Python

Python has been popping up in my newsreader quite often these days (see Darrell’s 'Why Should You Learn Python?' and Sam’s 'Key Observation…').

I have fond memories of Python. I was working with a company building middleware for online multiplayer gaming. We had working demo games to exercise the framework, and I used Python code to control the behavior and actions of non-player characters (NPC) in the demo. I hesitate to say what I wrote was any sort of artificial intelligence, it was more like a script for NPCs to follow, but it made for great conversation outside of work.

Me: How was your day?

Friend: Oh, not too bad. A computer bug wiped out some financial records, but nothing we can’t recover from.

Me: Oh, let me tell you about bugs. I’ve got these wolves, see, and they are supposed to chase down and eat the pink rabbits before the rabbits hop away from the campground area, but let me tell you - it’s not easy. Some of my wolves are plunging headfirst into the campfire, and others are wandering off into the mountains never to be seen again.

Friend: You need to grow up one day.

Ah, the things one has to think about when developing a game.

   How do you let a user know they are running low on grendades? (Halo 2)

   Is that an icon in your shorts or are you just happy to see me? (Sims 2 - scroll down - rather funny)