This set of tasks aims to help you practice basic Python concepts (variables, printing, user input, if-elif-else condition, list, for loop, dictionary, libraries).
For the tasks you will create a new python file in which you'll build your text adventure. In each step you will extend your file with the tasks exercises. Do not copy paste the code, just use it as a guide. Go back to the presentation examples to check the syntax and ask coaches for help when you get stuck ;) As a last resource, there's a file with a possible solution in the end of each task.
Contents
Resources: Python first steps. (print, input, if, else, ==)
- Type the following code, save it in a file and try to understand what it does.
- Run the file and check if what you imagined really happens.
- Get creative! Right after the inline comments, add a second door using the elif statement.
print("Welcome to the dungeon!")
print("Do you go through door 1 or door 2?")
door = input("> ")
if door == "1":
print("There is a nice vampire asking you if you enjoy life.")
print("What do you do?")
print("1. Smile and nod")
print("2. Scream and run")
vampire = input("> ")
if vampire == "1":
print("Congratulations, you found a new friend!")
elif vampire == "2":
print("Sorry, the vampire is faster. You become a dinner.")
else:
print("That is not a valid option!")
# Add code here! Make sure to be indented (vertically aligned) correctly
else:
print("That is not a valid option!")See possible solution in task_1_if_else.py.
Resources: Variables, f-strings.
Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise. Now that you created a new door for your player to choose from, let's personalize the game a little bit. Write the answer to each exercise under its related inline comment.
- At the beginning of the program, add code to ask the name of the player and store the answer in a variable.
- Right after the line you added in A, use the variable in which you stored the players name to print a welcoming using the name of the user.
- Customize the replies to the various doors and questions to show the user name. For example if the variable name holds the name of the user, the code could look like that: (for Python 3.6 or greater)
if vampire == "1":
print(f"Congratulations {name}, you found a new friend!")- Time to get creative! Ask one more question to the player and use their answer. It can be either inside a door, or after the doors a totally separate question in the end of the file.
See possible solution in task_2_variables.py.
Resources: Functions.
Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise.
- Create a function in the begging of your file that prints and alerts of wrong input (something to substitute the answer of the else).
- Use your function where it applies.
- Change your function to receive an argument called
valid. egdef wrong_input(valid). Your function can now print the value ofvalidoptions that are passed. For example if the valid options for the user to type is 1 or 2, when the user types something other than 1 or 2, the wrong_input function should be called like that:
wrong_input("1, 2") # this could print:
# "Sorry but the only valid options are: 1, 2."See possible solution in task_3_functions.py.
Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise.
- At the beginning of the file, create a list variable named
friendswith names of the user's friends.
# Remember defining a list variable looks like that:
my_var = ['zero_element', 'first_element']- When a user enters some room, print a message saying that her 2nd friend in
the list is in the room (print the name of the friend from the variable
friends).
# Remember: Access list elements like this eg. friends[0], friends[1]
- Make this name be chosen randomly. At the first line of the file, import
Python library called
random. This library has functions to help with random numbers and userandom.randint(a, b)function to give you a random number between a and b. eg.random.randint(1, 4)will return a random number between 1-4, so one of 1, 2, 3, 4. Use this function to choose a random name from the names list.
# Remember: import statement looks like this:
import that_awesome_library_nameSee possible solution in task_4_loops_lists.py.
Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise.
- Now think a bit, how would you write a
deadfunction using an argument calleddeath_message? This function could be called in every point that they user dies eg. when the user becomes a dinner for the vampire. To figure out where this function should be added, check the structure of a typical python file:
- ::
# Common Python file structure
# import statements
# function definitions
# global variables (variable outside functions)
# code outside of a function
- Extend your
deadfunction telling the user that is falling from high. Make the function print:
"You are falling for... 1 2 3 ... # with all the numbers in between 30 meters! You are dead!"
Print all the numbers up to 10 or 30 with a for loop using range
function. For example range(30) will return some kind of list with numbers
from 0-29.
- Add a delay while falling in each step with
time.sleep(secs)`, Eg. ``time.sleep(1)will pause the program for 1 sec. Remember to add import for time library withimport timebefore it is used (see file_structure).
See possible solution in task_5_loop_range_function.py.
Dictionaries are super useful python data structures. When dealing with data, like wikipedia data, questionnaire data, or anything you can imagine, dictionaries will prove themselves quite useful.
Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise.
- Let's use a dictionary to describe each room greeting. Create a dictionary
variable called
door_greetingswith keys being the door numbers and values being the door greeting. It could look like:
door_greetings = {'1': "Welcome to paradise!"}Tip: Define the variable near other global variables (see file_structure).
- In each room the user enters, print the corresponding door greeting from the
dictionary. Use the
doorvariable to show the correct message.
See possible solution in task_6_dictionaries.py.
So far in the game when the user types something that is not correct, the program continues giving a message. What if we want the program to keep asking until the user types something useful? Then the code should be executed again. Given the example where the program expects only two possible answers:
Example Invalid message:
number = input('Choose a door (1/2):')
if number != '1' and number != '2':
print('Only 1 or 2 is valid!!!!')The code could be repeated with a while loop. Any command inside while (indented under while) would be repeated while the condition is valid.
Example while:
number = 0
while number != 'n':
number = input('Do you want me to ask you again (y/n)?')- In a new file type the code from the example
Invalid messageabove and make it repeat until the user types a valid option. - Now that you practiced a bit
while, use it in the main adventure file. Continue in your file from the previous exercise or use the solution from the previous exercise as a basis for this exercise. Make the program keep asking for a valid door while the user doesn't give an acceptable answer.
See possible solution in task_7_while.py.
Practice more functions. Make a new file and use the code below. The code is not
valid because the used your_room function is not yet defined.
- Get creative, write a function
your_room. Check where it is called in the room.
from sys import exit # exit builtin function is used to terminate the program
# start room
def start():
choice = input("There is a door to your right and left."
"Which one do you take? ")
if choice == "left":
bank_room()
elif choice == "right":
your_room() # you need to create the function your_room
else:
dead("You stumble around the room until you starve.")
# second room
def bank_room():
choice = input("This room is full of money."
"How many bank note bundles do you take? ")
if choice.isdigit():
if int(choice) > 0 and int(choice) < 50:
print("Nice, you're not greedy, you win!")
exit(0)
elif int(choice) > 50:
dead("You greedy bastard!")
else:
dead("Man, learn to type a number.")
def dead(message):
print(message, "You are dead.")
exit(0)
start()See possible solution in task_8_more_functions.py.
Use the dictionary adventure below to control the game play instead of if-else statements.
The values of a dictionary can be dictionaries as well, that have values lists with elements that can be lists or dictionaries as well. This can lead to a pretty complicated data structure. For example:
map = {
'sea': [
{'boat1': ['maria', 'elena', 'stella']},
{'boat2': ['jose', 'jes', 'katya']}],
'shore': [
{'building1': ['irina', 'fei', 'persa']}
]
}The code above is a representation of map, with the keys sea and
shore. Each of these keys have as values lists. The value of sea is
[{'boat1': ['maria', 'elena', 'stella']}, {'boat2': ['jose', 'jes', 'katya']}]
which is a list with 2 dictionary elements, each one is a dictionary with the
key being the boat name and the value being the passengers. To print eg the
passengers of boat2 one shall do print(map['sea'][0]['boat2']).
We will use such a complex dictionary to control the adventure game. Create a
new file and type the code below. The dictionary adventure that has as
values dictionaries as well, includes all the text needed to play the game. The
value of a door, eg door '1', is also a dictionary, with key 'greeting'
which is the text to show when the user enters the room and "options" which
is a list of dictionaries with the "action" to display and then the "result" to
show to the user when they choose this option. Currently only the door 1 is
defined.
- Take some time to understand the structure of the dictionary adventure in the
code below. Copy this code to a new file and continue the program in the
indicated line and print the greeting of the chosen door, using the value
from the dictionary. Eg. the greeting of the door '1' can be accessed with
adventure['1']['greeting']or if the door number is in a variable called door,adventure[door]['greeting']will get the greeting for the variable door from the dictionary. This value can be passed directly into a print statement. - Exactly after the print of the greeting, print the possible actions for each option of the chosen door. eg:
1. Smile and node 2. Scream and run
- Tips:
- Accessing the action of the first option of the first door can be done
with
adventure['1']['options'][0]['action'] forloop is needed to go through the list of options.- To show the number of each option python
enumeratefunction can be useful, http://book.pythontips.com/en/latest/enumerate.html
- Accessing the action of the first option of the first door can be done
with
Add more options to door
'1'.Add more doors to the
adventuredictionary.Tip: Copy paste the structure of door '1' and change the values to avoid missing commas and parenthesis, but remember to add a comma before your new values.
If the chosen door is not available in adventure, show a message. Tip to check if a value is one of the dictionary keys, the
"in"or the"not in"can be used. eg.if door in adventure.
adventure = {
'1': {
'greeting': 'There is a nice vampire asking you if you enjoy life.'
'What do you do?',
'options': [
{
'action': 'Smile and nod',
'result': 'Congratulations, you found a new friend!'
},
{
'action': 'Scream and run',
'result': 'Sorry the vampire is faster, you are dead!'
},
# Exercise C
]
},
# Exercise D
}
doors = '/'.join(adventure.keys()) # join() is python method to make one
# string out of a list of things
# adventure.keys() is a list with all
# the dictionary keys, in that case is
# only door ['1']
print(f"Which door do you choose ({doors}) ?")
door = input("> ")
# Exercise A - print greeting to the chosen door
# Exercise B - print user options with their number
# Exercise C - if the door is not in the available options print a message