Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Pre-Review

Frogger Remake Post-Mortem

Last year, I completed my first game for a programming class. It was a remake of Frogger made using SDL libraries in C++. So, today I am going to go over a few aspects of that project, and talk about what I did well, and what I've learned in the past year that would have improved the code.

Design

I implemented several features of the original Frogger, but due to time limitations I did have to cut a few features. A major change I made was the end-state to a level. The original game (see figure 1) has the goal being collecting 5 lily pads to complete a level. As you can see, my game does not have lily pads, and a new level begins when you reach the top of the stage.

Figure 1. Source: Methodshop, 2008

A comparison between my game (left) and the original Frogger(right)

I thought that this would be apparent to players, but while the original Frogger’s goal is easily grasped, players had more trouble with my remake. People who were unfamiliar with the game didn’t immediately realize that they must reach the top of the screen to win, and those that did realize this only knew this because they had played Frogger before.

Coding

Figure 2.

My code is functional, and I am happy with what I was able to accomplish with so little experience; however, there are several things that could be improved. Primarily involving header files.

As you can see by figure 2, I have separate header files for each of the vehicles in the game. This is simply unnecessary, as they are all derived from the same parent class. While this works perfectly fine, my past ignorance of coding standards is on full display here.

 

Aesthetics
In addition to my own code, I also created all of the sprites and music for the game (see below for MP3). My images give clear indication to the player of what their purpose is, and the music is well arranged and fits the game well. The playing could be better, particularly the bass guitar, but given my limited experience with the instrument I believe I performed admirably.

The music I composed for the game, entitled "Jump Frog Jump". 

Work Flow

I was diligent in my work, and finished the necessary elements the week before the assignment was due. I was able to move on to other assignments and finish the semester with work I could be proud of. I certainly would have liked to have more time to iron out the kinks in my Frogger remake, and perhaps someday I will, but I also realize that in a job setting busy schedules is par for the course.

Final thoughts

My Frogger remake is good work that I can be proud of, and a good base from which to grow as a programmer. As I stated above, I would do several things differently were I to make it today, and it is interesting to see where I was six months ago compared to where I am now.