Thurs. May 1

Once you have your sprite controllable, it's time to write the beginnings of a game.  

Place another sprite at a random loacation of the screen.  Be sure you save its x and y coordinates in two different variables.  Manuever your sprite so that it comes in contact with the sprite you placed randomly. When one sprite "hits" the other, the random sprite should "explode" - Miller has a good sprite for an explosion. Also, have your sprite "blown by the explosion" - that is moved when it hits the random sprite.

Fine tune your program so that the explosion happens when the two sprites appear to touch on the screen. This will take some work to figure the boundaries of the sprite compared to its position on the screen.

Mon. May 5

I'm not in class today but you are!  Some of Ms. Davi's students may also be in the lab today.

Continue working on your program.  You may find you need a line like -

If r1 < x +5 and r1 > x - 5 and r2 < y + 5 and r2 > y - 5 to see if your two sprites on the screen are "touching ".  When you get to the point when the "explosion" happens when you want it to then you have the option of trying the following with your program:

1) Can you make the explosion disappear when the sprites are no longer touching?

2) Can you make the sprite you are trying to hit move?  It could move in a pattern of some sort - a random pattern would make the game more challenging.  How can you adjust its speed and direction?

3) Be creative and think about a game you can now write that uses some of the graphics animation techniques we've been doing.  Turtle graphics ( for drawing spirals, etc.  , bitmaps like the dice in craps or sprites )

Monday , May 12

Comtinue with your programming projects this week.  I will also begin of lists of your in-class reports that will be given beginning Thurs. of next week.  These should last about ten minutes and be on a subject of your choosing having to do with technology.  You will have a laptop and LCD projector and can either do Power Point or use websites to illustrate your talk.  

Here is a partial list of possible topics.  I will add to it this week.

Manufacturing Computer Chips

The story of Intel

Steve Wozniak and his work with robotics

The current state of robotics

The story of Google

The story of Microsoft and Bill Gates

The story of Apple and Steve Jobs

Applications of computer electronics in car engines

Technology used solving crimes including DNA analysis

A comparison of gaming consoles including the future of gaming

Current state of virtual reality

Applications of super computers  Cray supercomputers

Text message novels

Technology in warfare - predator drones, mini-helicoptors and many others

Work environment at a Silicon Valley company  Easports?

Technology of Solar Power

Harnessing Fusion Power

The DARPA Grand Challenge

Current tools for modifying and writing computer games

MIT computers lab projects

The story of Eniac

Deep Blue chess playing computers

Turing test and artificial intelligence

Neural Networks

The technology of Star Trek - I will probably do this as an example

Voice recognition technology

Technology in security - retinal scans, fingerprinting, surveillance cameras