Scratch

zawicki1fromyoutube wrote:

I know I posted a similar subject, but:

What does the sensor do, how does it recignise a remote, is the remote a controller? and last, can I make online multiplayer gameplay without python?

zawicki1:

To try to answer your question, the remote sensor isn't something that senses a remote, it is pretty much just a way of sending information about variables back and forth between Scratch and some other program.

It does take a little bit of geekyness to play with remote sensors, however, but if you look at the sensorconnection wiki, it will show you how to start:

http://scratch.mit.edu/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9962

And you don't really need to know Python. Almost any other modern scripting language or compiled language will do. Python is free and easy and very popular (plus the Scratch team likes to use it for their examples!) so I would recommend that as a starting point. There are also some good game and physics libraries for Python, like pygame and pyBox2d*. You will never regret learning Python.

Regarding multiplayer games, I think that that is a bit far in the future. While I think it would be possible and not terribly difficult today for someone to come up with a way to play, say, checkers with another player online via Scratch (using some simple intermediate online database, as I think Archmage mentioned in another post), it will not likely be possible to reasonably implement a RTS, etc. or anything else where the state of the world has to be refreshed quickly.  On the other hand, who knows what the future will hold...

Hope this helps!

*google "rollcats" if you want to see a cool physics program created for the OLPC XO using Box2D at recent "software slam" in Cambridge...

Last edited by chalkmarrow (2008-09-23 21:43:48)

zawicki1fromyoutube wrote:

Ok.    but that is why I would like the scratch team to see this, because I need someone who MADE scratch, because they know a little bit more of it's capabilities.

Chalkmarrow knows what he is talking about, but let me see if I can help explain this a different way. 

The remote sensor blocks are like broadcast blocks, except they can broadcast messages to programs outside of Scratch!  Think of the Scratch Board.  The Scratch Team designed custom blocks to send and receive information from a Scratch project on one end to a Scratch Board (through a software driver controlling the Scratch Board).  These new sensor blocks are like do-it-yourself blocks that can be connected to anything (not just Scratch Boards) that you program them to be connected to (using another language like python or java).

We had meant "remote sensor" to be open ended....which is to say that the word Remote is being used here to describe something far away (from Scratch), and the word Sensor to describe anything that can detect some message we send it (to or from Scratch).  So a remote sensor in regards to Scratch is any software application OTHER than Scratch that is designed in 'way' that allows it to communicate with a Scratch program much like the Scratch board does.    The 'way' it needs to be designed is described by the 'Scratch Networking Protocol'.  The word protocol means a manner or set of rules that determine how something is supposed to be done.

The hope is that this feature will open Scratch up and allow more advanced users to play around with connecting Scratch to other programs and hardware (including the types of remotes you are talking about....like Wii remotes). 

Anyone who wants to learn more or try this out should check out the link Chalkmarrow posted:
http://scratch.mit.edu/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9962

You should take a look at this program for the wiimote. You can control the mouse, and keys as well. Works with scratch. I haven´t tested it for long, but it work direct with my PC. Try it...

http://jasonlpsmith.googlepages.com/wiimotepresenter