Pacman Help

[monkeynamedsteve]

I'm working on Pacman for my computers final and I've done pretty well so far with help from this site. Most things are working properly and all I need to add is ghosts and dots. When I added the first ghost this morning, it made Pacman flicker like crazy. I was wondering how to fix this, I've allredy tried View.Update, I don't know If I did it right. If anyone has suggestions on this or how to make the ghost have "a mind of its own". Right now, I hooked him up to the pacman movement just so that he moves around.

code:

setscreen ("graphics:490;540") View.Set ("offscreenonly") const BACKGROUND : int := black const PACMAN_RADIUS : int := 11 const DOT_RADIUS : int := 2 const WALL : int := 30 const ROOM : int := 4 var direction : int := 360 var x : int := 245 var y : int := 230 var x_temp, y_temp : int := 0 var xInc, yInc : int := 0 var yDot, xDot : int var MouthAngle : int := 0 var move : string (1) := KEY_RIGHT_ARROW %Ghost const GHOST_RADIUS : int := 12 var ghostX : int := 220 var ghostX_temp, ghostY_temp : int := 0 var ghostY : int := 270 var ghostCol : array 1 .. 4 of int := init (40, 43, 53, 13) colourback (BACKGROUND) cls %Draw Walls var box1x : array 1 .. 49 of int := init (0, 0, 0, 490, 0, 480, 50, 140, 190, 240, 290, 340, 0, 440, 50, 90, 140, 290, 390, 390, 0, 90, 0, 140, 190, 240, 340, 390, 390, 400, 0, 90, 0, 390, 390, 390,     140, 340, 140, 290, 50, 390, 190, 240, 50, 140, 290, 390, 240) var box1y : array 1 .. 49 of int := init (0, 0, 530, 260, 300, 300, 50, 50, 100, 100, 50, 60, 100, 100, 150, 160, 160, 160, 160, 160, 210, 260, 260, 260, 210, 210, 260, 260, 260, 200, 300, 360, 350,     350, 300, 300, 300, 300, 350, 350, 400, 400, 400, 410, 450, 450, 450, 450, 450) var box2x : array 1 .. 49 of int := init (10, 490, 490, 480, 10, 490, 200, 150, 300, 250, 440, 350, 50, 490, 100, 100, 200, 350, 400, 440, 100, 100, 90, 150, 300, 250, 350, 480, 400, 480, 100, 100,     100, 480, 480, 400, 150, 350, 200, 350, 100, 440, 300, 250, 100, 200, 350, 440, 250) var box2y : array 1 .. 49 of int := init (260, 10, 540, 0, 540, 540, 60, 110, 110, 50, 60, 110, 110, 110, 160, 100, 150, 150, 100, 150, 200, 200, 250, 200, 200, 150, 200, 250, 200, 210, 310, 310,     360, 360, 310, 360, 410, 410, 360, 360, 410, 410, 410, 350, 490, 490, 490, 490, 540) for i : 1 .. 49     drawfillbox (box1x (i), box1y (i), box2x (i), box2y (i), grey) end for for i : 45 .. 48     drawfillbox (box1x (i) + 10, box1y (i) + 10, box2x (i) - 10, box2y (i) - 10, black) end for %Mouth Opening and closing.... %Draw mouth close procedure drawMouthClose (x : int, y : int)     MouthAngle := MouthAngle mod 45 + 1     drawfillarc (x, y, PACMAN_RADIUS, PACMAN_RADIUS, MouthAngle + direction, -MouthAngle + direction, 14) end drawMouthClose %Erase Pacman procedure erasePacman (x : int, y : int)     %The "+1" allows the prgram to remove any extra pixels     drawfillarc (x, y, PACMAN_RADIUS, PACMAN_RADIUS, MouthAngle + direction, -MouthAngle + direction, BACKGROUND) end erasePacman %Change Direction procedure directionChange     if hasch then         getch (move)         if ord (move) = ORD_DOWN_ARROW then             direction := 270             xInc := 0             yInc := -1         elsif ord (move) = ORD_UP_ARROW then             direction := 90             xInc := 0             yInc := 1         elsif ord (move) = ORD_LEFT_ARROW then             direction := 180             xInc := -1             yInc := 0         elsif ord (move) = ORD_RIGHT_ARROW then             direction := 0             xInc := 1             yInc := 0         end if     end if end directionChange %Ghost procedure ghost     drawfillarc (ghostX, ghostY, GHOST_RADIUS, GHOST_RADIUS, 0, 180, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillBox (ghostX - 12, ghostY, ghostX + 12, ghostY - 10, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 10, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 3, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 3, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 10, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, ghostCol (1))     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 5, ghostY, 3, 3, white)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 5, ghostY, 3, 3, white)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 5, ghostY, 1, 1, black)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 5, ghostY, 1, 1, black) end ghost %Ghost Erase procedure ghostErase     drawfillarc (ghostX, ghostY, GHOST_RADIUS, GHOST_RADIUS, 0, 180, black)     Draw.FillBox (ghostX - 12, ghostY, ghostX + 12, ghostY - 10, black)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 10, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, black)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX - 3, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, black)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 3, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, black)     Draw.FillOval (ghostX + 10, ghostY - 10, 2, 2, black) end ghostErase %Dots procedure dots     for xDot : 26 .. 480 by 23         drawfilloval (xDot, 27, DOT_RADIUS, DOT_RADIUS, 31)     end for end dots %Movement const DEL : int := 15 dots loop     for i : x .. maxx         drawMouthClose (x, y)         View.Update         delay (DEL)         erasePacman (x, y)         ghost         View.Update         delay (DEL)         ghostErase         if ghostX_temp = 15 then             ghostX := 475         elsif ghostX_temp = 475 then             ghostX := 15         end if         x_temp := x + xInc         y_temp := y + yInc         directionChange         if x_temp = 15 then             x := 475         elsif x_temp = 475 then             x := 15         end if         ghostX := ghostX + xInc         ghostY := ghostY + yInc         if whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS, y_temp) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM, y_temp) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM, y_temp) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS - ROOM, y_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS) ~= grey                 and whatdotcolor (x_temp + PACMAN_RADIUS + ROOM, y_temp - PACMAN_RADIUS) ~= grey                 then             x := x + xInc             y := y + yInc         end if     end for end loop

Any help on ghost movement, getting rid of the flicker or just general comments would be very much appreciated.

[monkeynamedsteve]

Here's the file, makes it easier

[do_pete]

Why do you have that for loop in your loop?

[monkeynamedsteve]

Oh, hey, thanks. I had that in from before. I was trying several different approaches at the boundaries and I must have forgotten to get rid of it.

[Clayton]

im not too sure why pacman flickers like that, but it might have something to do with the way you are drawing it, also, try and speed it up a tad (its waaaaaaaaaay slow) looks okay though, look forward to seeing it done

[monkeynamedsteve]

Ya, I tried slowing it down to see if it would help the flickering. I promise to post the final program.

[Jenkinz]

yea, if you didn't see theres a for loop in your loop?

[do_pete]

do_pete wrote:

Why do you have that for loop in your loop?

monkeynamedsteve wrote:

Oh, hey, thanks. I had that in from before. I was trying several different approaches at the boundaries and I must have forgotten to get rid of it.

I think he saw it.

[Clayton]

now that i think about it, it might be that drawing the ghosts is slowing the computer down and causing a flicker from your erasing part (for pacman) because it is being drawn in black, and the slower speed is causing it to be seen, but i dont know for sure, i hope you figure it out

[monkeynamedsteve]

Thanks alot Super Freak, that seems like the only reason I can think of. The school computers are slow and stupid, I think I'm just going to use sprites. What fun, need to learn about those.

[NikG]

I looked at the code you provided as a download, not what you posted in your first post.

The reason pacman is flickering is that you have 2 View.Updates.
You should use only one! It's an easy fix though. Change it from:

code:

drawMouthClose (x, y)         View.Update         delay (DEL)         erasePacman (x, y)         ghost         View.Update         delay (DEL)         ghostErase

to

code:

drawMouthClose (x, y)         ghost         View.Update         delay (DEL)         erasePacman (x, y)         ghostErase

Notice how I moved ghost above the View.Update and removed the second delay.

[monkeynamedsteve]

Thank you so much, you saved me so much time.
It works so smoothly now.
I'm gonna give you 5 bits casue I'm never gonna use them.