Java Sprites

A circular path around a number of points can be interpreted in a few ways.  Could you do a diagram of the kind of path you want?

ok just something really simple like the one below.

I would probably do that as an angular path.  It goes right for some period (angle is 0).  Then the direction changes for a few frames until its 90 degrees (downwards).  It travels in that direction for a shorter period, then starts changing angle again to 180.

I'm not used to Java. This code is as close as I can guess to the right syntax.  You may have to tweak it a bit.

public class LoopSprite extends Sprite
{
  private float angle;
  private int frame;
  private int speed;

  public LoopSprite(Image image, int frameWidth, int frameHeight, int loopSpeed,
    TiledLayer barrierLayer) {
    super(image, frameWidth, frameHeight);

    angle = 0;
    frame = 0;
    speed = loopSpeed;

    barrier = barrierLayer;
}

public void update()
{
    switch (Math.floor (frame / 5))
    {
         case 3:
         case 6:
         case 10:
         case 13:
             angle += (Math.Pi / 10);
    }

    ++frame;
    if (frame == 70) frame = 0;
    move (Math.cos (angle) * speed, Math.sin (angle) * speed);
}

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It works in 5 frame groups, every time you call update is another frame.  It goes right for 15 frames, turns for 5 frame, down for 10 frames, turns again, left for 15 frames, turns again, up for 10 frames, then turns back to where it started.  The entire pattern takes 70 frames, on the 70th it starts from 0 again.  It still uses a speed variable, so that you can control how fast it moves.

Math.Pi equates to 180 degrees.  Math.Pi / 10 is 18 degrees.  5 turns of 18 degrees gets you 90 degrees from whatever angle you started with.

The only problem that I have is that I get this error below

possible loss of precision
found   : double
required: int
      switch (Math.floor( frame /5))

and this one

 javax.microedition.lcdui.game.Layer cannot be applied to (double,double)
    move (Math.cos (angle) * speed, Math.sin (angle) * speed);

move uses integers. How can I get around this?

Thats because floor rounds the number down to the nearest integer, but returns the value in a double value.  I think this will work instead.

switch ((int) (frame / 5));

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The problem with move using integers can be solved in a similar way

move ((int) Math.round (Math.cos (angle) * speed), (int) Math.round (Math.sin (angle) * speed));

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Though that becomes less accurate if speed is small.  If speed is less the 0.5, the sprite won't move at all.

A better way is to keep the sprites x and y coordinates as double values.  Then move it to the nearest integer position.  This code keeps track of the integer position of the sprite.  There's probably an easier way to do this, either the sprite can be positioned (rather than moved) or you can get it's pixel x and y rather than having to keep track of them.

public class LoopSprite extends Sprite
{
  private float angle;
  private int frame;
  private int speed;
  private float x, y;  // accurate x and y
  private int px, py;  // pixel x and y

public LoopSprite(Image image, int frameWidth, int frameHeight, int loopSpeed, TiledLayer barrierLayer)
{
    angle = 0;
    frame = 0;
    speed = loopSpeed;
    x = ?; // needs a start position
    y = ?; // needs a start position
   px = (int) Math.round (x);
   py = (int) Math.round (y);
}

public void update()
{
    int dx , dy;

    switch (Math.floor (frame / 5))
    {
         case 3:
         case 6:
         case 10:
         case 13:
             angle += (Math.Pi / 10);
    }

    x += Math.cos (angle) * speed;
    y += Math.sin (angle) * speed;
    dx = (int) Math.round (x);
    dy = (int) Math.round (y);
    move (dx - px, dy - py);
    px = dx;
    py = dy;

    ++frame;
    if (frame == 70) frame = 0;
}

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I have a problem with using Math.round. I get errors saying

cannot find symbol
symbol  : method round(float)
location: class java.lang.Math
    px = (int) Math.round(x);

round doesn't seem to be an option that I can use with Math. Is there anything I can use to do a similar job.

Math.round was in the docs I looked up. http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/java/lang/Math.html.  No matter, this works the same.

px = (int) Math.floor (x + 0.5);

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So if I want to make the sprite change direction more times do I have to just add more of these lines to change the direction with different values?

angle += (Math.Pi / 10);

Yep, that all there is too it.  The angle is what direction it moves, you can have it move in circles, wave patterns, a figure of eight, anything that you can program changes in the angle to describe.  Using positive or negative numbers turns the sprite clockwise or anti-clockwise.

Where in the code does it state that it will first move right for 15 frames? The problem I have with it is it keeps going right off the screen. I am assuming that this is because it goes in the right direction for too many frames.

Does it come back again OK?  Try setting the speed to a smaller value.  The 15 frames is defined by this part -

switch (Math.floor (frame / 5))
{
     case 3:

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This divides the frame count by five, if the result is between 3 and 4 (a frame count between 15 and 20) then it runs the code in the switch statement.  If it did this -

switch (Math.floor (frame / 3))
{
     case 2:
     case 5:

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The code would run on frames 6-9 and 15-18.

No it doesn't come back at all it, well not that I can see it might go down for too many frames so I can't see it coming back. To solve this would be best just cutting down the number of frames it goes right for instead of the speed.

After 70 frames it should return to where it started, if that's not happening something else must be wrong.  Changing the speed will let you see the whole loop without having to mess with the frame counts.

I have changed the speed right down and it still continues to just go in the right direction without turning to go down. I have even stopped it on a barrier to see if it would then change direction after the frame count and it doesn't. I will post my loop class below is there something I have missed?

import javax.microedition.lcdui.*;
import javax.microedition.lcdui.game.*;
import java.util.*;

public class LoopSprite extends Sprite {
  private Random     rand;
  private double       speed;
  private TiledLayer barrier;
  private int frame;
  private int angle;
  private float x, y;  // accurate x and y
  private int px, py;  // pixel x and y


  public LoopSprite(Image image, int frameWidth, int frameHeight, int driftSpeed,
    TiledLayer barrierLayer) {
    super(image, frameWidth, frameHeight);


    x = 10.4f; // needs a start position
    y = 5.4f; // needs a start position
    px = (int) Math.floor(x + 0.5);
    py = (int) Math.floor (y + 0.5);

    // Initialize the random number generator
    rand = new Random();
    angle = 0;
    frame = 0;
    // Set the speed
    speed = 0.4;

    // Set the tiled layer barrier
    barrier = barrierLayer;





  }

  public void update() {
    // Temporarily save the position
    int xPos = getX();
    int yPos = getY();

      int dx , dy;

   // switch (Math.floor(frame / 5))
      switch ((int)( frame /5))
    {
        case 3:
        case 6:
        case 10:
        case 13:
            angle += (Math.PI / 10);
    }
       ++frame;
    // Randomly move the sprite to simulate drift
  /*  switch (Math.abs(rand.nextInt() % 4)) {
    // Drift left
    case 0:
      move(-speed, 0);
      break;
    // Drift right
    case 1:
      move(speed, 0);
      break;
    // Drift up
    case 2:
      move(0, -speed);
      break;
    // Drift down
    case 3:
      move(0, speed);
      break;
    }*/


    x += Math.cos (angle) * speed;
    y += Math.sin (angle) * speed;
    dx = (int) Math.floor (x);
    dy = (int) Math.floor (y);
    move (dx - px, dy - py);
    px = dx;
    py = dy;
    if (frame == 70) frame = 0;

   // move (Math.cos (angle) * speed, Math.sin (angle) * speed);

    move ((int) Math.floor (Math.cos (angle) * speed), (int) Math.floor (Math.sin (angle) * speed));

    // Check for a collision with the barrier
    if ((barrier != null) && collidesWith(barrier, true)) {
      // Move the sprite back to its original position
      setPosition(xPos, yPos);
    }

    // Move to the next animation frame in the sequence
    nextFrame();
  }
}

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move ((int) Math.floor (Math.cos (angle) * speed), (int) Math.floor (Math.sin (angle) * speed));

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This line will make it move twice as fast as it should.  I don't think thats the problem but please delete it.

angle += (Math.PI / 10);

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Could you set a breakpoint on this line and run the program?  It appears like the program never gets to this line.  It could be something outside of the function that prevents this happening.  Is something setting 'frame' back to zero or changing one of the other variables?

I have put in a breakpoint and I have put a print screen of the variables at this breakpoint.

I think at the moment just looking I might be setting the position twice could this be the problem?
breakpoint.jpg

Thats useful but you need to continue the program from this breakpoint.  It should stop again at the same point but angle should be different the second time.  Continue it a few times and angle should keep changing.

When you say setting the position, do you mean using setPosition()?  It's used in the update function, is it used somewhere else?

The angle stays at 0 all of the time. What I mean't above was that I am using setPosition in the update function. but in this code above at the beginning I am setting the position

 x = 10.4f; // needs a start position
    y = 5.4f; // needs a start position

could this be the problem?

The x = 10.4f and y = 5.4f lines are initialisation.  They only run once, when you first create the sprite.
The problem is that angle stay at zero and I've just spotted why, angle is declared as an int, it needs to be a float.

Ah yes it is working it is going around in a complete circle now thankyou. Can I just ask you one more thing. At the moment it goes round in too small a circle to make it go around in a larger circle do I simply need to add to the number of frames in the sequence?

I am trying to keep the sprite move on its circular path but to make its path much larger. I am trying to add the frames so that I can create a larger path like below.

switch ((int)( frame /15))

and here

angle += (Math.PI / 20);

However this either distorts the path or makes the sprite just leave the screen. How can I increase the size of the path without distorting the path?