Alright, so let me tell you about this little project I’ve been messing around with called “new pal baseball.” It’s nothin’ fancy, just a fun way to kill some time and learn a few things along the way.
First off, I started by just brainstorming what I wanted. I wanted a baseball game, but not some super complicated simulation. Something simple, kinda like those old-school arcade games. So, I grabbed a pen and paper (yeah, I’m old school like that) and started scribbling down the basics. Things like:
- How many players?
- What are the main actions? (Hitting, pitching, running)
- How to keep score?
Then, I hopped onto my computer and started coding. I chose Python ’cause it’s easy to pick up and I already knew a bit. I started with the basic structure: a “Game” class, a “Player” class, and so on. Just laying the groundwork, you know?
Next, I dove into the hitting mechanic. This was tricky ’cause I wanted it to be somewhat random but still feel like the player had some control. I ended up using a random number generator to simulate the pitch, and then the player had to time their swing. If they timed it right, they’d get a hit! If not, strike one!
The pitching was even simpler. I just let the player choose a direction and speed, and then the game would calculate the pitch’s trajectory. It wasn’t realistic, but it was fun.
After that, I added the running part. I wanted players to be able to steal bases and try to score from second. This involved a lot of “if” statements and checking if a runner was safe or out. It was a bit of a headache, but I got it working eventually.
Then came the scoring system. This was pretty straightforward, just keeping track of runs, hits, and outs. I also added a simple scoreboard that would display the current score and inning.
Now, here’s where things got interesting. I wanted to add some AI to the game so you could play against a computer opponent. This was the hardest part ’cause I’m no AI expert. I ended up using a very basic decision-making algorithm. The AI would look at the current situation (number of outs, runners on base, etc.) and then make a decision based on some pre-defined rules. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough.
After getting the core game mechanics working, I focused on making it look and feel a bit better. I added some simple graphics using a library called Pygame. It’s nothing fancy, just some basic shapes and colors, but it made the game a lot more visually appealing. I also added some sound effects, like a “thwack” when you hit the ball and a “cheer” when you score a run.
Finally, I spent some time testing and debugging. This is always the most tedious part, but it’s essential. I played the game over and over again, trying to find any bugs or glitches. I also got some friends to playtest it and give me feedback. They found a bunch of stuff I missed, which was super helpful.
And that’s pretty much it! “New pal baseball” is not the most amazing game, but it’s something I built from scratch, and I learned a lot in the process. It was a fun way to practice my coding skills and try out some new things. Maybe I’ll add some more features later on, but for now, I’m happy with how it turned out.
Lessons Learned:
- Start simple and build from there.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things.
- Testing and debugging are crucial.
- Get feedback from others.
All in all, a fun little project! Maybe you’ll even try building your own game sometime!
