PyWeek - It's done!

I've submitted the final version of my game, I've squashed all the bugs I could find and added as many features as I could.

The game can be downloaded here.

So, what can my game do?

You can build a network of steam pipes with various pipe sections using and easy point and click interface.
The steam 'flows' through the system in a seemingly realistic fashion, although I did just make it up!
You can guide the steam through additive squares that change the composition of the steam.
You can monitor the stream through a series of easy to read gauges and dials.
It has a menu system and pause functionality.
While playing the game you can consult helpful tooltips for, um, help.

I'm pretty pleased with the way my code turned out. Towards the end it turn into a hack-and-slash affair with new features being bashed in with a big messy hammer, but at least at the start it was clean.

I've learnt quite a lot about how to structure a game. I really should have focused a bit more on getting a decent state machine for the menu system.

I had to cut back my grand initial vision to something a bit more manageable. Here are a few things that didn't make the cut...

Penalties for over pressurising pipes and a visual indication of when you do so.
Rather than gauges I had wanted to see the steam in the pipes and thus see what the pressure was. This went pretty early on...
Levels. I initially wanted to do 50 or more, now there are only 20.
High scores. If you want to know what your best score is, you'll need a pencil and paper!

PyWeek has been a lot of fun, although I don't think I could have kept going for more than a week! I don't what I'll be doing when the next one rolls around, but hopefully I'll give it a go again.

Thanks to Rich, Neil, Jack and Tom - I think I fixed all the bugs you found and added all the suggested features. Cheers for the help guys!

— andrew_j_w on 2006/04/01 23:20 of Steam Pipe Dreams