Pong - A Laptop Bag

 


So my daughter surprised me with a "laptop bag" she decorated for me - which was an opportunity to build Pong for the hundredth time - but, for the first time, to her spec - and with her watching along.

I've built so many variations at this point. One of my most favorite variants that I built 20 years ago is one I called 'Pango'.

You can tell Pango is old, because it's from an era where lens flares meant good design.

Pango let you move in all directions, and required you to first break a hole in the wall protecting your opponent's end-zone.


And while Pong is not necessarily complicated to build, it's always a fun exercise to see how much faster & better you can build it.

For example - building the collision detection to avoid cases where the ball gets trapped within the paddle, and bounces back and forth rapidly. Or including momentum transference that can alter the ball's angle.

My daughter version includes a yellow obstacle that moves back and forth. It's simple, but effective.


It's not going to win any awards - but it's still a pretty fun game to play.

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