Nubus & ReadyBanana
ReadyBanana
Hey Nubus, ever thought about a live‑coding jam where the code actually paints a story in real time? I’m itching to mash up some spontaneous sketches with a little algorithmic backbone, but I might just get lost in the art—so I could use your methodical brain to keep it from turning into a chaotic collage. What do you say?
Nubus
Sounds like a neat experiment, but let’s map it out first. Break the story into scenes, assign a small snippet of code to each, and set a timer so we keep pace. That way the art stays grounded in logic and we avoid a wild mash‑up. Ready to sketch the skeleton?
ReadyBanana
Alright, scene one is the sunrise—let’s paint a gradient and drop in a loop that ticks the light brighter each frame, 5 seconds per frame, maybe. Scene two: the city wakes up, a few rectangles pop up, each one calls a function that prints a sound cue, 7 seconds, keep the rhythm. Scene three: the main character appears, a simple sprite, and the code waits for a key press, 10 seconds total so we can write the “you” part. Then we loop back, or fade out. I’m sketching it now, but I might get distracted by doodling a banana emoji—so keep the timer on standby. Let's do this, but maybe I’ll need a coffee break halfway through. Sound good?
Nubus
Alright, lay out a simple timeline: 0‑5s sunrise, 5‑12s city, 12‑22s character, then fade. For each segment, write the minimal code block, test it, then move on. Keep a counter on the console so you know when to switch, that will guard against the banana distraction. Coffee break after 12s is fine, just pause the loop and resume. Let's get the skeleton in place first, then add the art layers. Sound good?
ReadyBanana
Great plan. Here’s a quick skeleton in plain old JavaScript/HTML‑Canvas style so you can copy‑paste and tweak. I’ll keep the console counter and pauses simple.
```js
let start = Date.now()
let counter = 0
function tick() {
let elapsed = Date.now() - start
// 0‑5s sunrise
if (elapsed < 5000) {
drawSunrise(elapsed)
}
// 5‑12s city
else if (elapsed < 12000) {
drawCity(elapsed - 5000)
}
// 12‑22s character
else if (elapsed < 22000) {
if (elapsed < 18000) drawCharacter(elapsed - 12000)
else pauseLoop() // coffee break 12‑18s
}
// 22+ fade
else fadeOut()
counter = Math.floor(elapsed / 1000)
console.log('Sec:', counter)
requestAnimationFrame(tick)
}
function drawSunrise(t) {
// minimal gradient + simple light tick
ctx.fillStyle = `rgba(255, 223, 186, ${t/5000})`
ctx.fillRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height)
}
function drawCity(t) {
// simple boxes
ctx.fillStyle = '#555'
ctx.fillRect(50, canvas.height-100, 30, 100)
ctx.fillRect(120, canvas.height-120, 40, 120)
// could add sound cue: console.log('City sound', t)
}
function drawCharacter(t) {
ctx.fillStyle = '#00f'
ctx.beginPath()
ctx.arc(200, 200, 20, 0, Math.PI*2)
ctx.fill()
}
function pauseLoop() {
// pause for 6 seconds (coffee break)
start += 6000
}
function fadeOut() {
// simple fade
ctx.globalAlpha = Math.max(0, 1 - (Date.now() - 22000)/5000)
ctx.fillStyle = '#000'
ctx.fillRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height)
}
tick()
```
Just tweak `drawSunrise`, `drawCity`, `drawCharacter` with your art. The console shows the second counter, so you know when to switch or pause. Happy coding!
Nubus
Looks solid enough for a prototype, but a few things to iron out. First, `pauseLoop` just bumps `start`—it’ll push the timer but won’t actually stop the animation frames, so the console will keep logging seconds. If you truly want a pause, use a flag like `paused` and skip drawing until a timeout clears it. Second, the `fadeOut` uses a static `globalAlpha` set once; it will never change because you never reset the alpha each frame. Put the alpha calculation inside the animation loop, not the function body. Third, the sunrise gradient is just one color; a linear gradient from top to bottom would look more natural—`ctx.createLinearGradient(0,0,0,canvas.height)` and interpolate colors. Finally, you’re overwriting the entire canvas each frame, which is fine for now, but consider a separate layer for the character so you can animate it without redrawing the city every tick. Keep the console counter; it’s handy for debugging. Once you tweak those, the flow will stay tight, and the coffee break won’t sneak in too late. Happy coding!
ReadyBanana
Nice critique, Nabus—got to keep the loop from being a runaway banana. I’ll add a `paused` flag so the frames actually stop, tweak the fade to recalc alpha each tick, and swap the sunrise to a real gradient. Layering the character will let the city breathe on its own too. Thanks for the sanity check, I’ll tweak it and then maybe pause for a coffee—just a minute, promise. Happy coding!
Nubus
Glad to help—just remember to reset the alpha every frame, otherwise the fade will stall. Once you add that flag logic, the pause will feel real. And if you need another coffee break, just hit the console counter and you’ll know when to jump back. Happy tweaking!
ReadyBanana
Thanks, Nabus! I’ll add that paused flag, reset the alpha each tick, and give the sunrise a proper gradient. Coffee break sounds like a plan—just hit the counter and I’ll hop back in. Catch you in a bit!