Assignment Week #2 – FROG

Concept:

This assignment revolves around an interactive frog and fly simulation. In this sketch, the player can click on the canvas to spawn a fly which the frog will eat extending its tongue to catch it. The primary objective is to create an experience that simulates the movements of a fly and a frog.

Sketch:

https://editor.p5js.org/mi1171/full/aMpw5OAKN

Code:

function draw() {
  background(220);

  food.show();
  food.update();
  // Update and display the tongue
  if (choice == 1) {
    if (food && !food.isEaten) {
      food.show(); // Display the food
      if (
        tongueLength <
        dist(
          player.position.x,
          player.position.y,
          food.position.x,
          food.position.y
        )
      ) {
        player.extendTongue(); // Call the extendTongue method of the Player class
      } else if (
        tongueLength > 0 &&
        tongueLength >=
          dist(
            player.position.x,
            player.position.y,
            food.position.x,
            food.position.y
          )
      ) {
        food.isCaught = true;
        player.retractTongue(); // Call the retractTongue method of the Player class
      }

      // Check for collision between player and food
      if (
        dist(
          player.position.x,
          player.position.y,
          food.position.x,
          food.position.y
        ) <
        player.radius + food.radius
      ) {
        food.isEaten = true; // Food is eaten
        food.isCaught = false;

        tongueLength = 0; // Retract the tongue when food is eaten
        choice = 0;
      }
    }
  }
  player.update();
  player.show();

  if (millis() > nextJumpTime) {
    bool = random(0, 10);
    if (bool > 2) {
      player.randomJump();
    } else {
      choice = 1;
    }
    setNextJumpTime();
  }
}

 

This block of code is the main logic behind the frog’s behavior. It continuously updates and displays the positions of the frog and the food item on the canvas. The game logic includes extending the frog’s tongue towards the food, retracting the tongue when the food is caught, and marking the food as eaten. In addition, the random jumping and tongue extensions, are controlled based on random chance combined with time intervals.  The frog has a 20 percent chance of extending its tongue and an 80 percent chance of randomly jumping.

Challenges:

During the development of this frog game, several intriguing challenges were encountered:

Collision Detection: Implementing accurate collision detection algorithms to determine when the frog’s tongue makes contact with food.

Random frog/fly Movements: To create a somewhat realistic experience, the frogs’s random jumping behavior had to be balanced carefully along with the fly’s erratic movements. Random vectors were employed to determine both vertical and horizontal velocities.

Future Improvements:

Looking ahead, there are several exciting possibilities for enhancing and expanding upon this interactive frog game:

Additional animals: Incorporate multiple animals to simulate a full ecosystem.

Audio Enhancements: Elevate the gaming experience by adding sound effects for jumping, food catches, and background music.