Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Glossary
absolute value
- The positive form of a negative number. For example, the absolute
value of -2 is 2. The absolute value of a positive number is simply the positive number
itself.
AI
- see, artificial intelligence
algorithm
- A series of instructions to compute something.
applications
- A program that is run by an operating system. See also, program.
arguments
- The values that are passed for parameters in a function call.
artificial intelligence
- Code or a program that can intelligent make decisions (for
example, decisions when playing a game) in response to user actions.
ASCII art
- Using text characters and spaces to draw simple pictures.
assembly language
- The simplest programming language. Assembly language
instructions are a human-readable form that can directly translate into machine code
instructions.
assignment operator
- The = sign. Used to assign values to variables.
assignment statement
- A line of code that assigns a value to a variable using the
assignment operator. This defines, that is, creates the variable when used with a new
variable. For example:
spam = 42
asterisk
- The * symbol. The asterisk is used as a multiplication sign.
augmented assignment operator
- The
+=
,
-=
,
*=
, and
/=
operators. The
assignment
spam += 42
is equivalent to
spam = spam + 42
.
block
- A group of lines of code with the same amount of indentation. Blocks can
contain other blocks of greater indentation inside them.
boolean
- A data type with only two values,
True
and
False
.
boolean operator
- Boolean operators include
and
,
or
, and
not
.
break point
- A break point can be set on a specific line of code, which will cause the
debugger to take over when that line is executed while running the program under a
debugger.
break statement
- The
break
statement immediately jumps out of the current
while
