MasterClass Lesson 7: Scoreboards

Lesson 7: Scoreboards

You already know Scoreboards, every time you click on them it increments the score displayed on it by 1. They are the perfect tools to keep track of scores during your games, but now that they can be wired they just became much more useful and powerful! Not only can it now be linked to your circuits to count without having to click the scoreboard manually, the outputs can also be configured to send signals when the score matches a certain condition, opening the doors to make some complex logic circuits.

You can configure your Scoreboard via its tooltip like before, or by clicking on the shortcut we added to the wire window.

Inputs

(Note: When you connect a wire into one of the inputs of the Scoreboard, the score will now be controlled by the circuit, you won't be able to increase the score by clicking directly on the Scoreboard anymore. To take back control of the Scoreboard, you can disconnect the inputs by clicking on them.)

Increase

When a signal is received, it increases the score by 1.

Decrease

When a signal is received, it decreases the score by 1.

Reset

When a signal is received, it resets the score.

Outputs

Four power outputs

Type: Continuous signal

Scoreboards have 4 configurable outputs. If the outputs are not configured, they will not send a signal. To configure the output, click on the Edit button (the pen). This will open a window where you can set different conditions for your Scoreboard using the outputs.

Equal to

This option is pretty self-explanatory! A signal will be sent if the score on the Scoreboard is equal to the value that you choose, in this example, that value is 10.

Not equal to

This is the exact opposite of the Equal to, a signal will be sent only if the score on the Scoreboard is different than the value that you choose. In this example, the value is anything but 10.

Less than

The output will send a signal only if the score is less than the chosen value. In this case, 0 to 9.

Greater than

The output will send a signal only if the score is greater than the chosen value. In this case, 11 and above.

Less than or Equal to

Similar to the Less than, this option will send a signal only if the score is less than or equal to the chosen value. In this case, 0 to 10.

Greater than or Equal to

Similar to the Greater than, this option will send a signal only if the score is greater than or equal to the chosen value. In this case, 10 and above.

Modulo

Now, this one is trickier to explain! The Modulo operation calculates the remainder of a division. Sounds complicated, right? If we give you an example, we're sure you'll get the hang of it!

To make it simple, the signal will only work if the number on the Scoreboard is a multiple of the number set in your Modulo. This means that if we set our value to 10, the signal will only be sent if the score is 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, etc. If we set the value to 2, the signal will be sent if the score is 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc. Basically, the signal will be sent if the score is a multiple of the chosen value or if it is 0.

Ideas/Demos

Now we can use all of those options to create a puzzle! First, let's do our initial setup. We'll need two Buttons, one Scoreboard, and 3 Blockades.

First, let's open the Edit Mode. Choose the Wire Tool, select one of the Buttons and connect its Power Output A to the Increase input of the Scoreboard. Select the other Button and connect its Power Output A into the Decrease input of the Scoreboard. (Tip: If you hover over or select a connected input or output, the corresponding wire will light up. In the image below shows an example of what it looks like while hovering over the Decrease input of the Scoreboard. You'll notice that the corresponding wire is highlighted in red.)

Next, let's configure the Scoreboard's outputs! Let's go crazy and use that tricky Modulo option! Click the Edit Button on the first output, choose the Modulo option and set the value to 5. Reminder for the Modulo, this means that this output will only be active when the score is a multiple of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, etc). Click the Save button to confirm your choice.

Click the Edit Button on the second output, choose the Modulo option and this time, set the value to 3. This means that this output will only be active when the score is a multiple of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc). This way, both our Blockades will open when the score is a multiple of 3 and a multiple of 5! The outputs of your Scoreboard should look like this :

Connect the Modulo 5 output to the first Blockade and connect the Modulo 3 output to the second Blockade. Your circuit should now look like this :

Everything is working! But wait… why are those Blockades open? Ah yes, the current score is 0, and the result of 0 Modulo anything is always 0… Try adding a third Blockade to fix the problem! Select your Scoreboard, click the Edit button of the third Output to configure it and set it to "Greater than 0". Now, to open the full path, the score will need to be a multiple of 5, a multiple of 3 AND higher than 0. Your circuit should now look like this :

If everything was set up correctly, you should now have a puzzle that opens a path when the score on the Scoreboard is 15 (or 30, or 45…).

There you have it, you've just mastered Scoreboards! Build your own Unitz today and try it out for yourself.

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