Apple Maze

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  set up with button controllers, robots, and maze

Inspiration

We wanted to make a project focused on healthcare. We recently worked with Karel the Robot in Computer Science and wanted to expand our knowledge about java on the BlueJ platform.

What it does

There are two robots. The blue one is used to start the game. By pressing the start button, the robot will place four pieces of trash which resemble barriers. The other robot moves with different buttons like move, turn right, and turn left. The goal is to get to the red beeper, the apple, and pick it up without running into pieces of trash.

How we built it

We did a lot of internet research on how to implement beeper colors, a maze world, and how to use button controllers and action listeners. We started first by creating a maze template and figuring out how to place in beepers. Then we worked on the buttons and figuring out what we wanted them to do. After working with the button code, we worked on the start button and placing "trash" in the maze. Lastly, we focused on details like coloring and design.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into major challenges with the timer. It was very hard to implement and after working on it for two days, we unfortunately had to drop it and move on. This was likely because our inexperience with the different timer classes. Additionally, we wanted to randomly place trash around the maze. That was also hard because we would have to code random moves for Karel without having the robot run into a wall. This also was something that we tried to work out yesterday and had to scratch the idea for the sake of time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were really proud that we were able to add and set buttons because that was something new that we tried. Additionally, changing the beeper colors was something that we worked on for a while and it was very satisfying when it worked.

What we learned

We learned how to use several different import statements along with how the World class works. We also learned that the Karel API documentation can be really helpful and it became a resource we referenced throughout the week. Additionally, we learned about how to create buttons and get them to do what we wanted.

What's next for Apple Maze

We want to implement a countdown timer and randomly place trash around the maze. We hope to continue to develop this game and possibly add more levels.

Built With

• bluejay
• java