spacedinvaders 0.0.3

A textual, terminal spin on an arcade classic

spacedinvaders

A textual terminal spin on an arcade classic ... and my CS50X final project for the year that CoViD-19 made me want to forget.

Implemented using Python's builtin curses module; no other dependencies unless you want audio, see the caveat below.

Installation

Assuming you've got Python 3.8 installed you should be able to install with:

pip install --user spacedinvaders

Gameplay

Controls are pretty self-explanatory:

Move Left    A KEY or LEFT ARROW
Move Right   D KEY or RIGHT ARROW
Fire         SPACE
Quit         CTRL + Q

Though there might be others if you're looking for eggs.

Caveats

Unicode

Your terminal must support unicode characters; run spacedinvaders -h and see if the UFO appears:

         ▁▁▁
        ▞█▀█▚
        ▔▘▔▝▔

Controls

Being that it's curses the movement controls can feel a bit sloppy. You might want to play around with xset r settings to find an autorepeat that works for you.

Audio

Sounds will only work with simpleaudio and its dependencies installed. Worked out of the box for me, but Your Mileage May Vary.

Credits

Couldn't have gotten anywhere near this accurate without the awesome resources at:

1. The useful descriptions of the arcade box's gameplay found at Classic Gaming's overview: they also get full credit for the audio files they've made available.

2. Some details about resolution on the original arcade screen found at Retro Games filled in gaps from the above (and literally, on the screen).

3. Couldn't have gone the extra mile on the little details of Invader timings, sound, or general play details without the absolutely brilliant, and exhaustive, excavations at Computer Archaeology, which honestly make all the difference in making this feel at least a little like the real thing.