Using Maths to Create Space Games

Game Programming using Maths

– Module 1 Algebra & Space Travel

Free pilot studies  – contact gabriel@makingpi.com

Space Exploration Project 1

Level 4

Time : 1 hour

Beginners Scratch

The students create a game to explode alien invasion craft in space.  They have to guess the coordinates and then if successful fire the rocket.  The creation of this game teaches the following Maths:

·        

Coordinates in 4 quadrants

Space Exploration Project 2

Level 5

Time : 1 hour

Beginners Scratch

The students create a game to move rocket launches along the y axis and program in a line to fire at the alien invasion craft.  The students focus on the following Maths:

·         x-y coordinates

·         y = n lines

Space Exploration Project 3

Level 5

Time : 1 hour

Beginners Scratch

The students create a game where they have to shoot the aliens along an x = n line.  The Maths used in this section is:

·         Coordinates

·         x=n lines

Space Exploration Project 4

Level 5 -6

Time : 2 hours

Intermediate Scratch

The aim of this game is rotating through 360 and shooting incoming spaceship.  This is an introductory Maths Scratch project which creates a game to teach angle recognition.  It teaches the following maths:

·         Coordinates in 4 quadrants

·         Rotation through 360 degrees

·         The use of random functions to set game initial conditions e.g. random coordinates and random angles

Space Exploration Project 5

Intermediate level knowledge of Scratch

Level 6 -7

Time: 2 hours

Develop an Asteroid Game with an ability to shoot asteroids out of space.  The students will program the game assets to:

·         Set asteroids on a collision course with earth ( gradient calculations)

·         Program missiles using y=mx+c

·         Set assets randomly on y/x axis

This is a fantastic project for using and applying. 

Space Exploration Project 6

Intermediate level knowledge of Scratch

Level 6 -7

Time: 2 hours

Develop a game to escape from a black hole.  The ship is caught in a black hole and is being drawn (y=x² ) into the centre.  You have  to capture frozen  water to give you enough energy to escape raising you to new trajectories ( y =  x² + 1…).  However if you capture non water mass you will accelerate your decline ( y = 2x²).

·         Learn the shape of the y=x²

·         Learn how it can be shifted in the form y =  x² + n

·         Learn how it can be shifted in the form y = nx²

Space Exploration  Project 7

Intermediate level knowledge of Scratch

Level 7 – 8

Time: 2 hours

Develop a space travel program.  This requires the student to cross vast areas of space using trigonometry to calculate distance and fuel usage.  The maths taught in this project is:

·         Trigonometry to calculate the hypotenuse

·         Compound measures fuel/dist

·         Algebraic substitution

Space Exploration Project 8

Intermediate level knowledge of Scratch

Level A to A*

Time: 3 hours

Develop a game to intercept incoming rockets and program another rocket to exactly meet the incoming missile.  The intercept missile equation is different each time and so you have to find a generic solution for simultaneous equations.  The Maths used in this project is:

·         Simultaneous equations

·         Algebraic fractions

·         Pythagoras

·          Speed distance time calculations

Space Exploration Project 9

Intermediate level knowledge of Scratch

Level A to A*

Time: 3 hours

Escape attack by creating a special evasion program using sin(x) and shifted nxsin(x+a)

·         Y=mx+c lines

·         Sine curves

·         Shifts on the sine curve