How to Program Snake on TI-84 Plus
Are you looking to add some excitement to your TI-84 Plus calculator with a classic game of Snake? Programming Snake on the TI-84 Plus is a great way to learn programming and have fun at the same time. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a simple yet engaging Snake game on your calculator.
Understanding the Basics
Before diving into the code, it’s essential to understand the basic concepts of the game. Snake is a single-player game where the player controls a snake that moves around the screen, eating food to grow longer. The snake can only move in one direction at a time, and if it hits the wall or itself, the game ends. The objective is to keep the snake alive and growing as long as possible.
Setting Up Your Calculator
To begin programming Snake on your TI-84 Plus, make sure you have the following:
1. A TI-84 Plus calculator
2. The latest version of TI-84 Plus OS
3. A text editor or the built-in editor on your calculator
Writing the Code
Now, let’s start writing the code for our Snake game. We’ll break down the code into several parts for better understanding.
1. Initialize the screen and variables
2. Create the food and snake
3. Handle the snake’s movement
4. Update the screen
5. Check for collisions and end the game
Here’s a basic outline of the code:
“`assembly
; Initialize the screen and variables
; Create the food and snake
; Handle the snake’s movement
; Update the screen
; Check for collisions and end the game
“`
1. Initialize the Screen and Variables
In this section, we’ll set up the screen and initialize the variables needed for the game.
“`assembly
; Initialize the screen
clrx
cls
; Initialize variables
ld ‘x’, 0
ld ‘y’, 0
ld ‘length’, 0
ld ‘direction’, 0
“`
2. Create the Food and Snake
Next, we’ll create the food and the initial position of the snake.
“`assembly
; Create the food
rand ‘foodX’, 0, 239
rand ‘foodY’, 0, 159
; Create the snake
ld ‘x’, 120
ld ‘y’, 80
ld ‘length’, 1
ld ‘direction’, 1
“`
3. Handle the Snake’s Movement
In this part, we’ll handle the snake’s movement based on the user’s input.
“`assembly
; Check for user input
checkInput:
keyPress ‘up’
if ‘up’ then
ld ‘direction’, 1
end if
keyPress ‘down’
if ‘down’ then
ld ‘direction’, 2
end if
keyPress ‘left’
if ‘left’ then
ld ‘direction’, 3
end if
keyPress ‘right’
if ‘right’ then
ld ‘direction’, 4
end if
“`
4. Update the Screen
We’ll update the screen by drawing the snake and the food on the calculator.
“`assembly
; Update the screen
drawSnake:
draw ‘x’, ‘y’, ‘length’, ‘direction’
draw ‘foodX’, ‘foodY’
“`
5. Check for Collisions and End the Game
Finally, we’ll check for collisions and end the game if the snake hits the wall or itself.
“`assembly
; Check for collisions and end the game
checkCollisions:
if ‘x’ == 240 or ‘x’ == 0 or ‘y’ == 160 or ‘y’ == 0 then
cls
print “Game Over!”
wait
end if
if ‘x’ == ‘foodX’ and ‘y’ == ‘foodY’ then
inc ‘length’
rand ‘foodX’, 0, 239
rand ‘foodY’, 0, 159
end if
“`
Putting It All Together
Now that we have all the pieces, let’s put them together into a single program. Save the code as “SnakeGame” and run it on your TI-84 Plus.
“`assembly
; Main program
main:
call checkInput
call drawSnake
call checkCollisions
goto main
“`
Enjoy Your Game!
Congratulations! You’ve successfully programmed a Snake game on your TI-84 Plus. Keep experimenting with the code to add more features and make the game more challenging. Happy coding!
