I started a course in UCD last week called “Introduction to Computer Science and Programing”, or ICSP. It’s gonna be going on for three months and then I will have a big exam which I will probably fail!

The whole course centers around the use of Java, I’m not sure yet if we are going to be using anything else. We haven’t actually even started with Java yet, but we are using this program called Scratch to program our Java for us! I wouldn’t say that it is the Dream-weaver of Java, far from it. In fact I think that it is a great method of getting into Java. It has a set of preconfigured code which you can arrange into blocks, which then run – quite similar to the source of Java actually except simplified. It also eliminates the need for compiling.

Last week I went to my first “lecture” which was good enough, but I learned something valuable that day; computer hardware is not the road that I want to go down! I didn’t really enjoy the hardware aspect of the day but when it came to the Scratch lessons I was flying! For our first assignment we had to write a game in Scratch, which is essentially it’s own unique programing language. The game is called “Capture the Flag”. I was actually flat out all week and didn’t get a chance to start work on it until today, which is coincidentally the deadline for it’s completion! I spent about three hours making the game, here’s the manual and the game:

Capture The Flag

Overview
Capture the flag is a simple two player game which involves stealing the flag from the opposite colours corner.

Controls
Blue Player
Up Arrow Key = Move Up
Down Arrow Key = Move Down
Left Arrow Key = Move Left
Right Arrow Key = Move Right

Red Player
W Key = Move Up
S Key = Move Down
A Key = Move Left
D Key = Move Right

Rules
To gain a point a player must capture the opposite colour flag and return it to their base (the starting point).

If a player is in possession of a flag and his opponent touches him the flag is returned to it’s base and the player to his base.

To win a player must gain three points.

Faults
The one fault with the game is that, at least on my computer, when one player is using the keyboard to move the other player cannot move simultaneously. Although this is a fault it does also make the game a bit more interesting because the players have to fight even to move!

Learn more about this project