Blitz Basic 2 basics

[Jackoland]

The most basic of questions!

How do I generate on positive random numbers

I'm doing this at the moment

Rent1=int (rnd(80-150))

But this generates numbers bigger than the range set and negative numbers too.

Cheers
I have been using blitz for about a day. And have the programming knowledge of a nat!

Rich

[tolkien]

Rent1 = rnd(70)+80

Rnd(70) cos the difference between 80 and 150.
Rnd will generate numbers between 0 and 70 so sum 80 for the offset.

[MickGyver]

Originally Posted by Jackoland

The most basic of questions!

How do I generate on positive random numbers

I'm doing this at the moment

Rent1=int (rnd(80-150))

But this generates numbers bigger than the range set and negative numbers too.

Cheers
I have been using blitz for about a day. And have the programming knowledge of a nat!

Rich

Here are two examples:

Generate a number between 0 and 150:
Rent1.w = Rnd(150)

Generate a number between 80 and 150
Rent1.w = Rnd(70)+80

Keep at it, Blitz Basic is fun!

EDIT: Tolkien answered this while I was writing...

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by Jackoland

I'm doing this at the moment

Rent1=int (rnd(80-150))

The others have already answered this, I hope it makes sense. I'd just like to add that you don't need the Int() function in Blitz - the Rnd() function automatically returns an integer when the range is greater than 1. Some other BASICs do need it, but it looks neater without it

[Coagulus]

To clarify, in Blitz, 80-150 means 80 MINUS 150 not 80 TO 150 like you would write in reality.

[Jackoland]

That's great folks! Thanks for the help. I'm really glad of this thread. I don't feel bad asking dumb questions. I'm having a go at a basic shop simulator game. Things like buying, rent, profits and reputation variables.

If I can get a system running, I then want to add in a graphical interface!

Slowly learning, expect more questions!

Cheers rich

[Daedalus]

The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask Okay, maybe there are some dumb questions, but feel free to ask for help here any time, there are plenty of people around who should be able to help.

The built-in Blitz help is pretty good, and the Blitz section of AmigaCoding.com has a lot of useful reference material too.

[Jackoland]

Hi there. Well I have managed to write some code from a little pseudo code I made. It works so far to the end. Here is the pseudo code.

Shop simulator

;Setup initial variables

Money= random between 500 - 1000 ;final figures to be finalised
Finalrent= 0
Reputation=0
Luck=0
Shop=0
Rent1= random between 50-100
Rent2= random between 120-170
Rent3=random between 150-220 ;final ranges to be confirmed
Username$



;introduction
Print "welcome to shop simulator, what is your name?"
Store input in username
Print "the bank will lend you" , money

Which shop would you like to buy?
1. Holds one product and costs (rent1) per month
2. Holds three products and costs (rent2) per month
3. Holds five products and costs (rent3) per month
Store input in shop variable (use edit command)

If shop equals 1 put rent1 into finalrent
If shop equals 2 put rent2 into finalrent
If shop equals 3 put rent3 into finalrent

Print "you chose shop (shop) and will pay £ (finalrent) per month"

Shopname =
What do you want to call your shop?
Store name in shopname

Print "welcome to (shopname) your shop is now open"

The help I need now is I need lots of products to choose from, it will have a name, cost, year and also the amount it will increase the shops reputation. Would I be best using an array to store these variables?

Then I need to create a loop that
Adds 1 to the day
Checks if it's less than 365
If more then add to year and reset day
Minus rent
Check if money is greater than 0 if not game over
Give opinion to buy from the array variables
Add that to a shop inventory and minus cost from money
Add reputation from product array variable
Check reputation score then add to a customer numbers
Check customers and add money made to money
Check luck
Random luck
If luck high give good news variable - need to create another array for good luck things such as tax return, rent cut etc
If luck low give bad news variable e.g. Flood in store, increase rent, electric bill.


You get the idea. I'm still working out how I would do this, and how to loop it.

Cheers
Rich

Ps think I would be better on new thread

[tolkien]

I like this thread as Im learning blitz basic but I think we should write each question in differents threads to can search it more easy in the future.

[MickGyver]

Originally Posted by Jackoland

The help I need now is I need lots of products to choose from, it will have a name, cost, year and also the amount it will increase the shops reputation. Would I be best using an array to store these variables?

You should make a NewType (similar to a C struct) that includes the data for the products. Then you can create an array of that NewType. Like this:

; Create a NewType for products
NEWTYPE .Product
  name$
  cost.w
  year.w
End NEWTYPE

; Create an array named "Products" containing 200 ".Product" NewType objects (actually 201)
Dim Products.Product(200)

Originally Posted by tolkien

I like this thread as Im learning blitz basic but I think we should write each question in differents threads to can search it more easy in the future.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday, it's probably for the best to have separate threads for separate questions.

[Twiggy]

Originally Posted by tolkien

I like this thread as Im learning blitz basic but I think we should write each question in differents threads to can search it more easy in the future.

Unless we rename this thread "Blitz Basic questions you've always been too embarrassed to ask"

[Jackoland]

Where am I best declaring the new type? At the beginning in a setup variables procedure?

Cheers

[Daedalus]

You're best off declaring it at the start of your code - it must be before you intend to use it for the first time. I normally have an area near the start of my code where I declare all the arrays, variables, constants and default values I use later on.

If you intend to use it in more than one area of your code, you shouldn't declare it in a procedure, as then it would only be local to that procedure.

[idrougge]

I like to declare them in a separate file and XINCLUDE it at the top of the main file.

It makes the main file less cluttered.

[tolkien]

Nice idea. I'm trying to do all my code more modular.

[Havie]

Can someone help me with palettes please!

I am using the new Display library commands and Use Palette doesn't work - I keep getting an error that there is no object. So - I have realised that I can't use old commands with the new display list but I have no idea how to get a palette from a shape. I have tried loading with shape with the optional palette command at the end but whatever I do I can't seem to change to this palette. Help!!!

[MickGyver]

Originally Posted by Havie

Can someone help me with palettes please!

I am using the new Display library commands and Use Palette doesn't work - I keep getting an error that there is no object. So - I have realised that I can't use old commands with the new display list but I have no idea how to get a palette from a shape. I have tried loading with shape with the optional palette command at the end but whatever I do I can't seem to change to this palette. Help!!!

Hmm, I haven't used BB2 very much but what has been working for me is to load the palette from the image (containing shapes) with

LoadPalette 0,"image.iff"

and then after creating the copperlist use DisplayPalette instead of Use Palette

; DisplayPalette #coplist, #palette
DisplayPalette 0,0

[Havie]

Thanks - will have a go and let you know!

[Daedalus]

That should also work with a palette loaded optionally with the LoadShape command. The Use Palette command is only for screens and slices from what I remember, and was replaced with ShowPalette anyway, which would explain why it doesn't work. DisplayPalette is the equivalent for the Display library so that should work fine.

[Havie]

Still struggling - I think I need to sort out the number of bitplanes in the original shapes! Just trying to have black and white and thought I could do this with 1 bit plane. Then think I need 2 bit planes if I want to convert shape to sprite. The thinking that maybe I haven't set up screen properly. I think I will grab some code from a working game and start again...