)                // We need to be able to tell if the snake has wrapped around and ran into itself
            {                                                               // To do this, we simply need to check to see if the first Vector2 in our list is
                if (SegmentList[0] == SegmentList[i])                       // equal to any of the other segments. Here, we use a for loop instead of a foreach
                {                                                           // loop because we need to exclude the first (SegementList[0]) Vector2 from being 
                    this.Exit();                                            // checked and start at SegmentList[1]. If we used a foreach loop, SegmentList[0]  
                }                                                           // would always be equal to SegmentList[0], thus causing a false collision. Might 
            }                                                               // seem a little strange, but it makes sense since we're using SegmentList[0] as the
                                                                            // 'head' of the snake which means all of our collision detection takes place with it.
 
            // Collision detection for out of bounds (edge of screen)
            if (SegmentList[0].X <= 0)                                      // We're using SegmentList[0] since its the front of the snake. First we're going to
                this.Exit();                                                // see if it's gone too far to the left. If so (X<=0), we exit since the player is dead
            if (SegmentList[0].Y <= 0)                                      // Same thing here, only we're checking to see if they've gone off the top of the screen
                this.Exit();                                                // If so, we exit   
            if (SegmentList[0].X >= GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Width)          // When going to the right, we have to check the width of our current viewport, which
                this.Exit();                                                // represents our playing field. Again, we exit if they've died
            if (SegmentList[0].Y >= GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Height)         // When travelling downward, we need to check the height of our current viewport.
                this.Exit();                                                // Again, if they've 'bit the big one', we exit
 
            // Collision detection for food
            // Here when we perform the collision detection for the snakes food which makes him grow longer, we are still using the snakes head, located at
            // SegmentList[0]. So, we compare the x and y properties of its Vector2 to see if it has collided with the FoodPosition's Vector2, and its outer
            // boundries. The outer boundries, or bounding box values, for the FoodPosition Vector2 are found by adding its width and height to the original.
            // Vector2 values. Therefore, the following if statement breaks down as: 
            //       if the left position of the snakes head is GREATER THAN the left position of the food AND
            //              the left position of the snakes head is LESS THAN the right position of the food AND
            //              the top position of the snakes head is GREATER THAN the top position of the food AND
            //              the top position of the snakes head is LESS THAN the bottom position of the food
            if (SegmentList[0].X >= FoodPosition.X && SegmentList[0].X <= FoodPosition.X + FoodTexture.Width &&
                SegmentList[0].Y > FoodPosition.Y && SegmentList[0].Y <= FoodPosition.Y + FoodTexture.Height)
                {   // We've detected the collison, so lets make the snake grow, move his food, and update the score
                    SegmentList.Add(SegmentList[SegmentList.Count - 1]);    // Here we're adding another entry to the segment list. What we want to do is add
                    SegmentList.Add(SegmentList[SegmentList.Count - 1]);    // the segments to the end. Since we're using a simple list of Vector2's, we can
                                                                            // just copy the last item in the list to a new Add entry. This will create a new
                                                                            // instance of a Vector2 object with is own properties. Beware though, this isn't
                                                                            // always the case.
                    GenerateRandomFood();                                   // Move the food to a new random location within the playing field.
                    Score += 10;                                            // Player gets a 10 point bonus for consuming food
                }
 
            base.Update(gameTime);                                          // Standard Update() code
        }
 
        protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime)                     // Time to draw everything to the screen!
        {
            GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue);                     // Prepare the graphics device by clearing the viewport to a nice blue
 
            spriteBatch.Begin();                                            // Tell the hardware we're ready to begin our rendering loop
 
                spriteBatch.DrawString(Font, "Score: " + Score.ToString(), new Vector2(15, 10), Color.Black);   // Render our score
 
                foreach (Vector2 currentSegment in SegmentList)             // Render our snake using the SegmentList, no matter how large it grows
                    spriteBatch.Draw(SegmentTexture, currentSegment, null, Color.White, 0.0f, Vector2.Zero, 0.25f, SpriteEffects.None, 0.0f);
                    // I love the simplicity of that call. It encompasses everything needed to keep track of our snake. A couple things to note though
                    // as you go to execute this project. If you go to add your own segment texture or food object, you'll need to adjust the scale
                    // settings on the respective command. Im using a 1/1 scale for the food, but the segment itself is oversized, so I've adjusted it
                    // to a 1/4 scale. (0.25f above). This can affect collision detection if you're playing around with the code.
 
                spriteBatch.Draw(FoodTexture, FoodPosition, null, Color.White, 0.0f, Vector2.Zero, 1.0f, SpriteEffects.None, 0.0f);     // Render the food
 
            spriteBatch.End();                                              // Hey hardware, we're done, lets present this stuff!
 
            base.Draw(gameTime);                                            // Standard Draw() code.
        }
 
        public void GenerateRandomFood()                                    // Method for placing the food on the playing field at a random location
        {
            // Pretty simple, we set the FoodPosition to a random location based on the size of the playing field with an adjustment for the size of the 
            // food texture so it doesn't go offscreen
            FoodPosition = new Vector2((float)Random.Next((GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Width - FoodTexture.Width)), (float)Random.Next((GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Height - FoodTexture.Height)));
        }
    }
}

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"May the mercy of His Divine Shadow fall upon you." - Stanley H. Tweedle, Security Guard class IV, The League of 20,000 planets

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

PiscesMike 18 May 2014 01:38

Executable Demo, in a zip file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5moEgyck5X5UHgzandxZV9kTmc/edit?usp=sharing

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"May the mercy of His Divine Shadow fall upon you." - Stanley H. Tweedle, Security Guard class IV, The League of 20,000 planets

Re: Informal 8-10 hour game challenge this weekend

Marcus42 18 May 2014 02:05

Good job, PiscesMike! I've played a bunch of different versions of that game, and obviously none of them are drastically different than the rest, but yours is just as fun as any of them. I didn't see what my score was right before I died, but I'm pretty sure I got to 4,000 or so … Anyways, nice work!