Stupid Java Game

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This is a silly little Java game I wrote in 1997 as an assignment (the same class as the bouncing heads assignment).

Like the bouncing heads, this was an exercise in concurrent programming. Each sprite is controlled by its own thread. If I remember correctly, I wrote it in about three weeks, so don’t expect too much.

The AI is simplistic: The bad guys will always try to travel in your direction (even if they can’t move that way). I wanted to do something a little more clever, but I didn’t have time. Besides, it was an operating systems class, not an AI class.

Note: Something changed in Java’s keyboard event handling that hurts playability. You may find that while trying to quickly change direction you end up stopping completely and getting killed. Some day, I may wade in and figure out what’s changed. In the mean time, make sure you completely release one arrow key before hitting another.

Don’t Panic!

January 19, 2008. Pat Ekman
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