Code Combet + Firefox = win

Wow. This runs so much better in Firefox. Go figure.
It's nearly unplayable in Chrome (which surprised me), it's a lot better in IE (which floored me), but it's smooth as silk in FF. Well, aside from slowing down a bit as the thang count increases.

Also, in IE my solution to one of the levels locks up every time I submit it even though it runs fine in the 'debug environment'. In FF? Works like a charm. Go figure. >.> FF just earned a spot back on my computer.

Smart methods can make a developer look stupid.

So I'm playing through Code Combat (works a lot better generally using Python and in IE though it still has a lot of head-on-desk problems) and I reach a section where I'm supposed to blow up ogres but not villagers. Thing is I only have access to findnearestenemy() in order to identify them. Now it's a pretty explicit method name but I'm much more used to dealing with very simple functions. I'm expecting this to give me whatever the nearest actor is and make me decide whether it's something I want to attack or not. Indeed, a method that does that is generally more useful. So I'm bonking my head for 5 minutes or so because the example code which you're forced to use doesn't account for villagers.

Well apparently findnearestenemy() only returns hostiles. Duh. But. As a method that makes it painfully specific. I'd much rather have a method that gives me the nearest actor and lets me decide whether it's one I care about or not. Maybe that method comes later.

CodeCombat take 2

So, it works much better in IE. To my great disappointment. It looks like Coffeescript is rather better/more fully implemented. Since they say it's mostly written in Coffeescript that stands to reason. What doesn't stand to reason is that even the CS implementation has bugs, or at least one level/possibly game, breaking bug. You can't attack in a loop. Though to be complete I don't think I tried attacking and something else in the same loop, but the level startup script contained a comment that attacking in a loop was currently broken. Anyway. That worked in Python, but it seems a bit silly to expect someone to work an entirely different syntax just to winkle their way past a few levels here and there.

Oh, and they're looking to hire a level designer which for a 'game' like this would be a very particular set of skills. Suggests that they're doing pretty well too. Though, having a good handful of languages implemented (mostly and partially) is generally pretty good.

Having escaped the dungeon it's time to explore the countryside. Onward!

Edit: Correction. There are a ton of bugs in IE as well. For an extremely frustrating example the second level in the forest area requires the leather boots. Only I couldn't buy them because the price was 'undefined.' Which may only be a minor data error but it stymied my progress until I decided to try buying the next upgrade of boots (reinforced or something) which I thankfully already had the gems for. Equally thankfully the game only checks that you have the required methods available on your equipped gear (in this case the moveXY method) rather than checking the gear itself. So that was at least thoughtfully implemented.
And then, of course, I don't know how many times I'd gone in and out of the level in the forest before it the second level stayed unlocked without a refresh. Here's the scenario: Enter level 2. Fiddle with it some and get frustrated at the bugs. Close IE to try it in Chrome. Get sick of it there, and go back to IE. Level 2 is closed. ?!? Hit refresh. Level 2 is back. !?!
Maybe the page is cache-enabled when it shouldn't be? But Chrome didn't have that particular problem. It has different problems. Cumulatively it's getting to be enough to put me right off the game.

Oh, and apparently you can put @attack in a loop in Coffeescript as long as there's some other statement with it. So... yeah.

It's the end of the year as we know it

The year is finally over, the holidaze are past, and I think my EOM-induced jetlag is mostly receded.
And now I've discovered that CodeCombat supports Io. Best surprise I've had all year. Might even keep that title through December!

It's marked experimental but I'm always up for a bit of frustration (or I wouldn't be interested in code anyway). Time to test it out!

Edit: Aww, massive letdown. It's not implemented anywhere near fully enough to be playable. Or maybe fun. I mean, basic loop structures aren't in place. So theoretically you might be able to play through (so far everything I've seen could be done purely by hand but I have no idea how long that will hold out) but you certainly won't learn anything useful or even enjoy the experience. Mind, this is only relevant to Io; I haven't looked at any of the other language implementations yet.