Advice about my Pong game.

[PongHelp]

I am in a grade 11 computer course and I have encountered some problems with my program and would like some help. I dont want anyone to write the code for me, I would just like some pointers and some help, thanks.

%Title screen%
setscreen ("graphics")
setscreen ("graphics:max;max")
colourback (black)




put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "

colour (white)
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" "
put" BY: Keegan Beattie"
put" "
colour (brightgreen)
put" 4 PLAYER GAME!"
colour (37)
put" "
colour (white)
put" "
put" ------------- "
put" // Controls // "
put" ------------- "
put" Player 1: 'w' to move up 's' to move down "
put" Player 2: 'j' to move up 'm' move down "
put" Player 3: 'up' to move up 'down' to move down"
put" Player 4: '5' to move up '2' to move down "


for i : 1..27
put " "
end for

var font4 : int
font4 := Font.New ("Palatino:50:Bold")
Font.Draw (" PONG 4.0", 436, 700, font4, brightgreen)
%Displaying the controls and how to start%
drawbox(480,765,815,680, white)
drawbox(479,766,816,679, white)
var font : int
font := Font.New ("Palatino:24:Bold")
Font.Draw ("Enter 'S' to start", 522, 270, font, yellow)
drawbox(510,250,780,310, yellow)
drawbox(509,249,781,311, yellow)
drawbox(260,200,1010,820, white)
drawbox(259,199,1011,821, white)


%Intro %

var startss:string
get startss

%If you press "s" the game starts%
if startss = "s" then

colourback (black)

for i : 1..55
put " "
end for

%Get the players name%
var p1name:string
var p2name:string
var p3name:string
var p4name:string
colour (54)
put "Player 1, please enter your name: "
get p1name
put "Player 2, please enter your name: "
get p2name
colour (12)
put "Player 3, please enter your name: "
get p3name
put "Player 4, please enter your name: "
get p4name




colourback (250)
colour (white)

put " "
put " Blue Team: "..
put " Red Team: "
put " "
put " "
put " "
put " "
var font1 : int
font1 := Font.New ("Palatino:40:Bold")
Font.Draw ("0", 525, 25, font1, 54)
var font2 : int
font2 := Font.New ("Palatino:40:Bold")
Font.Draw ("0", 1175, 25, font2, 40)

colourback(black)


for i : 1 ..50
put " "
end for


%Display name for score%
var pname1 : int
pname1 := Font.New ("Palatino:12:Bold")
Font.Draw (p1name, 95, 860, pname1, 54)
var pname2 : int
pname2 := Font.New ("Palatino:12:Bold")
Font.Draw (p2name, 95, 830, pname2, 54)
var pname3 : int
pname3 := Font.New ("Palatino:12:Bold")
Font.Draw (p3name, 753, 860, pname3, 12)
var pname4 : int
pname4 := Font.New ("Palatino:12:Bold")
Font.Draw (p4name, 753, 830, pname4, 12)



%The lines on the pong game% And some other stuff%
drawbox(0,805,1500,806, white)
drawbox(90,884,180,883, white)
drawbox(743,884,827,883, white)
end if








%Actual Pong program%

var pongBall:int

var pongPaddle1:int
var pongPaddle2:int
var pongPaddle3:int
var pongPaddle4:int

%Displaying and counting the score%
var team1Score:int := 0
var team2Score:int := 0



var ballX, ballY : int := 4
var ballR1, ballR2 : int := 4
var DX, DY : int := 1

var p1X, p1Y : int := 6
var p1R1, p1R2 : int :=6
var p1DX, p1DY : int := 1

var p2Y : int := 6
var p3Y : int := 6
var p4Y : int := 6


var chars : array char of boolean
var chars2 : array char of boolean
var chars3 : array char of boolean
var chars4 : array char of boolean





loop




%Controlls for paddles%

Input.KeyDown (chars)
locate (4, 1)
if chars ('w') then
if p1Y <= 103 then p1Y:= p1Y+1
end if
end if

if chars ('s') then
if p1Y >= -150 then p1Y:= p1Y-1
end if
end if

locate (10, 1)
if chars ('j') then
if p2Y<= 216 then p2Y:= p2Y+1
end if
end if
if chars ('m') then
if p2Y >= -68 then p2Y:= p2Y-1
end if
end if

locate (10, 1)
if chars (KEY_UP_ARROW) then
if p3Y <= 103 then p3Y:= p3Y+1
end if
end if

if chars (KEY_DOWN_ARROW) then
if p3Y >= -150 then p3Y:= p3Y-1
end if
end if

locate (10, 1)
if chars ('5') then
if p4Y <= 216 then p4Y:= p4Y+1
end if
end if

if chars ('2') then
if p4Y >= -68 then p4Y:= p4Y-1
end if
end if







%The paddles%

drawfilloval (ballX, ballY, ballR1, ballR2, 0)%The colour of the ball


drawfillbox (640, 805, 641, 755,white)
drawfillbox (640, 705, 641, 655,white)
drawfillbox (640, 605, 641, 555,white)
drawfillbox (640, 505, 641, 455,white)
drawfillbox (640, 405, 641, 355,white)
drawfillbox (640, 305, 641, 255,white)
drawfillbox (640, 205, 641, 155,white)
drawfillbox (640, 105, 641, 55,white)
drawfillbox (640, 5, 641, 0,white)

drawfillbox (23,p1Y+700,26,p1Y+570, 54)
drawfillbox (23,p2Y+200,26,p2Y+70, 54)
drawfillbox (1233,p3Y+700,1236,p3Y+570, 40)
drawfillbox (1233,p4Y+200,1236,p4Y+70, 40)
delay (5)
drawfillbox (23,p1Y+700,26,p1Y+570, black)
drawfillbox (23,p2Y+200,26,p2Y+70, black)
drawfillbox (1233,p3Y+700,1236,p3Y+570, black)
drawfillbox (1233,p4Y+200,1236,p4Y+70, black)
drawfillbox (0 ,10 ,1400,-10,black)
%The ball%
drawfilloval (ballX, ballY, ballR1, ballR2, 7)%The colour of the balls tail

ballX := ballX + DX
ballY := ballY + DY

if ballX = 0 or ballX = 1264 then
DX := (-1)*DX
elsif ballY = 800 or ballY = (0) then %THIS IS THE TOP AND BOTTOM THINGS
DY := (-1)*DY

end if






if p1Y = 0 or p1Y = 1264 then
p1DX := (-1)*p1DX
elsif p1Y = 800 or p1Y = (0) then %THIS IS THE TOP AND BOTTOM THINGS
p1DY := (-1)*p1DY

end if



end loop

[Raknarg]

The first thing you should do is tell us what's going wrong with it. What's supposed to be working that isnt? Is something happening that you didnt expect?

If you do want to help yourself like you said, basic debugging like this is a good place to start.

[PongHelp]

Sorry, I have no idea how to get the ball to bounce off the paddle. I've asked my teacher but he said he wouldn't help.

[Dreadnought]

You likely want the ball to bounce when it "hits" the paddle. How do you know if the ball has hit the paddle? How can you check this?

[Raknarg]

The thing to remember is that you know where everything is at any given time, which people new to programming seem to often forget.

[irobots]

Try using the whatdotcolour function on points around the circumference of the ball. Then if the dot colour on any of the whatdotcolour comes out to be the colour of your paddle, then the ball hit the paddle.

[Tony]

irobots @ Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:44 am wrote:

Try using the whatdotcolour function on points around the circumference of the ball.

Please don't give out bad suggestions as "advice".