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Asked: 2025-05-05T00:14:28+05:30

Can I implement a camera system in Pygame for a side scroller without using classes or object-oriented programming?

I’m diving into this really cool side scroller platformer project with Pygame, and I’m trying to figure out how to implement a camera system that can track the player’s movements. I’ve been reading through tons of resources and tutorials, but here’s the kicker: I’m trying to do all of this without using classes or any object-oriented programming. I know it’s a bit unconventional, but I think I can manage if I get a bit of guidance.

So, the main idea is that I want the camera to follow the player smoothly as they move through the levels. Normally, I’d just create a camera class, but I want to keep it simple and straightforward, and I also think it could be a fun challenge to make it work using just functions and global variables.

Here’s the setup: I have a basic game loop going on, and I’m able to move the player around the screen. The player’s position is tracked using a couple of variables, let’s call them `player_x` and `player_y`. I’m also drawing a simple level, which is just a series of rectangles representing platforms.

What I’m stuck on is how to actually implement the camera logic without creating a camera class. I want the world to scroll when the player approaches the edges of the screen, but I’m not entirely sure how to go about updating the positions of my world objects based on the player’s position.

Should I use an offset to position the world relative to the player? If so, how do I keep track of that without losing my player’s position? Also, when drawing the platforms, how would I adjust their positions according to this camera offset?

I’d love to hear any advice or code snippets that might help me. If you could break it down step by step, that would be super helpful! Thanks in advance!

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    2 Answers

    1. Implementing a camera system in a side scroller platformer with Pygame without classes sounds like a fun challenge! So let’s break it down step by step!

      First, you’ll want to keep track of the camera_x and camera_y offsets. These will determine how much the world should scroll based on the player’s position. Here’s a simple way to start:

      camera_x = 0
camera_y = 0
player_x = 100  # Initial player position
player_y = 100  # Initial player position
screen_width = 800  # Width of your game window
screen_height = 600  # Height of your game window

      Next, you’ll want to update the camera position based on the player’s position relative to the screen size. You might want to do this in your game loop:

      def update_camera():
    global camera_x, camera_y
    
    # Define how far the player needs to be from the edge to scroll the camera
    scroll_threshold = 100

    # Update camera_x
    if player_x - camera_x > screen_width - scroll_threshold:
        camera_x = player_x - (screen_width - scroll_threshold)
    elif player_x - camera_x < scroll_threshold:
        camera_x = player_x - scroll_threshold

    # You can do similar for camera_y if you want vertical scrolling

      Now, when you draw your platforms, you’ll need to adjust their positions by applying the camera offsets. Here’s how you can modify your drawing code:

      def draw_platforms(platforms):
    for platform in platforms:
        # Adjust the platform's position by the camera offset
        adjusted_x = platform['x'] - camera_x
        adjusted_y = platform['y'] - camera_y
        
        # Replace this with your drawing function
        draw_rectangle(adjusted_x, adjusted_y, platform['width'], platform['height'])

      Finally, make sure to call update_camera() in your game loop each frame. This will keep updating the camera position based on where your player is.

      while game_is_running:
    # Handle events like movement
    handle_player_movement()

    # Update camera
    update_camera()

    # Draw everything
    draw_level()
    draw_platforms(platforms)
    draw_player(player_x - camera_x, player_y - camera_y)

    # Update display

      That’s pretty much it! Just remember to keep the camera offsets updated and adjust all your draw calls accordingly. Good luck with your game!

    2. To implement a simple camera logic without using classes, you’ll need to create separate offset variables, for example camera_x and camera_y, to track how far the scene should be shifted on the screen. These offsets are updated each frame based on your player’s position. A typical way to do this is to center the screen around your player, by setting camera_x = player_x - screen_width // 2 and similarly for the y-axis with camera_y = player_y - screen_height // 2. This approach ensures the player always stays near the center, and the level or platforms scroll smoothly as the player moves around.

      When drawing platforms or other world objects, subtract these camera offsets from their original coordinates to find their displayed positions. For instance, if a platform has a global position platform_x, platform_y, you simply draw it at (platform_x - camera_x, platform_y - camera_y). This keeps the player’s coordinates independent and always accurate in the level space, while the drawn positions on-screen reflect the camera’s current viewport. This simple offset-based solution avoids the need for object-oriented camera classes and easily integrates into your existing structure.