When press a key to move the turtle up, my other turtles freeze

Question

When I run my code and I move my turtle up with the space bar, all the obstacles, that are supposed to be moving, stop moving. What causes the problem and how do I fix this?

I have no idea what can cause this problem and I've tried Googling but can't find anything. Since this is my first week of trying out Python, or programming in general, I have no idea what I've done wrong.

import turtle
import math
import random
#starting conditions
player = turtle.Turtle()
player.hideturtle()
player.penup()
player.shape("turtle")
player.setheading(90)
player.setpos(-200,0)
player.speed(1)
player.color("yellow")
canvas = turtle.Screen()
canvas.bgcolor("black")
canvas.title("gamescreen")
gameover = turtle.Turtle()
gameover.penup()
gameover.hideturtle()
gameover.color("red")
gameover.speed(0)
gameover.setpos(-150, 330)
scoreboard = turtle.Turtle()
scoreboard.hideturtle()
scoreboard.color("blue")
scoreboard.penup()
scoreboard.setpos(-300,320)
#borders
box = turtle.Turtle()
box.speed(0)
box.hideturtle()
box.setheading(0)
box.color("blue")
box.pensize(3)
box.penup()
box.setpos(-300,-300)
for i in range(4):
    box.pendown()
    box.forward(600)
    box.left(90)
player.showturtle()
#movement
spd = 50
def playerup():
    player.sety(player.ycor()+ spd)
    if (player.ycor()+ spd) > 287:
        player.speed(0)
        player.sety(287)
        player.speed(1)
def playerdown():
    player.sety(player.ycor()- spd)
    if (player.ycor()+ spd) < -287:
        player.speed(0)
        player.sety(-287)
        player.speed(1)
turtle.listen()
gravity = 3
obsspd = 3
#collision
def hit(t1, t2):
              xdistance = t1.xcor()-t2.xcor()
              ydistance = t1.ycor()-t2.ycor()
              if (abs(xdistance) < 20) and (abs(ydistance) < 130):
               return True

              else:
                  return False


#obstacle list
number_obstacles = 2
obstacles = []
numberslistx = list(range(-100,280))
numberslisty = list(range(143,190))  

for i in range(number_obstacles):
    obstacles.append(turtle.Turtle())
for obstacle in obstacles:
    obstacle.hideturtle()
    obstacle.speed(0)
    obstacle.color("green")
    obstacle.penup()
    obstacle.shape("square")
    obstacle.turtlesize(12,3)
    xobs = random.choice(numberslistx)
    yobs = random.choice(numberslisty)
    obstacle.setposition(xobs,yobs)
    obstacle.showturtle()
#obstacle2 list
number_obstacles2 = 2
obstacles2 = []
numberslistx = list(range(-100,280))
numberslisty = list(range(160,190))           
for i in range (number_obstacles2):
    obstacles2.append(turtle.Turtle())
for obstacle2 in obstacles2:
    obstacle2.hideturtle()
    obstacle2.speed(0)
    obstacle2.color("green")
    obstacle2.penup()
    obstacle2.shape("square")
    xobs = random.choice(numberslistx)
    yobs = random.choice(numberslisty)
    obstacle2.turtlesize(12,3)
    obstacle2.setposition(xobs,-yobs)
    obstacle2.showturtle()
    if(obstacle.xcor()-obstacle2.xcor())> 10:
        obstacle.setposition(xobs,yobs)
        obstacle2.setposition(xobs,-yobs)


#border
def fall():
    if (player.ycor()< -300):
        return True
def ceiling():
    if (player.ycor() > 300):
        return True
colors = ["red", "green","yellow","blue","purple","pink"]
points = 1
while True:
    player.sety(player.ycor()-gravity)
    xresetpos = random.choice(range(230,300))
    yresetpos = random.choice(range(140,190))

    for obstacle in obstacles:
        obstacle.setx(obstacle.xcor()-obsspd)
        if (obstacle.xcor()-obsspd) < -270:
            obstacle.hideturtle()
            obstacle.setx(xresetpos)
            obstacle.sety(yresetpos)
            obstacle.showturtle()
            obsspd+=1
            points += 1
            display = points
            scoreboard.clear()
            scoreboard.write(display)
            player.color(random.choice(colors))
            obstacle.color(random.choice(colors))


    for obstacle2 in obstacles2:
        obstacle2.setx(obstacle2.xcor()-(obsspd))
        if (obstacle2.xcor()-obsspd) < -270:
            obstacle2.hideturtle()                   
            obstacle2.setx(xresetpos)
            obstacle2.sety(-(int(yresetpos))-15)
            obstacle2.showturtle()
            player.color(random.choice(colors))
            obstacle2.color(random.choice(colors))
        if hit(player, obstacle):
            player.hideturtle()
            player.setpos(400,0)
            gameover.color("red")
            gameover.setpos(-150,-20)
            gameover.write("Game over",False,"left",("Arial",50,))
            gameover.setpos(-160,-200)
            gameover.write("Press x to play again",False,"left",("Arial",30,))
            break
        if hit(player, obstacle2):
            player.hideturtle()
            player.setpos(400,0)
            gameover.setpos(-150,-20)
            gameover.write("Game over",False,"left",("Arial",50,))
            gameover.setpos(-160,-200)
            gameover.write("Press x to play again",False,"left",("Arial",30,))
            break

    if fall():
        player.hideturtle()
        player.setpos(400,0)
        gameover.setpos(-150,-20)
        gameover.write("Game over",False,"left",("Arial",50,))
        gameover.setpos(-160,-200)
        gameover.write("Press x to play again",False,"left",("Arial",30,))
        break
    if ceiling():
        player.setycor(280)
    #if score(player,obstacle1):
     #   points += 1
     #   display = points
     #   scoreboard.clear()
      #  scoreboard.write(display)
    turtle.onkeypress(playerup, "space")
    #turtle.onkeypress(playerdown, "Down")
    #if player.xcor() is obstacle1.xcor():
     #   points += 1
     #   scoreboard.clear()
      #  scoreboard.write(points)

#balken stoppen niet als jij beweegt

I'm just learning python too, so I don't have an answer but I did have a similar issue when I was playing .wav files in my pong clone. https://github.com/WilcoxJ/Pong The fix was to have them play asynchronously so they wouldn't pause all other actions while it played. — Wilco, Nov 06 '19 at 23:38
how would i go about doing that? ive tried googling a little bit but I didnt really understand anything from that. — Dilano55, Nov 07 '19 at 18:43
Seems like turtle may not be the ideal lib to use for this, butI think you need to change your obstacle for loops so that player and obstacle turtle movement take place in the same block. I found this which might help you: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53199459/how-do-i-run-two-turtles-in-python-simultaneously — Wilco, Nov 07 '19 at 21:22
mmm thank you very much ill try to figure it out from this and if i cant ill just move on to my next project or maybe create flappybird in pygame. I might comeback to this later if i cant figure it out right now tho. Thanks alot anyway. — Dilano55, Nov 07 '19 at 22:17

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 08 '19 at 00:45

One problem is that your horizontal motion is controlled, out of sync, by a while True: loop but your vertical motion is controlled, in sync, by a keyboard event. We need to get both motions in sync using events via replacing your while True: with an ontimer() event. Here's my complete rework of your code along these lines with a few simplifications for example purposes:

from turtle import Screen, Turtle
from random import choice, randrange

COLORS = ["red", "green", "yellow", "blue", "purple", "pink"]

PLAYER_SPEED = 50

GRAVITY = 3

NUMBER_OBSTACLES_UPPER = 2
NUMBER_OBSTACLES_LOWER = 2

# movement
def playerup():
    screen.onkeypress(None, 'space')  # disable handler inside handler

    player.sety(player.ycor() + PLAYER_SPEED)

    if player.ycor() > 287:
        player.speed('fastest')
        player.sety(287)
        player.speed('slowest')

    screen.onkeypress(playerup, 'space')

# collision
def hit(t1, t2):
    xdistance = abs(t1.xcor() - t2.xcor())

    if xdistance >= 20:
        return False

    ydistance = abs(t1.ycor() - t2.ycor())

    return ydistance < 130

# border
def fall():
    return player.ycor() < -300

def ceiling():
    return player.ycor() > 300

# main program loop
def move():
    global points, obstacle_speed_upper, obstacle_speed_lower

    player.sety(player.ycor() - GRAVITY)

    for obstacle in obstacles_upper:
        obstacle.setx(obstacle.xcor() - obstacle_speed_upper)

        if obstacle.xcor() < -270:
            obstacle.hideturtle()
            obstacle.setposition(randrange(230, 300), randrange(140, 190))
            obstacle.showturtle()
            obstacle_speed_upper += 1

            points += 1
            scoreboard.clear()
            scoreboard.write(points, font=('Arial', 30,))

        if hit(player, obstacle):
            player.hideturtle()
            gameover.write("Game Over", align='center', font=('Arial', 50,))
            return

    for obstacle in obstacles_lower:
        obstacle.setx(obstacle.xcor() - obstacle_speed_lower)

        if obstacle.xcor() < -270:
            obstacle.hideturtle()
            obstacle.setposition(randrange(230, 300), - randrange(160, 190))
            obstacle.showturtle()
            obstacle_speed_lower += 1

            points += 1
            scoreboard.clear()
            scoreboard.write(points, font=('Arial', 30,))

        if hit(player, obstacle):
            player.hideturtle()
            gameover.write("Game Over", align='center', font=('Arial', 50,))
            return

    if ceiling() or fall():
        player.hideturtle()
        gameover.write("Game Over", align='center', font=('Arial', 50,))
        return

    screen.ontimer(move, 100)

# starting conditions
screen = Screen()
screen.setup(750, 750)
screen.bgcolor('black')
screen.title("Game Screen")

# borders
box = Turtle()
box.hideturtle()
box.color('blue')
box.speed('fastest')
box.pensize(3)

box.penup()
box.setpos(-300, -300)
box.pendown()

for _ in range(4):
    box.forward(600)
    box.left(90)

gameover = Turtle()
gameover.hideturtle()
gameover.color('red')
gameover.penup()
gameover.sety(-25)

points = 0

scoreboard = Turtle()
scoreboard.hideturtle()
scoreboard.color('blue')
scoreboard.penup()
scoreboard.setpos(-300, 320)
scoreboard.write(points, font=('Arial', 30,))

player = Turtle()
player.hideturtle()
player.shape('turtle')
player.speed('slowest')
player.color('yellow')
player.setheading(90)
player.penup()
player.setx(-200)
player.showturtle()

# obstacle list
obstacle_speed_upper = 3
obstacles_upper = []

for _ in range(NUMBER_OBSTACLES_UPPER):
    obstacle = Turtle()
    obstacle.hideturtle()
    obstacle.shape('square')
    obstacle.turtlesize(12, 3)
    obstacle.speed('fastest')
    obstacle.color(choice(COLORS))

    obstacle.penup()
    xobs = randrange(-100, 280)
    yobs = randrange(145, 190)
    obstacle.setposition(xobs, yobs)

    obstacle.showturtle()

    obstacles_upper.append(obstacle)

# lower obstacles list
obstacle_speed_lower = 3
obstacles_lower = []

for _ in range(NUMBER_OBSTACLES_LOWER):
    obstacle = Turtle()
    obstacle.hideturtle()
    obstacle.shape('square')
    obstacle.turtlesize(12, 3)
    obstacle.speed('fastest')
    obstacle.color(choice(COLORS))

    obstacle.penup()
    xobs = randrange(-100, 280)
    yobs = randrange(160, 190)
    obstacle.setposition(xobs, -yobs)

    obstacle.showturtle()

    obstacles_lower.append(obstacle)

screen.onkeypress(playerup, 'space')
screen.listen()

move()

screen.mainloop()

wow thanks alot! i dont have lot of time on my hands right now since ive got some exams for my school. So ill look at this later this week. Thanks alot tho! — Dilano55, Nov 08 '19 at 12:24

When press a key to move the turtle up, my other turtles freeze

1 Answers1