Author: Hend Alabdouli

Reflecting on the first chapter of ‘The Computational Beauty of Nature’ I found it really interesting how the author talks about the connection between computers nature and beauty. As a computer science student the idea that we can understand complex things in nature through simple computer algorithms made a lot of sense to me. I usually think of coding as a way to solve problems or make things work better but this reading helped me see it differently. The author shows how even simple rules in code can create beautiful and complex patterns which reminded me of my own projects where simple code led to surprising results. This made me appreciate the beauty in coding even more seeing how it can reveal hidden patterns in the world around us.

However I also noticed that the author seems to focus a lot on computation as the main way to understand nature and that made me think. Is it possible that by focusing too much on algorithms we might miss out on other ways of seeing the beauty in nature? This question challenges my belief that while computers are powerful tools they might not always capture everything about the natural world. For example when I think about the random patterns in nature like the shapes of clouds or how rivers flow I wonder if algorithms can really show this randomness or if they might make it seem less natural. This chapter has made me more curious about the limits of using computers to understand nature and it makes me want to explore how I can balance coding with the unpredictable beauty of the natural world.

Concept:

When I first saw the assignment my mind immediately went to the classic Snake game. It’s a simple yet iconic game and I thought it would be interesting to reimagine it with a twist. The idea was to combine the snake’s movement with changing colors making it more visually engaging. I decided to make the snake follow the mouse’s movement so wherever the mouse goes the snake smoothly follows. As the snake moves it doesn’t just chase the mouse it also cycles through a spectrum of colors creating a vibrant visual effect.

I added a basic gameplay mechanic where the snake grows longer each time it eats a food block. The food blocks are placed randomly on the canvas and each one has a unique color. When the snake eats a block it adopts the block’s color and continues to grow. I also wanted to add a challenge: if the snake touches the edge of the canvas it shrinks back to its original size. This keeps the game interesting and adds a layer of difficulty.

Code Highlight:

One part of the code that I’m particularly proud of is the implementation of the color transition. Instead of just having the snake follow the mouse I wanted to make its movement visually interesting by having it change colors smoothly as it moves. Here’s how I did it:

// Update the snake's color through the HSB space
  hueValue = (hueValue + 1) % 360; // Increment the hue value to cycle through colors, reset to 0 after reaching 360
  snakeColor = color(hueValue, 100, 100); // Update the snake's color with the new hue value

  // Draw the snake on the canvas
  for (let i = 0; i < snake.length; i++) { // Loop through each segment of the snake
    fill(snakeColor); // Set the fill color for the current segment
    ellipse(snake[i].x, snake[i].y, 16, 16); // Draw the segment as a circle at the current position
  }

This code snippet ensures that as the snake moves its color gradually shifts through the HSB color space. It cycles through all the hues creating a smooth and continuous color transition. This makes the snake look more dynamic and adds a lot of visual appeal to the game.

Embedded Sketch:

Reflection and Future Improvements:

The project works well overall but there are definitely some areas that could be improved. The boundary detection for instance doesn’t always function perfectly. The idea was to have the snake reset to its original size when it touches the edges of the canvas but this doesn’t always happen as smoothly as I’d like. Sometimes the reset doesn’t trigger right away or the snake’s movement becomes a bit erratic. This is something I’d like to refine in future versions.

I’m also thinking about adding more complexity to the snake’s movement. For example incorporating Perlin noise could make the snake’s movement smoother and more natural giving it an organic feel. Another idea is to experiment with sound. Imagine if the snake’s movement and growth were accompanied by dynamic audio feedback like a change in pitch or tone as the snake grows or when it changes direction. This could add another layer of immersion to the game.

This project was a great starting point for exploring the combination of motion and visual effects in a simple game. There’s a lot of potential for further development and I’m excited to keep experimenting with these ideas and see where they lead.