PACMAN

[Xray]

I enjoy trying to duplicate board games and arcade games with Algodoo, and my recent creation is PacMan. I try my best to make the games look and operate like the original, although some things are very difficult to duplicate. In previous versions of PacMan, other users chose to move PacMan and the Ghosts around the board using the Algodoo built-in motion controls. But in every case, the movements look awkward and even comical. PacMan floats around the playfield like a helium balloon, bouncing off the barricades. I knew that I must handle the movements differently if I wanted to maintain the original look and feel of the game.

If you haven't done so already, please check out the game and take a look at the Thyme script. I purposely left all of the Thyme scripts visible and easily accessible for you guys who are interested in seeing how I did it. The script is fairly complex because the game has a lot of logic and control functions. If you want to know how certain areas of the game work, please ask questions. I will try to explain how it all works. I'm sure that some other software engineers like Kilinich would have done a more elegant and efficient job of coding, but overall, the scene works and I'm proud of it.

As I mentioned in the scene comments on Algobox, this is a Beta version, and it has only one active Ghost. I'm planning on adding three more Ghosts for the final version.

UPDATE: The final version has now been posted. The Thyme script is hiding behind an invisible box on the left-hand side of the game board. Just slide that box over to reveal the Thyme script.

Let me know what you think of it, and if you have any questions about it. Thanks!

[scene]71233[/scene]

[Ravenplucker]

Oh man, you're a bloody scripting-wizard. Do you program or work with computers for a living?

[Xray]

Hi Ravenplucker,
Thanks for the compliment, but I do not consider myself a scripting wizard. There are guys (like Kilinich) who are MUCH better programmers than I am. But I do have a good background in programming, which helped a great deal when I started learning about Thyme script.

Many years ago, I worked for a number of industrial manufacturer's as a software engineer. The majority of my experience was developing embedded systems that use the Intel 8085A microprocessor. So, most of my experience was writing 8-bit assembly language programs. It's very different from writing high level language programs (like Thyme), but some of the basic concepts (pointers, functions, arguments, variables, etc) are similar.

Today, I own a small company that repairs dental X-ray equipment. I no longer develop programs for a living, and so Algodoo fills that void for me because I enjoy programming very much.

Thanks,

Xray

[Algernon]

I'm making a scene with a box spawner, but I don't know how to spawn the boxes with angles pointing toward my mouse. Is there an easy way to do this?

[pnvv]

Hmmm, for some reason the [/scene] brackets don't appear to work, but I'm eager to see this!

I know what you should make next -

[gregkhion]

That was awesome Xray you are amazing

[Xray]

That was awesome Xray you are amazing

Wow! That is a great compliment! Thanks very much!