Lesson 5: Advanced Game Features and Customizations

Objective 🧐🗿

Get ready to boost the excitement in your game! We're adding some cool new features to make your game a real test of skill. You'll learn to create difficulty levels, control your laser ammo for extra challenge, and even make a cannon that spins instead of moving side to side. Let’s get your players hooked and wanting more!

🚀 Step 1. Boost the Challenge with Difficulty Levels

Open up the file we made in our Setup section.

As you score more points, let's make the game keep up with your skills by making the aliens faster and more frequent. Here’s how you can make your game increasingly challenging:

1. Track Your Score: You'll need to keep an eye on the player's score because the game's difficulty will depend on it.
2. Speed Up the Aliens: Increase the ALIEN_SPEED variable as the score reaches certain milestones (like every 10 points).
3. Spawn Aliens Faster: Decrease the ALIEN_SPAWN_INTERVAL as the score goes up to make the game more challenging.

Hint: Consider using if statements within a function to check if the score has reached a threshold and then adjust the game settings accordingly.

🔍 Code Snippet for Difficulty Adjustment

def update_difficulty(score):
    global ALIEN_SPEED, ALIEN_SPAWN_INTERVAL
    if score > 10:
        ALIEN_SPEED = 5
        ALIEN_SPAWN_INTERVAL = 1.0
    if score > 20:
        ALIEN_SPEED = 6.5
        ALIEN_SPAWN_INTERVAL = 0.8

🎯 Step 2. Manage Your Ammo: Limit the Number of Lasers

What if lasers were a limited resource? Use them wisely to make each shot count. Here's how to implement this:

-- Set a Maximum: Determine how many lasers can be in action at once. -- Check Before Shooting: Always verify if there are lasers left before firing. -- Plan for Restocking: Decide how players can earn more lasers, perhaps by scoring points or hitting milestones.

Hint: Modify your laser creation function to check if you still have lasers available before creating a new one.

🔍 Code Snippet for Managing Lasers

MAX_LASERS = 5
available_lasers = MAX_LASERS

def create_laser():
    global available_lasers
    if available_lasers > 0:
        laser = turtle.Turtle()
        laser.penup()
        laser.color(1, 0, 0)
        laser.hideturtle()
        laser.setposition(cannon.xcor(), cannon.ycor() + 20)
        laser.setheading(90)
        laser.pensize(5)
        lasers.append(laser)
        available_lasers -= 1

def restock_lasers():
    global available_lasers
    available_lasers = MAX_LASERS

🔄 Step 3. Spin that Cannon!

Adding a spinning cannon introduces a new layer of challenge. Here's how to set it up:

Fix the Cannon's Position: Ensure your cannon stays put. Enable Rotation: Allow the cannon to turn left or right based on player inputs. Adjust Laser Emission: Lasers should still fire from the front of the cannon, even as it rotates.

Hint: Update the cannon's orientation and modify the key bindings to rotate the cannon instead of moving it horizontally.

🔍 Code Snippet for Rotating Cannon

def rotate_cannon_left():
    angle = cannon.heading()
    cannon.setheading(angle + 10)

def rotate_cannon_right():
    angle = cannon.heading()
    cannon.setheading(angle - 10)

# Replace move_left and move_right with rotate_cannon_left and rotate_cannon_right in key bindings
window.onkeypress(rotate_cannon_left, "Left")
window.onkeypress(rotate_cannon_right, "Right")

• You've just embarked on an amazing coding journey, mastering the basics of turtle movement and positioning, setting the stage for more creative adventures! 🚀