Computer Science Canada :: View topic - Flashiness during a process, more complicated than it sounds

%Declaring the enemy pictures
var enemies : array 1 .. 100 of int
for d : 1 .. 25
enemies (d) := Pic.FileNew ("ufoshocker.bmp")
end for
for f : 26 .. 50
enemies (f) := Pic.FileNew ("ufolightfighter.bmp")
end for
for g : 51 .. 75
enemies (g) := Pic.FileNew ("ufoheavyfighter.bmp")
end for
for h : 76 .. 100
enemies (h) := Pic.FileNew ("ufobomber.bmp")
end for

var enemyx : array 1 .. 100 of int
for cv : 1 .. 100
enemyx (cv) := 800
end for

var enemyy : array 1 .. 100 of int
for rv : 1 .. 92 by 9
enemyy (rv) := 10
end for
for ev : 2 .. 93 by 9
enemyy (ev) := 60
end for
for wv : 3 .. 94 by 9
enemyy (wv) := 110
end for
for tv : 4 .. 95 by 9
enemyy (tv) := 160
end for
for iv : 5 .. 96 by 9
enemyy (iv) := 210
end for
for iv : 6 .. 97 by 9
enemyy (iv) := 260
end for
for iv : 7 .. 98 by 9
enemyy (iv) := 310
end for
for iv : 8 .. 99 by 9
enemyy (iv) := 360
end for
for iv : 9 .. 100 by 9
enemyy (iv) := 410
end for

% The Background
procedure drawscreen
skyx := skyx - 20
skyxedge := skyxedge - 20
skyxedge2 := skyxedge2 - 20
skyxedge3 := skyxedge3 - 20
if skyx < -640 then
skyx := 1900
end if
if skyxedge < -640 then
skyxedge := 1900
end if
if skyxedge2 < -640 then
skyxedge2 := 1900
end if
if skyxedge3 < -640 then
skyxedge3 := 1900
end if
cls
View.Set ("offscreenonly")
Pic.Draw (Clouds, skyx, skyy, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds2, skyxedge, skyy, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds3, skyx, skyyedge, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds4, skyxedge, skyyedge, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds5, skyxedge2, skyyedge, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds6, skyxedge2, skyy, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds7, skyxedge3, skyy, picCopy)
Pic.Draw (Clouds8, skyxedge3, skyyedge, picCopy)
locate (1, 1)
if jethealth1 > 50 then
colourhealth1 := 10
elsif jethealth1 > 20 then
colourhealth1 := 14
else
colourhealth1 := 12
end if
if jethealth2 > 50 then
colourhealth2 := 10
elsif jethealth2 > 20 then
colourhealth2 := 14
else
colourhealth2 := 12
end if
put "Player 1:", "" : 2, "Health: " : 20 ..
put "" : 6, "Lives: ", lives1, " Score: ", score1
put "Player 2:", "" : 2, "Health: " : 20 ..
put "" : 6, "Lives: ", lives2, " Score: ", score2
drawfillbox (145, 520, 145 + jethealth1, 529, colourhealth1) %NOTE: The health bars might not
drawfillbox (145, 503, 145 + jethealth2, 512, colourhealth2) %be in the exactly right position
drawbox (145, 520, 145 + jethealth1, 529, 7) %due to monitor size differences.
drawbox (145, 503, 145 + jethealth2, 512, 7)
if jetalive1 = true then
Pic.Draw (jet1nofire, x, y, picMerge)
elsif jetalive1 = false and lastexplosion1 = false and gameoverfinal = false then
fork explosion1
fork explosionsound1
end if
if jetalive2 = true then
Pic.Draw (jet2nofire, x2, y2, picMerge)
elsif jetalive2 = false and lastexplosion2 = false and gameoverfinal = false then
fork explosion2
fork explosionsound2
end if
View.Update
end drawscreen

process enemyprocess
loop
delay (2000)
for r : 1 .. 85
exit when enemyhigh >= 100
delay (5)
for h : enemylow .. enemyhigh
if enemydead (h) = false then
Pic.Draw (enemies (h), enemyx (h), enemyy (h), picMerge)
enemyx (h) := enemyx (h) - 10
if enemyx (h) = -50 then
score1 := score1 - 50
score2 := score2 - 50
end if
else
end if
end for
end for
enemylow := enemylow + 9
enemyhigh := enemyhigh + 9
lastattack := timeelapsed
exit when enemyhigh >= 100
end loop
end enemyprocess
%Up to now it's all declaration
%this isn't the exact code but it's all you need to know for the main loop

fork enemyprocess %So I call the process before th game starts
loop
if's and whatnot %The keys and whatnot
drawscreen %The drawscreen redraws the screen,
%when it View.Updates, the process
%hasn't finished drawing all the enemies,
%so only some are shown, but if I put it
%into a procedure, it's in an inf loop and
%the game stops running

end loop

Author:	GOLDEN WEAPON [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 6:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Flashiness during a process, more complicated than it sounds
Ok in my game, there is a process for drawing and moving the enemies. The problem is that it doesn't run in time with my drawscreen (which draws the background, jets, stats, etc.), that has the View.Update in it. In the for loop that draws the enemies, it draws some of them, then the drawscreen procedure does View.Update and not all of them show up, this creates an overall flashy effect. Is there anyway to time the View.Updates in the drawscreen to it only View.Updates after all the enemies on the screen are drawn or something that would have that effect? Game attached.

Author:	Andy [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:06 pm ]
Post subject:
well first you have to set the screen to offscreenonly View.Set("offscreenonly") then you can View.Update what View.Update basicly does is that it takes everything on the offscreen and dumps it on to the viewable screen, and inorder to do that you have to set it to offscreenonly if you want the thing to not flash, draw the background, then draw ur moving objects, then View.Update

Author:	Andy [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:09 pm ]
Post subject:
and see homer, i do help... and naoki, i dun spam all the time, unlike u

Author:	Mazer [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:10 pm ]
Post subject:
"more complicated than it sounds"? not at all my fine feathered friend, not at all. you'll see. i'm gonna post a tutorial later, makes drawing with process much better.

Author:	Andy [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:30 pm ]
Post subject:
hey nick, what did u get on ur game?

Author:	Mazer [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:55 pm ]
Post subject:
i don't know yet! why do people keep asking me?! actually, i have to wait until he reads the documentation and stuff before i can get a mark. normally he's supposed to read that before the interview but i wanted to do my interview during class so he said we should have it a few minutes later. i'll probably know tomorrow

Author:	Tony [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:
whats the point of drawing in a process? I mean, since View.Update is located in another procedure, it would have to wait untill process has finished... that just complicates things a lot more, and you dont gain anything from using it, over single/multiple procedures.

Author:	GOLDEN WEAPON [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:21 pm ]
Post subject:
Tony is the only one that will probably make it work. DT, I know about offscreenonly and View.Update and that shit, my problem was that in the process that the enemies were drawn in, it would draw the first few out of nine, then in the drawscreen procedure that was running at the same time, it would View.Update and only some of the enemies would be shown becuase only a few were drawn! So I have to put it in my drawscren procedure! So simple now lol. Is anyone going to that video game programming camp?

Author:	Tony [ Tue Jun 10, 2003 9:54 pm ]
Post subject:
turn the process into a procedure, and so that you dont get stuck with a delay, just use a timer with a flag variable. Keep on calling the procedure up untill the timer reads that w/e time has passed and the rest of procedure can be executed. Keep in mind that processes DONT run at same time as rest of the program. It fakes multitasking by randomly picking from which procedure to execute the next line. You're better off having a procedure.

Author:	Andy [ Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:34 pm ]
Post subject:
cause nick, ur gonna get like 150% on ur game

Author:	GOLDEN WEAPON [ Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:44 pm ]
Post subject:
ok that's helpful but how do I use a timer?