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ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Unworthy," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Duende," "Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Byzantine Perplexities," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "What It Means to Me," "If They Could Just Stay Little," "Anahata," "When the Wheels Come Off," "Against His Own Shield," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations," "Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day," "Coming in from the Cold: Tuesday: Facing Fears," "Coming in from the Cold: Wednesday: Coping Techniques," "Coming in from the Cold: Thursday: Digging for Answers," "What Little Boys Are Made Of," "Rotten Fruit," "Trying to Find Prui," "Life in Quicktime," "Score," "Sunday Dinner," "Cafuné," "Fatherboards and Other F-words," "The Artists Among Us," "Keep the Homefires Burning," "Their Old Familiar Carols Play," "Fluffy," "A Leg Up," "Wabbit Season," and "A Painful Process."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Betty Ross, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Missions, Missions Gone Wrong, Bugs & Insects, Major Character Injury, Injury Recovery, Cold, PTSD, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Roughhousing.
Summary: After the mission to shut down drugrunners in Brazil, the Avengers recover in the Tower.
Notes: No Sex, Intimacy, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Herbalism, Friendship, Team as Family, Avengers Family, Ageplay, Games, #coulsonlives.
[Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13]
"Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Revisiting the Past" Part 12
Uncle Phil had bought Robot Turtles not long ago, while searching for game night activities that tied into different interests. He figured that Tony and Bucky would both enjoy the hints of robotics and programming. Besides, anything that encouraged Bucky to take a more active role was a good idea. Now to see if they liked the little twist that Uncle Phil had added after buying the original game ...
First, Uncle Phil laid out the square board with its marshy landscape. "Many turtles like to live near water," he said as he placed a Robot Turtle in each corner. "So this board represents their home. It has squares to mark the spaces as you play. Everyone pick a Robot Turtle and sit on that side of the board."
"Red!" said Tony at same time Bruce said "Green!" Bucky went for blue, and Betty for pink. They shuffled around to sit beside their turtles.
"These are your Code Cards," said Uncle Phil. He gave each player the deck that matched their turtle. "They let you command your turtle to Turn Right, Turn Left, or Step Forward. Look at your turtle, and then look at your Code Cards. See the little flowers? The purple flower is right, and Turn Right has a purple stripe at the bottom. The yellow flower is left, and Turn Left has a yellow stripe. The blue flower is forward, and Step Forward has a blue stripe. You also have a Bug Tile that lets you undo a move."
"Cooool," Tony said, leaning over his turtle.
"These are the jewels," said Uncle Phil. He put all four in the center of the board. "The goal of the game is to get your Robot Turtle to the matching colored Jewel. When you land on the matching Jewel you can pick it up. Everyone who gets their Jewel wins!"
"Turtles don't eat rocks," Bruce protested.
"That's true," said Uncle Phil. "This is a very silly game, though, so we're going to pretend that your turtles want the Jewels."
"Okay ..." Bruce said dubiously, hooking a finger in his mouth. "But the flowers make more sense."
"Over to you, Turtle Mover," said Uncle Phil.
"You are the Turtle Master," said JARVIS. "On your turn, you will decide which way you want your Turtle to turn or move. Select one of your Code Cards and place it in front of you but do not move your Turtle."
Tony squealed, loud enough to wake Clint who had dozed off.
"Indoor voices, please," Uncle Phil reminded Tony.
"Sorry," Tony whispered.
Clint snuffled, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
"I am the Turtle Mover. Your cards tell me how to move your Turtle. Only I will touch the board to move the Turtles," said JARVIS.
"Can he really do that?" Betty asked.
"Wait and see," said Uncle Phil.
"If you change your mind during your turn and want to try a different card, just say 'Bug!' and tap your Bug Tile," said JARVIS. A laser pointer activated, pointing to Tony's Bug Tile. "Take your last card back and I will undo your move so you can try something new."
"Neato!" Bruce said, wriggling in place.
"As the Turtle Mover, I must make funny turtle noises," JARVIS said. "This is Beep." He pointed to Bucky's blue turtle. "Beep goes beep-boop-beep-boop."
The sound effect startled Bucky into a laugh. "That's really keen."
"This is Pi," said JARVIS, pointing to Tony's red turtle. "Pi goes ping-pong-ping-pong."
"What's mine?" Bruce said.
"You have Pangle," said JARVIS, pointing to the green turtle. "Pangle goes jingle-jangle."
"That leaves my turtle," said Betty. "One, two, three, four."
"Yours is Dot," said JARVIS. "Dot goes doot-dot-doot-dot."
"Got it," Betty said, smiling.
"On your next turn you will place a new card in a line right next to the first card you placed," said JARVIS. "Then you play card by card until you reach your Jewel."
Tony went first. "Step Forward," he said, playing the proper card.
And the Robot Turtle came to life, marching into the next square with a clear ping-pong-ping-pong.
Tony flailed his hands in glee, remembering not to clap or squeal.
Bruce went next, making the same move. Jingle-jangle went his turtle.
The game progressed quickly, because the beginning board had no obstacles. It gave the players a clear path to the jewels so that they could learn the game mechanics. They didn't take long to win.
JARVIS let them play a few rounds, experimenting with different paths. They discovered that straight lines were more efficient than zig-zags to mimic diagonals, since turning was a move of its own and the Robot Turtles could not actually travel in a diagonal line.
Once everyone had gotten the hang of it, JARVIS said, "Would you like to unlock a new element of the game?"
The littles nodded eagerly. "Yes, please," said Betty.
"Uncle Phil, please set up the first layout for Ice Walls," said JARVIS.
Picking up the relevant obstacle tiles, Uncle Phil laid them out. He put an Ice Wall in front of each turtle, a few more around the edges of the board, and four at the corners of the jewel cluster in the center.
It was Bruce's turn to go first, and he tried to go through the wall.
Pangle marched in place instead of moving, while JARVIS buzzed an error tone. "Robot Turtles cannot go through Ice Walls," JARVIS explained.
Bruce giggled. "Bug!" he said, tapping his Bug Tile. He withdrew Step Forward and replaced it with Turn Right.
Jingle-jangle, went JARVIS, and Pangle turned to the right.
With the new obstacle in mind, the other players quickly caught on and maneuvered their turtles around the Ice Walls. They all tried walking into a wall at least once, through, just because they liked the noises and it was funny to see the little robots going nowhere.
When they all had their jewels, Uncle Phil laid out a new pattern that was more challenging. They played a few more round that way, each requiring more ingenuity to solve.
* * *
Notes:
Robot Turtles is a great game for introducing the basic concepts of computer code to young or inexperienced users. Watch the original Kickstarter video to see how it works.
Turtles tend to live in wet environments. They eat many things, including flowers, but not rocks.
Computer programming is a valuable skill. There are tips for teaching younger kids and older kids. These resources can help.
[To be concluded in Part 13 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Betty Ross, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Missions, Missions Gone Wrong, Bugs & Insects, Major Character Injury, Injury Recovery, Cold, PTSD, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Roughhousing.
Summary: After the mission to shut down drugrunners in Brazil, the Avengers recover in the Tower.
Notes: No Sex, Intimacy, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Herbalism, Friendship, Team as Family, Avengers Family, Ageplay, Games, #coulsonlives.
[Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13]
"Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Revisiting the Past" Part 12
Uncle Phil had bought Robot Turtles not long ago, while searching for game night activities that tied into different interests. He figured that Tony and Bucky would both enjoy the hints of robotics and programming. Besides, anything that encouraged Bucky to take a more active role was a good idea. Now to see if they liked the little twist that Uncle Phil had added after buying the original game ...
First, Uncle Phil laid out the square board with its marshy landscape. "Many turtles like to live near water," he said as he placed a Robot Turtle in each corner. "So this board represents their home. It has squares to mark the spaces as you play. Everyone pick a Robot Turtle and sit on that side of the board."
"Red!" said Tony at same time Bruce said "Green!" Bucky went for blue, and Betty for pink. They shuffled around to sit beside their turtles.
"These are your Code Cards," said Uncle Phil. He gave each player the deck that matched their turtle. "They let you command your turtle to Turn Right, Turn Left, or Step Forward. Look at your turtle, and then look at your Code Cards. See the little flowers? The purple flower is right, and Turn Right has a purple stripe at the bottom. The yellow flower is left, and Turn Left has a yellow stripe. The blue flower is forward, and Step Forward has a blue stripe. You also have a Bug Tile that lets you undo a move."
"Cooool," Tony said, leaning over his turtle.
"These are the jewels," said Uncle Phil. He put all four in the center of the board. "The goal of the game is to get your Robot Turtle to the matching colored Jewel. When you land on the matching Jewel you can pick it up. Everyone who gets their Jewel wins!"
"Turtles don't eat rocks," Bruce protested.
"That's true," said Uncle Phil. "This is a very silly game, though, so we're going to pretend that your turtles want the Jewels."
"Okay ..." Bruce said dubiously, hooking a finger in his mouth. "But the flowers make more sense."
"Over to you, Turtle Mover," said Uncle Phil.
"You are the Turtle Master," said JARVIS. "On your turn, you will decide which way you want your Turtle to turn or move. Select one of your Code Cards and place it in front of you but do not move your Turtle."
Tony squealed, loud enough to wake Clint who had dozed off.
"Indoor voices, please," Uncle Phil reminded Tony.
"Sorry," Tony whispered.
Clint snuffled, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
"I am the Turtle Mover. Your cards tell me how to move your Turtle. Only I will touch the board to move the Turtles," said JARVIS.
"Can he really do that?" Betty asked.
"Wait and see," said Uncle Phil.
"If you change your mind during your turn and want to try a different card, just say 'Bug!' and tap your Bug Tile," said JARVIS. A laser pointer activated, pointing to Tony's Bug Tile. "Take your last card back and I will undo your move so you can try something new."
"Neato!" Bruce said, wriggling in place.
"As the Turtle Mover, I must make funny turtle noises," JARVIS said. "This is Beep." He pointed to Bucky's blue turtle. "Beep goes beep-boop-beep-boop."
The sound effect startled Bucky into a laugh. "That's really keen."
"This is Pi," said JARVIS, pointing to Tony's red turtle. "Pi goes ping-pong-ping-pong."
"What's mine?" Bruce said.
"You have Pangle," said JARVIS, pointing to the green turtle. "Pangle goes jingle-jangle."
"That leaves my turtle," said Betty. "One, two, three, four."
"Yours is Dot," said JARVIS. "Dot goes doot-dot-doot-dot."
"Got it," Betty said, smiling.
"On your next turn you will place a new card in a line right next to the first card you placed," said JARVIS. "Then you play card by card until you reach your Jewel."
Tony went first. "Step Forward," he said, playing the proper card.
And the Robot Turtle came to life, marching into the next square with a clear ping-pong-ping-pong.
Tony flailed his hands in glee, remembering not to clap or squeal.
Bruce went next, making the same move. Jingle-jangle went his turtle.
The game progressed quickly, because the beginning board had no obstacles. It gave the players a clear path to the jewels so that they could learn the game mechanics. They didn't take long to win.
JARVIS let them play a few rounds, experimenting with different paths. They discovered that straight lines were more efficient than zig-zags to mimic diagonals, since turning was a move of its own and the Robot Turtles could not actually travel in a diagonal line.
Once everyone had gotten the hang of it, JARVIS said, "Would you like to unlock a new element of the game?"
The littles nodded eagerly. "Yes, please," said Betty.
"Uncle Phil, please set up the first layout for Ice Walls," said JARVIS.
Picking up the relevant obstacle tiles, Uncle Phil laid them out. He put an Ice Wall in front of each turtle, a few more around the edges of the board, and four at the corners of the jewel cluster in the center.
It was Bruce's turn to go first, and he tried to go through the wall.
Pangle marched in place instead of moving, while JARVIS buzzed an error tone. "Robot Turtles cannot go through Ice Walls," JARVIS explained.
Bruce giggled. "Bug!" he said, tapping his Bug Tile. He withdrew Step Forward and replaced it with Turn Right.
Jingle-jangle, went JARVIS, and Pangle turned to the right.
With the new obstacle in mind, the other players quickly caught on and maneuvered their turtles around the Ice Walls. They all tried walking into a wall at least once, through, just because they liked the noises and it was funny to see the little robots going nowhere.
When they all had their jewels, Uncle Phil laid out a new pattern that was more challenging. They played a few more round that way, each requiring more ingenuity to solve.
* * *
Notes:
Robot Turtles is a great game for introducing the basic concepts of computer code to young or inexperienced users. Watch the original Kickstarter video to see how it works.
Turtles tend to live in wet environments. They eat many things, including flowers, but not rocks.
Computer programming is a valuable skill. There are tips for teaching younger kids and older kids. These resources can help.
[To be concluded in Part 13 ...]
EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-05 09:58 pm (UTC)Re: EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-06 12:24 am (UTC)Re: EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-07 02:43 pm (UTC)Re: EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-07 04:51 pm (UTC)Yup. That was awesome. You know I wonder if they could find a way for the group to do something with Jarive, like a large game of hide and seek...
{)_(} (='.'=)
Re: EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-07 08:08 pm (UTC)Re: EEEEEEEE!!
Date: 2020-02-08 03:56 am (UTC)... oh crap... lol {)_(} (='.'=)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-05 10:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-06 03:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-06 06:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-06 04:12 am (UTC)I remember that I used turtle graphics in Pascal a couple decades ago, if I remember correctly it was interesting, and pretty easy - up until you wanted to do something non-trivial graphics wise, then it starts to get in your way. But then, I don't think it was ever meant to be anything other than a teaching tool anyway, precisely intended to introduce the basics. Much like this game. :)
(Playing videos doesn't seem to be working for me right now, so I'm just going off your depiction here.)
I can see some other ways to modify the challenge level of this game, in addition to the walls they used.
One would be different board layouts, such as a hex grid, or an octagon-square one. (Semiregular tilings like snub-square might also work, but you'd have to define what happens if "forward" goes into a point instead of a cell. Maybe it behaves like a wall?)
Another would be various effects (flowers?) that might help or hinder depending on the situation (e.g. one making you take two or more steps forward in one turn).
Even something as simple as modifying the distribution of cards in their decks could make things harder - e.g. if you only have turn-left cards, you'd want to avoid picking a path that requires turning right, since those would take three turns to do.
The base game, as shown, is interesting on its own though - and I like that Phil included JARVIS. :)
I agree that computer programming is a valuable skill (though I'm probably biased, being a programmer myself). In fact, I tend to think everyone should be taught at least the basics of it, even if only just enough to understand what computers actually are and do, that they're not magic, just machines following a large set of simple instructions that someone wrote. (They don't always do this perfectly, as reality is complex, but that's the basics.)
However, I think the concepts and ideas behind it are more important to learn than the programming itself.
Done properly, programming really just boils down to logic and problem solving: I have this thing I want the computer to do, how do I express what I want it to do with enough detail and clarity for the computer to understand what I want? Or in other words, how do I break it down into pieces small enough that it can follow the instructions? (Usually, it's a recursive process - take the whole problem, figure out what its parts are, then take each of those parts and figure out their sub-parts, and so on.)
(I'm reminded of a scene from a webcomic, where one god who had left Earth long before computers, later meets a much younger god who is familiar with them. When the latter has a task to do, and starts crafting a spell to do it, the old god asks what he's doing - and upon being told he's making a spell, scoffs and says that in his time, gods would just set off a spell with a thought, taking hardly any time at all. Then, when the spell is finished, and does first one thing (repeatedly), then another based on the results of the first, and so on, accomplishing the entire task in one go - the old god gapes, wondering how he managed to make a single spell do all that.)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-07 02:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-04 09:03 am (UTC)In particular the scoffing wasn't really there, and the old god did know *some* about computers (or at least says so), just doesn't really have that way of thinking. It's more like, the spell takes a bit to get going, ramping up, and the old god goes from thinking it was a letdown, to not bad for a rookie, to more and more impressed.
This is from Issue 10 (Breaking Ground) of The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: Consequences. This chapter is just 11 pages long, with a few pages of setup before the spellwork and such, which make it a bit clearer what he's actually doing. (It may also help to know that the younger god is a god of Knowledge.)
I'll note that, as far as I remember, this comic doesn't really go into the spellwork itself much, focusing more on other things, and most of the gods do tend to "just do" things, rather than crafting spells. But this particular scene kind of stuck out in my mind. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-07 12:36 am (UTC)