Status Report: Game Start
Now that I have finished the basic Python course, I am ready to start working on my game. I want to start with a simpler game that will work for people who are new to coding. So, the game will be about navigating a mouse through a maze.
Here is some pixel art I made for the mouse:

I also made some progress on displaying some basic things on the screen. Here is a rendered tile map with a mouse sprite moving on it:

The right side of the screen is the editor I have been using in my course. In this case, I am moving the mouse around the screen with the Python code by calling Javascript functions.
This covers the basic technical hurdles for the game. I did a lot of design brainstorming as well, but I will have to start building and see what does and doesn't work.
The next big step is working towards a Kickstarter campaign pitch. I have a few ideas for rewards and tiers, but I will still need to demonstrate some gameplay before I can start working on that. It's a nice goal as it feels acheivable compared to just finishing the game.
What went well?
My Wife has another craft market coming up, so I did a few edits to her website. There are getting to be a lot of Buddies! I will have to come up with a better way to display them all.

I did a little bit of updating to my course and then just went ahead and posted to LinkedIn. It feels a bit weird to post on LinkedIn, but it wasn't the big deal I was making it out to be, so I am glad I didn't spend a lot of time trying to make the course perfect before posting.
I also received some positive feedback on the course! So, some people did find it and used it, which is great.
And I did my taxes.
What did I struggle with?
It was a bit of a struggle to get PixiJS working with the editor in NextJS. I was using the pixi-react library, which is a React wrapper for PixiJS. Unfortunately, their website has the wrong documentation for the library, but their Github repo links to the correct documentation. This was pretty frustrating. I also didn't want to build a game using the React component style, but thankfully I was able to get it working just like the standard PixiJS library.
Things I used and discovered
- PixiJS - I am using this library to render the game.
- pixi-react - This is a React wrapper for PixiJS. Correct documentation link.
- aseprite - I used this to make the pixel art for the mouse.
- Kickstarter - I am planning on using this to fund the game.
How am I feeling?
It has been nice to get started on the game. I think the preparation of building the course first was worth it. Hopefully, it will be a nice reference for people that get stuck in the game. I am looking forward to getting to the game design and start building the game mechanics. I also assume a game will be a more interesting way to learn Python than a course.