Python Pickles

I have avoided coming here to AO about this certain topic for a long time. Instead I have joined a forum specifically dedicated to the python language.
Its a good forum, I like it and have learnt alot from there already, but I like AO better :) and it always helps to get things from different perspectives.
I have been having alot of trouble building a highscores list for a game in python. My instructions are to use pickled objects to populate a high score list.
I have done this ... or thought that I have. Problem is no matter what I do I can only get the first score to print out.
I've been messing with this for about 3 weeks and really want to move on.
I have finally decided to come here to ask for some input.

Here is the full game code:

Code:

# Trivia Challenge # Trivia game that reads a plain text file # (added a scoring system to Trivia Challenge) # added a pickle file to keep track of high scores import sys, pickle def user_name(): name = input("Hello, what is your name? ") #score = 0 name = name.title() #high_scores = {name: score} return name def open_file(file_name, mode): """Open a file.""" try: the_file = open(file_name, mode) except IOError as e: print("Unable to open the file", file_name, "Ending program.\n", e) input("\n\nPress the enter key to exit.") sys.exit() else: return the_file def next_line(the_file): """Return next line from the trivia file, formatted.""" line = the_file.readline() line = line.replace("/", "\n") return line def next_block(the_file): """Return the next block of data from the trivia file.""" category = next_line(the_file) question = next_line(the_file) answers = [] for i in range(4): answers.append(next_line(the_file)) correct = next_line(the_file) if correct: correct = correct[0] explanation = next_line(the_file) try: score = int(next_line(the_file)) #score = int(score) except ValueError: score = 0 return category, question, answers, correct, explanation, score def welcome(title, name): """Welcome the player and get his/her name.""" print("\n\t\tWelcome to Trivia Challenge,", name, "!\n") print("\t\tThis is", title, "\n") def create_name_list(name): name_list = [name] #if name_list: #name_list.append(name) return name_list def create_score_list(new_score): score_list = [new_score] #score_list.append(new_score) return score_list def store_scores(name, new_score): f = open("pickledScores.dat", "rb+") try: y = pickle.load(f) except EOFError: f.close() f = open("pickledScores.dat", "wb") name_list = [name] pickle.dump(name_list, f) print('x') else: name_list = [name] name_list.append(y) pickle.dump(name_list, f) f.close() #z= pickle.load(f) #y.append(name) #z.append(new_score) #pickle.dump(y, f) #pickle.dump(z, f) def print_scores(score_list): f = open("pickledScores.dat", "rb") #full_name_list = name_list.append(name_list) #full_score_list = score_list.append(score_list) #print(full_name_list, full_score_list) y = pickle.load(f) #name_list_length = len(y) #for i in range(name_list_length): #print("\t", i + 1, "-", y[i], "\t - \t", score_list[i]) print(y) #print(z) f.close() def main(): name = user_name() trivia_file = open_file("trivia2.txt", "r") title = next_line(trivia_file) welcome(title, name) new_score = 0 # get first block category, question, answers, correct, explanation, score = next_block(trivia_file) while category: # ask a question print(category) print(question) for i in range(4): print("\t", i + 1, "-", answers[i]) # get answer answer = input("What's your answer?: ") # check answer if answer == correct: print("\nRight!", end=" ") print("\nYou earned", score, "points.") new_score += score print("Your new score is:", new_score, "\n\n") else: print("\nWrong.", end=" ") print(explanation) print("Your score is still:", new_score, "\n\n") # get next block category, question, answers, correct, explanation, score = next_block(trivia_file) trivia_file.close() print("That was the last question!") print("You're final score is", new_score) if new_score >=90: print("\n\nCongratulations", name, "you've made the high score list!!") name_list = create_name_list(name) score_list = create_score_list(new_score) store_scores(name, new_score) print_scores(score_list) else: print("\n\nSorry, ", name, "but", new_score, "is not good enough to make the high score list.") print("Use the explanations to your wrong answers and try again.") main() input("\n\nPress the enter key to exit.")

My problems, I believe, lie within these two functions:

Code:

def store_scores(name, new_score): f = open("pickledScores.dat", "rb+") try: y = pickle.load(f) except EOFError: f.close() f = open("pickledScores.dat", "wb") name_list = [name] pickle.dump(name_list, f) print('x') else: name_list = [name] name_list.append(y) pickle.dump(name_list, f) f.close() #z= pickle.load(f) #y.append(name) #z.append(new_score) #pickle.dump(y, f) #pickle.dump(z, f) def print_scores(score_list): f = open("pickledScores.dat", "rb") #full_name_list = name_list.append(name_list) #full_score_list = score_list.append(score_list) #print(full_name_list, full_score_list) y = pickle.load(f) #name_list_length = len(y) #for i in range(name_list_length): #print("\t", i + 1, "-", y[i], "\t - \t", score_list[i]) print(y) #print(z) f.close()

I just can't figure out where Im going wrong with the pickling and unpickling. I have deleted, commented out, copied, pasted, deleted and experimented with so many different things I've gotten lost in my own thought.

I want to learn this, I want to get this and I want to move on. What am I not getting?
BTW, if it matters its python 3.2

Blessings
F