This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Q&A
Exactly how do the moving guy sprites work in the Battle Office game?
The moving guy sprites are both created with velocities that cause them to move across the game screen in the area where the office hallway is located. Their bounds actions are set to wrap, which means that they are constantly moving across the screen and wrapping around. In the context of the game, you don't want to see the wrapping motion of the guys, so there is a delay that gives them just enough time to get across the screen and then disappear. Because each guy is moving at a different speed, their delays are different. Keep in mind that the guys are constantly moving, even when they aren't visible. However, when it's time to make them visible for a pass across the screen, the game sets their positions so that they appear to walk onscreen from outside of the office.
I'm still a little confused by the master delay in the Battle Office game. How does it control the difficulty level of the game?
The master delay impacts how long the stationary guys appear on the screen before disappearing. When this delay is shortened, the amount of time the guys appear on the screen is diminished, which makes it harder to shoot the guys. So, the master delay makes the game more difficult by causing the guys to appear for shorter periods of time as the game goes on.