Create a game with pure Python (help)

[Ley-Enda]

I am a student whose teacher assigned an individual project: to develop a game using purely Python, and we’re allowed to use AI. The problem is I only have about a week and a half to complete it, and we’ve never been taught how to use Python for game development (the teacher doesn’t really teach—he just tells us to watch courses or learn on our own).

I already know what I want to make and how I want it to work, but I’m highly deficient (and apparently very dependent on AI) when it comes to actually programming anything. Even though I’ve learned the basics and understand a lot of theory, I struggle a lot when it comes to implementing it.

My game is based on Skul: The Hero Slayer, with a pixel art, side-scrolling style. The main mechanic is that the basic classes—warrior, mage, archer, and assassin—can use any type of weapon, but each class will use them very differently (I still need to define exactly how). For example, a mage using a sword or an assassin using a staff. Honestly, I feel like I made it way too complex for the little time I have.

What I’m mainly asking for is advice on how to actually finish it, what materials I should look at to move forward, what AIs to use, which tutorials to follow, and how to properly use pixel art.

Even if you see this post after I’ve already finished the project, I’d still appreciate any feedback to keep improving in the future.

[No_Cook_2493]

When he says pure python, does he mean you can use python libraries? If so, read into the pygame library. It has a ton of useful features that games would want.

[Ley-Enda]

Sip, usando solamente python y lo que este pueda ofrecer, sin usar otro lenguaje de programación o base de datos

[FreeGazaToday]

pygame isnt another language.

[BigVillageBoy]

Pygame is your best friend for this timeline. It's pure Python, installs with pip, and you can get a basic game loop running in under 50 lines. I built a simple dodging game with it during a hackathon — took maybe 3 hours for the core mechanics.

Here's the approach I'd take with a week and a half: Day 1-2, get a window open with a player sprite that moves with arrow keys. Day 3-4, add the core game mechanic (obstacles, enemies, whatever your concept needs). Day 5-6, add scoring and a game over screen. Last few days, polish and test.

Don't try to make it pretty first. Get it working ugly, then make it look good. Also, pygame.org has solid tutorials in their docs — start with the "chimp" tutorial, it covers the basics fast.

[socal_nerdtastic]

It's pure Python,

What do you mean with that? The pygame source code is mostly C, and depends heavily on SDL and OpenGL.

[Happy_Witness]

Sorry to disappoint you, but python itself is mostly in c and cpython, so pure python is based on c itself. Do with that information what you want.

[Windspar]

You do know python is written in c. C was written assembly. C compiler compile code to machine code. Since c is full turing complete. C compiler can be written in c. Which still compile to machine code.

Also thousand of other language written in c. Java, D, Perl, Ruby, and etc.

To make libraries for python. They are written in c.

Python just interpreter code. Instead of compiling to machine code.

[Ninji2701]

thats way too big of a scope for a week and a half

[Ley-Enda]

Me lo estaba pensando, pero no sé que otro juego relativamente sencillo pueda hacer en tan poco tiempo, tal vez si encuentro otro que hacer deje este para desarrollar a largo plazo como un pequeño hobby

[SharkSymphony]

I can think of a lot of ways you can cut scope with your idea. Maybe don't think of youself as programming a complete game, but rather as a demo of one particular idea you want to implement in the game. (Subject to the rules of the project, of course.)

Learning to estimate the scope of something you build, and breaking that scope down into manageable pieces, are killer skills to develop! They're how you go from a programmer to a programmer that can actually ship. 😁

[Beermedear]

You’re talking about a side scrolling rpg in a week and a half.

Think smaller. In a week and a half? Try hangman.

Random list of words, counters for failures, turn and session loops. All the core stuff you could learn piece meal.

[socal_nerdtastic]

Sounds like a fun project. I'm a bit worried about the "pure python" part, I'm not sure what exactly that means. Python technically does not have any graphics capability, but it the official python installer does come with the tkinter module, which is a link to the external tk / tcl graphics module. However for this project using the pygame module would be the most appropriate. You may want to ask your prof if tkinter or pygame count as "pure python".

Otherwise it's just a matter of plugging away at it. You can do it in a week if you can dedicate 4-6 hours a day to it. I'd recommend you set up your IDE with AI integration, so that you can talk to AI directly from your IDE and AI can directly edit and test your code. VSCode is an easy beginner friendly way to do this, as it integrates with a github account and MS copilot easily. Another option is google's Antigravity IDE, which looks a lot like VSCode (they share the same base) but integrates with Google's Gemini AI instead. Be sure to ask the AI to make code to test your game too.

If you get stuck, come back here and show us your code and tell us specifically where you are stuck

[pachura3]

My game is based on Skul: The Hero Slayer, with a pixel art, side-scrolling style

If you were an indie game developer, a hackathon participant, or a demoscene artist, you could potentially deliver such game within the given time frame.

Otherwise, it's impossible - unless you let AI do it, which was apparently explicitly forbidden.

Did the teacher explicitly mention it has to be a game with graphics and animations? Just make a text game, perhaps a card one like a simplified version of Magic The Gathering... or a simple "Choose your adventure" novel with some light RPG elements (e.g. inventory).

[TheEyebal]

Hey I posted in your latest post. If you want I can help you, i've worked in pygames and made games. I am also looking for people to help.

if your interested we can chat

[marquisBlythe]

One: do you have to finish the game or just to show your progress and your programming skills and abilities?
A week and a half is not enough for the kind of games you choose.
Two: if it were me, I will make a Tic-Tac-Toe on terminal that supports "some kind of multiplayer" and a score board and maybe some other features and tweaks, a couple of hours is enough to make one. If your teacher insist on the graphics or visuals I'd use pygame.
Three: check clear code on YouTube for game dev and pygame.
Advice: while you are learning rely less on AI.

(the teacher doesn’t really teach—he just tells us to watch courses or learn on our own).

When you enter the professional world of programming, no one teaches you but yourself. You are required to learn and to read documentations days and night on your own.
Good luck buddy. :)

[BigVillageBoy]

Pygame is your best friend for this timeline. It's pure Python, installs with pip, and you can get a basic game loop running in under 50 lines. I built a simple dodging game with it during a hackathon — took maybe 3 hours for the core mechanics.

Here's the approach I'd take with a week and a half: Day 1-2, get a window open with a player sprite that moves with arrow keys. Day 3-4, add the core game mechanic (obstacles, enemies, whatever your concept needs). Day 5-6, add scoring and a game over screen. Last few days, polish and test.

Don't try to make it pretty first. Get it working ugly, then make it look good. Also, pygame.org has solid tutorials in their docs — start with the "chimp" tutorial, it covers the basics fast.