Create an Amazing Snake Game with AI Coding ChatGPT-4
Introduction
In this experiment, we test ChatGPT-4’s ability to assist in programming a simple webpage Snake Game. With advancements in AI and natural language processing, ChatGPT-4 has shown potential in generating code, fixing issues, and implementing enhancements. This article aims to provide a step-by-step guide to using ChatGPT-4 for creating the Snake Game while addressing the challenges and limitations faced during the process. Through clear instructions, example prompts, and an understanding of the AI’s capabilities, users can harness ChatGPT-4 as a valuable programming tool.
Game Description:
Snake Chaser is a fun and addictive game where you control a snake on a quest to eat as much food as possible. The more food your snake eats, the longer it grows. Be careful not to run into your own tail, or the game will be over!
How to Play:
To start the game, click the “Start” button below the game board.
W: Move up
A: Move left
S: Move down
D: Move right
Guide the snake towards the red food items that appear on the game board.
As the snake consumes food, it will grow longer, increasing the challenge.
Avoid running into your own tail, as this will end the game.
Keep playing to achieve a high score!
Snake Chaser
Score: 0 High Score: 0
Scope
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to test ChatGPT-4’s ability to generate functional code for a simple webpage Snake Game, while also demonstrating how to communicate effectively with the AI to refine and improve the generated code.
Experience Level: As code manipulation and verification are required during the experiment, some coding knowledge is essential. Therefore, we have ranked this experiment as an intermediate level.
Expected result: By the end of this experiment, participants should have a fully functional Snake Game implemented on a webpage. Additionally, they will gain insights into ChatGPT-4’s code programming capabilities, its limitations, and how to work with the AI effectively to produce desired outcomes.
Code Instruction List
Follow these steps to conduct the experiment with ChatGPT-4 to create a functional Snake Game:
- Initiate the conversation with ChatGPT-4 by providing a clear and concise prompt, such as coding a snake game for a specific platform (e.g., HTML, WordPress, etc.).
- Analyze the generated code and identify areas that may require enhancements or fixes.
- Use targeted prompts to request specific enhancements, such as adding a score display, high score functionality, or improving code readability.
- Request code fixes for any issues, such as changing the control keys, adjusting the start button behavior, or resolving food spawning problems.
- Verify and test the functionality of the generated code after each change to ensure it works as expected.
- Repeat steps 3-5 as needed to refine and improve the code until the Snake Game is fully functional and meets your requirements.
- After completing the experiment, reflect on ChatGPT-4’s code programming capabilities, limitations, and the effectiveness of your communication during the experiment.
Remember that ChatGPT-4’s memory tokens are limited, so you may need to provide the latest code or break the code into smaller parts when making requests.
Example Prompts
As developers, we had the ability to address some of the missing features. However, the main objective of the experiment was for ChatGPT-4 to generate functional code using straightforward prompts. Here are some example prompts you can use with ChatGPT-4.
Game Creation Prompt: Code a simple snake game in HTML and JavaScript that has a basic score display and a start button.
Controls Keys: Change the snake game control keys from the arrow keys to ‘W’ for up, ‘A’ for left, ‘S’ for down, and ‘D’ for right.
Start Button: Update the snake game code so that the game starts only when the user clicks the ‘Start’ button. When the snake collides with itself, end the game instead of restarting it automatically.
Food: The snake game currently starts without food on the screen. Modify the code so that food appears when the game starts.
Score: Enhance the snake game code to display the current score on the screen and update it as the snake eats food.
High Score: Add a high score feature to the snake game that saves and displays the highest score achieved during gameplay.
Code Cleanup: Please review the provided snake game code and make it more readable, organized, and efficient.
Code Comments: Add comments to the snake game code to explain the purpose and functionality of each section and important variables.
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Start, Restart, and AutoStart Behavior
During the experiment, we encountered some challenges related to the game’s start, restart, and autostart behavior. Here is a summary of the issues and the solutions we implemented:
ChatGPT-4 Assumed AutoStart behavior:
The initial game code provided by ChatGPT-4 started the game automatically upon page load.
Although this behavior worked, it was not ideal as it didn’t allow the user to opt-in before the game started.
Requested changes to the Start behavior:
We requested that ChatGPT-4 change the game behavior to not autostart and instead use a Start button.
This change made the game opt-in for the user, improving the overall user experience.
Changes to the control keys:
Initially, the game used the arrow keys for navigation, which also control page navigation.
We requested that ChatGPT-4 change the control keys to ‘w’, ‘a’, ‘s’, and ‘d’ to avoid any unintended page navigation during gameplay.
Dealing with Snake collision and game end:
In the original code, the game would restart automatically upon snake collision.
We requested that ChatGPT-4 modify the code to end the game instead of restarting it upon snake collision, providing a more user-friendly experience.
Snake Game Limitations
During the experiment, we encountered several limitations while using ChatGPT-4 to program the Snake Game. Below is an overview of these limitations and some recommendations on how to overcome them:
Memory limits and code blocks:
Due to the token memory limits of ChatGPT-4, code blocks may reach their limit, requiring the user to prompt the AI to continue with the next response.
Users must join the code manually, which may be challenging for those unfamiliar with programming.
Including the latest code:
It is crucial to include the most recent code after each change request, as ChatGPT-4 may not use the latest version of the code otherwise.
Including the latest code ensures progressive code changes and a smoother development process.
Code length limits and project complexity:
ChatGPT-4’s memory limits heavily impact the length of the code it can generate.
Simple projects are more likely to succeed, while more complex projects may need to be broken into smaller parts to work with ChatGPT-4 effectively.
Wall functionality:
Traditional Snake games often feature wall collisions that end the game when the snake hits the wall.
We attempted to implement wall functionality to turn the snake 90 degrees in our experiment, but faced difficulties with collision detection and code complexity.
Ultimately, we chose to leave out the wall functionality to maintain the simplicity of the experiment.
Understanding ChatGPT-4 Programming
To make the most out of ChatGPT-4’s programming abilities, it’s essential to understand its capabilities, limitations, and how it processes code requests. Here are some key points to consider when using ChatGPT-4 for programming tasks:
Capacity:
- ChatGPT-4 is a powerful language model capable of understanding programming languages and generating code snippets.
- It can assist with a wide range of programming tasks, from simple code fixes to more complex feature implementations.
Current memory token limits:
- ChatGPT-4 has a token limit, which impacts the length of code it can generate in a single response.
- Users must be mindful of these token limits and may need to break down complex tasks into smaller parts or prompt the AI multiple times to generate the desired code.
Code request failures and adjustments:
- When requesting code fixes or changes, ChatGPT-4 may sometimes generate code that addresses the requested issue but unintentionally breaks another part of the code.
- In such cases, users must provide clear explanations of the issue and ask ChatGPT-4 to correct the code accordingly.
- It may take a few iterations to achieve the desired outcome, so patience and clear communication are crucial.
By understanding ChatGPT-4’s programming capabilities and limitations, users can better leverage the AI to assist with their programming tasks and improve their overall development process.
Conclusion
This experiment demonstrates that ChatGPT-4 can effectively aid in programming tasks, such as creating a simple Snake Game. By following the steps outlined in this article and understanding the AI’s capabilities and limitations, users can harness ChatGPT-4’s potential to generate functional code, fix issues, and implement enhancements.
While ChatGPT-4 is not without its challenges, such as memory token limits and occasional code request failures, it provides valuable assistance to developers with varying levels of experience. With clear communication and a proper understanding of the AI’s capabilities, users can successfully leverage ChatGPT-4 to improve their programming projects and streamline their development process.