Embedded Files
CH03.06 - Other List Methods (The FUn Ones)
Pixel Palace: Arcade Operator’s Night Shift
Pixel Palace: Arcade Operator’s Night Shift
The quarter drops. The lights flicker. Ready, Player One — the code begins.
“Neon lights and 8-bit dreams”
“Neon lights and 8-bit dreams”
The game floor hums. The neon signs cast your reflection in green and purple bands.
Every time you hit Enter, the arcade responds — data shifting behind the glow, machines re-arranging in your simulated layout.
🎯 Your Mission Starts Now
🎯 Your Mission Starts Now
By the end of the night, you’ll have tamed the chaos of the floor — not with a soldering iron or screwdriver, but with:
extend() to expand the arcade
count() to track popularity
index() to pinpoint cabinets
shuffle() and choice() to keep the crowd guessing
copy() to save perfect layouts
clear() to wipe the slate clean for the next day
🌃 The Setup — “Power On”
🌃 The Setup — “Power On”
🕹️“The Shipment Arrives” (extend)
🕹️“The Shipment Arrives” (extend)
extend() adds every item from another iterable to the end of your list.
It changes the original list.
Use extend() to merge your shipment into the floor list in one move.
🎯 “Counting the Doubles” (count)
🎯 “Counting the Doubles” (count)
Management swears Galaga prints money. You need a quick count of how many are on the floor.
No loops, no fuss—just the number.
📍 “Find That Cabinet!” (index)
📍 “Find That Cabinet!” (index)
The janitor radioed: “Where’s Donkey Kong? Slurpee spill in Aisle 3.”
index() gives you the position instantly.
💡 Remember:
💡 Remember:
index(x) returns the first index where x is found (0-based).
If it isn’t there, it would error—so only call it when you know it exists.
🔄 “Shuffle Night” (random.shuffle)
🔄 “Shuffle Night” (random.shuffle)
random.shuffle() doesn’t make a new list;
it physically rearranges your current one. It’s like the arcade elves worked overnight.
🎞️ Keep in mind:
🎞️ Keep in mind:
random.shuffle(list) permanently changes the order — the original list is randomized.
Use it when you want variety or randomness without creating a copy.
🌟 “The Spotlight Cabinet” (random.choice)
🌟 “The Spotlight Cabinet” (random.choice)
random.choice() doesn’t alter your floor—it simply picks a star for the show.
💡 Remember:
💡 Remember:
random.choice(list) chooses one random element from your list.
It doesn’t delete it—it just highlights it. Think of it as the “Wheel of Fortune” of your arcade.
💾 “Backup Before Chaos” (copy)
💾 “Backup Before Chaos” (copy)
copy() lets you clone your list, preserving its exact state, untouched by whatever chaos follows.
🎞️ Keep in mind:
🎞️ Keep in mind:
copy() creates a new independent list.
It’s perfect for backups before risky changes like shuffle() or sort().
🧹 “Closing Time Reset” (clear)
🧹 “Closing Time Reset” (clear)
clear() empties a list instantly, like turning off every CRT screen in one command.
💡 Remember:
💡 Remember:
clear() removes all elements, but the list object remains.
Use it for resets, logs, or temp data you no longer need.
Program: Pixel Palace Night Ops Console
Program: Pixel Palace Night Ops Console
The mall is closed. The escalators hum quietly. Down in the far wing of Arcadia Mall, a flicker of neon light pulses behind the locked gates of Pixel Palace.It’s your first solo night shift as Arcade Operator, and Gary (your well-meaning but hopelessly analog manager) left you a sticky note that says:
“Prep the floor, log the numbers, pick the spotlight, and make sure we don’t have another Galaga meltdown. Don’t forget to clear last night’s report. — G”
The Arcade Setup...
The Arcade Setup...
You can use the following code (copy and paste into your game, in order to set up your initial arcade.
arcade_floor is the list of cabinets in your arcade
crate_1 is the set of games you ordered
arcade_floor = [ # Mega-hits (with repeats) "Street Fighter II", # 1991 "Street Fighter II", # 1991 "Mortal Kombat", #1992 "Mortal Kombat", #1992 "Out Run", #1996"Out Run", #1996"NBA Jam", #1996
# Additional iconic hits (1985–1992) "Gauntlet", # 1985 "Golden Axe", # 1989 "After Burner", # 1987 "Rampage", # 1986 "Bubble Bobble", # 1986 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", # 1989 "The Simpsons", # 1991 "Smash TV" # 1990]
# Additional iconic hits (1985–1992) "Gauntlet", # 1985 "Golden Axe", # 1989 "After Burner", # 1987 "Rampage", # 1986 "Bubble Bobble", # 1986 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", # 1989 "The Simpsons", # 1991 "Smash TV" # 1990]
crate_1 = [ "NBA Jam", # 1993 (duplicate within shipment) "Mortal Kombat", # 1992 (also on arcade_floor) "Gauntlet II", # 1991 (also on arcade_floor) "Sunset Riders", # 1991 "Raiden", # 1990 "Lethal Enforcers", # 1992 "Lethal Enforcers", # 1992 "Bubble Bobble" # 1992]
🎬 Expand the Arcade — “Two trucks, one crowded floor.”
🎬 Expand the Arcade — “Two trucks, one crowded floor.”
The loading dock rattles open and two forklifts beep into reverse. Shrink-wrapped cabinets slide out in rows: Bubble Bobble, Rampage, Joust, Gauntlet II, and more. The palace already has a base lineup humming on the floor. Your job is to absorb both shipments into the live rotation so tomorrow’s crowd thinks the arcade grew overnight.
Start with a base floor list of game titles and the crate_1 list.
Prompt the user to create crate_2, which will have 5 more games. They can be unique, or duplicates to things you already have.
Create a shipment list that is made up of crate_1 and crate_2, so both of those crates are merged (hint: extend())
Print a simple “inventory” list (one title per line) of:
Original Games On The Floor:
Crate 1
Crate 2
Shipment List (crate 1 and crate 2)
If you look at the sample output, you'll see that you show the existing cabinets, as well as the ones that you're expecting to get!! This is just a small sample! Your list may be a LOT Bigger!
💾 Secure a Backup Before Chaos — “Save state like a pro.”
💾 Secure a Backup Before Chaos — “Save state like a pro.”
Right now the layout is sensible—aisles are clear, joysticks gleam. But the second you begin the remix, there’s no “undo” on a real row of 400-pound machines. So you do what every veteran operator does before a big move: save a snapshot of the current plan.
What you must do
Make an exact copy of floor, and your shipment (call it backup_floor, backup_shipment) using copy().
NEVER CHANGE THESE. Treat them like museum pieces.
Print the lists with clear labels to prove the backup matches the original.
What you must do
Use random.shuffle(floor) to randomize the order in place.
Print the new layout as a numbered list: “Cabinet 1: ____”.
Keep backup_floor unchanged and available for comparison later.
🔀 Spin the Floor Plan — “Shuffle Night, neon roulette.”
🔀 Spin the Floor Plan — “Shuffle Night, neon roulette.”
The lights dim; you hear a faint synth pad from the prize counter radio. A single command sends the entire lineup into a fresh order, the way the palace secretly keeps regulars from grinding the same corner cabinet forever.
🎯 Pick the Spotlight Cabinet — “Who gets the marquee?”
🎯 Pick the Spotlight Cabinet — “Who gets the marquee?”
A red marquee near the entrance features a different machine every night. Its screen faces the mall, whispering, “One more token.” The choice must feel fair—so you leave it to fate.
What you must do
Use random.choice(floor) to select a single game and store it as spotlight.
Print a bold line like: Tonight’s Spotlight: <title>.
What you must do
Use count() on the shuffled floor to compute how many "XXXXX" cabinets are present.
Print the result with a clear label (e.g., Galaga Machines on Floor: 2).
(If there are none in your data, pick another crowd favorite and count that.)
🧮 Check for Duplicates — “Galaga’s a hit… but how many?”
🧮 Check for Duplicates — “Galaga’s a hit… but how many?”
Gary swears the palace can’t have too many Galaga machines. The power bill disagrees. You need a fast tally to keep the peace.
📍 Locate the Spotlight — “Tell me where it sits.”
📍 Locate the Spotlight — “Tell me where it sits.”
The marketing intern is printing a map for the front door. They need to know exactly where the featured cabinet lives in tonight’s layout.
What you must do
Use index() on floor to find the position of spotlight.
Print its human position (add 1 to the index): Centipede is at cabinet number 4.
Keep your wording clean and terminal-friendly.
🧹 Close the Books — “Print it, then purge it.”
🧹 Close the Books — “Print it, then purge it.”
The mop bucket squeaks by; tokens clatter in a drawer. You generate a small closing report—tokens, tickets, repairs—and archive it. The next operator needs a clean slate.
What you must do
Create a list called closing_log with three short strings, e.g., "Tokens Collected: 2040", etc.
Print the full log as a single line, then on separate lines.
Call clear() on closing_log, then print it again to demonstrate it’s empty.
🎯 Bonus: “Where's the First Available Cabinet!”
🎯 Bonus: “Where's the First Available Cabinet!”
🕹️ Bonus 1 — “Find the Cabinet Number”
🕹️ Bonus 1 — “Find the Cabinet Number”
Gary’s in a panic again. A crowd of players is forming around the prize counter, shouting:
“The Out Run machine’s down! Where’s the backup cabinet?!”
You’ve got the entire floor lineup displayed on your terminal, but you need to quickly find where the first copy of a given game is located — before the chaos spreads to the skee-ball lanes.
Your task:
Your task:
Display a short menu of cabinet names (like a mini catalog).
Ask the user which one they want to locate.
Print out a line showing the first cabinet number where that game appears on the floor.
💡 Hint: The Pixel Palace terminal can find the first matching cabinet in a list all by itself — you just have to tell it what to look for.
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