Arcade New Game Template

A template for creating games with Python Arcade. Including workflows to build for MacOS, Linux, Windows.

Getting started

This setup uses uv, a tool which reduces the hazzle of setting up Python to a single command. Install uv

1. Clone/Download this repository
2. Install the dependencies using uv sync This will ensure the required Python version and install the dependencies in a virtual environment.
3. RUn the game using uv run python -m mygame

Project structure

• mygame/ contains the game code
• mygame/resources/ contains the game assets (images, sounds, etc.)
• mygame/__main__.py is the entry point of the game
• mygame/version.py provides the version of the game
• mygame/utils contains utility functions especially for frozen applications (PyInstaller, cx_freeze)

Game code

The code for your first view is located in the mygame/__init__.py. It is recommended to create further separate files and directories while the game grows.

Workflows

This setup makes use of GitHub actions. You can use the release action to release a new version. That will trigger the publish action to build the game for MacOS, Linux and Windows.

The release workflow requires you to set the DEPLOY_KEY secret in your repository settings.

GitHub Actions comes with included minutes, so you can use this setup for free. The workflows require a few minutes, so you should not exceed the included minutes.

Please ensure that you are not surprised by any costs. More information

Add required deploy key

1. Generate a new SSH key pair

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "GITHUB Deploy Key" -f deploy_key -N ""

2. Add the public key to your repository settings
   • Go to your repository settings
   • Click on Secrets
   • Click on New repository secret
   • Name the secret DEPLOY_KEY
   • Paste the content of the public key file deploy_key.pub into the value field
3. Add the private key to your repository settings
   • Go to your repository settings
   • Click on Deploy keys
   • Click on Add deploy key
   • Name the key GitHub Actions Deploy Key
   • Paste the content of the private key file deploy_key into the key field
   • Check the Allow write access checkbox
   • Click on Add key
4. Delete the key files from your local machine

   rm deploy_key deploy_key.pub

Create a new release

• Go to the Actions tab in your repository
• Click on Release in the left sidebar
• Click on Run workflow
  • Choose the version increment (major, minor, patch)
  • Click on Run workflow

Package details

The publish workflow will create artifacts for each platform. For MacOS and Windows we use cx_freeze, because it is less often detected as virus compared to PyInstaller artifacts. For Linux we use PyInstaller, because it is easier to set up and use.