2D Array help

[ShoulderOfOrion]

Hi,
I'm new here, quite new to using Actionscript as well, but I need to create a tile based map using a 2d array. Its for a Pacman style game

I have tried to follow the tutorial on tonypa's site and so am using the same set up as that. I currently have the basic background along with the walls, however I am struggling to work out the code to randomly place pills onto the map. I know I need a FOR loop with a nested IF statement (to make sure pills arent placed over walls).

To make things slightly more complicated, all of the tiles are stored in one movie clip, frame 1 is walls, 2 is walkable, 3 is pills. I just have no idea of the code i need to use. I could do it if the placing didn't need to be random, i.e add to the array I have written.


So far I have the following (its a 30 x 30 array)

for (n = 0; n < maxPills; n++)
randx = Math.random()*30;
randy = Math.random()*30 ;
if (map[randx][randy] != tile.frame2)
map[randx][randy] = tile.frame3;
else
n--;

It doesn't work so I hope someone can help.

Thanks

[xxneon]

map[randx][randy] what is the value that is stored at that location.. a movieclip instance?? true/false??? a number???

till i know what is in the array i dont know what to compare in the for loop.. to determine whether a pill can go there or not..

[ShoulderOfOrion]

map[randx][randy] is a number which refers to a frame of a movieclip. The number 2 would refer to the 2nd frame of the tile movieclip.

So I should probably change the code to:

if (map[randx][randy] != 2)
map[randx][randy] =3;

This should mean that if the map is not displaying a wall tile then it will display an item in that spot

[xxneon]

how are the tiles named as far as their instance names?

[infernosnow]

your Math.random()*30 code is going to return a float number. Frames are whole numbers. You need to round it with Math.round().

Also, you said that your wall tile was in frame 1. That means your if statement should look like this:

if (map[randx][randy] != 1)

instead of != 2

[ShoulderOfOrion]

Here are a couple of examples of how I have declared the tiles. I have no idea how it works Im afraid, just was on the tonypa website and having no idea how to make tiles (and getting no help from my tutor) i just decided to use the code

game={tileW:30, tileH:30};
game.TileClass = function () {};
game.TileClass.prototype.walkable=false;
game.TileClass.prototype.frame=20;
game.Tile0= function () {};
game.Tile0.prototype.__proto__ = game.TileClass.prototype;
game.Tile0.prototype.walkable=true;
game.Tile0.prototype.frame=1;
game.Tile1= function () {};
game.Tile1.prototype.__proto__ = game.TileClass.prototype;
game.Tile1.prototype.walkable=false;
game.Tile1.prototype.frame=2;

they all refer to a movieclip named "tile" and are attached to the scene using the following code:

for (var i = 0; i < mapHeight; ++i) {
for (var j = 0; j < mapWidth; ++j) {
var name = "t_"+i+"_"+j;
game[name]= new game["Tile"+map[i][j]];
game.clip.attachMovie("tile", name, i*100+j*2);
game.clip[name]._x = (j*game.tileW);
game.clip[name]._y = (i*game.tileH);
game.clip[name].gotoAndStop(game[name].frame);
}
}

[ShoulderOfOrion]

Originally Posted by infernosnow

your Math.random()*30 code is going to return a float number. Frames are whole numbers. You need to round it with Math.round().

Also, you said that your wall tile was in frame 1. That means your if statement should look like this:

if (map[randx][randy] != 1)

instead of != 2

I changed it to Math.round() and now my character won't move at all. Now im confused!

[infernosnow]

Think about what this is saying:

if (map[randx][randy] != 2)
map[randx][randy] =3;

"if the number in my map array is a wall or a pill, make it a pill."

That's what the above code does. That would make it possible for a pill to be placed where a wall is supposed to be.

But if you have it != 1, you're saying, "if the number in my map array is walkable or is a pill, make it a pill. This is because 1 is your wall.

[ShoulderOfOrion]

Originally Posted by infernosnow

Think about what this is saying:

if (map[randx][randy] != 2)
map[randx][randy] =3;

"if the number in my map array is a wall or a pill, make it a pill."

That's what the above code does. That would make it possible for a pill to be placed where a wall is supposed to be.

But if you have it != 1, you're saying, "if the number in my map array is walkable or is a pill, make it a pill. This is because 1 is your wall.

I've tried this as well, but it still isn't working. I really don't understand what is wrong

[infernosnow]

post your fla