# Terminal Space Invaders

A terminal-based Space Invaders clone that uses filenames as aliens.

## Game Description

In this game, filenames from your system appear as aliens at the top of the screen. As they descend, they drop letters which fall according to gravity. Your mission is to defend your spaceship and the blocks at the bottom of the screen.

## Features

- Filenames from your system appear as aliens
- Falling letters that accelerate due to gravity
- Defensive blocks at the bottom of the screen
- Player spaceship with shooting and blocking abilities
- Text-based explosions and animations
- Score tracking and level progression

## Controls

- **Movement**: WASD or Arrow keys
  - A/Left Arrow: Move left
  - D/Right Arrow: Move right
- **Shooting**: Space bar or W or Up Arrow
- **Blocking**: Ctrl or S or Down Arrow
- **Quit**: Q

## How to Play

1. Run the game with `python space_invaders.py` or specify a path to scan for filenames: `python space_invaders.py /path/to/scan`
2. Move your spaceship left and right to avoid falling letters
3. Shoot at the alien filenames to split them into smaller parts
4. Block falling letters when necessary
5. Protect the blocks at the bottom of the screen
6. Each level increases difficulty by spawning aliens faster

## Game Mechanics

- Aliens (filenames) move down from the top of the screen
- Aliens drop letters which fall with increasing speed due to gravity
- If a letter hits a block, the block is destroyed
- If a letter hits your spaceship, you lose a life
- If you shoot an alien, it splits into two parts
- The game ends when you run out of lives

## Requirements

- Python 3.6+
- curses library (included in standard library for Unix/Linux/macOS, requires windows-curses for Windows)

## Installation

```bash
# For Windows users only (Unix/Linux/macOS users can skip this)
pip install windows-curses
```

## Running the Game

```bash
python space_invaders.py
```

Or specify a path to scan for filenames:

```bash
python space_invaders.py /path/to/scan
```