This morning, I completed the restriction digest activity in its general form. Now, I have to rename materials so they are no longer general and add the notecards to be given to avatars to each object in the activity and set it so that you cannot read what is within the notecard, which will be compared to a master notecard within the sequencer at the end of the activity. This prevents anyone from just renaming objects in their inventory (“cheating”). I am in the process of modifying the notecard reader script for use within the sequencer and depending on how complicated it ends up being I may incorporate it into the rest of the restriction digest activity and check all notecards for every step if possible. My restriction digest notecard has also been completed to the best of my ability, which will be sent to Mandy this week.
I am now working on bacterial transformation, which I would like to be slightly different from PCR/Gel Electrophoresis and Restriction digest, which have functions different from one another as well (for example, order is important for one). So, I believe this activity will ask the user questions to assure they have some idea of what they are doing, which once again also serves the secondary purpose of preventing people from just renaming objects and being able to complete the activity.
I have created an object that has the ability to create the bacteria avatars by touching it.
Problem: Mandy pointed out that the attach avatar permission only worked for me, which I determined was because I am the owner of the object when it is rezzed. So instead of rezzing the object I decided to give the object to people so that they will become the owner. This means they will now have to take it out of their inventory by attaching it to themselves from their inventory. So it is working, just not the way I would prefer it. There is also varying levels of brightness for the bacteria, which I am unsure of whether to keep or just have it glow when there is enough bacteria.
Tomorrow I will modify the PCR script so that the items for each activity are more specific to that single activity as well as scientifically accurate, including the names for each specific PCR. I will be completing bacterial transformation after I brainstorm questions.
I also have to go back to the water bath script and incorporate it into the activities as well because as of now it is just a stand-alone activity. All I will have to do is change the names of what is added and given to and from the water bath respectively and this also means modifying phosphatase treatment. I am also beginning to make more visual instructions for restriction digest. So far sections that are explained will flash as instructions for that specific section are given. I would like to expand on this later this week.