Current Deadline: Finish game by March 2
Current Progress: Finished: basic game ; Working on: explanatory text, story text
Things are officially going well. Starting last week most of our classes became devoted to finishing our HEW projects. This enabled me to meet the basic gameplay deadline one day early (whoo!).
I had a spot of trouble trying to implement the guard moving independently from the player. I used kbhit() so that the game would only try to read a character if a key was pressed, but I didn’t think to reinitialize the variable I was using so once an arrow key was pressed once it would keep trying to read the direction of the arrow key even though there was no input. Once I got over that hump, though, it was smooth sailing.
The other “problem” I ran into was that my random labyrinth generator sucked. I did some looking into algorithms that I could adapt, but ultimately decided to go with a fixed board. It makes the game a lot easier, but most people won’t play it more than once so whatever.
I actually have two other end of the year assignments (my WB homework is to create a page using javascript, css, and HTML; my CT homework is to do a 1 to 2 page report on a product of my choice), but things seem to be going well. I’m almost done with my CT and can probably get my WB finished today in class, which leaves the text for my game. Which I’m dreading because, well, WRITING IN JAPANESE. It’s the bane of my existence, I swear. But I’ll get it done. Somehow. Probably with the help of my friends.
I would just like it to be a matter of record that I hate programming for the Windows command prompt console.
For class we’re doing a Battleship game and I wanted to have input be by using the arrow keys and pressing Enter. Which I did! But instead of it being something nice like, keyboardState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Up) , this is what I had to do:
rewind(stdin);
input1 = getch();
if ( input1 == 224 ) {
input2 = getch();
if ( input2 == 72 ) { // up arrow pressed
//action
}
if ( input2 == 80 ) { // down arrow pressed
//action
}
if ( input2 == 75 ) { // left arrow pressed
//action
}
if ( input2 == 77 ) { // right arrow pressed
//action
}
}
Note that it takes two characters for the arrow keys (other keys only need 1). It’s not that it’s hard or anything like that… just… annoying.
It’s only a few months until 2nd year (and programming for the DS!)… it’s only a few months until 2nd year (and programming for the DS!)………
The results for the Systems Administrator (for those interested, it’s run by the IPA) test came out today.
Here were my results:
First Half: 580/800
Second Half: 570/800
A pass is 600/800 on both sections. If I had gotten like 2 or 3 more questions right on each section I would have passed. Let me just smack my head against the desk repeatedly. Well, it could have been worse. I just need to buckle down and study for the Fundamental Information Technology test.
In other news, we got our report cards in the mail a few weeks ago. I’m doing extremely well, which means a lot more to me than passing some lousy standardized test. Even if I need to pass the next lousy standardized test if I want to work in a Japanese gaming company.
Failed the Systems Administrator exam. This is the last year to take it because they’re retiring it. I’m a little bummed, but all it really means is that I need to work twice as hard to pass the Fundamental Information Technology exam.
Anyway, we just started a new semester and it’s fun, although I’m taking two elective classes so on top of my Assistant Staff stuff I’m never going to leave school before 8:30pm. But, I just gotta brag for a minute… my Computer Music elective teacher is Kento Hasegawa, who was the assistant composer for Devil May Cry 3.
Less than 2 days until the HAL-MODE FESTIVAL. Everyone has off tomorrow, but being part of the Assistant Staff means that I have to drag my ass out and take a tour of where the HMF is being held so that when the high schooler I’m showing around asks burning questions such as, “Where’s the bathroom?” I won’t give them a blank stare or start crying or something.
I mostly just hope that I’ll get a nice and chatty student, so when I have obvious Japanese Fail it won’t result in an awkward silence that lasts for several hours. No, seriously, when I was in charge of entertaining prospective students during the AO (dunno what it stands for; it’s basically a mock class so prospective students can get a feel for the school) there was like 5 minutes of awkward silence in which all my efforts to start up a conversation died a miserable, embarrassing death. I ended up telling them random facts about the school until more people arrived. My reputation as “the weird foreigner” is justly deserved, believe me.
So, anyway, I’ll have more to report on this time-honored school tradition of mine later (the HMF, not letting weird foreigners be in charge of entertaining prospective students). Just felt like giving a random update, since it’s much easier to do that than to do more work on the FAQs.
Today began what I’m going to call “Test hell”. I took all three of the tests that make up the Information System certification for the J-ken. I’m sure I failed all three (although I’m pretty sure I could have passed the programming if I had studied a bit), but that was a given. I did it mostly to get a feel for what the Systems Administration exam I’m taking in October will be like.
Next week, though, I have three school exams. They’re all based on the homework we did over the break. I’m so not worried about the CL one; as long as I don’t make stupid mistakes I could easily get 100% on it.
The AD and CS ones are more worrisome, though. My teacher says that he’ll be happy if we get 60%, but I got 44% and 54% (respectively) on the homework. And I didn’t study at all this weekend. And it wasn’t timed, so I could stare at the questions all I wanted. Oh well, I guess I’ll just hope that I get somewhere close to 60% and then do better at studying the material.
Wish me luck!
For those of you who can be in the Osaka area on September 23, my school is holding its annual HAL-MODE FESTIVAL, wherein graduating students show off their portfolios (among other things). As a student, I can get as many tickets as needed, so drop me a line if you’re interested.
No, I’m not dead, just really, really busy. I have a few posts in the works, and intend on creating a FAQ to help answer the questions asked. Until then, please bear with me as I try to juggle school work and my other obligations!
So, my teacher came up to me and my classmate during one of our breaks today. My immediate reaction was, of course, “Oh, crap, what the hell did I do?” But it turns out that I wasn’t in trouble, but rather that he wanted us to help out with something having to do with class assignments.
Oh yeah, did I mention that the closest I ever came to being all gung-ho about helping out with school was when I joined the prom committee in the 8th grade because the vice principal looked so forlorn that no one was joining? There have been times when I’ve thought, “Maybe I should get more involved with the school,” but ultimately I haven’t.
Now I’ve been drafted into it. I wonder what my teacher thought when I gave him my Look of Horror. But, yeah, so whenever students have assignments due, we get to get up at the end of class, collect them, then go down to the office, mark down anyone who didn’t turn one in, then place the stack on my teacher’s desk. This also means that every Friday I will have to stay late after school.
Oh well, at least it gives me more time to hang out with my classmates (one of whom I’m already friendly with, and the other of whom I now have a chance to be friendly with).
So, it’s been a little over a week since school started. It both is, and isn’t, what I expected. Having gone through various types of schools — typical K – 12 American schooling, university in Canada, and finally Japanese language school — I have experienced a range of approaches to teaching. HAL has incorporated elements from all of those so far, as well as adding its own unique style in the process. (more…)
Andrea Rubenstein