Developer Challenges in Sidescroller

ID:719823
 
May 2 2012, 3:28 pm
Sidescroller by Forum_account
This library gives you the basic movement system of a platformer. You can make an action/platform game in minutes!
47 fans · Created Nov 3 2010
I'd like to make a set of challenges that DM developers can use to test their ability and knowledge of different libraries. I'll start with the Sidescroller library since it has always been my favorite.

The challenges will be simple features you'll have to implement. I'll create a hub entry where you download a skeleton environment - it provides you with some code, icons, maps, and descriptions of what you need to create. The challenges will be simple things that would commonly be done with the library. They'll start off simple and get more complex. Here are my current ideas for challenges (in no particular order):

* double jumping
* icy floors
* sticky floors (slower movement)
* wall climbing
* collectable items (collected by walking over them)
* no slowdown while in the air

This post is a heads up that this is what I'm also working on (don't expect it too soon) but also a request for ideas. If you have an idea for a simple challenge that would test a user's ability to use the library, I'd very much appreciate hearing them.
#1 May 2 2012, 5:41 pm
Obviously just a clever plot to get people to make your library for you.

/s
#2 May 2 2012, 5:57 pm
Sounds like a lot of fun, especially if you're having the icons drawn for us. :D
#3 May 2 2012, 6:26 pm
In response to SuperAntx (#1)
SuperAntx wrote:
Obviously just a clever plot to get people to make your library for you.

I wish I was clever enough to come up with a way to get people to make the library for me :-)

@kaiochao: the icons are the same ones used in the demos.

One thing I'm not sure about is whether or not I'll provide solutions. Some of the things are covered by demos that come with the library. I'm leaning towards making a playable demo (just the dmb and rsc, no code) of the solution so you can see exactly how things work.
#4 May 2 2012, 6:32 pm
In response to Forum_account (#3)
Forum_account wrote:
@kaiochao: the icons are the same ones used in the demos.

Darn, haha. The wall-climbing thing is probably the one that sounds most challenging to me, but I could just be missing something. Everything else sounds like they've already been covered by the included demos.
#5 May 3 2012, 5:56 am
I tried to come up with things that weren't covered by the demos, but there are a lot of them so it's hard. Wall climbing is covered by the demos too.

I wanted to start with very simple things so there are some challenges everyone can do. I'll probably add some even easier ones, like create ladders, change the player's jump height, or change the player's movement speed. I'd like to have a basic challenge that uses the move_speed var before I have a complex one that uses it. That way you can't be mad if you couldn't solve a harder challenge that used move_speed since you should have been aware of it already.

I'd also like to focus on easier challenges because I don't think there will be a lot of interest in these. The harder they are, the less people will be interested. Still, I would like to have some harder ones but I don't have many ideas. Much of the difficultly will be from optional challenges (ex: instead of changing the mob's jump height by changing their velocity, set their jump velocity based on a desired peak height). Something with projectiles could be challenging but there are demos of that already. What I might do is give the developer Metroid or Castlevania icons and the challenge would be to make movement that works like those games.
#6 May 3 2012, 11:42 pm
I'm in. =)
#7 May 6 2012, 5:42 am
I have a set of ten challenges ready. They're not exactly in order by difficulty, but wall climbing is number 8 so there are two or three challenges of a similar level of difficulty. Most of the challenges are simple applications of the library's vars and procs (ex: using the flags and on_ground vars), which set the groundwork for tougher challenges.

Before posting it I need to create an executable-only demo that lets people see how each feature should work (it'll also show how easily you can create a game once you've implemented the ten features). I'd also like to create a write-up of what you're expected to know before starting the first challenge (ex: what vars and procs the library provides) so that people aren't surprised or confused by anything.

I'd post the list of challenges but I have a feeling that the only 2-3 people who would do the challenges would have them done before I get the time to finish it up and post them =)
#8 May 6 2012, 7:59 am (Edited on May 6 2012, 8:37 am)
I was able to get this ready sooner than I thought, here are the sidescroller challenges:

http://www.byond.com/developer/Forum_account/ SidescrollerChallenges

This page contains more information about the challenges: http://files.byondhome.com/Forumaccount/ sidescroller-challenges.html

Edit:
If you give the challenges a try, please let me know what you think. Were they too easy? Too hard? Not enough direction or hints? etc.
#9 May 8 2012, 1:32 am
So far, the regular challenges are easy. The extra parts are a bit challenging though, which I do like. Currently I'm at a roadblock with challenge #7. The others I managed to do in about 30 minutes though.
#10 May 8 2012, 5:39 am
As the hint for #7 says, there are many ways to implement it. You can make the boxes non-dense and when the player overlaps a box, figure out how much you need to move the box. The other approach is to make the boxes dense and move them when they're bumped. The second method is the easier way and can be done with 3 or 4 lines of code.
#11 May 10 2012, 3:30 am
What are the prizes going to be? Seeing as we're working because you want us to do something.

#12 May 10 2012, 4:38 am (Edited on May 10 2012, 6:37 am)
In response to Corax Software (#11)
Corax Software wrote:
What are the prizes going to be? Seeing as we're working because you want us to do something.

The prize is that you have proven to yourself that you know how to use the Sidescroller library.

Edit: The challenges also serve as a more guided, hands-on way to learn to use the library than a traditional text-based tutorial provides.
#13 May 11 2012, 2:31 pm
The update wiped my code changes. /rage
#14 May 11 2012, 2:39 pm
Hmm, I hadn't thought about that. I dont know the best way to handle it - it is most convenient to make the changes in the files provided.