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[Kofthefens]

I need some quick programming ideas. I'm not talking massive games, but more like small projects that I can do in a day or two. I will post the finished product (in whatever state it's in) every 2 - 4 days. I will probably only spend an hour or two at most each day, so again, emphasis on small. I will probably just do 2d stuff in Java (3d stuff takes too long), but I might do some stuff in other languages too. An example of what I might make would be a graph that allows you to adjust supply and demand, and then shows the effect on equilibrium quantity and price. So, small and simple. (I actually did make this, in ~2 hours) Feel free to download and use any finished products (unless I say otherwise).

So, what should I program?

[Skyrunner]

If you don't mind it being a simple and unoriginal idea:

A program where "how many monkeys, indeed, does it take to eventually write out Hamlet... or maybe just the first page of it" is asserted.
Not by truely randomly doing 100 random threads of totally random characters until one gets it right... but some other way. Maybe ... giving the chances for a monkey to type the correct character a boost each time one monkey gets it.

Also, kill monkey after each mistake.
Maybe add the ability for text files to be read, or strings to be typed.
((Was an idea bouncing around a long time ago that I just fished out. I might do this sometime soon XD
Sadly, it's not original...Probably dozens of these programs sitting in unused and unloved sectors of old harddrives globally.))
A program in which there is a parabola, and you can shine light (represented by a line or multiple lines) so it reflects. Light disappears where it hits the focus of the parabola.
A program which hashes, or just sends through an algorithm, a string and turns it into random notes that would let you 'hear' the string.
Sound might be hard to do, I guess o_o
Viewpoint of a soccerball being kicked across the world in 3D glory.
a program in which when the user draws a polygon on the screen, the weight/area centre of it is found and displayed.
Might have to restrict to triangles and squares...




Are these the kinds of ideas you need? Or are they too simple, too hard, takes too long...?

[dreadmullet]

Like one of those art suggestion threads, but with programming? Sounds awesome.

- A ball bouncing around the edges of the screen, affected by gravity.
- Hangman, with words read from a text file.
- A piano, with a row on the keyboard used as the keys.

[Tuplis]

I'm not suggesting a specific thing to code here but I'll try to spark your imagination with something I stumbled upon recently.

While coding stuff for the game I'm currently making (my topic is on this forum if you wanna check it) I thought about writing some really generic components that can be used even outside the scope of my game. Two nice pieces of functionality came out of that:
- A builder that takes an xml files and produces an object that is built entirely from the contents of that xml file. The class and every one of its member variables can be defined. This one is actually really general purpose because it doesn't really have anything to do with the game I'm making. Or for that matter, with games at all. You can make any object with it.
- A levelbuilder that read a text file and builds a grid of tiles. In my version, the grid representation was a load of ascii characters and after them there is a definition for what each character means. Then the object builder is used to build the tile by that definition (which is a file name) and the tile is cloned for each instance of that ascii character.

Maybe these don't fit the description of what you're trying to make but hopefully you can come up with some cool ideas with these. At least these definitely fit the ~5 hour timebox you're restricted yourself into.

[anzki4]

- Hangman, with words read from a text file.

Thanks for that, just made one with C++, although instead of drawing a hanged stickman, the program simply shows the amount of wrong guesses left as number.

In case anyone is interested in my messy, unannotated and probably inefficient code, here you go:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

main.cc:

Code: [Select]

#include "main.h"


int main(){
    setup_curses();
    srand( time(NULL));
    set_word();
        while (game_loop==true){
        output();
        process_input();
        }
    end();
    return 0;
}
main.h:

Code: [Select]

#include <curses.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>

int r, word_size, guess=0;
char input;
std::string word, check, s;
bool game_loop=true, correct=false;
char letters[11];


void process_input(){
    input = getch();
    for (int i=0; i<word_size; i++){
        if (word[i]==input){check[i]='1'; correct=true;}
    }
    if (correct==false){letters[guess]=input; guess++;}
    correct=false;
    if (guess==11){game_loop=false;}
}

void output(){
    werase(stdscr);
    move(0,0);
    for (int i=0; i < word_size; i++){
        if (check[i]=='0'){addch('*');}
        if (check[i]=='1'){addch(word[i]);}
    }
    mvprintw(2,0, letters);
    mvprintw(3,0,"%d", 11-guess);
    printw(" wrong guesses until hanged");
    refresh();
}

void set_word(){
    r = rand() % 20 + 1;
    std::ifstream myfile;
    myfile.open("words.txt");
    for (int i=1; i < r; i++){ getline(myfile,s); }
    getline(myfile,word);
    myfile.close();
    word_size = word.size();
    for (int i=0; i<word_size; i++){check[i]='0';}
}

void end(){
    wclear(stdscr);
    printw("Game Over!");
    getch();
    endwin();
}

void setup_curses(){
    initscr();
    raw();
    noecho();
    curs_set(0);
    keypad(stdscr, true);
}
words.txt:

Code: [Select]

hangman
landscape
universe
computer
programmer
fortress
cavern
kingdom
keyboard
television
monitor
mansion
window
executioner
cellphone
wallet
structure
integer
character
headphones

EDIT: Just noticed that in it's current state it doesn't have a win condition, but meh...

[Levi]

Although probably a little to big of a project, this is something I always thought might be cool.

1) Choose your favorite evolving AI algorithm, like genetic algorithms or neural networks.
2) Get it to make drawings, maybe with processing or something.
3) With ever iteration, have it evolve 6 different ways and make 6 different pictures. 
4) A human chooses which picture he likes best, and then have the evolution continue from that algorithm.
-------------

Now, one you have that set up you could try a couple interesting experiments.
1)  Choose something like a dragon, and keep picking images that you think look more like a dragon.  See if it can evolve to draw what you want.
2)  Put in online and have it evolve to whatever the public thinks look "best". 

[Kofthefens]

Like one of those art suggestion threads, but with programming? Sounds awesome.

Yep.


These are some good ideas, and about the right size. I have decided to do an easier one, the ball bouncing around. Thanks!

[themagicdwarf]

Grab a copy of Game Maker's Apprentice; it has several 'can be done in a afternoon' projects in it. Mazes.. pongs.. simple AI.

It'll hold your hand or you can do whatever you want with it. Mostly I keep books like this to get ideas. It's kinda fun too. It has a website... you can check that also.

http://www.yoyogames.com/make/ I thought the software used to be free but... dunno, they might have gotten greedy. Try the book.

I can't find ANY copies of The Game Maker's Companion which is the sequel... crap! I wanted that. Bugger. It's such a great series for this kind of stuff.

If you use the toy software it comes with you can sketch out some prototypes and then program it in any language you want.

I was about to do some of that myself next couple weeks now that class is done. Summer projects!

Also David Perry on Game Design is great for brain-storming. Just grab some game design books and you'll have too many ideas real fast.

[sayaks]

A level editor for this: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111369.0 game?

[GalenEvil]

This looks interesting, and I wish Kofthefens the best in this endeavor.

*This message sponsored by the Free the Kofs (programming skillz) foundation. Paid for by GalenEvil*

@Levi: The genetic AI idea is intriguing. I might try that one out myself when I get some free time.

[Kofthefens]

Well, here it is. Unpolished and such, a bouncing ball. You can use the arrow keys to make it move a bit more.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?fnqwwjgihptq907

[ed boy]

A suggestion to put forward:

Write a program to draw the Maldelbrot set (or another fractal of your choice) such that you put in the co-ordinates or the area to plot, the number of pixels to use, and it generates it. I did one of those earlier today and it was quite a nice experience. If you're feeling artistic, maybe have the different pixels colored according to their place in the fractal?

[dwarfhoplite]

A Program that converts text to "secret language". It could simply change every letter a number of ranks back or forth in alphabet.

a=c
b=d
c=e and so on.

It could also have a feature that will convert it back.

[Virex]

Try your hand at the following (pdf link) http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/kazakov/papers/aamas-paper.pdf. see if you get something interesting.

[head]

Try your hand at the following (pdf link) http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/kazakov/papers/aamas-paper.pdf. see if you get something interesting.

Did that done that.

They are fun.