[FIXED] If / Elif / Else statement does not work as expected to exit game

Issue

# Reserved for our import statements.
import art
import gameData
import random


# Reserved for functions.
# main_Game() function holds the re-loopable code for our application.
def main_game(user_score, playing_again, option_3):
    user_score = user_score
    # Select 2 celebrities from our data list and display to use.
    random_num_1 = random.randint(1, 50)
    random_num_2 = random.randint(1, 50)
    while random_num_1 == random_num_2:
        random_num_2 = random.randint(1, 50)
    playing_again = playing_again
    if playing_again is True:
        option1 = option_3
        option2 = gameData.data[random_num_2]
    elif playing_again is False:
        option1 = gameData.data[random_num_1]
        option2 = gameData.data[random_num_2]

    option_1_name = list(option1.items())[0][1]
    option_1_followers = list(option1.items())[1][1]
    option_1_description = list(option1.items())[2][1]
    option_1_country = list(option1.items())[3][1]
    option_2_name = list(option2.items())[0][1]
    option_2_followers = list(option2.items())[1][1]
    option_2_description = list(option2.items())[2][1]
    option_2_country = list(option2.items())[3][1]

    # Ask user to guess which is correct.
    print(f"\nCompare A: {option_1_name}, a {option_1_description}, from {option_1_country}.")
    print(art.vs_image)
    print(f"Against B: {option_2_name}, a {option_2_description}, from {option_2_country}.")
    acceptable_input = False
    while acceptable_input is False:
        user_guess = input("\nWho has more followers? Type 'A' or 'B': ")
        user_guess = user_guess.upper()
        if user_guess == "A" or user_guess == "B":
            acceptable_input = True
        else:
            print("You can only enter 'A' or 'B'. Please try again.")
            acceptable_input = False

    # Confirm to user if they were correct and display their current score.
    correct_answer = ""
    if option_1_followers > option_2_followers:
        correct_answer = "A".upper()
    elif option_2_followers > option_1_followers:
        correct_answer = "B".upper()

    if user_guess == correct_answer:
        print("\nWell done you were correct!")
        user_score += 1
        print(f"You're score is now {user_score}")
    elif user_guess != correct_answer:
        print("\nYou got it wrong!")

    while True:
        play_again = input("\nDo you want to play again? (yes or no): ")
        play_again = play_again.lower()
        if play_again == "yes":
            main_game(user_score, playing_again=True, option_3=option2)
        elif play_again == "no":
            return 0
        else:
            print("You have not entered 'yes' or 'no'. Please try again.")


# Reserved for code that runs at beginning of application.

# Introduce user to the game.
print(art.starting_image)
print("Welcome to the higher or lower game!")
print("\nGame Rules: From the 2 options shown you have to pick which celebrity or brand has more Instagram followers.")

# Launch our game by calling the main_game() function. We send through the argument 0 which is the users starting score.
status = main_game(0, False, "")

if status == 0:
    print(art.exit_image)

Near the bottom of the code where it asks the player if they want to play again, I am running into an issue. If the user inputs 'no' the first time, it does as expected; exits the game function and prints the goodbye image. If th e user inputs 'yes' it replays the game, which is fine. But, when it runs through the game again and asks the user if they want to play again, and they say no it doesn't work. It just asks you if you want to play again a further time.

It seems connected to the user inputting 'yes'. For example, if the user says 'no' the first time, it works fine, the first time. Yet, if the user says 'yes' then the user has to say no twice for it to exit. If the user says 'yes' twice in a row and plays through the game a few times then the user must input no many times for it to work.

I expect the code to work so that if the user inputs 'no' it will exit the game function. It currently only does so if the user enters 'no' the first time through the game. It doesn't work if you say 'yes' first and then play again before selecting 'no'.

Solution

The game restart is done using a recursive call, but after the call it will just go back to the loop without exiting.

Returning on or after the call should work:

        if play_again == "yes":
            return main_game(user_score, playing_again=True, option_3=option2)

Answered By - mcendu