Jared's Pac-Man-like game

I built this game over the past couple of months to give me the experience of building a complete game. It is more or less the typical Pac-Man game, with a few exceptions:

• Two players. The opposing player can run in autopilot for single-player action.
• Players can create Lock 'n' Chase-style walls to stop ghosts (and the opposing player).
• The goal is not to simply clear all of the coins from the board. Rather, the goal is to get as many coins as possible within 60 seconds and yet reach the exit. The player must be careful to not get too greedy or he may end up with nothing.

Note that I am presently working to make the opposing player's AI much more intelligent. Right now it is not aware of ghosts or of the other player and doesn't understand that a key is necessary to unlock doors.

Download (ZIP, 680 KB )

Goal:

• Accumulate 500 coins from one or more levels before the other player does.

Rules:

• If you accumulate 500 coins (over one or more levels) before your opponent then you win.
• If you don't reach the exit before the timer runs out, you don't keep any coins for that level.
• If you get hit by an enemy, you lose ten coins and respawn at the beginning of the level.
• You can create up to two temporary walls (like in Lock 'n’ Chase). These walls block enemies, your opponent, and yourself.
• You need to get the key (a blue square) before you can walk through a blue gate
• An auto-piloted player will head toward the exit after a certain length of time.

Controls:

Left/Right/Up/Down -- move player 1 (yellow)
a/d/w/s -- move player 2 (purple)
c -- toggle autopilot for player 2
m -- toggle autopilot for player 1
/ -- create wall for player 1
z -- create wall for player 2
1 -- disable ghosts
2 -- enable ghosts

Technical features:

• Game has beginning, middle, and end
• 2D collision detection implemented by dividing world into 1x1 squares
• We perform collision detection over a vector of entities that exist in a particular square
• Iterative deepening depth-first search path finding
• Used to control movement of ghosts and of players in autopilot mode
• Note: Ghosts will move randomly unless within five units of a player

TODO list

• more levels and/or automatic level generator
• improved player AI
• should get key when needed
• should be aware of other player
• should be aware of ghosts
• sometimes slows down
• player should use temporary gates in appropriate situations; if opposing player is about to win then try to stop him
• add bonus (which is worth multiple coins)
• in-game tutorial to show how game is played