CursaTetra

A terminal-bounded block-based puzzle game written in Python/Curses

This game is dedicated to Alexey Pajitnov, original author of Tetris. This version features:

• 80x24 character resolution
• Colored pieces
• Nintendo-style scoring
• Three randomizer algorithms:
  • A 7-Bag piece randomizer
  • A random.randint() shuffle (a.k.a. "true") randomizer
  • A T.G.M.-inspired randomizer
• A "ghost piece" to help guide your aim
• A holding feature to save crucial pieces for when needed
• A high score file (JSON format)
• A settings file with preferred difficulty entries (JSON format)
• T-Spin detection and score reward
• The traditional 20-block high playing board

The goal is simple: rotate and move pieces as they fall, line up ten blocks in a row to clear a row, and keep going until the board tops out.

(Banner picture depicts the game running in Cool Retro Term, found here)

How to run

• From the directory/folder where you have all the .py files, run python cursatetra.py

Experimental Features

• Compatibility with windows-curses (Just needed extra entries in the cellValues dictionary because the color attributes are encoded differently in windows-curses)

Bugs (Present)

• None that I can find (emphasis on that last part)

Bugs (Fixed)

• [Introduced after upgrading to Python 3.8] Invoking the undraw() method on a piece, specifically during an invocation of move() on said piece, would cause the piece's color data to remain behind, causing the blank space to not register as such. This was game breaking. Was fixed by ensuring that a Curses color_pair is passed to the calls of addch() in the drawPiece() method. In particular, color_pair 0 is passed for when cells are to be made blank via invoking undraw()
• Disabling the ghost piece feature when the piece fully overlaps the ghost piece's position will delete (?) the piece. Fixed by making a default settings value such that the toggle key is disabled (can be re-enabled by editing settings.json

Piece development documentation

Piece orientations

• H : horizontal (default)
• V : vertical
• HP : horizontal, pi radians around (180 deg)
• VP : vertical, pi radians around (180 deg)

class Piece: for active block data

• Valid Constructor Values:

  • y: [1, 19]
    • Smallest block height-wise is Square, S, and Z; All take up two cells vertically
  • x: [1, 10]
  • pID: {'C', 'S', 'Z', 'L', 'R', 'I', 'T'}
  • orient: {'', 'H', 'V', 'HP', 'VP'}
    • Null-orientation is only valid for the Square

• Methods & Valid Values:

  • draw(): Draws the piece on the board
  • undraw(): Erases the piece from the board
  • getGhostDepth(): Determines the y-position of the ghost piece
  • drawGhost(): Draws the ghost piece on the board
  • undrawGhost(): Erases the ghost piece from the board
  • getNewOrient(rotDir): Gets the new orientation for the piece based on rot. dir.
    • rotDir: {'CW', 'CCW'}
      • Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise
      • Only needed for L, R, and T pieces
  • rotate(rotDir): Rotates the piece in the indicated rot. dir.
    • rotDir: See notes in getNewOrient
  • move(direction): Moves the piece in the indicated direction
    • direction: {'L', 'R', 'D'}
      • Left, Right, or Down
  • canRotate(rotDir): Returns True if the piece can rotate in the indicated rot. dir.
    • rotDir: See notes in getNewOrient
  • canMove(direction): Returns True if the piece can move in the indicated direction
    • direction: See notes in move

Piece designations & diagrams

Based on specification in Game Boy version

• Note: The orientation of the pieces may seem backwards at first glance; Consider it in terms of the orientation of an underline below the text character that identifies a piece

• C : Square

  • Diagram:

     012345
   0.[][]
   1.[][]
   2.
  

• S : S-piece

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       012345
     0.
     1.  [][]
     2.[][]
    

    • Vertical

       012345
     0.[]
     1.[][]
     2.  []
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 1) Clockwise (???)

• Z : Z-piece

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       012345
     0.
     1.[][]
     2.  [][]
    

    • Vertical

       012345
     0.  []
     1.[][]
     2.[]
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 1) Clockwise (???)

• L : L-piece

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       012345
     0.  []
     1.  []
     2.  [][]
    

    • Vertical

       012345
     0.
     1.[][][]
     2.[]
    

    • Horizontal-Pi

       012345
     0.[][]
     1.  []
     2.  []
    

    • Vertical-Pi

       012345
     0.    []
     1.[][][]
     2.
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 1) Both Ways

• R : Reversed L-piece

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       012345
     0.  []
     1.  []
     2.[][]
    

    • Vertical

       012345
     0.[]
     1.[][][]
     2.
    

    • Horizontal-Pi

       012345
     0.  [][]
     1.  []
     2.  []
    

    • Vertical-Pi

       012345
     0.
     1.[][][]
     2.    []
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 1) Both Ways

• I : Line

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       01234567
     0.  []
     1.  []
     2.  []
     3.  []
    

    • Vertical

       01234567
     0.
     1.
     2.[][][][]
     3.
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 2) Clockwise (???)

• T : T-piece

  • Diagrams:
    • Horizontal

       012345
     0.
     1.[][][]
     2.  []
    

    • Vertical

       012345
     0.  []
     1.[][]
     2.  []
    

    • Horizontal-Pi

       012345
     0.  []
     1.[][][]
     2.
    

    • Vertical-Pi

       012345
     0.  []
     1.  [][]
     2.  []
    

  • Observations:
    • Rotates about (2:3, 1) Both Ways