> Source URL: /unit-3/project-paths/edison-w/edison-w-2026-04-14.guide
# Edison's Project Guide

**Project:** Dragon Game (working title)
**Category:** Game / Simulation (Pygame)
**Last updated:** April 14

---

> Note: This guide is created based on the latest state of your project repository + any notes from our discussion. It may not always reflect the most up-to-date information.

## Where You Are

You have two game ideas floating around: your spec currently says "Super Snake" but in our check-in we talked through a dragon/pokemon-style game. Either is a solid project -- but you need to pick one and commit to it before Thursday. Your spec needs to be updated with whichever idea you choose, and you need to actually fill in the MVP feature list (right now the checkboxes are still the template placeholders).

Your repo has no scaffolding yet -- no `pyproject.toml`, no game loop, no dependencies. That's the priority.

## What We Talked About

We sketched out the dragon game concept:

- **Flow:** Egg → hatch a dragon → name it
- **Gameplay:** Select arena or training ground → mini game for training → battle random other dragons
- **Art style:** Pixel art (sprite kit style)
- **Engine:** Pygame

This is an ambitious scope. For Checkpoint 1, you don't need all of that -- you need one tiny slice that proves the core loop works. That could be as simple as: a Pygame window with a dragon sprite that moves with arrow keys.

## Next Steps (Before Thursday)

1. **Decide: Snake or Dragon?** Pick one and update your `project.spec.md`. Fill in every section -- especially the MVP features with specific, buildable items (not the template placeholders).

2. **Scaffold your project.** Use this prompt with your agent:

   ```text
   Read my project.spec.md and the Pygame setup guide at
   https://csc-121.path.app/unit-3/resources/pygame-setup.guide.llm.md
   Set up my project: initialize uv, install pygame-ce,
   create the basic file structure with a game loop,
   and build a minimal starting point I can run.
   ```

3. **Get one tiny slice working.** For the dragon game: a window with a sprite that responds to keyboard input. For snake: a snake that moves and grows when it eats food. Either way, keep it minimal.

4. **Update your journal.** Fill in the Checkpoint 1 section of `project.journal.md`.

5. **Commit and push.** Make sure everything is on GitHub before Thursday.

## Checkpoint 1 Readiness

By Thursday April 16th, you need:

- [ ] Completed `project.spec.md` (pick one idea, fill in MVP features)
- [ ] Project initialized with `uv` and dependencies installed
- [ ] A basic scaffolding that runs (game window opens)
- [ ] One tiny working feature (sprite + movement or basic snake)
- [ ] First journal entry in `project.journal.md`
- [ ] Everything committed and pushed to GitHub

## Helpful Resources

- [Pygame Setup Guide](../../resources/pygame-setup.guide.md) -- follow this to scaffold your project
- [Checkpoint 1 Instructions](../../projects/final-project-checkpoint-1.project.md) -- the full checkpoint requirements


---

## Backlinks

The following sources link to this document:

- [April 14 -- Checkpoint 1 prep](/unit-3/project-paths/edison-w/edison-w.path.llm.md)