Pac-Man (Console Version with `ncurses`)

A terminal-based Pac-Man game written in C with ncurses. It faithfully replicates the original ghost AI from the classic 1980 arcade game, including their behavioral modes, targeting rules, and unique pathfinding algorithms.

This version contains one fixed level and implements core gameplay mechanics: Pac-Man movement, ghost AI, lives, energizers (power pellets), frightened mode, collision handling, and score tracking.

Features

Classic Pac-Man logic — core mechanics faithfully implemented
Ghost behavior inspired by the original game — based on The Pac-Man Dossier
Mode switching — scatter, chase, frightened
Unique AI logic per ghost — each ghost uses different rules and pathfinding
Life system — Pac-Man has limited lives
Power pellets — enable Pac-Man to eat ghosts in frightened mode
Colored rendering — ncurses-based graphics with different colors for each ghost and Pac-Man
Directional movement logic — buffered input for responsive turns
Single static level — pre-defined grid layout with maze walls and teleport tunnel
Maze collision and coin collection — walls, tunnels, and dot eating logic
Pause support — press spacebar to pause/resume the game

Technologies Used

Language: C (C99)
Graphics: ncurses
Terminal: ANSI-compatible
Manual memory management, no external libraries beyond ncurses

Controls

Arrow keys — Move Pac-Man
ESC — Quit the game
Spacebar - Pause

Ghost AI Logic

Each ghost behaves differently depending on the current game mode:

Game Modes:

Chase — Ghosts pursue targets based on individual AI
Scatter — Ghosts retreat to their fixed corners
Frightened — Ghosts move randomly after Pac-Man eats a power pellet
Returning — Ghosts return to their house after being eaten

Algorithms Used

BFS (Breadth-First Search) — used for actual pathfinding on the map
Manhattan Distance — used for heuristic target evaluation
Random Choice — used when ghosts are frightened

Ghost Behaviors:

Blinky (Red)

Behavior: Always targets Pac-Man's current tile in chase mode
Algorithm: BFS

Pinky (Pink)

Behavior: Targets the tile 2 cells ahead of Pac-Man in his current direction
Algorithm: Manhattan distance

Inky (Cyan)

Behavior:
1. Computes the tile two cells ahead of Pac-Man
2. Calculates a vector from Blinky's position to that tile
3. Doubles the vector to determine the target
Algorithm: Manhattan distance

Clyde (Orange)

Behavior:
- If farther than 8 tiles from Pac-Man: behaves like Blinky (chases)
- If closer: retreats to scatter corner
Algorithm: Manhattan distance and BFS hybrid

Build Instructions

Install ncurses (if needed):

sudo apt install libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev

Then:

git clone https://git.scratko.xyz/pacman
cd pacman
make
./pacman

Windows version: Download