Debugging and version control

class: center, middle
.title[Game Development 2]
<br/><br/>
.subtitle[Debugging and version control]
<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>
.date[Mar 2025] 
<br/><br/><br/>
.note[Created with [Liminal](https://github.com/jonathanlilly/liminal) using [Remark.js](http://remarkjs.com/) + [Markdown](https://github.com/adam-p/markdown-here/wiki/Markdown-Cheatsheet) +  [KaTeX](https://katex.org)]

???

Author: Grigore Burloiu, UNATC
    
---
name: toc
class: left
# ★ Table of Contents ★

1. [The 30 Circle Test](#the-30-circle-test)
2. [Semester overview](#semester-overview)
3. [Debugging](#debugging)
4. [Version control](#version-control)
5. [Assignment](#assignment)

---
layout: true  .toc[[★](#toc)]

---
name: the-30-circle-test
class: center
# The 30 Circle Test

---
## The rules

fill each circle with a drawing

circles need to be different

you have 60 seconds
- fill in as many as possible in this time

no cheating
- no overtime etc

---
class: center
## How many circles did you fill in?

## Why not 30?

## Try it again!

[what happened?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6XLbzF6BDU&t=858s)

---
name: semester-overview
# Semester overview

Grig / PICO-8
- weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14
- 6 assignments, 10p each, 50p max
- building & sharing a PICO-8 game

Dragos / Unity
- weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13
- 40p class activity, 10p exam session presentation
- collaborating & developing a game in Unity

---
name: debugging
# Debugging

something's going wrong → we made a mistake
- (the computer is always* right)

how do we find where our mistake is? where to look?

programming = instructions + memory

debugging = examining the state of the **memory** at a given point

in practice:
1. looking at our **variables**
2. verifying if they're behaving correctly

---
## In PICO-8

We debug by **logging** variable values to the **terminal**.

- [helper code](https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=42367)
- [printh reference](https://www.lexaloffle.com/dl/docs/pico-8_manual.html#PRINTH)

---
## In Unity

logging: [`Debug.Log()`](https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Debug.Log.html)

using Visual Studio:
- pausing the execution on a *breakpoint* in code
- inspecting the memory

---
name: version-control
# Version control

.left-column[
  [GitHub Desktop](https://desktop.github.com/)

- [UnityLearn tutorial](https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/set-up-version-control)
- [GitHub for Unity](https://unity.github.com/)
- [How to Git with Unity](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/how-to-git-with-unity)

THE BIG FIVE
- clone, pull, add, commit, push

more git / GitHub [resources](../resources#git-and-github)
]

.right-column[<img style="width:100%"  src="../attachments/git-in-case-of-fire.png">]

---
## Setting up a PICO-8 proj for version control

1. find your PICO-8 folder
   - open PICO-8 and run: `folder`
  
2. create a project repo in that folder (making an empty subdir)
   - GitHub Desktop - File - New repository...

3. in PICO-8, enter the repo and save an empty .p8 proj there
   - run: `cd myProject`
   - run: `save myProject`

4. in the code editor, enter:
```lua
#include code.lua
```

6. open the repo **folder** in VS Code and edit `code.lua`:
 
```lua
left,right,up,down,btn_o,btn_x=0,1,2,3,4,5
black,dark_blue,dark_purple,dark_green,brown,dark_gray,light_gray,white,red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,pink,peach=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15
printh('HELLO DEBUG!')
```

---
## PICO-8 setup cont'd: debugging

1. with VS Code open in your project folder, create a new file `pico.bat`
   
2. inside `pico.bat`, add the following and save:
```
"c:/your/path/to/pico8.exe" -run "myProject.p8"
```

3. click `Terminal > New Terminal` (or press `Ctrl+tilde`)
.right-column[
<img src="../attachments/vs-pico-debug.gif" style="width:100%">
]

4. in the terminal, press `p`, then `TAB`, then `ENTER`

5. in GitHub Desktop, **commit** and **push** your changes
   
---
name: assignment
# Assignment

Plan a new game to build in PICO-8.

- can be a mod of an existing PICO-8 cart
- can be a new implementation of an existing design

---

create a github repo for your new PICO-8 project
- edit the `readme.md` with a basic description

deliverable: github link to
- your `.p8` file showing some (any) initial progress
- `readme.md` file

(optionally)
*create a basic Gantt chart / project timeline
- at least 6 mini-milestones*