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Adwitya Chakraborty
Adwitya Chakraborty

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🎯 Build “Target Collector” Using Amazon Q CLI and Pygame on Linux

#python #aws #de #gamedev

Remember those fast-paced arcade games where every second counts?
Let’s recreate that thrill with Target Collector, a simple reflex-based game built using Python, Pygame, and the AI-powered Amazon Q CLI.

With Amazon Q CLI, you can generate and modify code in your terminal using plain English prompts — and combining that with Pygame makes the development process smoother and more interactive, especially on a Linux system.

🛠️ What You'll Need
To build Target Collector, I used the following tools:

  • Amazon Q CLI – An AI command-line coding assistant
  • Python 3.8+ – The language driving our game
  • Pygame – A powerful library for building games in Python
  • Linux (Ubuntu/Debian) – Recommended environment for easy setup

⚙️ Setting Up the Development Environment (Linux)
Step 1: Install Dependencies
Open your terminal and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv git
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Step 2: Install Pygame

pip3 install pygame
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💻 Installing Amazon Q CLI on Linux
Amazon provides a .deb installer for easy setup.

Step 1: Download the Installer


wget https://desktop-release.q.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/latest/amazon-q.deb
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Step 2: Install Using dpkg

sudo dpkg -i amazon-q.deb
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Step 3: Fix Any Dependency Issues

sudo apt-get install -f
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Step 4: Verify Installation

q --version
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You should see the Amazon Q CLI version printed in your terminal.

Step 5: Launch the Interactive Chat

q chat
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amazonqcli

You're now ready to build with the help of Amazon Q!

🧠 Building the Game with Amazon Q CLI
With everything set up, I started developing the game by feeding prompts into Q CLI. Here's how the game came together, one feature at a time.

🎮 Game Concept
In Target Collector, you control a blue dot using arrow keys. Yellow targets appear randomly on the screen. You must reach each one within 5 seconds. If you do, your score increases. If not — game over!

🧱 Step-by-Step Prompts and Features

  1. Creating the Game Window and Player Movement Prompt:

“Create a game using Pygame where the player is a blue circle that moves with arrow keys in a 600x400 window.”

Q CLI Outcome:

Set up the window

Added player movement

Rendered the player as a blue circle

2. Spawning Targets Randomly
Prompt:

“Add yellow target circles that spawn at random positions and must be collected within 5 seconds.”

Outcome:

Targets appear randomly

A timer starts as soon as one spawns

Game ends if the player doesn’t collect it in time

3. Visual Timer
Prompt:

“Show a timer bar at the top of the screen that shrinks over 5 seconds.”

Outcome:

Timer bar dynamically decreases

Immediate visual feedback on how much time is left

4. Scoring System
Prompt:

“Display a score at the top-left that increases each time a target is collected.”

Outcome:

Score starts at 0

Increases with each successful target

Updates in real-time on screen

5. Game Over and Restart
Prompt:

“On game over, show a message with the final score and allow the player to press R to restart.”

Outcome:

game

Game over screen with final score

Option to press R to reset the game

✅ Final Feature Summary

  • 🕹️ Smooth arrow-key movement
  • 🎯 Randomly spawning yellow targets
  • ⏳ Shrinking timer bar
  • 🔢 Real-time score display
  • 💀 Game over screen + restart support

🤖 Why I Used Amazon Q CLI
Amazon Q CLI acted like a real-time coding assistant. Instead of Googling syntax or writing logic from scratch, I used prompts to guide development:

  • It helped generate structured code quickly
  • I got instant suggestions and bug fixes
  • It allowed for rapid prototyping and iteration

Perfect for solo developers or beginners looking to learn as they build.

🚀 Wrapping Up
With just Python, Pygame, and a few well-thought-out prompts in Amazon Q CLI, I built a complete, playable version of Target Collector in record time.

Want to take it further? Try adding:

  • A countdown sound effect
  • Dynamic difficulty (timer shrinks faster over time)
  • Persistent high scores stored in a file

📂 Try It Yourself
You can run the game like this:

python3 target_collector.py
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Use the arrow keys to move. Collect yellow targets before time runs out. Press R to restart after the game ends.

Thanks for reading!
If you liked this post, consider leaving a 👏 or commenting on what game you’d like to build next using AI + Python. Let’s make coding fun again!

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