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Stage 6: Spawn the Chaser

Course progressStage 6 of 10
~50 min
One game, one Trinket

Keep building in the workspace on the right.

This stage is part of the same Crewmate Task Dash project you started in Setup. Type each new code block into the Trinket rail and keep building on the last stage.

Open Setup
Build

an impostor-style chaser character

Learn

how a second Turtle can become a game actor

Ship

a danger character waiting on the ship

The big idea

The chaser is another Turtle with its own position, color, and behavior. That is enough to create stakes.

New words
actor
a game object that can move or affect gameplay
spawn
place a game object into the world
state
the current condition of a game object or round
danger
something the player has to avoid
Finished game target
Tasks 2/4Score 80
Crewmate playerTask stationShadow chaser

The player moves through the ship, collects tasks, and avoids the chaser. All playable shapes are drawn with Python Turtle code.

Build it

Your turn

Type, run, test

Read the code aloud before you run it. The goal is to understand what changed in the game.
Need a hint?

Add the new code to the same Trinket project. Keep previous stage code unless the stage says to replace a function.

Python code task
Write this part

main.py

Add this to your current Trinket file.

chaser = turtle.Turtle()
chaser.penup()
chaser.speed(0)
chaser.color("purple")
chaser.shape("circle")
chaser.setposition(220, 0)

def draw_chaser():
    chaser.clear()
    chaser.turtlesize(2, 1.4)
    chaser.stamp()
    chaser.sety(chaser.ycor() + 18)
    chaser.color("light cyan")
    chaser.turtlesize(0.6, 1)
    chaser.stamp()
    chaser.color("purple")
    chaser.sety(chaser.ycor() - 18)

draw_chaser()
Trace it

Trace the idea

  1. The chaser uses the same drawing pattern as the player.
  2. A different color tells players it has a different role.
  3. It starts away from the player so the game is fair.

Try this

Learning beat

Try this

Three short experiments. Predict before you run, then test your guess.

Predict first
Before running, predict which line will visibly change the screen first.
Compare
Change one number, run, then change it back. Which version feels more playable?
Connect
How does this stage make the final game more like a real project?

Test your stage

  • The chaser appears.
  • The chaser is visually different from the player.
  • The chaser starts at x 220.