"Don't Find Me" (PyTinker Game)

Problem

Build a complete, polished 2D game from scratch in Python with no game engine, as a term project demonstrating object-oriented design and a custom game loop.

Architecture

• Tkinter Canvas as the rendering surface with manual dirty-rect invalidation
• Custom game loop using after() scheduling for frame-rate control
• Player entity with keyboard-driven velocity and boundary clamping
• Obstacle spawner with configurable difficulty ramping over time
• Collision detection using axis-aligned bounding boxes (AABB)
• State machine managing menu, playing, paused, and game-over screens

Challenges

• Achieving smooth animation in Tkinter without a dedicated rendering engine
• Implementing progressive difficulty without making the game feel unfair
• Managing game state transitions cleanly without global mutable state

Tradeoffs

• Tkinter chosen for zero-dependency portability; traded rendering performance for simplicity
• AABB collision is less precise than pixel-perfect but sufficient at game scale
• No sound effects to keep the project scope achievable as a first solo game

Outcome

Fully playable evasion game submitted and demoed as CMU 15-112 term project, earning high marks for code quality and gameplay feel.

What I Learned

• Game loop architecture and frame timing without a framework
• Tkinter event model and canvas coordinate system
• Object-oriented design for independent, testable game entities
• The value of iterative playtesting for difficulty tuning