BTYSE

One-Page Proposal for Python Physics Engine

Every four months, I and over two-thousand others enter a competition known as the “Ludum Dare”, in which we each create a game, using only publicly available libraries, over a period of 48 hours.

During my time competing in this event, I have found that many people turn to the power and flexibility of the Python programming language, which serves as a valuable asset when attempting to create an enjoyable and polished game in such a short amount of time.

The efficacy of Python in this endeavour is in no small part due to the “batteries included” philosophy of the language. This means that there are many libraries which extend Python's functionality, meaning that you do not have to trouble yourself with boilerplate while writing code.

This mostly holds true when applying Python in the field of games. There are several libraries based around introducing graphical programming to Python.

I have, however, noticed a considerable gap here. There is, to my knowledge, no 2D physics engine written entirely in Python. The question of physics in a game thus sadly remains a complex one, which must often be overlooked in favour of a simple but incomplete solution, making for an overall worse game.

I have thus decided that, for the BT young scientist exhibition, I shall create a 2D physics engine using Python, create documentation for it and several examples of its use, and I shall release all these things in to the public domain for all to use freely.

I shall be working alone on this project.
My school email: rclarke742@stlouisgrammar.ballymena.ni.sch.uk