Stage 10: Polish and Demo

Course progressStage 10 of 10

~45 min

One game, one Trinket

Keep building in your saved Python Arcade project.

This stage is part of the same game you started in Setup. Do the work in your own remixed Trinket — it’s the workspace on the right of this page.

Open Setup

Before you start

Your game should be playable from start to finish.

Build

final polish, instructions, and a demo script

Learn

how presentation turns a working project into a finished game

Ship

a parent-demo-ready arcade game

What we are building

Stage 10 is not about adding more random code. It is about making the game clear, stable, and ready for someone else to play.

Step 1 - Add on-screen instructions

Create an instruction writer before the game loop:

instruction_writer = turtle.Turtle()
instruction_writer.hideturtle()
instruction_writer.penup()
instruction_writer.color("white")
instruction_writer.setposition(0, BOTTOM + 15)
instruction_writer.write("Arrow keys move | Space fires | Survive the timer",
                         align="center",
                         font=("Arial", 12, "normal"))

Step 2 - Clean up the ending

At the end of the game, hide active lasers and aliens before showing the final message:

for laser in lasers:
    laser.hideturtle()

for alien in aliens:
    alien.hideturtle()

screen.update()

Then show the final result and score:

score_writer.clear()
score_writer.setposition(0, 20)
score_writer.write(result, align="center", font=("Arial", 28, "bold"))
score_writer.setposition(0, -20)
score_writer.write(f"Final score: {score}", align="center", font=("Arial", 18, "normal"))

Step 3 - Do a full bug pass

Play the game three times:

1. Try to win.
2. Try to lose.
3. Try to break it by pressing keys quickly.

Fix anything that makes the game crash or become confusing.

Step 4 - Prepare your demo script

Write three short sentences:

My game is called ______.
The player controls ______ and tries to ______.
The hardest part to code was ______ because ______.

Practice saying those sentences while your game is open.

What to show parents

During the demo:

• Show how to move.
• Fire a few lasers.
• Explain how score works.
• Explain what happens when aliens reach the floor.
• Tell them one design choice you made.

Test your finished game

• Game starts cleanly.
• Controls are visible.
• Player can win.
• Player can lose.
• Final score appears.
• You can explain one mechanic and one design choice.

Course complete

You finished the whole Obby!

You built, tuned, polished, and rehearsed a playable Python arcade game.

Stage builtPlaytestedCode Coach checkedShowcase ready