Snake Game Workshop

This repository contains the code and resources for the Snake Game Workshop, designed for university-level participants to learn about game programming, distributed systems, and real-time data exchange using RTI Connext DDS.

Overview

The workshop consists of two main components:

1. Snake Game Application: The controller for managing the game, displaying a leaderboard, and placing food items on the game board.
2. Snake Application: Individual snake instances that move around the game board, controlled by either user input or as an autonomous bot.

Both applications leverage the RTI Connext DDS for real-time data communication.

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Files in the Repository

1. utils.py

Defines common data structures used in the game:

• ShapeFillKind: Enum defining different fill styles for game shapes.
• ShapeType and ShapeTypeExtended: Classes representing objects on the game board, such as food and snakes, with attributes like position, color, size, and fill type.

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2. SnakeGameApplication.py

Manages the overall game logic, including:

• Placing food on the board using distributed data structures.
• Displaying the leaderboard with player scores.
• Handling updates from all participating snakes via DDS.

Key Features:

• Real-Time Communication: Uses DDS for exchanging position and score updates between snakes and the game controller.
• Food Management: Automatically places food at random positions and detects collisions with snakes.
• Leaderboard: Tracks and displays scores based on snake performance.

Run with:

python SnakeGameApplication.py --domain-id <DDS_DOMAIN_ID>

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3. SnakeApplication.py

Implements the snake entity for the game. A snake can be:

• Controlled by a User: Movement directed using arrow keys.
• Autonomous Bot: Calculates its movement based on food position.

Key Features:

• Real-Time Updates: Continuously publishes its position to the DDS topic.
• Food Awareness: Reads food positions and adjusts movement accordingly.
• Boundary Wrapping: Ensures the snake wraps around the board edges.

Run with:

python SnakeApplication.py --snake-id <UNIQUE_ID> [--domain-id <DDS_DOMAIN_ID>] [--is-bot]

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Workshop Goals

By completing the workshop, participants will:

• Understand the basics of game development, including input handling, object updates, and collision detection.
• Learn how distributed systems communicate using DDS.
• Gain hands-on experience in implementing a real-time multiplayer application.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• RTI Connext DDS libraries installed
• curses library for terminal-based UI

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/MarcosRigal/matchmaking-2024.git

2. Install required Python packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Game

1. Start the game controller:

   python SnakeGameApplication.py

2. Start individual snake applications:

   python SnakeApplication.py --snake-id "Blue"
   python SnakeApplication.py --snake-id "Yellow" --is-bot

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