Apprentice Project: Labyrinth Game from the 1st Year

In this blog post, I would like to introduce you to an exciting apprentice project from the first year: The Labyrinth Game. This project was created as part of my training and was intended to consolidate basic programming skills and understanding of algorithms. In our first year of apprenticeship, we developed a simple but very educational game.

Project Overview

The Labyrinth Game is a game developed in Python in which the goal is to navigate a character through a maze. We used the pygame library to graphically represent the game and to enable the control of the character. The objective of the game is to successfully guide the character from the starting point to the goal through the maze without getting lost.

Game Features

Our Labyrinth Game offers some interesting features that make the game unique:

  • Multiple Difficulty Levels: There are different maze layouts with varying difficulty levels, so both beginners and advanced players can find a suitable challenge.
  • Time Limit: In higher difficulty levels, there is a time limit, making the game even more exciting. Players must navigate through the maze under time pressure, which requires additional concentration.
  • Power-Ups: Randomly placed power-ups are hidden in the maze, such as those that increase movement speed or extend the time.
  • Save Function: Players can save their progress and continue playing later.

Learning Content and Challenges

In this project, we learned and applied a number of fundamental concepts of programming and game development. Here are some of the key learning points:

  1. Using Python and Pygame: We learned how to create a graphical user interface and develop an interactive game using the Python programming language and the pygame library.

  2. Collision Detection: One challenge was ensuring that the character could not walk through the maze walls. This required implementing collision detection to correctly restrict the character’s movement.

  3. Game Mechanics and Logic: In addition to graphics, we also had to develop the entire game logic, such as controlling the character, reaching the goal, and defining win or lose conditions.

  4. Problem Solving: We are particularly proud of encountering new challenges and solving them through creative thinking and experimentation. Whether it was solving movement issues or fixing bugs in the code.

  5. Teamwork: Collaboration was another important aspect of this project. We had to discuss tasks and problems, find solutions together, and ensure that all parts of the game worked seamlessly together.

GitHub Repository

The entire code of the project is published on GitHub, so interested people can take a look at it. You can find the project at the following link: Labyrinth Game on GitHub. The repository contains the complete source code as well as a brief guide on how to try out the game yourself.

Installation Guide

To try out the Labyrinth Game yourself, simply follow these steps:

  1. Install Python: Make sure Python is installed on your system. The latest version of Python can be downloaded from the official website.
  2. Install Pygame: Run the command pip install pygame to install the required library.
  3. Clone the Repository: Clone the repository using the command git clone https://github.com/EinsPommes/Labyrinth-Game.git.
  4. Start the Game: Navigate to the game directory and start the game with python labyrinth_game.py.

Have fun playing!

Conclusion

The Labyrinth Game was a great first project as part of my apprenticeship. It showed us how much fun learning to program can be and how important it is to approach problems systematically. The project not only introduced us to the basics of game development but also taught us how to work in a team, exchange ideas, and find solutions.

By adding features like multiple difficulty levels, a time limit, and power-ups, we were able to deepen our knowledge in game development and implement creative ideas. The Labyrinth Game is not only an educational project but also a game that brings joy to both us as developers and to the players.

We hope you enjoy our game and that it might even inspire you to start programming yourself. Feel free to check out the GitHub repository, try out the game, and leave us feedback!