Pokémon Battle Simulator: A Terminal-Based Adventure

Inspiration

As Pokémon fans and computer science students, we wanted to create a battle simulator that has very good pokemon teams. While we initially dreamed of a graphical interface, our limited experience with GUI frameworks (like Pygame) led us to focus on a terminal-based design instead. We were inspired by classic turn-based RPGs and wanted to implement an AI that could challenge players.

What We Learned

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): We structured our code around classes for Pokémon, Move, and Battle to keep things modular.
AI Decision-Making: We implemented a simple yet effective AI that evaluates moves based on type effectiveness, damage output, and status effects.
Game Logic: Handling turn order, stat changes, status conditions (like Burn or Paralysis), and move effects required careful planning.
Testing & Debugging: We learned the importance of unit tests to catch edge cases (like moves missing or critical hits).

How We Built It

1. Core Mechanics

Pokémon have stats (HP, Attack, Defense, etc.), types, and moves.
Moves have power, accuracy, and type.
The battle system follows a turn-based structure with speed determining order.

2. Terminal GUI

Implemented a number system for move selection and switching Pokémon.

3. AI Opponent

The AI evaluates moves based on:

Type effectiveness.
Damage calculation (factoring in STAB—Same-Type Attack Bonus).
Status moves (e.g., if the player’s Pokémon is low on HP, the AI may try to finish it off).

Challenges We Faced

Complex Battle Rules: Accounting for all possible interactions (e.g., weather effects, held items) was overwhelming, so we simplified some mechanics.
AI Balancing: Making the AI challenging but not impossible was tricky. At first, it either made dumb moves or was unbeatable—we had to find a middle ground.
Terminal Limitations: Without a GUI, displaying battle info clearly was tough.
Team Coordination: Merging code from three people led to merge conflicts and bugs—Git was both a lifesaver and a headache!

Final Thoughts

Though we didn’t achieve our original vision of a graphical battle simulator, we’re proud of our functional terminal version. The project deepened our understanding of Python, game design, and teamwork. If we revisit this, we’d love to add: