Programming AI Bots for Zombie Dice
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
(This blog post may be obsolete. Please read "Writing Bots to Play Zombie Dice" instead.
PygButton - Designing a Button UI Module for Pygame
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
A button is a common user interface (UI) control that is used in many software applications. It seems simple enough: there's a button on the window and you click on it and something happens. But there's a lot of details we should plan out ahead of time. Remember, we want to make a generic button class so that other programmers can use this in their games and programs. Once you've read through the process here, you'll be familiar with how to make your own modules for UI elements.
Am I Too Old to Learn Programming?
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
How Does Compression Work?
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
"Zip" programs that can compress multiple files into one smaller .zip file are fairly popular for downloads since the fewer bytes you have to download the faster it will download. But how do you compress files? Files are made up of ones and zeros, which can't be squished like clothes into a tight suitcase.
Source Code Makeover: Square Shooter, Part 3
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
This is a continuation from Part 1 and Part 2, where I go through the source code of Square Shooter, an Asteroids clone, and try to redesign the code to be more readable.
Source Code Makeover: Square Shooter, Part 2
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
This is a continuation from Part 1, where I go through the source code of Square Shooter, an Asteroids clone, and try to redesign the code to be more readable.
Source Code Makeover: Square Shooter, Part 1
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
In this blog post, I'm taking a game off of Pygame.org and going through it to make it more readable and extend its functionality. You'll see an example of how to take code that works and changes to improve it's design (but more importantly, I explain why I make those changes).
Need a Game Idea? A List of Game Mechanics and a Random Mechanic Mixer.
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
If you need an idea for a game, try this random game mechanic generator.
Using Trigonometry to Animate Bounces, Draw Clocks, and Point Cannons at a Target
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
How to use trigonometry in your Pygame games.
16 Common Python Runtime Errors That Beginners Find
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
Figuring out what Python's error messages mean can be kind of tricky when you are first learning the language. Here's a list of common errors that result in runtime error messages which will crash your program.