Landscape repeating via an Array

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Khadin

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Posted: 11th Apr 2015 21:27 Edited at: 11th Apr 2015 21:28

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Ok, so i'm very new when it comes to Arrays. I've tried to understand them, but i'm still stuck.

To create and lay landscape, i've been doing it like so:

+ Code Snippet

RplaneImg = LoadImage("planes/planeRed1.png")
RplaneSpr = createsprite(RplaneImg)
setspriteposition(RplaneSpr,getspritex(BplaneSpr) + GetSpriteWidth(BplaneSpr), 0)

GplaneImg = loadimage("planes/planeGreen1.png")
GplaneSpr = CreateSprite(GplaneImg)
setspriteposition(GplaneSpr,getspritex(RplaneSpr) + GetSpriteWidth(RplaneSpr), 0)

BplaneImg = LoadImage("planes/planeBlue1.png")
BplaneSpr = createsprite(BplaneImg)
SetSpritePosition(BplaneSpr, 0,768 - GetSpriteHeight(BplaneSpr))

This puts my planes in a nice little row. I use the same code when laying landscape.

Now i'm pretty certain an Array would make my life so much easier, but i'm unsure how to go about doing it.

Khadin

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IronManhood

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Posted: 11th Apr 2015 23:11 Edited at: 12th Apr 2015 02:05

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There are a bunch of different ways of doing this same thing but here is one way.

+ Code Snippet

type t_Sprite
	sprite_image as integer
	sprite_id as integer
endtype

global planes as t_Sprite[3]

loadPlaneImages()

createPlane()

do
    

    Print( ScreenFPS() )
    Sync()
loop

function loadPlaneImages()
	planes[1].sprite_image = LoadImage("planes/planeRed1.png")
	planes[2].sprite_image = LoadImage("planes/planeGreen1.png")
	planes[3].sprite_image = LoadImage("planes/planeBlue1.png")
endfunction

function createPlane()
	for i = 1 to planes.length
		planes[i].sprite_id = CreateSprite(planes[i].sprite_image)
	next
	setspriteposition(planes[1].sprite_id,getspritex(planes[2].sprite_id) + GetSpriteWidth(planes[2].sprite_id), 0)
	setspriteposition(planes[2].sprite_id,getspritex(planes[1].sprite_id) + GetSpriteWidth(planes[1].sprite_id), 0)
	SetSpritePosition(planes[2].sprite_id, 0,768 - GetSpriteHeight(planes[2].sprite_id))
endfunction

Here is something that may help you understand arrays.

// Project: grid_placement 
// Created: 2015-04-11

// set window properties
SetWindowTitle( "grid_placement" )
SetWindowSize( 1024, 768, 0 )

// set display properties
SetVirtualResolution( 1024, 768 )
SetOrientationAllowed( 1, 1, 1, 1 )

// Set up a multi-dimensional array using types
type t_Sprite
	id as integer[1]
endtype

// instantiate the multi-dimensional array
global sprites as t_Sprite[1]

// call the sprite creation function once before we enter the do loop or game loop
createGridOfSprites( 3, 15, 25, 12, 512, 384, 2.5, 27.96541 )

do
	// reposition the sprite grid on pointer press
    if GetPointerPressed() = 1
		repositionGrid(ScreenToWorldX(GetPointerX()), ScreenToWorldY(GetPointerY()), 2.5, 27.96541 )
	endif

Print( ScreenFPS() )
    Sync()
loop

function createGridOfSprites( width as integer, height as integer, xSize as float, ySize as float, xPos as float, yPos as float, xSpacing as float, ySpacing as float )
	
	// call array resizing function
	resizeMDArray(width, height)
	
	x# = xPos
	y# = yPos
	
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			sprites[j].id[i] = CreateSprite(0)
			SetSpriteColor(sprites[j].id[i], Random(0, 255), Random(0, 255), Random(0, 255), 255)
			SetSpriteSize(sprites[j].id[i], xSize, ySize)
			SetSpritePosition(sprites[j].id[i], x#, y#)
			
			// increment position on x axis by sprite width + space between sprites
			inc x#, xSize + xSpacing
			
			// reset x# variable to original starting point to draw the next line of sprites
			if i = width then x# = xPos
		next
		inc y#, ySize + ySpacing
	next
endfunction

function repositionGrid( xPos as float, yPos as float, xSpacing as float, ySpacing as float)
	// this is almost the same as the sprite creation function except it only positions sprites
	x# = xPos
	y# = yPos
	
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			SetSpritePosition(sprites[j].id[i], x#, y#)
			inc x#, GetSpriteWidth(sprites[j].id[i]) + xSpacing
			if i = sprites[j].id.length then x# = xPos
		next
		inc y#, GetSpriteHeight(sprites[j].id[1]) + ySpacing
	next
endfunction

function resizeMDArray( w as integer, h as integer)
	// dynamically alter array size to fit our specific needs
	sprites.length = h
	for l = 1 to sprites.length
		sprites[l].id.length = w
	next
endfunction

function deleteSpriteGrid()
	// iterate through the arrays to delete all sprites
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			DeleteSprite(sprites[j].id[i])
		next
	next
endfunction

+ Code Snippet

// Project: grid_placement 
// Created: 2015-04-11

// set window properties
SetWindowTitle( "grid_placement" )
SetWindowSize( 1024, 768, 0 )

// set display properties
SetVirtualResolution( 1024, 768 )
SetOrientationAllowed( 1, 1, 1, 1 )

// Set up a multi-dimensional array using types
type t_Sprite
	id as integer[1]
endtype

// instantiate the multi-dimensional array
global sprites as t_Sprite[1]

// call the sprite creation function once before we enter the do loop or game loop
createGridOfSprites( 3, 15, 25, 12, 512, 384, 2.5, 27.96541 )

do
	// reposition the sprite grid on pointer press
    if GetPointerPressed() = 1
		repositionGrid(ScreenToWorldX(GetPointerX()), ScreenToWorldY(GetPointerY()), 2.5, 27.96541 )
	endif

    Print( ScreenFPS() )
    Sync()
loop

function createGridOfSprites( width as integer, height as integer, xSize as float, ySize as float, xPos as float, yPos as float, xSpacing as float, ySpacing as float )
	
	// call array resizing function
	resizeMDArray(width, height)
	
	x# = xPos
	y# = yPos
	
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			sprites[j].id[i] = CreateSprite(0)
			SetSpriteColor(sprites[j].id[i], Random(0, 255), Random(0, 255), Random(0, 255), 255)
			SetSpriteSize(sprites[j].id[i], xSize, ySize)
			SetSpritePosition(sprites[j].id[i], x#, y#)
			
			// increment position on x axis by sprite width + space between sprites
			inc x#, xSize + xSpacing
			
			// reset x# variable to original starting point to draw the next line of sprites
			if i = width then x# = xPos
		next
		inc y#, ySize + ySpacing
	next
endfunction

function repositionGrid( xPos as float, yPos as float, xSpacing as float, ySpacing as float)
	// this is almost the same as the sprite creation function except it only positions sprites
	x# = xPos
	y# = yPos
	
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			SetSpritePosition(sprites[j].id[i], x#, y#)
			inc x#, GetSpriteWidth(sprites[j].id[i]) + xSpacing
			if i = sprites[j].id.length then x# = xPos
		next
		inc y#, GetSpriteHeight(sprites[j].id[1]) + ySpacing
	next
endfunction

function resizeMDArray( w as integer, h as integer)
	// dynamically alter array size to fit our specific needs
	sprites.length = h
	for l = 1 to sprites.length
		sprites[l].id.length = w
	next
endfunction

function deleteSpriteGrid()
	// iterate through the arrays to delete all sprites
	for j = 1 to sprites.length
		for i = 1 to sprites[j].id.length
			DeleteSprite(sprites[j].id[i])
		next
	next
endfunction

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Khadin

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Joined: 13th Feb 2015

Location: Nottingham

Posted: 12th Apr 2015 02:04

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Thanks IronManhood.

I'll give this a go tomorrow, and hopefully i'll understand it

I find Arrays really hard to get, but i know they're something i must learn.

Thanks again.

Khadin

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IronManhood

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 17:55

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You can think of an array as boxes placed in a line. Each box is called an element and the number of elements is call the array size or length. Each element is basically its own variable that will hold whatever data you put in it. You can access any element of the array by calling it specifically or you can use a loop to increment a variable and iterate over the array accessing each element sequentially.

Of course, you can have an array of arrays. Those are called multi-dimensional, matrix or table. In agk you can have arrays of up to 6 dimensions, which does boggle the mind a bit. My advice would be to stick with one dimension until you are comfortable and then move on to other dimensions.

Read about arrays, then play with them.

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Khadin

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 18:41

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Works perfectly dude, thanks. I'm trying to break it down, but it just will not sink in lol.

As i say, it works though, but now it's just trying to understand them. They're a little bit like JavaScript Arrays which i did understand to a point, but that was a while back.

Thanks again.

Khadin

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BatVink

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 19:37

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Try another analogy - boys names. We'll just stick to one piece of data - a string for each name.

You have 4 boys, and in your current method, you'll need 4 variables:

+ Code Snippet

global boy1 as string
global boy2 as string
global boy3 as string
global boy4 as string

boy1 = "John"
boy2 = "Paul"
boy3 = "George"
boy4 = "Ringo"

to print the names, you firstly need to know that there are exactly 4 boys. Then, you need to add a line of code for each one:

+ Code Snippet

print ( boy1 )
print ( boy2 )
print ( boy3 )
print ( boy4 )

Now the same using arrays. Firstly, create an array of 4 elements, as described in the examples above.
Then add the names

+ Code Snippet

global boy as string[4]
boy[1] = "John"
boy[2] = "Paul"
boy[3] = "George"
boy[4] = "Ringo"

So far, it's not looking very different, and the advantages aren't apparent...yet. Let's print them in exactly the same way

+ Code Snippet

print ( boy[1] )
print ( boy[2] )
print ( boy[3] )
print ( boy[4] )

Now let's print them using a loop.

+ Code Snippet

for n = 1 to 4
   print boy[n]
next n

Here we are executing one line of code 4 times. Each time it prints the next element (boy's name) in the array. We can make this more generic. Lats pretend we don't know how many boys there are:

+ Code Snippet

for n = 1 to boy.length
   print boy[n]
next n

Now it will loop until we reach the end of the array, which could be any length.

It's still not looking much more efficient. So let's pretend we have a school class of 30 boys

+ Code Snippet

print ( boy1 )
print ( boy2 )
print ( boy3 )
print ( boy4 )
print ( boy5 )
print ( boy6 )
print ( boy7 )
print ( boy8 )
print ( boy9)
print ( boy10 )
print ( boy11 )
print ( boy12 )
print ( boy13 )
print ( boy14 )
print ( boy15 )
print ( boy16 )
print ( boy17 )
print ( boy18 )
print ( boy19)
print ( boy20 )
print ( boy21 )
print ( boy22 )
print ( boy23 )
print ( boy24 )
print ( boy25 )
print ( boy26 )
print ( boy27 )
print ( boy28 )
print ( boy29)
print ( boy30)

or as an array:

+ Code Snippet

for n = 1 to boy.length
   print boy[n]
next n

Spot the difference between this and the last array example...there is none! It's exactly the same code. But it can handle any of these:

+ Code Snippet

global boy as string[4]
global boy as string[30]
global boy as string[10000]

Imagine applying this to an army of soldiers with a health value. After each round of fighting, you can iterate through an unknown number of soldiers and quickly determine which ones died (health = 0) instead of writing 100 lines of code or more to check each one individually. And with the non-array method, you have to set an arbitrary limit on how many soldiers you're prepared to code for.

hope this helps!

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
TutCity is being rebuilt

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Khadin

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 21:25

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BatVink... that's fantastic. Thank you so much for explaining it the way you have. I'm pretty certain after writing a few examples, i'll have it down!

Thanks again

Khadin

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Khadin

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 22:19 Edited at: 12th Apr 2015 22:54

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Out of interest, what does the message mean: Array Index out of bounds. It's not a main worry, just sometimes get it.

+ Code Snippet

type t_Sprite
	spriteImg as integer
	spriteId as integer
endtype
	
global landscape as t_Sprite[4]
	
function loadLandscapeImg()
	for n = 1 to 4
		landscape[n].spriteImg = loadimage("groundDirt.png")
	next
endfunction

function createLandscape()
	for i = 1 to landscape.length
		landscape[i].spriteId = CreateSprite(landscape[i].spriteImg)
	next
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[1].spriteId, getspritex(groundSpr) + GetSpriteWidth(groundSpr),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[2].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[1].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[1].spriteId),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[3].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[2].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[2].spriteId),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[4].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[3].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[3].spriteId),0)
	
	
endfunction

Oki, so it's repeating the land, but once i get to the bit where the land is no longer being placed, the app crashes. Any reason for that?

EDIT: The frame rate seriously drops, then it'll freeze.

Khadin

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IronManhood

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 22:23 Edited at: 12th Apr 2015 22:23

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That means you tried to call an element that didn't exist. For example, you try to call element 3 in an array that is only 2 elements in size. If you are using dynamic arrays, chances are you will encounter this a lot and have to debug your code. Post your code if you need help.

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BatVink

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 22:40

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Which reminds me...both Ironmanhood and myself used array elements 1 onwards.

Arrays actually start at 0.

So this...

global boy as string[4]

has 5 elements - 0 to 4. And...

boy.length

will return 4. It gives you the last element number, not the number of elements

SO...to keep things simple, many people ignore element 0. Using it makes counting and managing elements a little bit more confusing than they really need to be, and introduces bugs at a greater rate! Element 0 can be safely ignored. Just bear in mind that if you accidentally try to read element 0, you won't get an error. You'll probably just get empty strings or zero values.

An array with no elements has a length of -1.

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
TutCity is being rebuilt

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IronManhood

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Posted: 12th Apr 2015 23:35

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If you want info on arrays in agk.

http://www.appgamekit.com/documentation/guides/12_array_changes.htm

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Khadin

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Posted: 13th Apr 2015 00:09 Edited at: 13th Apr 2015 00:10

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Thanks Iron, i'll read that now. Whilst i am, could you just have a look over the code. It's laying the landscape, just it locks up after i reach the end of it.

Thanks

+ Code Snippet

type t_Sprite
	spriteImg as integer
	spriteId as integer
endtype
	
global landscape as t_Sprite[4]
	
function loadLandscapeImg()
	for n = 1 to 4
		landscape[n].spriteImg = loadimage("groundDirt.png")
	next
endfunction

function createLandscape()
	for i = 1 to landscape.length
		landscape[i].spriteId = CreateSprite(landscape[i].spriteImg)
	next
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[1].spriteId, getspritex(groundSpr) + GetSpriteWidth(groundSpr),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[2].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[1].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[1].spriteId),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[3].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[2].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[2].spriteId),0)
	SetSpritePosition(landscape[4].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[3].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[3].spriteId),0)
	
	
endfunction

Khadin

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IronManhood

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Posted: 13th Apr 2015 00:54 Edited at: 13th Apr 2015 00:57

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The only issues that I see with your code are with LoadImage. You really only need to load an image once. The way you have it now, you load the same image four different times. Also, using a loop to load a bunch of images is an efficient way of doing it, so you're on the right track. You'll have to figure out a way to iterate through the .png filenames to take advantage of it.

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BatVink

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Posted: 13th Apr 2015 08:02 Edited at: 13th Apr 2015 08:04

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Sat in an airport so can't test, but this should also work. Remember your ultimate goal is to create code that can manage any number of array indexes, so that your game is expandable. In this case, you have to lay sprite 1 "manually", then all others can be done with simple logic based on array index.

+ Code Snippet

function createLandscape()

	for i = 1 to landscape.length
            landscape[i].spriteId = CreateSprite(landscape[i].spriteImg)
	next

	SetSpritePosition(landscape[1].spriteId, getspritex(groundSpr) + GetSpriteWidth(groundSpr),0)

	for i = 2 to landscape.length
	    SetSpritePosition(landscape[i].spriteId, getspritex(landscape[i-1].spriteId) + GetSpriteWidth(landscape[i-1].spriteId),0)
        next

endfunction

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur
TutCity is being rebuilt

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Khadin

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Posted: 13th Apr 2015 16:59

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Hey guys.

Can't code till friday sadly, but i'll give what you've suggested a try and report back. Hopefully it'll work, then i can move onto my next question ;P

Thanks.

Khadin

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