From Idea to Reality: Building AncientBeast, the Ultimate Turn-Based eSport

Heisenberg 2024 年 12 月 30 日

The Turn Based Strategy Game/eSport. Master your beasts! 🐺

ancientbeast turn-based-strategy esport indie-game online-multiplayer creatures dystopian-future factions technology 3d-printers lightweight input-methods pre-alpha-prototype freezing-moon-dao roadmap chimera gameplay soundtracks combat-location abilities creature-stats user-interface usability-enhancements

Built by wanghaisheng | Last updated: 20241230

11 minutes 35 seconds read

Project Genesis

Unleashing the AncientBeast: A Journey into Myth and Strategy

As a lifelong fan of strategy games and mythology, I often found myself daydreaming about a world where ancient creatures roamed free, battling for supremacy in epic showdowns. This spark of inspiration ignited a passion within me to create something truly unique—a game that would not only challenge players’ strategic minds but also immerse them in a rich tapestry of lore and adventure. Thus, AncientBeast was born.

My personal motivation for this project runs deep. Growing up, I was captivated by stories of legendary beasts and their epic battles. I wanted to channel that fascination into a game that would allow others to experience the thrill of commanding these ancient titans. However, the journey was not without its hurdles. From grappling with complex game mechanics to ensuring a seamless user experience, I faced numerous challenges that tested my resolve and creativity.

But with each obstacle came a solution. I gathered a talented team of developers and artists who shared my vision, and together we crafted a game that blends strategy, lore, and stunning visuals. AncientBeast invites players to dive into a world where they can summon legendary creatures, strategize their moves, and engage in thrilling battles against opponents.

Join me as we explore the fascinating world of AncientBeast, where every battle tells a story, and every player has the chance to become a legend. Ready to unleash your inner beast? Play Ancient Beast and embark on this epic adventure today!

From Idea to Implementation

1. Initial Research and Planning

The journey of developing Ancient Beast began with extensive research into the turn-based strategy genre, analyzing existing games to identify gaps and opportunities for innovation. The team conducted surveys and interviews with potential players to understand their preferences and pain points. This research highlighted a demand for a game that combined strategic depth with accessibility, allowing both casual and hardcore gamers to enjoy the experience.

The planning phase involved defining the core gameplay mechanics, which centered around creature acquisition and tactical combat. The team established a unique setting based on the seven deadly sins, which not only provided a rich narrative backdrop but also allowed for diverse gameplay elements. The lore was crafted to create an engaging world that players could immerse themselves in, setting the stage for future expansions and updates.

2. Technical Decisions and Their Rationale

As the project transitioned from concept to code, several key technical decisions were made to ensure the game’s success:

Game Engine Selection: The team opted for a lightweight game engine that could run on various devices, ensuring broad accessibility. This decision was driven by the desire to reach a wider audience and accommodate players with different hardware capabilities.
Input Method Flexibility: The game was designed to support multiple input methods, including mouse, keyboard, touchscreens, and eventually gamepads and voice commands. This flexibility aimed to enhance user experience and cater to diverse player preferences.
Optimizations for Performance: Given the goal of creating a lightweight game, the team implemented various optimizations to ensure smooth gameplay. This included efficient resource management and adaptive graphics settings that would adjust based on the player’s device capabilities.
Modular Architecture: The codebase was structured to be modular, allowing for easier updates and the addition of new features. This decision was crucial for maintaining a sustainable development workflow and facilitating community contributions.

3. Alternative Approaches Considered

During the planning and development phases, the team considered several alternative approaches:

Single-Player Focus: Initially, there was a consideration to focus solely on a single-player experience. However, feedback from potential players indicated a strong preference for online multiplayer capabilities, leading to the decision to prioritize this feature.
Complexity vs. Accessibility: The team debated whether to introduce more complex mechanics to appeal to hardcore strategy enthusiasts. Ultimately, they chose to prioritize accessibility, ensuring that new players could easily learn the game while still providing depth for experienced players.
Art Style Choices: Various art styles were considered, from realistic graphics to more stylized designs. The team ultimately settled on a unique aesthetic that complemented the game’s lore and made it visually distinct, enhancing the overall player experience.

4. Key Insights That Shaped the Project

Several key insights emerged throughout the development journey that significantly shaped Ancient Beast:

Community Engagement: Early engagement with the gaming community proved invaluable. Feedback from potential players not only influenced gameplay mechanics but also helped refine the game’s narrative and art style.
Iterative Development: The team adopted an iterative development approach, allowing for continuous testing and refinement of features. This flexibility enabled them to respond to player feedback and make adjustments in real-time, ultimately leading to a more polished final product.
Balancing Fun and Challenge: Striking the right balance between fun and challenge was a recurring theme. The team recognized that while strategic depth is essential, the game must remain enjoyable and not overwhelm players with complexity.
Long-Term Vision: The decision to transition development to a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) was influenced by the desire to create a sustainable project that could evolve with community input. This long-term vision emphasized collaboration and transparency, fostering a sense of ownership among players and contributors.

In conclusion, the journey from concept to code for Ancient Beast was marked by thorough research, thoughtful technical decisions, and a commitment to community engagement. These elements combined to create a unique turn-based strategy game that aims to captivate players and stand out in a competitive landscape.

Under the Hood

Technical Deep-Dive: Ancient Beast

1. Architecture Decisions

The architecture of Ancient Beast is designed to support a turn-based strategy game that is both lightweight and scalable. The following key architectural decisions were made:

Client-Server Model: The game employs a client-server architecture to facilitate online multiplayer interactions. This allows for centralized game state management, ensuring that all players have a consistent view of the game world.
Modular Design: The codebase is structured in a modular fashion, allowing for easy addition of new features and creatures. Each creature, for example, is encapsulated in its own module, making it easier to manage and extend.
Event-Driven Architecture: The game uses an event-driven approach to handle user inputs and game state changes. This allows for a responsive user interface and smooth gameplay experience.
Progressive Enhancement: The game is designed to be playable on a wide range of devices, from desktops to mobile devices. This is achieved through progressive enhancement, where the core gameplay is accessible on all devices, while advanced features are added for more capable devices.

2. Key Technologies Used

Ancient Beast leverages several key technologies to achieve its goals:

HTML5 and JavaScript: The game is built using HTML5 and JavaScript, allowing it to run in modern web browsers without the need for plugins. This choice ensures cross-platform compatibility.
WebSockets: For real-time communication between the client and server, WebSockets are used. This enables low-latency interactions, which are crucial for a turn-based game.
Canvas API: The game utilizes the HTML5 Canvas API for rendering graphics. This allows for smooth animations and dynamic visual effects.
Node.js: The server-side logic is implemented using Node.js, which provides a non-blocking, event-driven environment suitable for handling multiple concurrent connections.

3. Interesting Implementation Details

Creature Abilities: Each creature in the game has a unique set of abilities defined in a JSON format. This allows for easy modification and addition of new creatures. For example, a creature’s abilities might be defined as follows:

{
  "name": "Fire Dragon",
  "abilities": [
    {
      "name": "Fire Breath",
      "damage": 30,
      "cooldown": 3
    },
    {
      "name": "Wing Attack",
      "damage": 15,
      "cooldown": 2
    }
  ]
}

Game State Management: The game state is managed using a finite state machine (FSM) pattern. This allows for clear transitions between different game states (e.g., waiting for player input, processing turns, displaying results).
Responsive UI: The user interface is designed to be responsive, adapting to different screen sizes and orientations. CSS Flexbox and Grid are utilized to achieve this responsiveness.

4. Technical Challenges Overcome

Real-Time Synchronization: One of the major challenges was ensuring that all players had a synchronized view of the game state. This was addressed by implementing a robust state synchronization mechanism using WebSockets, which broadcasts state changes to all connected clients.
Performance Optimization: As the game grew in complexity, performance became a concern. Various optimizations were implemented, such as object pooling for frequently used objects (e.g., projectiles) and reducing the frequency of state updates to minimize server load.
Cross-Device Compatibility: Ensuring that the game runs smoothly across various devices required extensive testing and optimization. Techniques such as adaptive rendering and input method detection were employed to provide a consistent experience regardless of the device used.

Conclusion

The development of Ancient Beast showcases a thoughtful approach to game architecture, leveraging modern web technologies to create an engaging turn-based strategy game. The decisions made in terms of architecture, technology, and implementation details reflect a commitment to performance, usability, and extensibility, setting a solid foundation for future development and enhancements.

Lessons from the Trenches

Certainly! Here’s a breakdown based on the project history and README of Ancient Beast:

1. Key Technical Lessons Learned

Modular Design: The importance of a modular codebase became evident. This allows for easier updates and maintenance, especially when adding new features or creatures. Keeping the code organized and modular helps in managing complexity as the project grows.
Performance Optimization: Given the goal of making the game lightweight and accessible on various devices, continuous performance profiling and optimization were crucial. Techniques such as lazy loading of assets and efficient memory management were key to ensuring smooth gameplay.
User Feedback Integration: Early and continuous user feedback is invaluable. Implementing a feedback loop with players helped identify pain points and areas for improvement, guiding development priorities effectively.

2. What Worked Well

Community Engagement: Building a community around the game through platforms like Discord and OpenCollective fostered a sense of belonging and support. This engagement not only provided valuable feedback but also helped in attracting contributors and sponsors.
Clear Roadmap: Having a well-defined roadmap (like the one for version 0.5) helped in setting clear goals and expectations for both the development team and the community. It provided transparency and kept everyone aligned on the project’s direction.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: The decision to make the game playable on various input methods (mouse, keyboard, touchscreens, etc.) broadened the potential audience and made the game more accessible.

3. What You’d Do Differently

Early Prototyping: While the project is in pre-alpha, earlier prototyping of core gameplay mechanics could have provided insights into player engagement and balance issues sooner. This could have led to more informed design decisions earlier in the development process.
Automated Testing: Implementing automated testing earlier in the development cycle would have helped catch bugs and issues before they reached players. This could improve the overall quality and stability of the game.
Documentation: While there is a focus on documentation, ensuring that it is comprehensive and easily accessible from the start would have facilitated onboarding new contributors and reduced the learning curve.

4. Advice for Others

Prioritize Community Building: Engage with your audience early and often. Building a community around your project can provide support, feedback, and even contributions that can significantly enhance the development process.
Iterate Based on Feedback: Be open to feedback and willing to iterate on your designs. Player input can lead to valuable insights that improve gameplay and user experience.
Stay Flexible: Game development can be unpredictable. Stay flexible in your planning and be prepared to pivot based on what you learn during development and from your community.
Focus on Core Mechanics First: Before adding a plethora of features, ensure that the core gameplay mechanics are solid and enjoyable. A strong foundation will make it easier to build additional content and features later on.

By reflecting on these aspects, the development team can continue to improve Ancient Beast and create a more engaging and polished game experience.

What’s Next?

Conclusion: The Future of Ancient Beast

As we stand at the current juncture of the Ancient Beast project, we are excited to share that our pre-alpha prototype is already making waves in the indie gaming community. With a unique blend of strategy and lore, players are beginning to explore the dystopian world shaped by the seven deadly sins. However, we recognize that there is still much work to be done. Our next milestone, version 0.5, codenamed Chimera, is on the horizon, promising to introduce new playable creatures, epic soundtracks, and a host of enhancements that will elevate the gameplay experience.

Looking ahead, our development plans are ambitious. We aim to not only refine existing features but also to expand the game’s universe with new combat locations, improved user interfaces, and a more robust multiplayer experience. We are committed to addressing the current bottlenecks, including the addition of bots and animations, to ensure that Ancient Beast can reach its full potential and captivate a mainstream audience.

We invite you, the community, to join us on this journey. Whether you are a developer, artist, musician, or simply a passionate gamer, your contributions can make a significant impact. Check out our Contributing Guide to find out how you can help, and consider supporting us through sponsorship or backing on OpenCollective. Every bit of support counts, and together, we can create something truly remarkable.

In closing, the journey of Ancient Beast is not just about developing a game; it’s about building a community and crafting a shared experience. As we navigate the challenges and triumphs ahead, we are grateful for the support and enthusiasm of our contributors and players. Let’s continue to create, innovate, and push the boundaries of what this project can achieve. Join us, and let’s make Ancient Beast a game that will be remembered for years to come.