A bad version of Snake utilising the sence HAT module for the RaspberryPi.

I made a version of snake (in Java) during my free time at my internship last summer, since I had an unexpectedly large ammount of it. I had to write it in a text editor due me not beeing allowed to install third-party software on the conpany notebook. The result was, of course, not very polished and included a some bugs, missing documentation and a very s1mple UI (just the termial, using numbers as to display the game). It looked like this:

1 is the snakes Body, 2 is the head, and 7 is the apple.

I later remembered that I had purchased a raspberryPi and senceHat module some time ago, and that the game would work nicely on it. I just had to rewrite the game in Python and utilise the SenseHat API. I dont yet know how to do ... stuff, but I know that I might have to significantly change the code and logic for it to work.

The badsnake.py file will run on the RasPi with the Sence HAT equiped. The LED-Array will display the game and the Joystick will accept inputs. When an input is detected, the programm will calculate the next frame and display it on the LED-Array. I think Im poing to use the sense.set_pixels method to display the Frame, but since I am very much a newbie when it comes to python and using lists, il will write a function to convert an Array to a list (so I can use Arras and only convert to a list when i need to display the frame). The Snake and apple will be coloured differently.

The Sence HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) module is an add-on for the RaspberryPi. It has an 8×8 RGB LED matrix, a five-button joystick and includes multible sensors.

The SenseHat API has multible functions to address the LED panel and to detect inputs from the Joystick.

Testing the LED matrix using the set_pixels() method:

The game is now in a state that I am happy with. It is now a fully functioning experience, complete with player inputs, coloured Objects and bug-free gameplay. What it does not have, however, is a timer function, so that the snake moves automatically, regardless if you use the joystick or not. I have decided not to implement this to stay true to the original version I made in Java. Due to this, the player experiences a slightly different take on the game, allowing them to plan out their moves instead of being forced to pick a direction.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/sense-hat/

https://pythonhosted.org/sense-hat/api/

https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/introducing-raspberry-pi-hats/