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Stories with Tag 2D game

Show HN: Bubbles, a vanilla JavaScript web game

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Posted: 2025-03-13 17:48:03

Bubbles is a simple, yet addictive web game built entirely with vanilla JavaScript, requiring no external libraries or frameworks. The goal is to click and pop rising bubbles before they reach the top of the screen. Each popped bubble awards points based on its size, with smaller bubbles giving more points. The game features increasing difficulty as the bubbles rise faster over time. It's a lightweight, browser-based experience designed for quick bursts of fun.

Eric Morris has proudly presented "Bubbles," a captivating web-based game crafted entirely with vanilla JavaScript, eschewing any external libraries or frameworks. This digital amusement invites players to engage in a simple yet absorbing activity: popping an array of vibrantly colored bubbles that dynamically populate the screen. Each successful burst of a bubble rewards the player with points, contributing to their accumulating score displayed prominently at the top of the play area.

The game's mechanics are straightforward and intuitive. Players utilize their mouse cursor to navigate the screen and click directly on the bubbles to pop them. The bubbles themselves vary in size, adding a subtle layer of visual complexity to the otherwise minimalist design. As bubbles are popped, they vanish, making way for new bubbles to emerge, ensuring a continuous and engaging gameplay loop.

The aesthetic of "Bubbles" is characterized by its clean, uncluttered presentation. The bubbles, rendered as simple circles, boast a variety of vibrant hues, creating a visually stimulating experience. The background maintains a neutral tone, allowing the colorful bubbles to take center stage. The score display is clear and legible, providing constant feedback to the player on their progress. This minimalistic approach to design contributes to the game's lightweight nature and ensures smooth performance even on less powerful devices. Furthermore, the game's reliance on vanilla JavaScript underscores a focus on fundamental web technologies and efficient coding practices, resulting in a fast-loading and responsive gaming experience. In essence, "Bubbles" offers a delightful, accessible, and visually engaging pastime for anyone seeking a brief moment of digital diversion.
Summary of Comments ( 67 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43355658

Hacker News users generally praised the game's simplicity and clean implementation, using vanilla JavaScript without frameworks. Several commenters appreciated the satisfying gameplay and the nostalgic feel, reminiscent of early web games. Some suggested potential improvements, like adding sound effects, different bubble sizes, or a score counter. A few users delved into technical aspects, discussing the collision detection algorithm and potential performance optimizations. One commenter even shared a modified version with added features. The overall sentiment was positive, with many finding the game a fun and well-executed example of simple web development.

The Hacker News post for "Show HN: Bubbles, a vanilla JavaScript web game" generated several comments, discussing various aspects of the game and its implementation.

One commenter praised the game's simple yet engaging nature, finding it a welcome alternative to overly complex mobile games. They appreciated the lack of intrusive ads or unnecessary features, highlighting the clean and straightforward gameplay.

Another commenter focused on the technical aspects, commending the developer's choice to use vanilla JavaScript. They viewed this as a positive demonstration of the language's capabilities without relying on external libraries or frameworks. This commenter further suggested potential improvements, like implementing keyboard controls for accessibility and enhanced gameplay.

Discussion also arose regarding the scoring system. One commenter questioned the scoring logic, prompting the original poster (OP), the game's developer, to clarify how points are awarded based on bubble size and proximity. This exchange fostered a constructive dialogue about game design and player experience.

Several commenters shared their personal high scores, fostering a sense of friendly competition and community engagement. Others offered feedback on the game's difficulty curve, suggesting adjustments to make it more challenging or balanced.

The use of requestAnimationFrame was also a point of discussion, with a commenter appreciating its implementation for smooth animations and efficient resource management. They further suggested considering alternative timing mechanisms for potential performance gains.

Overall, the comments section reflects a positive reception of the game, with users appreciating its simplicity, performance, and the developer's technical choices. The discussion also provided valuable feedback for potential improvements and showcased a constructive interaction between the developer and players.
Show HN: Breakout with a roguelite/vampire survivor twist

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Posted: 2025-02-26 12:42:35

Breakout has been reimagined with a roguelite/Vampire Survivors twist. Instead of a paddle, you control a constantly firing character at the bottom of the screen. Power-ups drop from destroyed bricks, enhancing your abilities like fire rate, spread, and projectile type. The game features a constantly increasing difficulty and permanent upgrades that persist across runs, allowing you to progress further with each attempt. It's playable in-browser and built using JavaScript, offering a modern take on a classic arcade experience.

A novel web-based game titled "Breakout" has been presented, offering a fresh perspective on the classic arcade formula by incorporating elements from the popular roguelite and "vampire survivor" genres. Instead of a single ball and paddle, the player controls a constantly firing cannon at the bottom of the screen, tasked with destroying a descending wall of bricks. As bricks are destroyed, they have a chance to drop power-ups which augment the cannon's capabilities in a variety of ways, such as increasing the number of projectiles, adding piercing shots, expanding the firing arc, introducing ricocheting projectiles, and generating orbiting defensive projectiles. This creates a dynamic and escalating gameplay loop where the player progressively enhances their firepower to combat the increasingly challenging brick formations. The game features minimalist graphics and sound design, focusing on the core gameplay experience. Furthermore, the roguelite influence is apparent in the randomized nature of power-up drops, ensuring that each playthrough offers a unique progression and strategic challenge. The gameplay shares the satisfying power fantasy and incremental upgrade system characteristic of the "vampire survivor" genre, translating it to the familiar context of Breakout. The game is readily accessible through a web browser, offering a quick and engaging experience without the need for installation. The developer's focus appears to be on providing a simple yet addictive gameplay loop, centered around the strategic acquisition and synergistic combination of power-ups.
- gamedev
- Indie Game
- Game
- breakout
- arcade
- roguelite
- vampire survivor
- Web Game
- javascript
- HTML5
- 2D game
- block breaker
Summary of Comments ( 31 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43183131

Hacker News users generally praised the game's simple yet engaging gameplay, with several commending the smooth controls and satisfying feel. Some suggested potential improvements, like adding more variety in enemy types and level design, incorporating sound effects, and implementing a scoring system. A few users compared it to other similar games, noting its roguelite elements and fast-paced action. The developer actively participated in the discussion, responding to feedback and outlining plans for future updates, including mobile support and new features. Overall, the reception was positive, with users appreciating the game's polish and addictive nature.

The Hacker News post titled "Show HN: Breakout with a roguelite/vampire survivor twist" linking to https://breakout.lecaro.me/ generated several comments. Many commenters praised the game for its innovative twist on the classic Breakout formula. The roguelite and Vampire Survivors elements, such as power-ups and increasing hordes of enemies, were generally well-received and considered a refreshing addition.

One commenter appreciated the balance the game struck between being challenging and still remaining enjoyable, noting that they felt compelled to continue playing. The smooth gameplay experience was also highlighted, with specific mention of the satisfying feel of the paddle and ball physics.

Several commenters offered constructive feedback and suggestions for improvements. One suggestion involved allowing players to see what upgrades were coming next to facilitate more strategic decision-making during gameplay. Another commenter pointed out the lack of sound effects, suggesting their addition would enhance the overall experience. A third commenter suggested adding a visual indicator to show the effective area of the magnet power-up.

Technical aspects were also discussed, with one commenter inquiring about the game's development process, specifically the framework used. The creator responded that it was built with TypeScript and the PixiJS rendering engine.

There was also a short discussion about the monetization strategy, or lack thereof. The creator stated they had no plans to monetize the game, which was met with positive responses.

Overall, the comments were largely positive and focused on the fun factor of the game. The suggestions offered were generally constructive and aimed at improving the already enjoyable core gameplay. The creator's responsiveness to comments and willingness to engage in discussion added to the positive reception of the post.

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