Scratch

I think "Capital" was written before trig functions were available, so it may not be the best basis for a game such as this.

logan996 wrote:

I tried it and i love it!... it's an awsome scroller with killer graphics and instruments, it has a nice help screen and is just an AWSOME!!! project (as usual), another great Paddle2see classic!!! 

Thanks, logan996 - I appreciate the enthusiasm!  I personally feel there is room for improvement on the graphics, particularly on the message screens.  I will try to update those as soon as I locate good nautical public domain graphics.  If people have any suggestions, please let me know.

I admire what you've done very much.  Finding http://home.wxs.nl/~pdavis/Screen.htm a few years ago was exciting.  Privateer has a boat model with magnitudes less complexity ... but I can understand the code as rendered, which is INCREDIBLE.  (Davis' work is in VB I think.)  So, how's your autopilot routine coming?  And, for a beginning game developer, what's the next step up from Scratch?  (For example, instantiate multiple boats ...)

The Greenfoot gallery is very impressive.  My Python-fixated friend suggested PyGame (though he hasn't used it).  I checked it out and the gallery didn't grab me, but the Python language looked appealing.   

I am bowled over by Privateer -- the overall completeness, the polish, and the richness and complexity of the code.  I have no insight at all on how many Scratch games could compare.  I haven't looked at any.  But it's hard to imagine a more ambitious application, given the environment. 

I am almost ready to post "Buzzard Beak Harbor."  It's the doughty sloop Privateer versus a big turreted gun on an island.  Subdue the gun, and you can enter the island's harbor to win.  The sloop is rearmed with a gun on each side. 

My goals are to bring out the sailing dynamics and allow a bit more of an arcade experience:
    Remove the scrolling map (so I can cope with the code!). 
    Remove all island Sprites.  Paint an island. 
    Remove the adventure storyline. 
    Add varying wind force.  I could see where you built for that. 

Biggest To Do Items at this time:
    When striking land, vessel stops and damage accrues.  I want to reuse your "hit rock" code, but not so simple it seems. 
    Make the island gun able to train incrementally -- not just a "point to" command.  But haven't worked out the "which way do I turn" function.  This feature is important as the boat can plan charges that catch the turret out of position. 
    Damage indicator for boat. 
    Damage level indicator for big gun.  (A smoke smudge) 
    Polish up the scenario.  Cheers for victory ... and a sunken ship costume for the other possibility. 

Future release goals:
    Boat leeway.  I imagine leeway is complex; I  want just some fraction of wind direction.  Requires the boat sprite to shift XY, unrelated to the sprite's basic direction. 
    Instead of mere max speed, allow an emergency speed that accrues some damage (and a warning flag of course). 
    Setting for half-sail, allowing more speed control.
    Squall winds on occasion.  Half-sail then becomes important to avoid ship damage. 
    Variations on boat damage (reduced sail, stuck rudder, balky rudder, slower gun reload, increased leeway)

Things I won't do, and medication will help me to remember avoiding them:
    Lee side of island has reduced wind; handling is affected by waves, by currents; bosun has scurvy; kraken has hydrophobia; etc.

Making this a 2-person game starts to look very attractive.  Either island versus sloop, or a boat duel.

Last edited by smandoli (2009-01-26 10:14:43)

I'll make my own Show-N-Tell post, but to close here, my edition is at
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/smandoli/398737.