Treenimation

Olpcboxes Mike Hahn, volunteers welcome!

Treenimation is a software tool used for creating web-based (runs in a web browser), multiplayer board games. Subsequent versions of Treenimation will add support for games with 2D animation, and ultimately 3D animation. Treenimation includes a powerful yet easy-to-learn object-oriented scripting language called Treescript.

Boardwalk

The Treenimation project has a new name: Boardwalk. Boardwalk is the XO Laptop-compatible version of Treenimation. I am Mike Hahn, the creator of Treenimation. I have recently finished programming in Python (translating from what I originally programmed in Delphi) the first Boardwalk module to be implemented: the TIL Loader. I am currently in the process of learning the Python programming language, and I intend to implement the rest of Boardwalk in Python.

Easy to Learn

Treescript, which is the built-in scripting language included with Treenimation, is at once powerful enough for professional game programmers to use to develop Treenimation-compatible game prototypes, yet so easy to learn that XO Laptop users (even children) can use it to learn how to program simple games, with only minimal intervention by an adult instructor.

Language Features

• Operators precede their operand(s)
• Optional infix mode for experienced Python/Java programmers
• Structure Editor mode eases code entry for newbies
• Type a question mark (?) at any time to display a context-sensitive popup menu of valid code choices
  • This feature disabled inside comments and string literals
• Stepping-stone to learning Python programming:
  • Start them off in prefix mode (operators precede their operands), and later switch to infix mode (binary operators go in-between their operands)
• RAD-style program development, in which user selects game components from a component palette, and edits their design-time properties
• Game Editors:
  • Board Games (static)
  • Level Editor (animated)
  • Vector Editor (a vector is an animated/static object, which may be composed of other vectors)