I know it doesn't matter but it strangely bothers me that the example code defines a function's keyword arguments as kawargs.

That is the standard python convention.

https://docs.python.org/2/faq/programming.html#how-can-i-pas...

That's not what they meant. They were referring to the typo: kawargs

Since we're talking games and code: 'tptacek, I have a question for you, and you already know what it is :).

You will perish in flames!

By which he means "Development on Starfighter's first game continues apace. It's, like every development project ever, slower than we expected it to be, and has involved some going down dead alleys as we explore how to make fun core game systems. We've got some of the core systems built and are firming up the other ones, and starting to build levels on top of them. We optimistically think folks will have a lot of fun with this when it launches, which will be when it launches -- we don't want to jinx ourselves by committing to a ship date."

You will perish in flames!

Thank you both for detailed and comprehensive answers.

Next reminder due in one month, context allowing :).

The dude abides

I do not like these types of posts when I can't actually see, try the product and it is kind of annoying since I kind of got hooked but will have to drop my email to some company that hopefully won't sell it to some ad company :(

Hi! CheckiO community manager here.

We're about to begin sending invitations, just subscribe on empireofcode.com and you'll get your invitation really soon!

You responded to a complaint about the website providing insuffcient information about the game and simply asking for an email address... with no information about the game and a request for an email address.

I hope the game itself is more logical than this.

Have you tried scrolling landing page? There's more info on the bottom of the page :)

I love CheckIO and can't wait to play with this!

I'm an elementary school teacher, and this past semester I taught programming to 4th and 5th graders. We progressed through Code.org to independent Scratch projects to writing Python. Taking that last step from graphics to text/Scratch to Python was a hard one for the kids. I'd been thinking about using something like CodeCombat with them next year, but I'm excited to see if Empire of Code could be a viable option!

What are your thoughts on scheme vs. python for teaching programming grades 4-8? UC Berkeley switched from SICP to (SICP - Scheme + Python) and I love both scheme and python but haven't the foggiest idea which is actually better for the student. I grew up on Simply Scheme (by Brian Harvey and Matt Wright) and SICP. In the mid 90s, python wasn't available as an option for me. After using HyperTalk '92-'95, learning Scheme was enlightening, and it was my language of choice '96-'04. Then I found python in '04, which addressed the "thicket of incompatible implementations" problems Scheme had and provided more powerful data structures (list and dict) out of the box. Python code is easier on the eyes as well; the human eye is not designed to quickly differentiate six ")" in a row from five ")" in a row.

The added syntactic readability of python comes at the cost of increased complexity of the parser, complicating the design of the meta-circular interpreter (SICP ch. 4).

The added power of the built-in data structures (list and dict) comes at the cost of increased complexity of the implementation of the built-in library, complicating the design of the explicit control evaluator (SICP ch. 5).

What are your thoughts? Is there any hope of adapting the ideas of SICP for 4th-8th graders?

The original Empire - http://www.classicempire.com

I had often thought of making the computer strategy pluggable, so that players could build their own bots and have them compete. It would be fun, and an enormous time waster :-)

I grew up playing this as a kid, and I still have a copy installed. It is a simple, unassuming game, with the curious property of erasing large blocks of time from memory

I also keep thinking I should port it to javascript, so it can be run in a browser. Just think on those interminable waits at the airport you could be playing Empire!

Didn't minecraft's Notch say he was going to make a space game similar to something like this?

I think that was 0x10c, I think he abandoned it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0x10c

I hope it's not programming puzzles tacked on to a strategy game. I much prefer the programming part to be an integral portion of the gameplay.

Looks awesome! I would love to start playing the beta =)

Wow, that had to be fastest and least I had to question whether I wanted to know more. Yes...Yes I do.

Am I the only one getting an empty black screen on the signup page?

No, I'm getting it too.

Hi!

It's been fixed already

When is that going to come?

July 16