Buoy Battle

Buoy Battle

Inspiration

I was inspired at first by the classic "Raft" game where you build a larger and larger raft and fend off sharks. But I wanted something more in line with a tower defense game, and that's where the idea of having defense buoys and waves of sea monsters all came together.

What it does

The game starts you off with a small raft and just a couple buoys to defend the harbor's piers. As the waves get stronger and more enemy types are introduced your defense patterns need to evolve, and you may need to upgrade your ship, the piers, and even your buoys. In later game stages you can collect special items to help you get by.

How I built it

100% Grok. I loved using Grok, especially when I talked to some of my friends and colleagues who were using Claude (30-50min response times). The biggest benefit was incredibly fast response times (under 5-10 mins). This meant I could develop and iterate faster, and shockingly there wasn't a trade off on quality with the faster speeds.

Challenges I ran into

Ocassional struggles with the AI, some hallucinations, but really just needed clearer prompts to explain exactly what and how I wanted a feature implemented. As well as clean guard rails to keep it in check.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

The game is really decent looking and sounding for a prototype, the waves are fun, and the core loop keeps repeat sessions feeling fresh.

What I learned

I learned that I could take my game idea from the last competition and actually make it on my own. This was a really great growth for me as I tend to focus entirely on art, but I got to push on game design and planning.

What's next for Buoy Battle

More types of buoys and enemies, better balancing across all aspects of the game, and mid-run economy tension. Higher quality art and sound design, specifically making the game actually 3D so I can use my Blender skills to bring breathtaking life to my game. There will also be new maps to play, leaderboards, more stats, daily quests, seasonal events, and other game features that I love.