Coding Challenge

[makster246]

I have decided to start a Vb challenge for anyone who wants to participate
It gives me something to do in my spare time when i get home from work.

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- I also want to compete in this challenge so i wont be judging them, it will be open mike night with a submissions thread being made in game demos (after all the pathfinder is a game) .

- between the 22 april and 28 april, it would be nice if you could check out the submissions and choose one you would like to win (also if possible give a reason why you think its worthy of your vote, rather than "hes my buddy")
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- i am going to use the Path Finder.
- the idea:
- load a picture onto the screen (doesnt have to be black and white
but can be if you wish.
- Then create a random starting point and random goal point.
- Traverse the whitespace on the image.
- simple as that - use any coding meathod u wish (directx,bitblt,standard)

Note: dont you just love mazes.
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Any questions, feel free to post.
and i will run all the code samples at the end of the month against a preselected image and i will give the times for each samply before we start vote.

Hope you enjoy.

[Raedwulf]

Pathfinder was done in Contest Number 2....

[makster246]

I wouldnt know as i have not been a member of this group that long, or at least i never used to look at the coding contest section.

and also please do not confuse this with an official coding contest, this is just a small challenge for anyone who wishes to take part.

[NotLKH]

With Pathfinder, your score was based on the number of times you called out to query about if a wall was NSEW, as well as time from start to finish. What you propose is a mazerunner, whereby you can detect the walls immediately around you directly by reading the bitmap.

How would you be scored? Time alone might not be the best criteria.

[damasterjo]

sounds good

[NotLKH]

Where's Pino's comment?

[si_the_geek]

He posted about our current "no contests" situation, but we've been told that it's ok for you guys to do this, as it is a 'challenge' rather than a 'contest'.

[makster246]

Thank you alot owner/moderators.
I wasnt trying to step on any toes when i started this post..
Thank you for letting this continue.

[makster246]

With Pathfinder, your score was based on the number of times you called out to query about if a wall was NSEW, as well as time from start to finish. What you propose is a mazerunner, whereby you can detect the walls immediately around you directly by reading the bitmap.

How would you be scored? Time alone might not be the best criteria.

sorry, i will try to make this clearer.

Everyone who votes will have there own criteria (hopefully), of what makes a great program (thats why its always so hard to please customers).
So hopefully, rather than the gurus automatically winning because of super efficent code. it gives everyone a chance, When you vote on someones code it would be nice if you could give a few reasons if possible why you like it.

e.g. graphically pleasing, innovative design, well laid out code, well documented code, innovative use of coding principles, speed, comedy value.
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for instance i was giving some serious though to my entry into the challenge, i wasnt planning on going for speed. i was going to have my "dot" (pathfinder terminology) amble around the maze/picture, steadily getting more angry and changing colour, the longer he is in there and the more deadends he comes across.
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I also do of course know people will just want to vote for the freinds which is perfectly allowed, but it would be nice if people could vote fairly. after all alot of people really try hard with the programming.


Rob

[damasterjo]

so this is like maybe a pacman enviornment, the guy moves around a world like that, and finds the end. So he can "walk" to the end. Not bassed on speed?

[makster246]

Yep your totally right, speed in this will be in no way the be all and end all deciding factor, like i said above a few people may cast there vote purely on speed. but i am hoping this will get some imaginative ideas and people will shy away from voting for speed. Afterall the algoritams for a very speedy pathfinder are on vb forums.

.Some people may very well want to make it a simple fast pathfinder and that would be great. It is great seeing how people tweak there code to squeeze every last drop of speed out of it.

The idea is to make a program (the core being a pathfinder)

have a start point, a finish point. (path cannot be predetermined) and a NPC moving around to try to get to the finish.
The key to it is "no player interferance".

A pacman kind of look,feel would actually be kind of cool..


Mental note. steal damasterjo's idea..LOL

[damasterjo]

oh well i already made a mental note to steal yours
any way also, what prevents people from starting now? or can they?
what are the rules for the codding itself? i like the idea and look foward to particapating...

[makster246]

Nothing to stop you starting now, the contest started on the 22/03/06, but the deadline is 28/04/06, so people will still have a chance to start if they read this post a bit late.
Because of the nature of the challenge there are not really any coding rules. Rules tend to stop people getting carried away, but that is what this challege is looking for.

Sadly though because of the way people will be voting it would be advisable for all coders, to write this program in VB6, there are no rules against using other languages, however you will probibly lose some peoples votes who cannot Run/understand your code.
~~~Indentation and comments are not a requirement for voting~~~

Although i still havent started this yet, i was planning on starting 31/03. but anyone wanting to start/ or has already started that is fine.

[Raedwulf]

Hmmmmm......So its the winner is basically chosen on voting....?

Cheers.

[damasterjo]

any thoughts on some sort of prize? Or just some brownie points...

[si_the_geek]

It's only a 'challenge', so I think brownie points will have to be all I'm afraid.

[Visual Evolution]

mMmMm Brownies .. Anything with the word Brownie in it makes me happy. Im up for the challenge

[techgnome]

VE - well, you get the booby prize that's for sure.... 1 for dredging up an old post... and 2 for "entering" challenge on said post that closed over 2 (almost 3) months ago...

-tg

[Visual Evolution]

Dam im too late .. NoOoOoOo . We should have another one