Flashback Game

Main scene
Player Block
Blocks
Code fragment
File size
Icon v2

Flashback

Inspiration

In our opinion, our strong point is entertainment and in particular the creation of games for facebook / instagram. This is confirmed by the fact that we take the place in the previous hackathon (https://devpost.com/software/faceskate).

Therefore, we once again decided to go even further and do something fresh and as interesting as possible.

This time we were inspired by video games, films and music of the 80s and wanted to do a tribute to the brilliant works on which we grew up with this project.

What it does

This is an augmented reality game that works only by tracking the surface.

The game is based on a mini-plot about the pilot of the ship, whose task is not to miss as many asteroids as possible and save the earth!

From time to time he finds himself in temporary portals in space that takes him to different moments of his life: when he was a brave pilot of an airplane and also when he was a child and was just starting to study.

All these transitions are beaten in the form of different levels. To play:

Track the ground
It is advisable (but not necessary) to rotate the phone 90 degrees. Use it like a steering wheel!
Pull the phone sharply up or down to flip!
Shoot down asteroids and ships of your opponent
Pick up bonuses!
Keep track of the living standards under the ship

There are 3 levels in the game (2 of them in the form of a challenge and 1 in the form of a bonus)

Flying a spaceship
Flying a plane
Bonus level with a child - it is impossible to lose in it, you can “relax” a bit, score points and extra lives.

2 types of obstacles

Passive (asteroids or balls)
Active (ships / planes that also attack)

7 Types of Bonus

Triple attack
Acceleration
Bonus Doubling
Shield
Extra life
Slowdown
Laser beam - removes everything in its path!

The longer a player plays the game, the faster everything around him begins to move. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible.

How we built it

We worked together on a project.

One of the most powerful moments in development is the use of our own game libraries to speed up and optimize the work.
We practice using the spark ar engine to create games almost every day, so we tried to implement the maximum of our knowledge and squeeze out absolutely everything that the engine provides today
The game is especially thought out as playable in the best traditions of mobile games. The user makes a minimum of effort and receives maximum entertainment and dynamics.

We tried to use the maximum of ready-made solutions that the industry provides today, so the following programs/services were actively involved:

Mixamo
Sketchfab
Audiojungle
Photoshop
Blender
Maya
Webpack

I would like to add that we created the project using our own unique pipeline of asynchronous programming and editing the project. This is our personal development (solution) because today Spark does not provide anything like this.

Challenges we ran into

We tried to use the maximum of our skills in the shortest possible time. To the maximum we used the available capabilities of the spark: actively used blocks, code, patch editor, visual shaders, procedural animations, and much more Every little thing has been worked out: all objects have smooth animations of both shapes and colors; all interfaces are logical and intuitive Develop an intuitive interface and a minimum threshold for entering a fairly complex game. We wanted to make the user put a minimum of effort to figure out how to play the game.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

What is remarkable about the game:

Firstly, the game can be projected onto any plane, in any environment around it, as well as independently choose from what angle to look at what is happening. In fact, this approach allows you to be both a player and an operator of a mini-battle - and this is the key to really interesting and dynamic content on the way out!

Secondly, to play, a person only needs to tilt his phone - in this way the player moves left and right

Thirdly, this frequent change of scenery allows the game not to get bored, but intense moments - to rest and restore lives and collect bonuses.

This all sets the game cool dynamics and draws the player.

We also want to draw on the number of details, procedural animations, sounds that make the game as lively as possible!

In addition to the gameplay and the quality of execution, we are very proud of the technical implementation of the project - the whole game takes less than 4mb and easily fits into the AR filter Instagram format, while it contains a lot of visual effects and audio accompaniment!

What we learned

Improved skill in creating complex projects;
Using blocks to create, in fact, new types of objects, which made it possible to greatly increase the level of our development;
We squeezed the maximum out of the engine in the conditions of this project;
Hone skills in a mini-team in a very short time;
Advanced in understanding game design and creating engaging content for users.

What's next for Flashback Game

Tighter integration with the real world (it’s possible to add characters to the plot based on chattered real people)
New levels and more flexible management
Gathering feedback from users and introducing something that players lack
The creation of such a mechanic that will force the player to constantly change the viewing angle of the game, which will add an even deeper effect of the presence.

Thanks for attention and enjoy the game!