Block Flip
Block Flip
The Browser Game
I created a browser game called Block Flip using JavaScript. The game is a simple side-scrolling runner where a player needs to dodge obstacles. The game progressively gets harder with the inclusion of levels.
The browser game works with all screen sizes, but one of the major issues with the game that I have been attempting to address and fix has been the accidental change in difficulty between screen sizes. The way that the game works is that it spawns obstacles on a timer at the right-most edge of the screen and then the obstacle moves toward the player. By default, on larger screen sizes, the obstacles seem to move much slower from right to left and therefore make the game much easier. In order to combat this issue, I have been playing around with different formulas which change the block's speed and spawn rate based on the size of the screen so that the obstacles appear to move at the same speed. This can be found in the source code in my "speedScalingFactor" and "sizeScalingFactor" variables. I have yet to make the formula perfect, but it is closer.
From Browser to Mobile
After creating the browser version of Block Flip, I decided that I would try my hand at making a mobile app version. There are several game engines to choose from to create mobile games such as Unity, but I ultimately landed on using the game engine Godot due to the fact that it is the best engine that I could get working on Fedora Linux. I had never heard of Godot until I began creating this iteration of Block Flip, but the more I use it, the more I enjoy it. The engine is simple to use, completely free, and open-source, and encourages the creation and distribution of new projects. I have found little wrong with Godot except for there being minimal documentation, guides, and tutorials. Therefore, in the future, I hope to provide some guidance with Godot via blog tutorials.
Alongside using an environment that was completely new to me (Godot) I was also given the opportunity to learn about the process of creating and releasing an Android mobile app. Previously, I had only had experience using Android Studio to develop a mobile application in a local environment. Creating a mobile game with Godot gave me the experience of not only developing my game but also publishing and monetizing it via in-app purchases.
Block Flip is now available on the Play Store to North America Android users! Click Here!