Mobile CSP at ESUMS

Introduction & Elevator Pitch:

Developer: Brayden Sabol

Programming Language: Mit App Inventor

Name of your App: ChessRun

What problem it solves and/or why it is important or useful: The app solves boredom for people who want to play a chess themed street crossing game. It is important because it introduces people into chess which has been shown to improve problem solving skills. The app is presented in a fun way to encourage people to get interested in chess which is good for the brain.

People who would use your app (target audience or market) and why they would use it: Kids of ages 6-12 who are bored and have nothing to do. They would just be getting entertainment from the app which would be a very helpful time waster to make the time fly by.

How it relates to (improves upon) similar apps: Given Permission to Omit it.

Storyboard:

App Design:

Wireframe Template:

Explanation of Code Functionality:

1.) App Overview and Purpose: The purpose of my program is to provide entertainment for people who want to play a chess survival game.The app solves boredom for people who want to play a chess themed street crossing game. It is important because it introduces people into chess which has been shown to improve problem solving skills. The app is presented in a fun way to encourage people to get interested in chess which is good for the brain.

User Interface:

Slightly Smaller because I pulled this one from the computer.

Video Link:

2.) Data Complexity: The name of my list is called “BlackPieces”.The data in “BlackPieces” represents sprites in the game that, if collided with the king, will trigger a dialog box with two options for the user. The “BlackPieces” manages the complexity of my program because it makes it, so if the king hits any of the Sprites that are listed in “BlackPieces” it’ll trigger the procedure that’ll then call a dialog box notifying the user they lost while giving them 2 options to continue. “Without this list the program would be written differently. I would have to code each individual sprite, so that if the king collides into them, the program will call the dialog box notifying the user they lost and reset the king back to the initial global position while giving the user two options to continue.

3.) Algorithm Complexity:

When enemy Image Sprite reaches either the right or left edge the sprite is then redirected in the opposite direction. This allows for the enemy sprites such as the one shown to continuously travel the canvas increasing the difficulty on the user when playing the game.

4.)Procedural Abstraction:

First Procedure:

My first code segment defines the "Replay" Procedure. It contributes to the overall functionality of the program by storing the code used to execute the ability to replay the game and adding to the difficulty. The procedure uses a parameter called, “Replay”. The parameter is a string and represents the ability to replay the game. When the procedure is called it executes an algorithm containing sequence, repetition, and selection. The selection is if get Replay=Green then go into the loop which sets the BlackQueen, BlackRook, BlackHorse, and BlackBishop speeds higher by adding a random integer from 1-3, multiplying it by "global Difficulty" and then resetting the global initial positions for the BlackQueen, BlackRook, BlackHorse, and BlackBishop and call the procedure "Newround" which gives you a message, “Good Luck, your new difficulty multiplier is "global Difficulty". Last part is to set the label text to follow the "global Difficulty". Also, the other if or then statement is if get Replay=Red then open the ThanksForPlaying screen. Last, but not least for the sequence, the code starts at the top of the procedure and then follows to the bottom of the procedure following the code in the dedicated order.

Second Procedure:

The identified procedure named "KingCollide" with a parameter named "sprite" contributes to the overall functionality of the app by presenting the user with post-game choices depending on the outcome of the round such as if they won or lost. The procedure first does this by being called when the user sprite collides with a sprite, the sprite that collided with the user sprite is passed onto the procedure as a parameter named "sprite". Through a selection statement the procedure then checks to see whether the parameter is in my "BlackPieces" list, if true then the user sprite is reset to its original starting position, then an alert dialog box is presented to the user with the option to either replay the game or finish their playthrough. If the initial selection statement fails, the secondary selection statement checks whether the user sprite collided with the end goal sprite being the white Queen sprite. If true then the user sprite is reset to its initial position, then an alert dialog box is presented to the user with the option to either replay the game with an increased difficulty or finish their playthrough.

5.) Design Process: I worked on the app in 4 steps. The first step was just getting the basic bulk of the code done and we ended up coding a decent amount. The second step we finished all of the code without testing the app. After we finished the bulk of the code the next day I decided there may be a problem with this code, so I double checked the code and anytime I clicked the arrow button I always got an error. We realized that there was a problem with some sprites and that they were extraneous, so we ended up removing them and then we retested the app and we were all set. There were no more errors and the code worked as planned with the token moving when we clicked the arrows and if you hit one of the obstacles then you are forced to go back to start or end the game. After this we did the last iteration which was fixing the user interface, so it looked nice. We made custom backgrounds for all of the screens and made the app more visually appealing for the users who would decide to play the game. User testing was used to find the error in the code which made us realize that we had extraneous sprites that weren’t necessary and it increased our perspective by making us double check the code and figure out how to solve the error and fix the program, so it worked as plan without popping up error messages.

6.) Collaboration and Teamwork: Collaboration and teamwork were on spot. There were two people in my group. It was me and my friend Richardo. Teamwork really helped make the assignment go by quicker because whatever the other person didn’t know the other person conveniently knew. Also whatever neither of us knew we used google to help us. My partner did about 55% of the work when I did about 45% of the work. My job was to help keep him on task because my partner is a master procrastinator and to help with the coding. My partner did some of the coding and he made all of the images, but he would have waited until the last day if I didn’t keep him on track. The team worked effectively and efficiently. We even finished the project 4 days earlier than the deadline which was on the 28th of April. All in all the project was a success because we finished the project early and it was a very well thought out program. Also, it reduced the amount of time it would have taken me to code it myself and make the images. So teamwork is really the dreamwork.

7.) Program Code:

.aia file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vl0yvWkTEkOl5N_geCD_nPy_puYO7pl6/view?usp=share_link

.apk file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DUxQ4pGAMOeBvyENfuUGV_xNFHfWZhwl/view?usp=share_link

This is the apk file barcode.

User Feedback: I did a gallery walk and the feedback I received from multiple individuals was switched the arrow buttons to sliding. Where when you slide on the screen the sprite moves in the direction where you slid your finger. I also received feedback saying to make the game more visually appealing because it looked very generic and boring, so I took this feedback and made the backgrounds more entertaining and fun and made the fonts cooler and more colorful. The feedback was really helpful because it helped me improve my app and then now, I know what I can improve for a future app release.