Subcategories

• Tutorials

  Step-by-step guide for building mini-projects

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  Most devices can do something called “Keybinding” This is useful in games like EV.IO. You can duplicate something like this in CreatiCode. Let me show you how.

  First, make a new project.

  Screenshot 2024-04-11 1.48.29 PM.png

  Then delete the dog sprite. Switch to the “Empty1” sprite. Now drag a “When ____” Block to the editing panel.

  🌟 New block discovered! 🌟

  Inside of that, put a “and” operator.

  🌟 New block discovered! 🌟

  Inside of the operator, put two “Key ___ pressed” sensing block.

  🌟 New block discovered! 🌟

  After that, put whatever code you want to put in.

  Finished product:

  Screenshot 2024-04-11 1.43.38 PM.png

  Happy coding! - Shrukin

• 2D Blocks

  How to use each 2D block

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  Introduction

   

  In traditional MIT Scratch, we can broadcast a message that all sprites running on the stage can receive and handle. For multiplayer network games, this capability is extended so you can broadcast a message to all players’ computers.

  The message will be sent to the game server first, which then relays the message to all other players. Therefore, there might be some delay before all players receive that message.

   
   

  Broadcast Block

   

  To broadcast the message, you can use the following block in the multiplayer category:

  248b5341-4278-4f0b-ba8a-326942c62082-image.png

   
  It accepts these inputs:

  Message Type: you can define any message type using the “when I receive” block, then choose that message type in this dropdown.

  Parameter: you can optionally attach a parameter to this message

  Receiver Scope: you can choose between “All Sprites” or “Original Sprites”. If “All Sprites” is selected, all sprites on all players’ playgrounds will be able to receive this message using the “when I receive” block. If “Original Sprites”, then only the original sprites added to the game will be able to receive this message, and the copies made by the game server on other computers/tabs will not receive this message, neither would the local sprites. For example, if a message is about giving a reward to a sprite, then it should only be handled once by the original sprite (not the copies).

   
  This block is an easy way to do almost anything synchronously across all the player computers. For example, to make a sprite change its costume, you can broadcast a message to all players, and then change the sprite’s costume when the message is received by each player’s computer.

  The only exception is that you should not change the speed or position of sprites using this method, since the game server takes full control of the motion and position of every sprite added to the game network.

   
   

  Demo 1 - Broadcast to All Sprites

   

  In this demo project, we repeatedly broadcast a message to all sprites, with the current timer value as the parameter. And for every sprite, when it receives this message, it will “say” it on the stage.

  https://play.creaticode.com/projects/6607f888b57a3da838c32b3f
  
  

   
  To run it, follow these steps:

  Create a game as the host on one computer/tab, and add the “BlueBall” sprite to the game network. Also, add a handler for the event of “greeting” that prints out the parameter briefly:

  8037ac27-5bfb-4cb5-a3fa-407e950d0625-image.png

   
  2. In another computer or an incognito tab, run the project as the guest, and add the obstacle sprite to the game network. Also, add a handler for the event of “greeting” that prints out the parameter briefly:

  6c67c990-f782-40b3-a339-b0c26d638901-image.png

   
  3. Switch back to the host player, and run the repeat loop to broadcast the “greeting” message to all sprites on all computers every 2 seconds:

  28755b5c-8257-4f03-8ac0-75b60cbf79e5-image.png
   
  As a result, all sprites on both computers, we will see both sprites saying the timer value every 2 seconds:

  msg.gif

   
   

  Demo 2 - Broadcast to Original Sprites Only

   

  For the same project, let’s change the broadcast target to “Original Sprites”:

  f38fcd25-fe6e-4ad7-a3e7-5d2b7b50a098-image.png

   
  As a result, only the original sprites (ball on left and square on right) will receive this message:

  msg2.gif

• 3D Blocks

  How to use each 3D block

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  Introduction

  When there are many objects in a 3D scene, you can iterate through all of them using the following block:

  ace349ad-1982-4da7-b3cc-db38788da9f8-image.png

   
  This block will go through all 3D objects created in the current sprite one by one. The variable dropdown allows you to specify a variable, so that the name of each object is stored in this variable one by one.

  You can use this variable to select that object inside this loop, and then add other blocks to manipulate that object.

   
   

  Example Program

   
  This program will create 3 boxes and move them one by one repeatedly. Note that to move a box, we need to select it as the “sprite object” first, and the “object name” variable tells us the name of each box.

   

  53d80d5c-b1df-4e8c-b203-97b1acb1c949-image.png

   
  This is the result:

  obj.gif

   
  You can try the program here:

  https://play.creaticode.com/projects/3b5253351ee5292751648924
  
  

• Live Books

  Free K-12 books that you can use in combination with the CreatiCode platform to learn coding and technologies. Their content will be continuously updated based on your feedback.

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  No new posts.
• Programming

  How to design and develop a solution program

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  Prerequisite The For-Loop Block The Repeat Block The Repeat Until Block The Forever Block

   

  What are Loops?

  A “loop” is a block for playing other blocks repeatedly. Below are some loop blocks you can use on the CreatiCode playground;

  
   

  What are Nested Loops?

  When you put one loop inside another loop, it becomes a “nested loop”. You can even have a third loop inside the inner loop.

  
   

  How Nested Loops Work?

  When you run a program with a nested loop, the inner (child) loop will work like a normal loop. However, because of the outer (parent) loop, the inner loop itself will be repeated.

  Here is a step-by-step example:

  Step 1: The main loop is played.

  
   

  Step 2: The Nested loop is started.

  
   

  Step 3: The blocks inside the nested loop are played until the condition of the nested loop is completed.

  
   

  Step 4: The blocks after the nested loop are played (if there are any).

  
   

  Step 5: The main loop is restarted.

  Note: All of the above 5 steps keep repeating until the condition of the main loop is completed.

  For example, as shown below, “repeat until ” is the nested loop, which keeps the monkey moving until it touches the edge of the stage. And “repeat (5)” is the main loop which repeats the nested loop 5 times.

  
   

  Use of Nested Loops

  We use Nested loops when we want to repeat multiple blocks at the same time, until multiple conditions are completed.

  For example, as shown below, nested loops are used to make the monkey move and eat bananas at the same time.

  
   

• Tools

  Design tools, math tools, collaboration tools, programming tools

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  Posts

  

  Introduction

   

  To most people, quizzes are not fun: they can be too easy or too hard, and we may have to take them before we are ready. However, quizzes are one of the most effective tools for reinforcing what we have learned and identifying gaps in our understanding.

  With XO, you can get quizzes that are much more fun: you can customize the theme of the quizzes and choose the difficulty level.

  If you are a teacher, you can also use XO to generate quizzes for your entire class.

   
  For an important note: XO can not accurate evaluate all quizzes yet, especially coding challenges. That is because currently, XO can not run the program, so it has to rely on reviewing the code. Also, XO is not smart enough to recognize all coding issues yet (though it is catching up fast!). To be safe, teachers may still need to review the final answers.

   
   

  Generate Quiz for Any Difficulty Level

   

  In the most basic format, you can ask XO to generate a random quiz by saying “give me a quiz on [TOPIC] with difficulty [LEVEL]”. The LEVEL can be 1, 2, 3 or 4, with 1 being the easiest. For example, when you say “give me a quiz on variables with difficulty 1”, you may get a response like this:

  7ce88214-7a56-4a83-883a-7e48eb72277b-image.png

   
  Now you can simply answer the quiz in the chat and get the result:

  e1dc5516-e4e9-410e-8014-ac075047ce0e-image.png

   
   

  Specify Quiz Format

   

  By default, XO will randomly select from these 3 formats: coding challenge, multiple-choice question and short-answer question. However, you can specify the format if you have a preference. For example, you can ask “give me a coding challenge on variables with difficulty 2”:

  72d6bef5-00bf-4cfd-8cc3-23d4efd6a2d9-image.png

   
  After implementing the solution, we can ask XO to check out solution by saying “check my code” or “check my answer”. If there is an issue, XO will point it out:

  d6552510-084a-484a-9465-b28e7293c3a5-image.png

   
  After fixing the issue, we can ask XO to check again by saying “check again” or “how about this new answer”:

  572962bf-58e9-4d36-b370-9bdef7b0cba9-image.png

   
   

  Specify Quiz Theme/Story

   

  Quizzes can be made fun when we add some “flavors” to them. Specifically, we can ask XO to generate quizzes with a given background story, character or theme. XO will be happy to do so. For example, you can pretend to be any character, like an Alien:

  e2335387-144d-452e-bcb2-e7bd63b8b368-image.png

   
  Below are some more examples that you can try:

  I’m Frodo and you are Gandalf. Give me a coding challenge on repeat loops It’s Earth Day. Write a level 1 coding quiz for using events that aligns with this theme. Give me a coding test on the <key pressed?> sensor block, and use the storyline of Star Wars As a wizard in Hogwarts, I need a quiz on cloning sprites using the “create clone of” block. Difficulty Level 2. I’m a detective solving a mystery. Challenge me with a puzzle on broadcasting messages. Difficulty Level 1. Imagine I’m a pirate seeking treasure. Create a navigation challenge using motion blocks. Difficulty Level 3. I’m a chef in a cooking show. Whip up a coding recipe that uses lists to manage ingredients. Difficulty Level 2. Pretend I’m a superhero. I need to learn about sensing blocks to avoid obstacles. Difficulty Level 1. I’m an astronaut on Mars. Send me a coding task to analyze patterns with “repeat until” loops. Difficulty Level 3. As a medieval knight, I need to learn about variables to keep track of my health and gold. Difficulty Level 2. I’m a time traveler in ancient Egypt. Teach me how to use events blocks to start scripts. Difficulty Level 1. As a vampire hunter, I need a challenge on using “if then else” statements to make decisions. Difficulty Level 2. Imagine I’m a DJ at a party. I need to learn how to use sound blocks to mix tracks. Difficulty Level 1. I’m a scientist researching climate change. Give me a quiz on using data blocks to record temperatures. Difficulty Level 3. As a spy behind enemy lines, I need a stealth coding task using operators to crack codes. Difficulty Level 2. I’m a dinosaur in the Jurassic period. Challenge me with motion blocks to dodge meteors. Difficulty Level 1. Pretend I’m a farmer. I need a coding quiz on repeat loops to automate my farm tasks. Difficulty Level 2. I’m a king defending my castle. Create a challenge using variables to track resources and soldiers. Difficulty Level 3. As a deep-sea diver, give me a coding test on the “touching color?” block to navigate coral reefs. Difficulty Level 2. I’m an elf crafting magical items. Challenge me with lists to manage my materials. Difficulty Level 1. As an explorer in a haunted house, I need to use broadcast messages to trigger ghostly events. Difficulty Level 3. I’m a hacker in a cyberpunk city. Send me a quiz on using “repeat until” loops to bypass security. Difficulty Level 2. Imagine I’m a racer at the Grand Prix. I need a coding test on motion blocks to control my speed. Difficulty Level 1. As a magician preparing a show, give me a challenge using sensing blocks to interact with the audience. Difficulty Level 2. I’m an artist in a gallery. Create a coding quiz on cloning sprites to replicate my paintings. Difficulty Level 3. Pretend I’m a kid in a candy shop. I need to learn about variables to count my candies. Difficulty Level 1. I’m a robot in a factory. Challenge me with operators to calculate production efficiency. Difficulty Level 2. As a superhero fighting villains, send me a quiz on “if then” statements to choose my actions. Difficulty Level 3. I’m a historian decoding ancient scripts. I need a task using lists to categorize artifacts. Difficulty Level 2. Imagine I’m a beekeeper. Give me a coding test on repeat loops to manage my bee routines. Difficulty Level 1. I’m a snowboarder in the Olympics. Challenge me with motion blocks to perform tricks. Difficulty Level 3. As a composer writing a symphony, I need a quiz on sound blocks to arrange my music. Difficulty Level 2. I’m an alien exploring Earth. Create a coding challenge on broadcasting to communicate with my spaceship. Difficulty Level 4.

   
   

  Specify More Details

   

  XO can follow our instructions very well, so we can feel free to add more details to our request. Here are 2 examples.

  Example 1 - Limit Scope of Blocks

  Since XO may not know which blocks we already know, it may generate a quiz that uses some blocks that we are unfamiliar with. To avoid this issue, we can specify which blocks can be used like this: give me a coding challenge on clones. difficulty 1. note that I am new to Scratch and I can only use motion and event blocks

  6d83a0d7-f6f8-4875-ab42-8ea20ed26b10-image.png

  Example 2 - Reference the Project

  Since XO can read the code in the playground, you can ask Xo to use that as a reference when creating the quiz. For example, you can open the Explore page and find an interesting game, then ask XO this: I’m a 5th grade teacher. I just explained this project to my class, and now I hope to test their understanding. Give me a multi-choice question of level 1 about how this project works.

  19861567-48be-4978-8172-845e0b9f3249-image.png

   
   

  Share Your Quizzes

   

  If you have found any interesting way to prompt XO to generate quizzes, please feel free to reply to this post below with the request you used and XO’s response.