A turtle sandbox (ComputerCraftEDU)

[Karl Ögland]

My students are 16-25 years old and usually they should learn programming. Usually it gets too hard too quick as they start to learn code when they are 16-25 but as all of them anyway are gamers, Minecraft is an excellent choice where to start.

There is already three excellent maps to start with but sooner or later I always ends up with a surival most likely PvP world, there for I made this map to be the forth step of three previous lessons/worlds where the students get the basics

1. Hour of Code World for ComputerCraftEdu
   
2. Turtle Canyon - A ComputerCraftEdu Sandbox
   
3. Turtle Island (ComputerCraftEdu/CustomNPCs for MCEdu 1.7.10)
   

So, the lesson plans I have starts with the three previous ones. Then my students also usually refuse help but want to discuss code to get the solutions by themselves. MinecraftEDU works as a safe environment where you actually can fail or better, test till you succeed!

The basic concept is a city where you can buy ComputerCraft stuff really really cheap but all the cool things (armor, weapons and more) are insane expensive. To be able to get the cool stuff quick you need to program your turtles.

All NPC's or turtles are named after Minecraft tinkers who had made impact on me, so it's my way to show my tribute to all those awesome teachers.

The first time I tested this map too many students took as many beginner's turtles as possible, run just outside the town and started to collect blocks and ore. So I've tried to prevent this by put a border block in front of the house where you get the beginner's turtles (up to the teacher to decide if students should have them) and also tried to block 100 blocks (or more) outside the city so the students actually move a bit.

All you need you can get in the city, if you test the example turtles you'll get lots of help and may reach to new and higher places. PvP is optional, couldn't arrange it would be nonPvP inside the city so maybe better to chose from teacher's menu. 

Fire is not allowed but in the airship there's a teleport where you can get to the nether, but the teacher has to make that station visible.

Link to world library

 

[Sharon Roche]

This is great.  Thanks for sharing.

I have used the Hour of Code world with our library coding club.  I am challenging the older teens (coaches) to modify the area outside the iron gate (the large area of white quartz) to make a small "turtle amusement park" for the younger Minecraft players in our club.  The younger kids will be coached through the existing tutorial by the teens, then when they unlock the gate they can go into the back area and play games.   The older kids need to make attractions that involve coding the turtles in a creative way to make a fun minigame.  The younger kids will play the game, and then hopefully pick it apart to figure out how to do something similar.  So far, my teens have been discussing a 'whack'-a-mole' game with five turtles that randomly pop in and out of the ground, while players shoot arrows from behind border blocks.  Also a crazy parkour game that hasn't been fully defined.  One is trying a tic-tac-toe program --it's quite complex.  Some are working independently and others are collaborating.  It's great fun!

[Michael Harvey]

Very cool ideas Sharon. Would you be willing to share some of your students' final programs with the group when they finish?