Circular Pong Game

A retro-style single-player game inspired by Pong, where the paddle moves along a semicircular arc and the ball bounces within a full circle.

Features

• Semicircular Paddle Movement: Control a paddle that moves along the green semicircle (0° to 180°)
• Circular Ball Physics: Ball bounces off the circular boundary with realistic reflection physics
• Zone Defense Gameplay: Prevent the ball from entering the green semicircle without being hit by your paddle
• Lives System: Get 3 chances before game over - lose a life each time the ball enters the green zone undefended
• Score System: Track time survived and number of paddle bounces
• Sound Effects: Retro beeps for paddle hits, wall bounces, life loss, and game over
• Retro Aesthetics: Green-on-black color scheme with glow effects and colored zones

Controls

• Left Arrow: Move paddle counterclockwise within the green zone
• Right Arrow: Move paddle clockwise within the green zone
• R: Restart game (when game over)
• ESC: Quit game

Installation

1. Make sure you have Python 3.6+ installed
2. Install required dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

   Or directly:

   pip install pygame numpy

Running the Game

python circular_pong.py

Gameplay

• The paddle moves along the green semicircle (0° to 180°) and protects this zone
• The ball starts by moving towards the red semicircle (180° to 360°) - the safe zone
• The ball bounces off the circular boundary and can move freely in the red zone
• Objective: Prevent the ball from entering the green semicircle without hitting your paddle
• If the ball enters the green zone without being defended, you lose a life
• You have 3 lives total - the game ends when all lives are lost
• Try to survive as long as possible and rack up paddle bounces!

Visual Zones

• Green Semicircle (0° to 180°): Protected zone where the paddle moves and defends
• Red Semicircle (180° to 360°): Safe zone where the ball can bounce freely
• Yellow Center Line: Visual separator between the two zones

Code Structure

The game is organized into modular classes:

• Ball: Handles ball physics, movement, and circular boundary collision
• Paddle: Manages paddle movement along the green semicircular arc with collision detection
• Game: Main game logic, collision detection, lives system, scoring, sound effects, and rendering

The code includes comprehensive comments explaining the physics calculations, game mechanics, and zone-based gameplay.

Physics Details

• Ball reflection off circular boundary uses vector math for realistic bouncing
• Paddle collision detection uses point-to-line distance calculations with cooldown system
• Small random variations prevent predictable ball patterns
• Speed normalization maintains consistent ball velocity
• Collision cooldown prevents multiple bounce increments

Sound Effects

• Paddle Hit: High-pitched beep when ball hits paddle
• Wall Bounce: Medium-pitched beep when ball bounces off circular boundary
• Life Lost: Low-pitched beep when you lose a life
• Game Over: Noise sound when all lives are lost

Enjoy the game!

About This Project

This game was developed as part of the Amazon Q Build Games Challenge (June–July 2025) using Amazon Q Developer CLI.
Learn more about the challenge: #BuildGamesChallenge #AmazonQDevCLI