Creating a Checkers game in Python involves using a library that supports graphics and user interaction. Pygame is a popular choice for such projects due to its simplicity and comprehensive documentation.
Here’s a small guide on how to make a Checkers game using Python and Pygame.
How to Make a Checkers Game with Python and Pygame
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of Python programming
- Python installed on your system (Python 3.7+ recommended)
- Pygame library installed (you can install it using
pip install pygame)
Step 1: Setting Up the Project
Create a new directory for your Checkers game project. Inside this directory, create a Python file, for example, checkers.py.
Step 2: Installing Pygame
Install the Pygame library using pip:
pip install pygame
Step 3: Initializing Pygame
In your checkers.py file, start by importing and initializing Pygame.
import pygame
import sys
# Initialize Pygame
pygame.init()
# Screen dimensions
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 800, 800
ROWS, COLS = 8, 8
SQUARE_SIZE = WIDTH // COLS
# Colors
RED = (255, 0, 0)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
BLUE = (0, 0, 255)
GREY = (128, 128, 128)
# Initialize the screen
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption('Checkers')
Step 4: Creating the Board
Define functions to draw the board and squares.
def draw_squares(screen):
screen.fill(BLACK)
for row in range(ROWS):
for col in range(row % 2, COLS, 2):
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, (row * SQUARE_SIZE, col * SQUARE_SIZE, SQUARE_SIZE, SQUARE_SIZE))
def main():
run = True
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
while run:
clock.tick(60) # Limit the frame rate to 60 FPS
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
run = False
draw_squares(screen)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
This code will create a window with an 8x8 checkers board.
Step 5: Creating the Pieces
Define a Piece class to represent each checkers piece.
class Piece:
PADDING = 15
OUTLINE = 2
def __init__(self, row, col, color):
self.row = row
self.col = col
self.color = color
self.king = False
if self.color == RED:
self.direction = -1
else:
self.direction = 1
self.x = 0
self.y = 0
self.calc_pos()
def calc_pos(self):
self.x = SQUARE_SIZE * self.col + SQUARE_SIZE // 2
self.y = SQUARE_SIZE * self.row + SQUARE_SIZE // 2
def make_king(self):
self.king = True
def draw(self, screen):
radius = SQUARE_SIZE // 2 - self.PADDING
pygame.draw.circle(screen, GREY, (self.x, self.y), radius + self.OUTLINE)
pygame.draw.circle(screen, self.color, (self.x, self.y), radius)
if self.king:
crown = pygame.image.load('crown.png')
crown = pygame.transform.scale(crown, (44, 25))
screen.blit(crown, (self.x - crown.get_width()//2, self.y - crown.get_height()//2))
def move(self, row, col):
self.row = row
self.col = col
self.calc_pos()
Step 6: Creating the Board Class
Define a Board class to manage the game state.
class Board:
def __init__(self):
self.board = []
self.red_left = self.white_left = 12
self.red_kings = self.white_kings = 0
self.create_board()
def create_board(self):
for row in range(ROWS):
self.board.append([])
for col in range(COLS):
if col % 2 == ((row + 1) % 2):
if row < 3:
self.board[row].append(Piece(row, col, WHITE))
elif row > 4:
self.board[row].append(Piece(row, col, RED))
else:
self.board[row].append(0)
else:
self.board[row].append(0)
def draw(self, screen):
self.draw_squares(screen)
for row in range(ROWS):
for col in range(COLS):
piece = self.board[row][col]
if piece != 0:
piece.draw(screen)
def draw_squares(self, screen):
screen.fill(BLACK)
for row in range(ROWS):
for col in range(row % 2, COLS, 2):
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, (row * SQUARE_SIZE, col * SQUARE_SIZE, SQUARE_SIZE, SQUARE_SIZE))
def move(self, piece, row, col):
self.board[piece.row][piece.col], self.board[row][col] = self.board[row][col], self.board[piece.row][piece.col]
piece.move(row, col)
if row == ROWS - 1 or row == 0:
piece.make_king()
if piece.color == WHITE:
self.white_kings += 1
else:
self.red_kings += 1
Step 7: Handling User Input
Add functions to handle user clicks and piece selection.
def get_row_col_from_mouse(pos):
x, y = pos
row = y // SQUARE_SIZE
col = x // SQUARE_SIZE
return row, col
def main():
run = True
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
board = Board()
selected_piece = None
while run:
clock.tick(60)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
run = False
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
pos = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
row, col = get_row_col_from_mouse(pos)
if selected_piece:
board.move(selected_piece, row, col)
selected_piece = None
else:
piece = board.board[row][col]
if piece != 0:
selected_piece = piece
board.draw(screen)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
Step 8: Enhancing the Game Logic
Implement game logic for capturing pieces, switching turns, and determining the winner. Here’s a simplified version of the game loop with basic capturing logic.
class Game:
def __init__(self, screen):
self._init()
self.screen = screen
def _init(self):
self.selected = None
self.board = Board()
self.turn = RED
self.valid_moves = {}
def update(self):
self.board.draw(self.screen)
self.draw_valid_moves(self.valid_moves)
pygame.display.update()
def reset(self):
self._init()
def select(self, row, col):
if self.selected:
result = self._move(row, col)
if not result:
self.selected = None
self.select(row, col)
piece = self.board.get_piece(row, col)
if piece != 0 and piece.color == self.turn:
self.selected = piece
self.valid_moves = self.board.get_valid_moves(piece)
return True
return False
def _move(self, row, col):
piece = self.board.get_piece(row, col)
if self.selected and piece == 0 and (row, col) in self.valid_moves:
self.board.move(self.selected, row, col)
skipped = self.valid_moves[(row, col)]
if skipped:
self.board.remove(skipped)
self.change_turn()
else:
return False
return True
def draw_valid_moves(self, moves):
for move in moves:
row, col = move
pygame.draw.circle(self.screen, BLUE, (col * SQUARE_SIZE + SQUARE_SIZE // 2, row * SQUARE_SIZE + SQUARE_SIZE // 2), 15)
def change_turn(self):
self.valid_moves = {}
if self.turn == RED:
self.turn = WHITE
else:
self.turn = RED
def main():
run = True
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
game = Game(screen)
while run:
clock.tick(60)
if game.turn == RED:
print("Red's turn")
else:
print("White's turn")
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
run = False
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
pos = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
row, col = get_row_col_from_mouse(pos)
game.select(row, col)
game.update()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Conclusion
This guide walks you through the basics of creating a Checkers game in Python using Pygame. You can further enhance the game by adding more features such as a more sophisticated AI opponent, better graphics, and improved game logic. This project provides a solid foundation for exploring game development with Python.
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