Videogame

[cassyhoz]

Hi, I was asked in school to make this sort of videogame in C basic where a little bar defends a city (which is in the bottom) from falling thunders.

I'm working on Visual Basic 2005 and this is the code I've been able to develop. However I have a problem 'cause the little "defender" bar won't move at the same time as the thunders fall.
I have absolutely no idea of how to make both things happen at the same time and not sequencially. Can somebody help me out pleaseeeeeeeeeee? I just can't continue working on it with out that, I just need a little explanation..

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <dos.h>
#include <time.h>
#define AMARILLO (14)
#define ROSA (5)
#define GRIS (8)
void presentacion(void)
{
HANDLE s= GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
system("cls");
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_INTE NSITY);
printf("DEFENDER\n");
printf("\n");
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),ROSA|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);

printf("Press any key to continue");
}
void ciudad(void)
{ int a, b, c;
HANDLE s= GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
HANDLE q= GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
COORD coord;
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
system("cls");
coord.Y = 23;
for (a=0; a<=78; a++)
{
coord.X= a;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 220);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
c=10;
for (b=-10; b<60; b++) //ciclo principal
{

b=b+c;
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);

coord.X = 0+b;
for (a=23; a>=20; a--)
{ coord.Y= a;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 219);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
coord.Y = 19;
for (a=0; a<=3; a++)
{ coord.X= a+b;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 220);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
coord.X = 3+b;
for (a=23; a>=20; a--)
{ coord.Y= a;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 219);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
coord.Y = 21;
for (a=4; a<=9; a++)
{ coord.X= a+b;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 220);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
coord.X = 9+b;
for (a=22; a<24; a++)
{ coord.Y =a ;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(q, coord);printf("%c\n", 219);
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),GRIS|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
}
}
fflush(stdout);
}
void random(void)
{
int n, M, R, y, numero;
HANDLE s= GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
HANDLE q= GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
COORD coord;
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_INTE NSITY);
y=0;
coord.Y = y;
R=0;
n=78;
M=1;
srand( (unsigned)time( NULL ) );
while (R<1)
{
numero = rand () % (n);
coord.X = numero;
SetConsoleCursorPosition (q, coord);
printf("%c\n", 31);
while (y<18)
{
y = y+1;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition (q, coord);
Sleep(100);
printf("%c\n", 31);
}
if (y=18)
{
y=0;
coord.X = numero;
SetConsoleCursorPosition (q, coord);
printf("%c\n", 255);
while (y<18)
{
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition (q, coord);
printf("%c\n", 255);
y = y+1;
}
}
R=R+1;
}
fflush(stdin);
}
void gotoxy0(int m, int y)
{
COORD coord;
coord.X = m;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_H ANDLE), coord);
}
void gotoxy1(int j, int y)
{
COORD coord;
coord.X = j;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_H ANDLE), coord);
}
void gotoxy2(int x, int y)
{
COORD coord;
coord.X = x;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_H ANDLE), coord);
}
void gotoxy3(int r, int y)
{
COORD coord;
coord.X = r;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_H ANDLE), coord);
}
void gotoxy4(int t, int y)
{
COORD coord;
coord.X = t;
coord.Y = y;
SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_H ANDLE), coord);
}
main()
{
int tecla;
int salir=0;
int y=12,m=38,j=39,x=40,r=41,t=42;
presentacion();
getch();
ciudad ();
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),AMARILLO|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY) ;
printf("Move with: z left, c right ... go out with escape");
SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_INTE NSITY);
gotoxy2(x,y);
while(salir==0)
{
tecla=getch();

switch(tecla)
{
case 122://izquierda
if (j>0)
{

m-=1;
j-=1;
x-=1;
r-=1;
t-=1;
gotoxy0(m,y);
printf("%c",255);
gotoxy1(j,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy2(x,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy3(r,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy4(t,y);
printf("%c",255);
}
else
{
j=0;
x=1;
r=2;
}
break;

case 99://derecha
if (r<79)
{
m+=1;
j+=1;
x+=1;
r+=1;
t+=1;
gotoxy4(t,y);
printf("%c",255);
gotoxy3(r,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy2(x,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy1(j,y);
printf("%c", 22);
gotoxy0(m,y);
printf("%c",255);
}
else
{
j=77;
x=78;
r=79;
}

break;

default:
salir=1;
break;
}
random();
}

return 0;
}

[vmpstr]

The explanation for your problem is that you have the following happening:

get the user input
move the bar
generate a thunder, and make it fall all the way down
repeat.

What you should have is this:

get the user input
move the bar
make the thunder fall one square
if the thunder has fallen all the way, remove it
repeat

this requires a fairly significant change in your code. If you can move the bar faster than once every 100 ms, then you need to get rid of Sleep, because it will always pause for 100 ms.

You also don't need a separate gotoxy for each variable name that do the same thing. The variable names do not matter. Just have gotoxy(int x, int y) and then you can call gotoxy(r, y) and gotoxy(m, y) just fine.

[cassyhoz]

but if I make the thunder fall one square that'd only make my bar move quickly, it would still depend on me moving the bar for the thunder to fall down wouldn't it?

I'm sorry if I didn't understand quite well, I'm very ignorant on this, only been working on it for about a month :S sry

[cassyhoz]

I took out the sleep function and now I can move the bar normally, but the thunders fall too fast. You said I should make them move square by square, but how do I do that?

[vmpstr]

Suppose you only have one thunder at any point in time. Say you have thunderx and thundery for it's position and thunderexists as a flag meaning it exists (this should all be stored in a struct, if you have studied that)

Then you can have something along these lines (and forgive me if it doesn't compile, I'm just typing it in, not testing it)

// infinite loop
for(;;)
{
   if(thunderexists == 0) 
   {
      thunderx = rand()%field_width;
      thundery = top_of_the_screen;
      thunderexists = 1;
   }
   // get the user input
   // if getch waits (blocks), then it is not good here
   // I remember borland had kbhit that would tell you if input is available
   // I don't know if you have that function, though
   input = getch();
 
   // move the bar
   switch(input)
   {
       ...
   }
   // move the thunder
   if(thunderexists == 1)
   {
       thundery++; // or --, depending how it is moving
       if(thundery > very_bottom_of_the_field)
       {
            thunderexists = 0;
        }
    }
    Sleep(100);
}   
 

Do you see what I mean? You have to move the thunder and the bar in the same iteration of the loop, not move the bar and then keep moving the thunder

EDIT:
it seems that some version of kbhit does exist.

So you would have

if(kbhit())
  input = getch();
else
  input = 0; // or some other value not handled in the switch
 

[cassyhoz]

I'm very sorry to ask, but is there a simpler way to do that? I haven't learned much in school yet and I ignore most of what you wrote in the last post ): I'm ashamed to say I need something simpler..

They told me that maybe I could somehow improve it if I called the defender bar each time the thunder's added another piece, cause there's always a thunder and it's always increasing, so I should be able to move with the bar all the time.

Is it possible to call for a void outside the main?

Do you have any other suggestion? :S I'm so sorry to keep asking :(

[vmpstr]

We're here to answer, so don't be sorry for asking.

Umm... Well, from the code you have, I don't see a simple way out...

you have function A and function B (A happens to be main)

in A, you move the bar and call B
in B, you move the thunder all the way down.

So you see, you can't move the bar while the thunder is moving down, because the control isn't going to return to A until the thunder is all the way down.

To say in other words, once you are inside the function called random, the thunder will go ALL the way down. Once you are outside the random function, you can move the bar and then you are again, inside random (which means the thunder will move ALL the way down).

You need to move the thunder and the bar at the same time. If you think about it in chess terms, what you have is player1 makes one move, then player2 makes as many moves as he wants, then player1 makes one move, then player 2 makes as many moves as he wants... Clearly player2 is going to win.

What you need to have is player1 makes a move, then player2 makes one move, and so on.

So, you need to move the bar, then move the thunder, move the bar, then move the thunder. NOT move the bar, then let the thunder make many moves.

I mean, there isn't a much simpler way to do it than what I said... Maybe ask a question about my post? What don't you understand out of what I said?