Python-PacWars_Game Guide: From Creation to Web Hosting

A star wars themed pacman game created with pygames

1. Creating the Game

Game Overview

Python-PacWars_Game is a Pac-Man inspired game created using Pygame. The game includes a player who must navigate through a maze, collect points, and avoid ghosts. There are power-ups that allow the player to turn the tables and eat the ghosts for extra points.

Game Features

• Player Movement: The player can move up, down, left, and right using arrow keys.
• Ghost AI: The game features four ghosts (Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde) with unique behaviors.
• Power-ups: Collecting power-ups allows the player to eat the ghosts for bonus points.
• Lives and Scoring: The player starts with a set number of lives and scores points by eating pellets and ghosts.

Core Libraries Used

• Pygame: Used to build the 2D game environment, including rendering graphics, handling input, and managing game logic.
• pygbag: A tool to convert the Python game to JavaScript, making it playable in web browsers.

---

2. Setting Up the Game Locally

Install Pygame

Before starting, you need to install Pygame to run the game locally.

1. Set up a virtual environment (recommended for managing dependencies):

   python -m venv venv

2. Activate the virtual environment:

   • On Windows:

     venv\Scripts\activate

   • On macOS/Linux:

     source venv/bin/activate

3. Install the required dependencies using pip:

   pip install pygame

4. Additional Dependencies: The game may also use other dependencies that are required for rendering and handling game elements. Ensure the following are installed:

   • pygame (used for all graphics and game logic).
   • pygbag (used for converting the game to a browser-compatible format).

   To ensure all dependencies are installed, you can include a requirements.txt file in your project with the following content:

   pygame>=2.0.1
   pygbag>=1.0.0

   Then install them with:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Game Locally

1. Clone the repository or download the Python-PacWars_Game files.

2. Run the game:

   python main.py

Game Controls

• Arrow Keys: Move the player in the four directions.
• Spacebar: If the game is over or won, pressing Space will restart the game.

Asset Files

Make sure that all your game assets (images, sounds, etc.) are in the correct directories. For example:

• assets/player.png
• assets/pellet.png

Ensure these files are accessible to the game’s main script.

---

3. Building the Game for the Web

To make your game playable in a web browser, use pygbag, a tool that converts Pygame code into JavaScript.

Install pygbag

1. Install pygbag:

   pip install pygbag

2. Convert the Python code into JavaScript:

   pygbag main.py

   This command will create a dist/ folder containing the web-ready files: index.html, main.js, and assets.

Test Locally

After converting the game to JavaScript, you can test it by opening index.html in your web browser. This file serves as the entry point for your game in the browser.

Troubleshooting:

• Ensure assets are properly loaded by checking their paths.
• Use the browser’s developer tools to inspect JavaScript errors.
• Test across multiple browsers for compatibility.

---

4. Hosting the Game Online

Once your game is converted to JavaScript using pygbag, you can host it on several platforms. Here are three popular options:

Hosting on GitHub Pages

1. Create a GitHub Repository:

   • Push your dist/ folder (which contains index.html, main.js, etc.) to your repository.

2. Set Up GitHub Pages:

   • Go to your repository's Settings > Pages.
   • Select the main branch and the /dist folder as the source.

3. Access Your Game:

   • GitHub Pages will provide a URL like https://yourusername.github.io/your-repository-name.

Hosting on Netlify

1. Sign Up for Netlify and connect your GitHub repository.

2. Deploy the Game:

   • Select the dist/ folder as the root directory for the site.

3. Access Your Game:

   • Netlify will provide a URL where your game will be hosted.

Hosting on Firebase Hosting

1. Install Firebase CLI:

   npm install -g firebase-tools

2. Initialize Firebase Hosting:

   firebase init hosting

3. Deploy the Game:

   • Point Firebase to the dist/ folder during the setup process.
   • Run firebase deploy to upload your game to Firebase Hosting.

---

5. Game Features Recap

Core Mechanics

• Player Movement: Arrow keys to move the player.
• Ghost Movement: Four unique ghosts with different AI behaviors.
• Power-ups: Eat the power-up to turn ghosts into edible targets.
• Score: Earn points by collecting pellets and eating ghosts.
• Lives: The player loses a life when colliding with an active ghost.

---

6. Code Overview

Main Game Loop

# Main game loop (example snippet)
while run:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            run = False
        if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
            if event.key == pygame.K_RIGHT:
                direction_command = 0  # Right direction
            ...
    
    # Move player
    player_x, player_y = move_player(player_x, player_y)

    # Check collisions
    if player_circle.colliderect(ghost.rect):
        if not powerup:
            lives -= 1
            restart_game()  # Reset positions and lives

    # Render game screen
    pygame.display.flip()

Ghost AI Movement

Each ghost has its own behavior. Some are random, and others target the player based on simple AI algorithms.

---

7. Important Considerations

Game Optimization

To ensure smooth gameplay, especially on the web:

• Compress images (use PNG or JPEG format).
• Convert sounds to lighter formats like MP3 or OGG.
• Optimize collision detection and game logic to improve performance.

Debugging

If you encounter any issues, use browser developer tools (Console tab) to check for JavaScript errors. Enable --debug mode in pygbag for more detailed output.

Performance

Web games can sometimes be slower than desktop versions. If your game experiences lag:

• Optimize assets and game logic.
• Check for unnecessary animations or complex operations.

---

8. Full Setup Process

1. Create and Develop the Game:

   • Build the game using Pygame with assets and game logic.

2. Convert with pygbag:

   • Run pygbag main.py to convert the game into a web-compatible format.

3. Test Locally:

   • Open index.html in your browser to test the game.

4. Host Online:

   • Choose a hosting platform (GitHub Pages, Netlify, Firebase) and upload your dist/ folder.

---

9. Resources

• pygbag Documentation: https://pygbag.dev/
• Pygame Documentation: https://www.pygame.org/docs/
• Netlify: https://www.netlify.com/
• GitHub Pages: https://pages.github.com/
• Firebase Hosting: https://firebase.google.com/docs/hosting

---

10. Conclusion

By following the above steps, you can create, test, and host your Python-PacWars_Game online. From local development with Pygame to converting and deploying it for web play using pygbag, this guide covers everything you need to turn your Python game into a playable web experience. Enjoy sharing your game with friends or users worldwide!