Kithard Dungeon, Cell Commentary, Time-Limits?

[manningda]

Map: Kithgard Dungeon
Challenge: Cell Commentary

The level begins with the following goals messages:
“Say the password.”
“Get the pile of gems.”
“GOALS: RAN OUT OF TIME”

Is there a “time-limit” on either the Map or Challenges I’ve overlooked in the instructions?

Admittedly I’ve moved through the 1st level slowly as I’ve familiarized myself with the game and the controls, but I would have expected this type of a “rule” re: time limits to have been stated more implicitly at the start, and/or to have some prompt/warning that a time limit may be expiring.

In this case it appears the game allowed me to complete the checkpoint regardless of the time-limit-message, so perhaps it is a bug?

What should I understand about time limits going forward?

[Lydia_Song]

Welcome‌ ‌welcome‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌forum!‌ ‌It‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌lovely‌ ‌place‌ ‌where‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌share‌ ‌all‌ ‌kinds‌ ‌of‌ stuff‌ ‌(appropriate‌ ‌of‌ ‌course),‌ ‌share‌ ‌bugs,‌ ‌and‌ ‌even‌ ‌get‌ ‌assistance‌ ‌for‌ ‌code!‌ ‌We‌ ‌suggest‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌review‌ ‌this‌‌ topic‌ ‌which‌ ‌shows‌ ‌all‌ ‌essentials‌ ‌of‌ ‌this‌ ‌board!‌ ‌And‌ ‌we‌ ‌suggest‌ ‌you‌ ‌review‌ this topic‌ ‌which‌ ‌shows‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌post‌ ‌your‌ ‌code‌ ‌correctly!‌ ‌Thanks!!‌ ‌
Could you please post your code, a screenshot of your error, and a link to this level?
Thanks,
Lydia

[manningda]

Sure! …although whatever was causing the message “GOALS: RAN OUT OF TIME” is not occurring now.

But I promise it WAS happening!
Is there a time-limit for the challenges I’ll want to know about?

But to answer your direct question:

hero.say("What's the password?") # Use the "say()" function to say the password. # The password is: "Achoo" hero.say("Achoo") hero.moveUp(2)

Current Screen Capture:

[Lydia_Song]

Yes, there is a time limit for levels, it’s usually around a minute or so.
Lydia

[manningda]

O.k., Thanks,
Good to know.

What is the “consequence” of the time-limit?
From my side it appears the level completed correctly and my avatar was awarded points.

Is there a “consequence” to going over the time-limit?

Continued thanks,

[Lydia_Song]

Yes, the consequence is just not passing the level.
Lydia

[Grzmot]

@manningda even if you have the code completely correct, you still need to complete the level in the given time limit or else you will not be able to get passed it. There are time limits set in levels so you can’t sit around or find ways around the levels. Hope this helps!
Grzmot

[manningda]

It does. May I add a couple of thoughts here…

a) In my local browser, I received the message “GOALS: RAN OUT OF TIME”, but the level allowed me to complete the challenge, awarded experience points and coins and allowed me to advance to the next level.

b) (Perhaps I overlooked it), but I’m not seeing any “alert” or message indicating either a time-limit or time-warning or consequence.

c) Although I fully agree with the benefit of a time-limit “principal” to encourage some quick-thinking as players build experience and skill, 60 seconds seems a bit “narrow”. Especially in the lowest levels.

Admittedly, this is a FREE game focused on enabling emerging coders to build their syntax experience, but I’ll offer that the learning-goal may be a little handicapped if the beginner feels they cannot achieve a “momentum” in the 1st levels.

In the end I’m finding the gaming experience to be VERY valuable for code-practice/enhancement, but since the question opened a little back-and-forth here I thought I’d offer these thoughts for what they’re worth.

Continued thanks to all for the input!
Now back to the campaign!!

postScript:
At the risk of seeming suborn, but sincerely to offer some constructive example to the discussion thread here…

I just now completed the Kithard level “Known Enemy” that offers the introductory discussion of variables.

As mentioned above, I took the time to review the initial screens, then the hints to more fully understand the examples of the variable-syntax (none of which the player can access unless they click the “BEGIN/START” button on the initial screen.)

In this case, that meant that before I began to actually work toward the challenge goals, the level was already returning the “ran out of time” message.

However, it also appears that I was able to still receive experience points and gems for completing the goals correctly.

So, (again at the risk of seeming argumentative) I wanted just to offer this user-experience here. (see screen captures below)

Of course, I am still open to explanations that I am overlooking or misunderstanding something about the game-play, but for the moment it feels like either a bug or something that is available for improvement in an upcoming update.

Continued thanks,

1. Kithard.KnownEnemy Start

2. Kithard.KnownEnemy Finish
   
   

[Lydia_Song]

First, that is a very long post. I had some trouble reading not going to lie.
Second, address your a) question: So, if you complete all the goals within the time limit, you’ll succeed, otherwise, you’ll just RAN OUT OF TIME.
Third, addressing your b) question: There is not an alert or message other than your screen freezing up (in the box where it shows the action being done) and the Goal saying RAN OUT OF TIME.
c) For the lower levels (Dungeon), its usually around 30 seconds. But for challenge levels and levels higher than Dungeon, it’s usually more than 1 minute.

@manningda

Admittedly, this is a FREE game focused on enabling emerging coders to build their syntax experience, but I’ll offer that the learning-goal may be a little handicapped if the beginner feels they cannot achieve a “momentum” in the 1st levels.

Well, the reason there is a time limit, is because if someone doesn’t do anything, the code will just keep running and running. And the player may not know that their code is not working.

@manningda

As mentioned above, I took the time to review the initial screens, then the hints to more fully understand the examples of the variable-syntax (none of which the player can access unless they click the “BEGIN/START” button on the initial screen.)

In this case, that meant that before I began to actually work toward the challenge goals, the level was already returning the “ran out of time” message.

If you haven’t started any code, then yes, it will return the ran out of time message because you haven’t written any code that needs to be completed before the Goal says succeed.

Please do ask if you have anymore questions.
Lydia

[Deadpool198]

It’s an interesting question though, why does the level display “incomplete” normally, and “ran out of time” only sometimes… They mean the same thing really. I’d have to do some analysis of the levels where it happens and see if there’s a pattern.
Danny

[manningda]

Disclaimer: I fully recognize I’m picking at “free-ware” and rank the urgency of this discussion accordingly. At the same time, I see a couple of lingering notes here if they add value for the tester-community.

First: Thank you for the notes. I see your points, but…

…(not to be argumentative) but the game experience on my side is either a little different than you’re describing, or there may still be parts of this I’m not understanding clearly.

Im not getting frozen-screens for the Ran-Out-Of-Time messages. I’ve also mostly completed Kithgard Dungeon and I had several levels that began with the Ran-Out-Of-Time message.

Again, I see the value in your notes, but will still suggest an alert to the player would add value.

(like maybe:, “You haven’t taken any action on this level. Are you still playing? Your time limit will expire in .”)

Thanks for the notes and the dialogue here!
Best,

[manningda]

That sounds like a very fair interpretation of my original question.
As a new-player, it feels a little “random” and so far “inconsequential” as alert-messages go.

Thanks for chiming in.

[Lydia_Song]

@manningda

I’ve also mostly completed Kithgard Dungeon and I had several levels that began with the Ran-Out-Of-Time message.

Yes, some levels will give you the RAN OUT OF TIME message, because as soon as you begin the level, the starter code or in some cases no code will begin to load. If you only have the starter code or no code, you’re not really completing the goals, so thats why it says RAN OUT OF TIME message in the beginning.
Lydia

[manningda]

Interesting.
But I am getting experience points and coins in every cast (time expired or not).

a) Should one get “point” if a goal isn’t “completed”?

b) Should a level “default” to “failed” at the page-load?

Im really wondering if I’m understanding what the “time-limit” it trying to address/control, but if I’m following this discussion thus far it feels like a very confusing message to the user with little or no value for the game experience. ???

…or am I really/still overlooking something here?

[Deadpool198]

I don’t think the time limit should be a point of issue. In pretty much every level the time limit more than allows for any possible way you choose to complete the goals. It just stops the code running because the level doesn’t know whether your hero will start moving in the 50th second so it can’t shut the level down once your hero stops moving. The difference between Incomplete and Ran out of time doesn’t make sense to me and never has, I think Incomplete would do fine in Ran out of time’s place.

[Yaz87x]

I am having this issue right now. the “GOALS: RAN OUT OF TIME” Shows up immediately giving me no opportunity to do the level at all. I have left and returned and the message persists.