Dodge Ball

One of my favorite games in elementary school was dodge ball. We played a version at recess called murder ball. That was where a line of us stood agains the wall while the other team lobbed balls at us. Last person standing won.

This week my class was challenged to modify a simple space invaders engine. I converted mine to a virtual representation of murder ball.

Personally, I enjoy playing it. I have a toggle button that will play a midi of Simon and Garfunkle's early hit, "Red Rubber Ball" which I imagine is about the big rubber balls we played with on the playground in the primary grades. I gave my sprite's names because I felt bad that the girl kept getting hit by the ball. In the end, I made a second level so Sally could play.

Gameplay is not as smooth as I would like it. I am trying to animate the sprites more than just moving across the screen. I want them to change positions so I change the png periodically to another pose. Although I have given my ball sprite directions as to how it should respond, sometimes is goes too fast so the player doesn't track it. Other times it goes off at a 45 degree angle instead of the 90 degree heading I give it. I don't know if the bug is in the design or if it is asking too much of the AI2 platform.

I am looking forward to exploring the software design more. Below is a QR code if you are interested in downloading and playing this game.