IF Hater Club: Replace The Code

[Bee-Ant]

Really?
I now avoid using IFs as possible as I can, and using the direct formula as replacement. Doesnt mean I hate IFs, but looking for the direct formula is so interesting
Ah, it seems your habit really contaminate mine now

Whats % does?

[jimmynewguy]

correct me if im wrong here but i think it's used for remainders (don't know the exact name for it sorry) but i used it to find factors of numbers.

(sorry about the if statement)

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if(Num % 2 == 0)

is to check if the number is even (factor of 2) so that's how i know it ...

[Fuzzy]

% is called modulus. It is the remainder from long division.

It is one of my favourite things in programming. It can do neat things.

If you had a big number and you wanted to reduce it to a smaller range, % works good.

for example,

x = 512 % 16 means that it would count up to 15 only. if x was more than 15, it will start again at zero. so 512 % 16 is zero. 511 % 16 is 15. 510 % 16 = 14.

It is kind of like when you count lots of objects. perhaps you will count to 100 then start again, remembering how many 100s you counted.

[Bee-Ant]

I understand how % works now, but anyone could fix this code?my idea kinda dried up...

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int i;
char ampm[2];
stTime t=getTime();
i=(t.hour>12);
switch(i)
{
    case 0:strcpy(ampm,"am");break;
    case 1:strcpy(ampm,"pm");break;
}
sprintf(text,"%i %s",t.hour%12,ampm);

Kinda long compared to its IF version...

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stTime=getTime();
if(t.hour<12)sprintf(text,"%i am",t.hour%12);
if(t.hour>=12)sprintf(text,"%i pm",t.hour%12);

I may go with the IF version...

[Fuzzy]

The IF version is way better... I will think on this though.

You actually dont need that second IF. Since it is not less than 12, it HAS to be the other one. use else instead.

Thinking more..

[Fuzzy]

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stTime t=getTime();
if(t.hour<12)sprintf(text,"%i am",t.hour%12);
if(t.hour>=12)sprintf(text,"%i pm",t.hour%12);

I may go with the IF version...

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stTime t=getTime();
sprintf(text, "%i %s", t.hour%12, (t.hour<12) ? "am" : "pm");


Try this one Bee. Does it work? I cannot test right now.

[DST]

Reducing redundancy:

When referring to the resolution of the game:

Normal
(not initialized)

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x=view.width*0.5;
y=view.height*0.5;


Would put an actor in the center (of a 320,240 game center (not 0))
But how many times will you do this?

How about having more variables? On startup:

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vx=view.width*0.5;
vy=view.height*0.5;

Now you can refer to an already set variable to find a spot in the view; instead of having width*0.5; appear (in a swarming game, perhaps millions of times) in an enemy script? If you change the game resolution, vx and vy will still initialize normally.

Changing Resolutions:

So too, when the bullet is fired, directional_velocity=5; but when you lower the game resolution (for gp2x or such), now your bullets fly too fast. You have to go readjust everything to change your game resolution. BUT

If the game is intended for , say 640x480, you initialize with:

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globalspeed=(view.width/640);

Now when you change the resolution to 320 x240, globalspeed will come out as 0.5, and on bullet>createactor>
directional_velocity=5*globalspeed;

Now if you're using a good system of inheritance, where a ship holds the speed of its created bullet, and passes that speed on, you don't have to use the globalspeed very often; you simply spawn a ship with a bulletspeed variable of 5*globalspeed, which it will pass on to the bullets it spawns.

It sounds complicated, but if you use an intelligent inheritance system, you can write a game that takes NO RECODING to change the resolutions.

Always try to push decisions farther up the chain! If you can decide something at startup, do it!
If you need to create a complex map array, do it while the user is on the title screen, and cpu usage is low!
Push randoms, algorithms, and initializers higher and higher up the chain, using inheritance to distribute them to the lower actors.

Not only is it more efficient cpuwise, but it helps you consolidate your code into one spot, so you don't have to hunt down actor events one at a time. (Remember, you can change the bulletspeed before the game even starts, and not have to reset it ANYWHERE else in the script, yet it will work for all ships and all bullets)!

Reducing Randoms:

Often you use the rand(); function to give an enemy its own unique movement; to make things seem more real, but rand takes a lot of cpu compared to a static variable;

So if i want my enemies to shoot at different, random times, i can say

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timevar=round(rand(30));
if(timervar==10){CreateActor("Shot (etc));}

Now all my enemies will shoot at different, random times, approximately once every 30 frames.

But what about this?

On startup, create an array:

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int i;
int rands[10];
for(i=0; i<10; i++){
rands[i]=round(rand(framerate));
}

Where framerate is the actual framerate of your game.

Now on Actor>createactor>

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mytime=round(rand(10));

and in its draw actor....

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timevar++;
if(timevar==rands[mytime]){...

Now you have ten different times, but enemy only uses rand on startup. 10 is enough to make it seem random (and you can use 30 or 9 million if you like), while setting them to rand(framerate) allows you to use TIMEVAR as a global variable (only one actor needs to track the time now!), combined with modulo...

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if(timevar%rands[mytime]==0){};   

Not only did we get rid of a rand(), but we also got rid of the 'timevar++' line!

Because our rands are based on framerate, they're distributed throughout the time cycle evenly(randomly), so an enemy with a cycle of 10 frames and an enemy with a cycle of 30 frames can both work from the same global timevar.

0 != null:

This can also allow you to overcome the <0.5 rounding issue; where round(rand()); produces only half as many 0's as the other numbers. You need to compensate, but don't do it every time a decision is made! Instead, use that startup...

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int i;
int j;
int rands[10];

for(i=0; i<10; i++){
j=0;                    //force j back to 0 so the while loop will operate

while (j<1){        //keep doing this till we push j to 1 or greater, eliminating all 0 answers
j=round(rand(framerate+1)); //compensate for the next line's -1
rands[i]=j-1;      //-1 replaces 0's, but now they're just as likely as any other number.
}
}


It doesn't matter if the 'j-1' part produces a negative number; it'll just force it to run the loop again.
You don't have to worry about the highest number (which also has a rounding issue). You don't have to use the highest number for anything. CPU isn't an issue because using startup initializers, like i said, can be done during the title/menu screens.

Ideally, if you want to have a thorough, in-depth system of game menus and options, your entire titlescreen/menu should be its own separate ged file; Which outputs a list of saved vars that the actual game uses when it starts up. Your game should be able to startup from a saved dat/txt of variables anyway, if you want the user to be able to save anything (even high scores).

If you put your menus inside the same ged with your game, you get slowed down by the complexity, and your menus aren't as polished as they should be. Big games companies sometimes hire people who ONLY MAKE MENUS! (and you've seen some games with menus more complex than most of our ENTIRE GAMES.)

Like pushing up the chain, events in a precursor menu exe file will leave you more room to program in your actual game file.



Please reserve the next post in this thread for pyrometal to tell me how wrong i am!

[Bee-Ant]

@Jimmy: yes,thats correct

@Fuzzy: cool
Works neat

@DST: i know you would pop up and post your freaking long post.hehe
But thats so useful. i dont even know using rand() would use a lot of CPU. how do you know it?

Well everyone, welcome to our club. Lets be a deep thinker and make our script simpler

[Fuzzy]

Yeah, DST. Whats with the long freakin posts? You talk my eyes out.

rand() isnt too bad for CPU, but for games like DST creates, it really makes a difference. Rand takes more CPU than a division, but a lot less than a square root.

[Bee-Ant]

How do i use floor?
There are hell a lot of function i want to know.

[Fuzzy]

How do i use floor?
There are hell a lot of function i want to know.

floor works like this

floor(5.12547) = 5.0
ceil(5.12547) = 6.0

floor(3.76) = 3.0
ceil(3.76) = 4.0

[Bee-Ant]

Oh,
Then how do i make
5.3 to 5.0
5.6 to 6.0
With only one line of code?

[Fuzzy]

Oh,
Then how do i make
5.3 to 5.0
5.6 to 6.0
With only one line of code?

Both lines in one line of code?

[skydereign]

That one would be just round, it uses the common rounding method.

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round(5.3);

[Fuzzy]

I thought he had something else in mind. round seemed to obvious.