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• Making game constants/tables available to game logic classes/routines in a modular manner

  - by Extrakun

  Suppose I have a game where there are several predefined constants and charts (a XP chart, cost of goods and so on). Those could be defined at runtime, or load from files at start-up. The question is how should those logic routines access the constants and charts? For example, I could try using global variables, but that cause all classes relying on the variables to be tightly coupled with them.

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• Game engines and monetization of indie games

  - by Extrakun

  Does the game engine you use affect monetization of indie games? Of course, targeting difficult platforms is one of the issues. Besides that, how would the game engine used impact monetization of games, assuming cases where the developers is going through a portal and handling the online distribution themselves? As an example, if I make a game in DarkBASIC, will it be harder to sell it than one made with Popcaps Framework or ClanLib etc.?

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• Doing a passable 4X game AI

  - by Extrakun

  I am coding a rather "simple" 4X game (if a 4X game can be simple). It's indie in scope, and I am wondering if there's anyway to come up with a passable AI without having me spending months coding on it. The game has three major decision making portions; spending of production points, spending of movement points and spending of tech points (basically there are 3 different 'currency', currency unspent at end of turn is not saved) Spend Production Points Upgrade a planet (increase its tech and production) Build ships (3 types) Move ships from planets to planets (costing Movement Points) Move to attack Move to fortify Research Tech (can partially research a tech i.e, as in Master of Orion) The plan for me right now is a brute force approach. There are basically 4 broad options for the player - Upgrade planet(s) to its his production and tech output Conquer as many planets as possible Secure as many planets as possible Get to a certain tech as soon as possible For each decision, I will iterate through the possible options and come up with a score; and then the AI will choose the decision with the highest score. Right now I have no idea how to 'mix decisions'. That is, for example, the AI wishes to upgrade and conquer planets at the same time. I suppose I can have another logic which do a brute force optimization on a combination of those 4 decisions.... At least, that's my plan if I can't think of anything better. Is there any faster way to make a passable AI? I don't need a very good one, to rival Deep Blue or such, just something that has the illusion of intelligence. This is my first time doing an AI on this scale, so I dare not try something too grand too. So far I have experiences with FSM, DFS, BFS and A*

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• Generating grammatically correct MUD-style attack descriptions

  - by Extrakun

  I am currently working on a text based game, where the outcome of a combat round goes something like this %attacker% inflicts a serious wound (12 points damage) on %defender% Right now, I just swap %attacker% with the name of the attacker, and %defender% for the name of the defender. However, the description works, but don't read correctly. Since the game is just all text, I don't want to resort to generic descriptions (Such as "You use Attack on Goblin for 5 damage", which arguably solve the problem) How do I generate correct descriptions for cases where %attacker% refers to "You", the player? "You inflicts..." is wrong "Bees", or other plural? I need somehow to know I should prefix the name with a "The " If %attacker% is a generic noun, such as "Goblin", it will read weird as opposed to %attacker% being a name. Compare "Goblin inflicts..." vs. "Aldraic Swordbringer inflicts...." How does text-based games usually resolve such issues?

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• Which Kinect package for PC takes care of motion tracking too?

  - by Extrakun

  I am aware that there are opensource drivers for interfacing Kinect with the PC. My question is - the drivers at OpenKinect seems to provide only the images and depth data (from the reading of their wiki and API). It seems that you need to provide your own imaging solution. My question is - is there any all-in-one package, with samples/sources that not only grab images from Kinect, but also do the imaging/motion detection for you?

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• State Pattern - should a state know about its context?

  - by Extrakun

  I am referring to the state pattern as described in this link. In the example class diagram, a context has numerous states. However, it does not show how does a state communicates with a context (perhaps an input in a state has impact on a setting in the context). The two examples on the page shows either passing the context to the state via a function, or storing a reference to the context. Are those advisable? Are there other ways for a state to communicate with a context? Update to an edit: For instance, I am doing a remote control which can have several states. Say, the context has a setting for Volume, and I am in one of the states which allow me to tweak the volume. How should the state communicates with the context that the volume is being changed?

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• Puzzled about PHP file permission and shared webhosting - what are some explanations?

  - by extrakun

  I have this issue with different web-hosting, particular upload scripts which can only upload to a folder only if it has 777 permission (which is risky). On the test server (on a different webhost), 755 works well. On another web-hosting, log files generated by PHP file functions cannot be write to some time, but other files are mysteriously unaffected (for instance, the log files for the entire week is 655, and they work well, but just today's log-file doesn't work unless it is set to 777). I am more of an application developer than a server backend expert, so these behaviours puzzle me to no end. Why are they happening? What can be done?

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• How do I install .NET framework 1.1 for Windows 7

  - by Extrakun

  The problem: Lord of the Rings Online required .NET framework 1.1 to be installed. It will not recongize other higher versions. Downloading the standalone installer yields exceptions at the end of the installation process. The error message is "Application has generated an exception that could not be handled" What could I do about this?

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• Selective PHP autoload

  - by Extrakun

  I am writing a add-on module which is integrated with an existing PHP application; Because I am using a MVC pattern, and which may requires lot of inclusion of classes (which might not be used at all depending on the action of the user), I decide to use autoloading of classes. However, I have to ensure that the autoload function does not interferes with the normal operations of the existing applications. Does autoload only kicks in if a class name is not defined? Say I have to write another module which uses its own autoload functions (say, I have an autoload for a module, since they each reside in their own folder), how do I differentiate which module is it for? For #2, I thought of 2 options. Either prefix the class name with the module name (Such as 'MyNewModule_View_Default' and 'AnotherModule_View_Default'), or use file_exists to check the include file exists. Other suggestions are welcomed too!

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• Is it worthwhile to implement observer pattern in PHP?

  - by Extrakun

  I have been meaning to make use of design pattern in PHP, such as the observer pattern, but that I have to recreate the observers' relationship each time the page is loaded pains me. As references are saved as a new concrete objects in session, there is no way to preserve relationships between subscribers and their observers unless you use a GUID or some other properties to form a lookup, and store that property instead. With the cost of recreating the relationships each time a page is loaded, is it worthwhile to use design patterns such as observers in PHP, compared to having a clean design? Any real-world experience to share?

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• Using SVN with a MySQL database ran by xamp - yes or no? (and how?)

  - by Extrakun

  For my current PHP/MySQL project (over a group of 4 to 5 team members), we are using this setup: each developer codes and test on his localhost running xamp, and upload to a test server via SVN. One question that I have now is how to synchronize the MySQL database? I may have added a new table to project and the PHP code references to it, so my other team members would need to access that table for my code (once they got it through SVN) to work. We are not always working in the same office all the time, so having a LAN and a MySQL server in the office is not feasible. So I am toying with 2 solutions Setup a test DB online, and have all the coders will reference to that, even when coding from localhost. Downside: you can't test if you happen not have internet access. Somehow sync the localhost copy of MySQL DB. Is that kind of silly? And if I do consider this, how do I do it? (which folder do I add to SVN?) (I guess a related question is how to automatically update the live MySQL DB from the testing DB, regardless if it is on a remote server or hosted locally via xamp. Any advice regarding that would be welcomed!)

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• Converting a PHP associative array to a JSON associative array

  - by Extrakun

  I am converting a look-up table in PHP which looks like this to JavaScript using json_encode: AbilitiesLookup Object ( [abilities:private] => Array ( [1] => Ability_MeleeAttack Object ( [abilityid:protected] => [range:protected] => 1 [name:protected] => MeleeAttack [ability_identifier:protected] => MeleeAttack [aoe_row:protected] => 1 [aoe_col:protected] => 1 [aoe_shape:protected] => [cooldown:protected] => 0 [focusCost:protected] => 0 [possibleFactions:protected] => 2 [abilityDesc:protected] => Basic Attack ) .....snipped... And in JSON, it is: {"1":{"name":"MeleeAttack","fof":"2","range":"1","aoe":[null,"1","1"],"fp":"0","image":"dummy.jpg"},.... The problem is I get a JS object, not an array, and the identifier is a number. I see 2 ways around this problem - either find a way to access the JSON using a number (which I do not know how) or make it such that json_encode (or some other custom encoding functions) can give a JavaScript associative array. (Yes, I am rather lacking in my JavaScript department). Note: The JSON output doesn't match the array - this is because I do a manual json encoding for each element in the subscript, before pushing it onto an array (with the index as the key), then using json_encode on it. To be clear, the number are not sequential because it's an associative array (which is why the JSON output is not an array).

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• Getter and Setter vs. Builder strategy

  - by Extrakun

  I was reading a JavaWorld's article on Getter and Setter where the basic premise is that getters expose internal content of an object, hence tightening coupling, and go on to provide examples using builder objects. I was rather leery of abolishing getter/setter but on second reading of the article, see to quite like the idea. However, sometimes I just need one cruical element of an entity class, such as the user's id and writing one whole class just to extract that cruical element seems like overkill. It also implies that for different view, a different type of importer/exporter must be implemented (or the whole data of the class to be exported out, thus resulting in waste). Usually I tend towards filtering the result of a getter - for example, if I need to output the price of a product in different currency, I would code it as: return CurrencyOutput::convertTo($product->price(), 'USD'); This is with the understanding that the raw output of a getter is not necessary the final result to be pushed onto a screen or a database. Is getter/setter really as bad as it is protrayed to be? When should one adopt a builder strategy, or a 'get the result and filter it' approach? How do you avoid having a class needing to know about every other objects if you are not using getter/setter?

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• SVN: Nested repo

  - by Extrakun

  We are working with a PHP application which has no concept of switch-able themes; the situation is that we are modifying the application to add our own features, and CSS/Smarty templates for our own look and feel. We have 2 projects base on this application, each with a different layout/presentation. Hence I need to have one repo for the base application files, and one for the CSS/smarty templates. How should I go about doing this?

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• QWT plugin for QT 4.5

  - by Extrakun

  Hi, I have gotten the latest QWT 5.1.2 for QT 4.5 and managed to get it to complie. I am now trying to get the plugin to work in QT Designer (with VS intergration). I have placed the plugin files into the plugin/designer folder, but when attempting to load, I hit this error Cannot load library qwt_desginer_plugin5.dll: The specified module cannot be found. I've done some search on this issue, one page which suggest moving the plugin to the VS intergration folder - which does not exist for Program Files\Nokia\Vs4Addin. My QT Designer is a debug-and-relase build. (That is, if I use a debug build of the plugin it would complain that it is expecting a release).

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• What are some good design patterns for CRUD?

  - by Extrakun

  I am working with a number of data entities which can be created, read, updated and deleted, and I find myself writing more or less the same code for them. For example, I need to sometimes output data as JSON, and sometimes in a table format. I am finding myself writing 2 different types of view to export the data to. Also, the creation of those entities within DB usually differs just by the SQL statements and the input parameters. I am thinking of creating a strategy pattern to represent different 'contexts'. For example, the read() method of an AJAX context will be to return the data as JSON. However, I wonder if others have deal with this problem beforehand and will like to know what design patterns are usually use for CRUD operations.

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• Unit testing - how do I test a function that returns random output?

  - by Extrakun

  I have a function which takes in two parameters, and returns one or the other 50% of the time. The unit test for this should determine that both parameters could be returned. Luckily, I don't need to prove that the probability for each is 50% but I do need to show that both parameters are possible to be returned. How do I write a test case for this function?

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• Is a class that is hard to unit test badly designed?

  - by Extrakun

  I am now doing unit testing on an application which was written over the year, before I started to do unit-testing diligently. I realized that the classes I wrote are hard to unit test, for the following reasons: Relies on loading data from database. Which means I have to setup a row in the table just to run the unit test (and I am not testing database capabilities). Requires a lot of other external classes just to get the class I am testing to its initial state. On the whole, there don't seem to be anything wrong with the design except that it is too tightly coupled (which by itself is a bad thing). I figure that if I have written automated test cases with each of the class, hence ensuring that I don't heap extra dependencies or coupling for the class to work, the class might be better designed. Does this reason holds water? What are your experiences?

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• MVC and conditional formatting - strategies for implementation

  - by Extrakun

  Right now I am writing a simulation program which output is formatted according to certain factors. The question is in a MVC architecture, where is the conditional formatting to be taken place? What are some strategies for implement this feature? FYI, The platform I am using is rather bare-bone in its GUI/front-end execution. To change color and formatting, it requires a change to the formatting state (much like OpenGL).

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• PHP specifying a fixed include source for scripts in different directories

  - by Extrakun

  I am currently doing unit testing, and use folders to organize my test cases. All cases pertaining to managing of user accounts, for example, go under \tests\accounts. Over time, there are more test cases, and I begin to seperate the cases by types, such as \tests\accounts\create, \tests\account\update and etc. However, one annoying problem is I have to specify the path to a set of common includes. I have to use includes like this: include_once ("../../../../autoload.php"); include_once ("../../../../init.php"); A test case in tests\accounts\ would require change to the include (one less directory level down). Is there anyway to have them somehow locating my two common includes? I understand I could set include paths within my PHP's configurations, or use server environment variables, but I would like to avoid such solutions as they make the application less portable and coupled with another layer which the programmer can't control (some web-host doesn't allow configuration of PHP's configuration settings, for example)

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• PHP/MySQL - Working with two databases, one shared and one local to an instance of application

  - by Extrakun

  The situation: Using a off-the-shelf PHP application, I have to add in a new module for extra functionality. Today, it is made known that eventually four different instances of the application are to be deployed, but the data from the new functionality is to be shared among those 4 instances. Each instance should still have their own database for users, content and etc. So the data for the new functionality goes into a 'shared' database. The data for the application (user login, content, uploads) go into a 'local' database To make things more complex, the new module I am writing will fetch data from the local DB and the shared DB at the same time. A re-write of the base application will take too long. I only have control over the new module which I am writing. The ideal solution: Is there a way to encapsulate 2 databases into one name using MySQL? I do not wish to switch DB connections or specifically name the DB to query from inside my SQL statements. The application uses a DB wrapper, so I am able to change it somehow so I can invisibly attempt to read/write to two different DB. What is the best way to handle this problem?

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• Naming member functions/methods with a single underscore, good style or bad?

  - by Extrakun

  In some languages where you cannot override the () operator, I have seen methods with a single underscore, usually for 'helper' classes. Something likes this: class D10 { public function _() { return rand(1,10); } } Is it better to have the function called Roll()? Is a underscore fine? After all, there is only one function, and it removes the need to look up the name of the class. Any thoughts?

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• Wordpress: Retriving posts of a specific custom category in a custom taxonomy

  - by Extrakun

  I am able to retrieve all the posts from a custom category with this call to WP_Query $q = new WP_Query(array( 'taxonomy' => 'jh-portfolio-category', 'term' => 0, 'post_type' => 'jh-portfolio' )); However, let say within the jh-portfolio-category taxonomy I have defined some sub-categories, how do I specify I wish to have posts from a specific sub-category? Changing the 'term' property to the term_id as presented in wp_term_taxonomy doesn't seem to work.

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• PHP in_array comparision with 0

  - by Extrakun

  Why does this always return true? in_array(0, 'profile');

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• JS/PHP: Who is responsible for generating the content?

  - by Extrakun

  Here's a situation which I have encountered, creating a form on the client side and using PHP to process. Here are some considerations The PHP script generates the form and send to the client side. This is because of internationalization issues The client side uses JavaScript to submit form; the ID of the form is hard-coded inside the JavaScript as it is generated by PHP. This means everytime the PHP code is updated, the JS must change. The question here is, who should be dependent on who? Should the JS generate the form instead, so that the PHP script has to know the names of the form elements? OR should it be the other way round?

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