InfernalKeith

Still hoping to turn it in tonight. Coding is done, just checking for errors right now. Five levels are in, and I'm down to about 1500 bytes of program space, so I may need to do a little surgery to get the other five in. Lotsa little fiddly things will need changed and adjusted before the final release, so you may be seeing some ugly, ugly coding when I post this.

If anyone feels like reading, here's the latest draft of the instruction file, which will give you a nauseatingly clear idea of what's going on in the game. HERDING CATS - beta release program and documentation by Keith Bergman for Orphantech.com © 2010 1. OVERVIEW Herding Cats is a game for the Texas Instruments 99/4A home computer. It requires you to use various tools to manipulate a playfield, in order to guide a randomly-moving herd of small black cats past holes, walls and each other to an exit. It was conceived in November 2009, and programmed over the winter of 2009-2010. It was submitted on February 14, 2010 as an entry into the Retroclouds Game Programming Contest (RGPC) on the AtariAge.com TI Programming forum. 1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS On original hardware, Herding Cats requires the TI Extended BASIC cartridge, disk system and 32K memory expansion. It has been tested and found to work on the Classic99 emulator on a Windows Vista PC. The program is written in 100% "stock" Extended BASIC, so it should have no issues in other emulators. Herding Cats consists of one, self-contained program, which can be run from any disk. No file access is required during the game. 2. OBJECT AND SCORING Never in history has a game been more accurately described by its name. In Herding Cats, you must herd cats! Imagine if Pac-Man had been named Eating Dots, or Asteroids had been presented to the world as Not Getting Crushed By Rocks. (Score one for truth in advertising!) Of course, anyone who's known a cat will immediately protest "you can't tell a cat what to do! That's why 'herding cats' is an expression in the first place!" This is true. The little black kitties you're about to see on your TI screen will not listen to you. They'll move randomly about, sometimes skirting the edge of safety before blithely wandering off to fall in a hole. You have no direct control over the cats whatsoever. (Score one for realism!) What you do have is control over the environment, through a series of tools you can use to influence the world around the cats. Each use of these tools costs you in points, though, which you then earn back for each cat that makes it to the exit. You need to maintain a minimum score to advance to the next level. This, in fact, is your object -- not saving all the cats (you usually can't, in the best of circumstances), but having enough points to keep going, and to "buy" the most effective tools in future rounds. Thus, it's not really a "high score" kind of game, but one where you try to advance as far as possible. Can you make it through all thirty levels with your score - and sanity - intact? (Score one for.... okay, I'll stop doing that.) 3. GAME PLAY After you select "play game" from the start menu, you'll be told the name of your first level to conquer (level one is called "nice and easy," to ease you into things). Note how many points you must have by the end of the level, and how many "moves" you have to achieve them. Each tick of the game clock is one "move" of a cat. You'll also be given information about whether cats can "wrap" around the screen - wander off one edge and appear on the opposite side -- and whether they explode on contact. (As part of that whole "nice and easy" thing, we don't allow cats to blow up in level one... but later, it will happen). Once you've steeled your nerves, taken a deep breath, and procured snacks, hit any key (if only to stop that "wheedlywheedlywheedly" sound, which is the game telling you "press any key already, would you?!") and the game will begin. See the big red box on the screen? That's the exit. It'll be where you want your cats to go on each level. The black-and-white, brick-y looking things are walls -- in level one, all but one of your cats is surrounded by wall, keeping them from wandering away. Those black spaces on the edges of your screen are holes - the cats have no survival instiinct whatsoever and will wander right into one, given the chance. As the game begins, you'll hear small "thuds" periodically. That's the cats, bless the little brainiacs, attempting to walk into a wall or each other. Count your blessings - if this were a level where cats exploded on contact, every one of those little noises would instead be the traumatic, fiery end of one of your little furballs. (In order to move things along a bit, if a cat tries to walk into something more than a few times, you'll hear a slightly longer low tone and he'll stay put for the time being). Other audio cues include a triumphant little fanfare each time a cat makes it into the exit (you should be hearing this fairly often on level one), and a sad little descending note and a crash when one falls into a hole. You score 1000 points for each saved cat, and are not penalized when one dies. Of course, we haven't discussed what you, the player of the game, actually DO yet. You could actually do nothing, and just let the cats wander freely - on many of the levels, though, this will lead to many deceased virtual felines. Just because they don't respond to commands doesn't mean they don't need your help -- they just can't ask for it directly, since they're such proud (read: stupid) animals. Hit the space bar (you may need to hold it down for a second) and you effectively pause the game. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a menu option of "A: CATNIP MAGNET," followed by how much it'll cost you in points to use it, and the instruction "ARROWS SELECT-ENTER CONFIRMS." Using the up and down arrows (FCTN-E and FCTN-X) will scroll through your menu options. Pressing the letter of the option ("A" for "catnip magnet," for example) will take you right to that option. Pressing ENTER confirms it. Your menu of tools is as follows: A: CATNIP MAGNET B: CAT REPELLENT C: MOVE EXIT D: EXPAND EXIT E: EXPAND EXIT x 2 F: TURN BACK TIME G; BUMP TABLE H: CAT-DOZER I: CAT-A-PULT J: BUILD WALL K: CAT RAPTURE L: CAT BOOKIE M: CUT TABLE IN 2 N: WRECKING BALL O: CAT-POCALYPSE W: QUIT TO MAIN X: CONTINUE Any time you want to resume the game and let the cats keep wandering, just hit X and then ENTER, and the action will start again. The tools work as follows: A: CATNIP MAGNET - This can be put on any unoccupied square on the board (you'll use the arrow keys to select a spot, and ENTER to confirm). It attracts the cats in that general direction, although not perfectly, and not in anything resembling an orderly fashion. It can usually get more cats in the general vicinity you're looking for, though. Can be destroyed by the Wrecking Ball. Can not be deployed more than once at a time, and cannot be used at the same time as Cat Repellent. B: CAT REPELLENT - Has exactly the opposite effect, making cats move away from it. Can be destroyed by the Wrecking Ball. Cannot be deployed more than once at a time, and cannot be used at the same time as the Catnip Magnet. C: MOVE EXIT - Allows you to move the exit anywhere on the board, as long as its entire size (four "squares" of screen by eight squares) will fit (the exit can't "wrap" around the screen). Its former location will be replaced by blank, empty space. It can go on top of, and eliminate, holes and walls, Cat Magnets and Cat Repellents. Any cats in the area of the new exit will be automatically pulled into the exit and saved. D: EXPAND EXIT - Adds two "squares" of width and length to the exit, as long as the resulting exit will fit on the screen. The new exit area can go on top of, and eliminate, holes, walls, and previously-placed tools. Any cats in the area of the new exit will be automatically pulled into the exit and saved. E: EXPAND EXIT x 2 - Same as above, only four squares of length and width are added. F: TURN BACK TIME - Sets the clock back 100 moves. Can be done multiple times per level, and can be activated before the clock even reaches 100 moves, although it'll just reset back to 1 and you'll have just rather foolishly wasted some points. It doesn't undo anything that's happened in the game -- just resets the timer so you have more time to save more cats. G: BUMP TABLE: After watching cats wander right up to the edge of the exit, then saunter off nonchalantly toward the nearest hole in the ground, who doesn't have the urge to "tilt" the board like a 1970's pinball game? Simply choose an edge - north, south, east or west - and the table will be bumped, sending the cats toward the opposite edge. Nearly all of the cats will all move to some degree, but not all will go all the way to the opposite edge of the table. Cats can be flung right into the exit, saving them, or right into a hole. They can't collide with walls or each other while being flung, though, so you don't have to worry about exploding mid-air collisions or anything like that. A few of the tenacious little rats may dig in their claws and hang on to their original spot, just to be stubborn. Bump Table can be used multiple times per level. It does not affect stationary objects (walls, exit, Catnip Magnet, Cat Repellent). H: CATDOZER - Pick a square on the board with the arrows. Pick a direction (right to left or left to right). Out comes the CATDOZER, plowing across the board, scooping up all in its path and pushing it across. The Catdozer will scoop up cats as it moves along the board. It destroys all walls, Catnip Magnets, Cat Repellent and Cat-A-Pults in its path. The cats stay in the Catdozer and can safely pass over holes. If the Catdozer encounters the exit, it stops and deposits all its cats safely. This can be a big game-changer, which is why the Catdozer costs so much. When the Catdozer reaches the other side of the board, any cats not dropped off at the exit will line up in a row where the Catdozer stopped. A NOTE ABOUT THE CATDOZER: it starts, and ends, on the extreme left and right edges of the playfield. It may be hard to see the cursor to select where to place it, or to see the cats it drops off at its conclusion. ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT THE CATDOZER: it's incredibly powerful and a huge game-changer, but in this incarnation of Herding Cats, it's really, really slow - particularly when it picks up a cat or passes over the exit. Working on that will be a goal for the final version. I: CAT-A-PULT - Pick an area on the board, and a direction, and the CAT-A-PULT will be deployed. Any cats who step on its five-square by five-square area will be flung in the direction you've chosen. Move the cursor to where you want the top left corner of the Cat-A-Pult to be. If a sufficient area isn't clear to the right of and below the cursor, you will not be able to build there. The Cat-A-Pult flings cats pretty hard, so if the "screen wrap" is on, a cat could actually wrap around the screen and end up on the opposite side. A cat can also fall down a hole, or into the exit, depending on where they land after being flung. If a cat flies OVER a hole while en route to the ground, though, it won't fall in. Likewise, the cat can't hit a wall in mid-fling, but if the cat hits a wall, Cat-A-Pult or Cat Repellent when it lands, it'll splat. The Catdozer can destroy part or all of your Cat-A-Pult. If part of the Cat-A-Pult remains on the screen, it can still be used by cats. You can only buy one Cat-A-Pult per level, even if you bulldoze it off the board or otherwise manage to destroy it. J: BUILD WALL - Allows you to place a square of wall on the board, using the cursor and arrow keys. Build walls to keep cats in a confined area, or to keep them away from holes and other danger. Walls you build have the same properties as walls in place at the beginning of the level, and can be removed by the Wrecking Ball, or destroyed in the creation of a new or larger exit, a Cat-a-pult, or Cat-Dozer. You can only build a wall on an empty square - if there's a hole or object there, clear it first with the wrecking ball. K: CAT RAPTURE - Miss all your late, lamented furry friends? Put away that ouiija board and bring them back to life! The Cat Rapture replenishes the game with all the cats who've died so far, placed into random locations on the board. It can be deployed as often as you'd like. L: CAT BOOKIE - Allows you to place bets on how many cats you'll save, or (if you're a sadistic bastard) on how many will be killed over the course of the level. The bookie will offer you an amount in points, which he'll pay out at the end of the level for each cat you kill or save. However, you also agree to pay for every cat who does the opposite thing. For instance, let's say you bet on saving your cats, and you save eight, but six die. You'll get paid for the eight, and then you'll pay out for the six, for a net payout of (two cats x the bet amount). The bookie will adjust his offer amount, depending on what has transpired in the level so far, and will not take bets too near the end of the level, or if the bet is too obvious (for example, if you've already killed 13 of 15 cats and then asked to win for each cat you'd killed). Choosing the Cat-Pocalypse cancels all bets, so you can't bet on your cats dying and then immediately blow them all up. You'll just have to let them meet a slower, more random end through neglect, like the rest of us do. M: CUT TABLE IN 2 - Allows you to remove half the playfield and everything on it. This can be helpful if one side of the board has an excessive amount of holes or obstacles,or you just want there to be less room for the cats to wander off to. The table is cut down the middle, and either the right or left side is removed, square by square, depending on which side the exit is on. If the exit is in the middle of the table, you cannot cut it in two, and must move the exit first. All cats on the removed side of the table are killed off. Once half of the table has been removed, a wall is put up on both sides of it, to keep cats from wandering into the void. The Wrecking Ball can not only punch a hole in that wall, but even reclaim the void, one square at a time. Bump Table can also send cats hurtling into the void, where they will die. You can also move the exit into the empty space between the walls... but why would you? N: WRECKING BALL - Perhaps a bit of a misleading name. The Wrecking Ball does, in fact, knock down squares of wall, restoring them to flat, empty surface where a cat can walk. But it also does this to every other surface it touches, as well, including holes, Cat Repellent, Cat Magnet, and even cats themselves (the cats don't fare too well in this process, so it's not recommended unless you need a cat to die to move the game along. Or if you just really dislike the little jerk.) You move a cursor with the arrow keys until you've found the square you wish to make flat, and then press enter. If you want to wreck more than one square, you'll have to press N and ENTER again, then move to the next location -- a slightly more deliberate approach that we hope gives you a moment to think before engaging in wanton destructive sprees. (Not saying you shouldn't engage in wanton destructive sprees... just stop and reflect on them pensively first.) You cannot use the Wrecking Ball on the exit. Destroying Cat Repellent or Catnip Magnet with the Wrecking Ball allows you to deploy either of them again, but there are no refunds on such tools - make sure you're not spending too many points to survive the level. If you damage your Cat-A-Pult with the Wrecking Ball, you can neither fix it nor buy a new one in that level. O: CAT-POCALYPSE - Kills off all remaining cats on the board, bringing about the end of the level. Useful if you've saved all but one or two cats and they have no intention of coming near the exit, or if you're just frustrated and like to watch crudely-drawn small cats blow up. The Cat-Pocalypse negates any bets made with the Cat Bookie. [P through V are inactive and reserved for future use.] W: QUIT TO MAIN: ends your game and returns to the main menu X: CONTINUE: exits the menu and restarts the game. END OF LEVEL: When all the cats are either saved or dispatched, or when your timer reaches the time limit, a shrill whistle will sound, and your status will be displayed. If you've placed a bet with the Cat Bookie, your winnings (or losses) will be shown and your score adjusted accordingly. There is also a bonus, increasing with each level, for saving every cat on the board. If you met your points goal, you are invited to go on to the next level. If not, your game is over. If you somehow make it through all thirty levels, the game will end and you'll be thanked by the surviving cats for your valiant efforts. KNOWN ISSUES: At this writing, the game is in beta release. The code needs a good going-over to save some memory and speed things up a bit. The Catdozer, as mentioned earlier, is excruciatingly slow at the moment. FUTURE UPDATE PLANS: We planned thirty levels for the game, but only had room for ten in this self-contained beta release. The final version will have 30 or more levels, which will load from disk. Also, a "save game" option will be included in the final release. We're mulling over several more tools to add to the final version, but nothing to confirm publicly yet. Also, when we do the final release of the game (including a limited physical edition disk version, with box and manual), I plan to create a two-player version of Herding Cats, where you can take on an opponent or the computer itself, to compete to bring the most cats to your exit and undermine your opponent. A level editor is also a possibility. CONTACT: Any questions, concerns, or bug reports can be sent to Keith Bergman at [email protected] or posted on the AtariAge.com TI programming forum. Herding Cats is for all intents and purposes, freeware. I jokingly call it "cup-of-coffee-ware" -- if you really enjoy it and want to express your thanks, send $2.00 via PayPal to the email address above, to buy me a cup of coffee. Or just email me and let me know you enjoy it. Herding Cats may not be sold by anyone else, in any configuration or format, or as part of any software collection. It may be freely distributed through electronic or other means, and I encourage and appreciate its wide distribution. Updates to the game will be posted at orphantech.com, where the game will have its own dedicated information and download page.

Soooooo close! I made it till about 3 last night. I probably shoulda gone to bed earlier and tackled more of it today, but today's got a lot of that pesky "real life with kids" stuff happening, so my time will be limited. I have five more tools to code, but the 'hardwired' stuff to make them work is already in the game, so it's just a matter of adding the user inputs and a few minor adjustments. I'm down to 4.5K... my goal will be to fit ten levels into this beta release, and then do 30 (or hell, maybe more) on the final version, with disk loading. I hope to submit the game by the end of the day.

So... sick... of coding.... Nearing the end of the tool coding, which is the meat of the game. I'm debugging the "cat-dozer" right now. One problem I hadn't thought about -- with only four levels actually coded into DATA statements, and more code left to finish the guts, I'm down to 6K of free space. I may not be able to fit all 30 levels into a self-contained program. If this becomes a problem tonight, I'll trim the amount of levels in this beta release, to turn it in for the contest, then strip out all the DATA statements later on and load level data from a disk file instead. Gonna go stretch for a few minutes and then get back at it. I foresee an all-nighter.

Good on ya! I'm in the middle of an all-dayer over here as well. Just implemented the "cat-a-pult", cat rapture (no relation), and finally chased down a couple bugs in the "cat bookie". Hoping to have the rest of the tools coded in the next couple hours, which leaves me the rest of the night to finish up my level designs. Level four... "Bridge over troubled whiskers."

I haven't cut-and-pasted any of the code from this game yet, simply because I want to enjoy it as a finished product (well, 'contest ready' at least) when I check it for the first time. Really looking forward to it - the screenshots look awesome!

Aww, thanks, you guys. I hope the concept and gameplay help it rise above its more primitive look. My philosophy is always 'less is more' in that department - and besides, I can't draw for crap. The one Achilles heel of the game, potentially, is speed. I'm sure that will come as no surprise to anyone, as it's coded 100% in XB at the moment. So far I find it works for me -- it's obviously not meant to be a fast-action thriller, and I enjoy setting the tools to work and then letting it go for a bit to see what the cats end up doing. It remains to be seen if it's too slow for everyone else, or if the pace works. There's always CPU Overdrive... Or an eventual assembly rewrite. Heck, the code is an unsightly mess right now. I know there are places I can tighten it up and probably speed things up a bit, once I get the whole thing working and have time to finesse. Again, thanks for all the encouragement. I'll probably lay off the further updates till I turn in the finished game, so I can focus on getting it done. No sleep till beta test!

Level 1: Nice and Easy. (This stocks you up with points to 'spend' on tools later.) Level 2: Mind the Holes Level 3: Wrong Side of Trax (Daunting looking, but a simple tool tames this board quickly) I only have 99999 points on the level 3 screenshot because I used the 'easter egg' I had to add, to make sure I could test higher levels easily.

"Zerozap - Does anyone know when the fun is supposed to start?" Sorry, couldn't resist.

Update: the first three REAL levels of the game, not just test modes, are finished. "Nice and Easy," "Mind the Holes," and "Wrong Side of Trax," they're called. Seeing actual game levels has changed my whole outlook on this thing, as I was beginning to get a bit bogged down in the details and second-guessing the whole idea a bit. Speaking of getting bogged down, I did some bug fixes tonight, and started coding the "cat bookie" -- you'll be able to bet the house on how many of your cats make it, or, if you're a sadistic bastard, how many will bite the dust. The cat bookie will taunt you accordingly and calculates the wagers based on how many cycles are left in the round, how many cats are still onscreen, etc. Many of the other cat tools yet to be coded - the "cat rapture," building wall segments, etc. - are a matter of a few lines each. We may actually be getting to the home stretch here! If I make it late enough tonight I'll post pix of the finished levels.

I hope everything's ok? :/ Unfinished Destroyer can still kick my game's butt. We'll be happy to have it if you can knock it together, but we all understand that life gets in the way, a lot. My "all day programming day" just started over here... at 8:30pm. hehe Good luck man! Keith

Ai yi yi!! Working on the user tools to finish the game by this weekend, and I had a sudden bolt of inspiration -- WAY too big to add before the contest ends! So, as it stands now, Herding Cats Beta will be released by the deadline, as a one-player game... But when I release the official Herding Cats 1.0, it will have a two-player competitive mode! TWO exits, one on either side of the screen... you against an opponent or the computer... each of you doing things to manipulate the board and get more cats to your exit, AND undoing your opponent's work, AND sabotaging their efforts. That actually pretty much makes it a different game! I may do "Herding Cats I and II" and when I do the physical release, package them together. Back to work... hopefully more photos tonight as I near completion...

Oh, and don't think that the "Bill McBoulder of Grand Junction, Colorado" reference slipped by unnoticed, either. Well played, sir.

I don't know much about it at all, I'm just learning a little bit myself, having heard of the term and seen some work being done on a couple games over on the vic-20 forum. If a contest is held too soon after the current one, I won't be able to play -- I've gotta get some other projects wrapped up, and I really want to get started on my Downward game soon. And one of these days, because I'm insane, I want to get up to speed on Vic-20 BASIC so I can start converting my games to that platform too. If only I could get someone to pay me to retro-code full time...

I'd never heard the term "roguelike" till fairly recently, over on the Denial Vic-20 boards, but I'm definitely intrigued. I think the potential for a game like that, perhaps combined with elements of interactive fiction (text adventure), would be huge. And if you went really roguelike and did it all in text, you could bust out 40-column mode. Focus, Keith... one thing at a time... Herding Cats will definitely not be 100% complete by the deadline, but it will be playable and all the levels will be installed. Before I put it out as a final version, though, I definitely want to refine it a bit more. With this snowstorm blowing in, I may have more TI time than I thought over the next couple days... as long as the power stays on. :/

So as we hit the home stretch, are there any games besides Destroyer, Honeycomb Rapture, and Herding Cats going into consideration? Is Pong going to be an entry?

My goal is to have Herding Cats and Downward both finished by then, and to demo them both at the Faire. I'm not 100% sure I want to release HC on its own yet, or if I can have Downward finished in time -- I want to see how it's coming along in a month or two and then decide. If Downward turns out really good, I might "release" it in a package, and put HC on it as a bonus, or something. It's all still too nebulous right now for me to make a final decision. Ideally, I'll be done with both games and on to the next project by then, but life has a way of sneaking in there and messing up plans... Right now I just gotta focus on getting HC done this week. I still have to finish designing all the levels, once the actual functionality of the game is done.

OK, photo tour of the game so far: The title screen. The border of cats is animated. Credits screen. I stole the idea of 'cup-of-coffee-ware' from someone else's site, I don't remember who. If you like my game, PayPal me $2 for a cup of coffee. The first level's goals are explained. Basically, level 1 is a blow-off, to let you get used to the tools and mess around, but you can still lose in the first round. And here we are, level one, cats merrily roaming... You've pressed space, and are now scrolling through your menu of options. You can use the arrow keys or type the letter of the individual tool to select it. Oh dear! You've chosen the "cat-pocalypse," and your cats are blowing up, one by one. Ah, here we are. Level two, and a slew of cats all jumbled together. Sure, they explode on contact with each other now, but they wouldn't be dumb enough to run into each -- oh. Well, if they're going to blow each other up anyway, why not cut the table in half, sacrifice some, and keep the others from wandering too far off? Well, that's less area to keep track of, and an ever-so-fancy wall to keep the little furry geniuses from wandering randomly off into the abyss. Surely now we'll reach our goal of 20,000 points, right? Uh... right? Oh dear. This game isn't even beta tested yet, and already, I suck at it. More tools enabled tonight!

I hope folks here are keen on remakes as well, because I've got another TI one underway and an A2600 one I'm looking to revive. Perhaps one day I'll get up enough gumption to try homebrewing too. Another idea I have, which I touched on briefly in Retrogaming Times this month, is revamps of, or sequels to, existing (and possibly forgotten) games. One that comes to mind for me is Lost Ruins, originally a 99'er magazine type-in game. Lots of potential there for a more fully-developed game concept. I'd love to do a one-player version of Hordes with some decent AI, too, so I could play it against the computer. Too many projects for one lifetime!

Well, the "all nighter" only lasted till about 3am. I guess I'm getting old. Got quite a bit done, though, and a lot of the remaining work is easy stuff. I hope to get a bunch more of the player functions installed tonight, and I will definitely post some pix later today. I have to go spend some time with those small humans who live in my house, though - not sure what they're called, again? Perhaps I do need a break from the TI...

Still plugging away at 2:30am... you can now cut the playfield in half, which dooms any kitties on that side to oblivion, but which keeps the rest from wandering too far from the exit. Next function: the "cat bookie," who allows you to bet some of your points on how many cats you actually save...

So far so good... when you hit space to pause the action and use your tools, my little menu works -- you can page through all your options quickly with the arrow keys, or pick your tool of choice with a letter command. All you can do is resume the cats' wandering or quit to main so far, but it's all formatted properly and works right, so we're cookin'. Once I get a few more of the tools implemented, I'll copy it over to the PC so I can get a few screen grabs to post. Getting 'in the zone' now, though - caffeine is kicking in and I'm jazzed on some minor successes.

Thanks! I just realized where my bad values were coming from. So stupid... I typed over a line that checked to make sure a particular cat wasn't already offscreen (dead or at the goal). If that cat is gone, the X value is SUPPOSED to be zero, but it's supposed to cycle on to the next cat, then. Tell me again why I thought coding this on real gear was a good idea? :/ Anyway, problem solved... onward and upward!

Tonight marks the final push... gonna try to have at least a good bit of the game functionality working by the time I go to bed (which could be sunrise, at the rate I'm going). Dealing right now with bad values coming in when the cat moves - an x-coordinate of zero is somehow getting through even though I check for it in all directions (if the coordinate is zero, the cat either "wraps" to the other side of the screen, or just goes "bump" and picks a new direction, depending on whether screen wrap is activated on that level). Also, the multitude of IF-AND-AND-AND-THEN statements to make the cat repellent/attractant tools work is slowing things down a bit... I need to puzzle out a better solution there. I'll probably be posting all night as I take breaks from the 99/4A and beat my head against the desk. Make some coffee and stay up with me, won't you? (or, depending on your locale, wake up to my programming nightmares)

Adam, Very happy to see you surface here! I've had your blog bookmarked since well before I started my own programming 'rebirth,' and I check it regularly for updates. I hope this forum inspires you; it definitely seems to have kicked off a little bit of a frenzy of activity.