I need some help on an assignment

Question

Ok, first off I'm only looking for some help I don't want anyone writing the program for me. I have an assignment where i have to make part of an Asteroids game and it's based off of a program in my book called DirectioPanel.java. I had it going good until my Professor told the class we had to use an array when it would be better to do it without an array. Here's the instructions.
Design and implement a class that represents a spaceship. The spaceship can be drawn (side view) in the two horizontal or two vertical directions. When the left arrow key is pressed, turn the spaceship to the left. When the right arrow key is pressed, turn the spaceship to the right. When the space key is pressed, have a laser beam shoot out of the front of the spaceship.
Do one or more of the following extra features:
a) Provide a title screen
b) Add a star field in the background
c) Change the background color when the laser shoots
d) Add more than the four directions for the spaceship
e) Add a collection of asteroids moving around the screen
a. Allow your spaceship to shoot down the asteroids
b. Allow the asteroids to destroy your spaceship
f) Assign the up arrow key the function to move the spaceship forward
g) Add “alien” spaceships that shoot at you
h) Keep score
i) Control the spaceship with the mouse instead of the keyboard
j) Anything else that you think might enhance this assignment (check with me first)
Here's the code it's supposed to be based off of.
[directionpanel.java|http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~cs5/examples/chap07/DirectionPanel.java]
And here is what i have so far. My question is how would I use an array in the program, by the way i only have time to program in D, F, and E, maybe B.
And if there are any other suggestions I'm open to them because i haven't done any programming in 8 months or more because of other classes.
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
public class Asteroids extends JPanel {
     private final int WIDTH = 500, HEIGHT = 500;
     private final int JUMP = 10;
     private int x, y, currentX, currentY, startX, startY;
     public AsteroidsPanel() {
          addKeyListener(new AsteroidsListener());
          startX = WIDTH / 2;
          startY = HEIGHT / 2;
     public void paintComponent(Graphics screen) {
          super.paintComponent(screen);
}Thanks

Answer 1

Create a 2-dimensional array of boolean values, true represents where the spaceship is, false otherwise. From this you can draw a grid containing one black square the rest white. Create a spaceship class which has the 4 possible looks of the spaceshift {up, down, left, right}, attributes in the spaceship such as direction its facing would be handy. Then work out from your grid what are legal or illegal moves, e.g. moving your spaceship off the grid would obviously be an illegal move.