Java, Bots, and YouJava, Bots, and YouThis is a thrown-together homepage (perhaps to be developed) for my "Java, Bots, and You" textbook and associated stuff. This is the material I use for a Computers 1 course that teaches Java programming using a "Robot Simulator." In a series of assignments, the student solves successively more difficult mazes, applying new Java concepts with each round. It is somewhat focused on being Object Oriented (althouh I am still reworking it to be more so), especially with the concept of Things in the maze that the Bot can grab and use.
With each assignment the student extends the base Bot class with their new bot, and writes a compute() method. They have basic commands (step, turn, grab, say, etc) that they can use. The first assignment has a fixed maze, and then the mazes get more variable so they need to use loops, items found in the maze, etc., to make their way towards the goal.
Also, please do not hesitate to contact me to tell me how it goes, what went wrong, or what else you need to know to make your life easier.
bot.jar
This is a jar of the classes--it makes it easier to set up student environments that use the package.
bot.tar.gz
These are all the classes and java files.
botdocs.tar.gz
The javadocs are here. They are also compressed
(tar, gzip) and available above. I recommend
using them as a launching point to how you might use java docs as a programmer.
console.jar
This is an extra jar with some classes to make text-based programming easier. These classes are also in the bot.jar. This is just for more lightweight applications if you aren't interested in bots.
Running it can be done via:
Enjoy. Please tell me what you think.
-Luke Weisman Miratrix