Mamba Game

The Mamba game offers a unique African twist on the classic snake game, immersing players in the vibrant ecosystem of Africa. As players use their keys to maneuver the hungry snake to find its prey, they not only enjoy the thrill of the game but also gain valuable insights about the natural world. The game integrates educational elements, such as intriguing fun facts about snakes and the African green mamba, to become an engaging learning platform for young and old alike.

I created the Mamba game using Python, harnessing the power of PIL libraries for smooth image processing. The code was structured using Python's functions and classes, ensuring a modular and scalable design. By integrating fun facts seamlessly, the Mamba Game showcases Python's dynamic capabilities, offering players an engaging and educational experience.

Technologies:

Python

The Process

In crafting the Mamba game, I began by designing the game mechanics and visuals, incorporating Python's object-oriented approach. Leveraging the PIL (Pillow) library, allowed me to manage and display images, enhancing the game's visual appeal. Using Python's classes, I created distinct objects for the snake, food, and game elements, ensuring a modular structure for easy maintenance and updates.

Gameplay

The game's core features included dynamic snake movement controlled by arrow keys, collision detection to handle interactions between the snake and food, and a responsive game over mechanism triggered by collisions or boundary breaches. Python's event-driven programming facilitated smooth gameplay, allowing players to navigate the snake seamlessly.

To add an educational twist, fun facts about snakes, particularly the eastern African green mambas, demonstrate Python's text manipulation capabilities. String manipulation functions enabled me to present these facts at the end of the game, enriching players' knowledge in an engaging manner.

Example 1: Python

Here's a Python code snippet for the Mamba game:


    def next_turn(snake, food):
    global score
    x, y = snake.coordinates[0]

    if direction == "up":
        y -= SPACE_SIZE
    elif direction == "down":
        y += SPACE_SIZE
    elif direction == "left":
        x -= SPACE_SIZE
    elif direction == "right":
        x += SPACE_SIZE

    snake.coordinates.insert(0, [x, y])
    snake.update_head(direction)

    square = snake.canvas.create_image(
        x, y, anchor=NW, image=snake_head, tags="snake")
    snake.squares.insert(0, square)

    if x == food.coordinates[0] and y == food.coordinates[1]:
        global score
        score += 1
        label.config(text="Score : {}".format(score))
        canvas.delete("food")
        food = Food(canvas, snake.coordinates)
    else:
        del snake.coordinates[-1]
        canvas.delete(snake.squares[-1])
        del snake.squares[-1]
        snake.update_tail()

    if check_collisions(snake):
        game_over()
        return

    window.after(SPEED, next_turn, snake, food)

This code snippet provides game logic for movement, collision detection, and score tracking.

Example 2: Python

Here's another Python code snippet with a function checking for collisions:


    def check_collisions(snake):
    x, y = snake.coordinates[0]
    if x < 0 or x >= GAME_WIDTH or y < 0 or y >= GAME_HEIGHT - (SPACE_SIZE*2):
        print("GAME OVER")
        return True

    for body_part in snake.coordinates[1:]:
        if x == body_part[0] and y == body_part[1]:
            return True
    return False

This code snippet checks if the snake collides with the game boundaries or its own body, triggering the game over state if a collision is detected.