future-wars

Inspiration

Future Wars was born from a desire to blend the strategic depth of turn-based games with the fast-paced excitement of real-time combat. We were inspired by the tactical elements of games where players set up defenses and the quick decision-making required in arena combat. The idea was to create a game that was not only about skill in battle but also about clever planning and foresight. Building on the Devvit platform allowed us to bring this vision directly to the Reddit community, creating an immersive, accessible experience.

What it does

This game encourages user-generated content on Reddit by allow users the oppotunity to built custom battle maps that are used by other players. This game is also meant to be a community strategy battle game, where Reddit comunities can challenge each other over a secries of games in a day.

Future Wars is a real-time tactical robot battle game. It offers a complete gameplay loop, from strategic pre-battle planning to a dynamic combat phase. Players customize their robot with a range of weapons, skills, and buffs, and strategically place traps on the battlefield. All player data, including leaderboards, is synchronized and persistent, creating a competitive and engaging experience.

How we built it

The project was built using Phaser 3 and TypeScript for a robust and scalable frontend. This allowed us to manage complex game scenes and logic effectively. The backend was powered by the Devvit platform, which provided the necessary tools for integrating with Reddit's ecosystem. We used a shared TypeScript codebase to ensure the game logic was consistent between the client and server. WebSockets were the backbone of our real-time communication, enabling seamless synchronization of game state and player actions.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was building the server-side logic from scratch. We had to create and implement a complex trap combination algorithm to merge the traps from multiple players into a single, cohesive map. Another significant hurdle was ensuring real-time game state synchronization to prevent lag and ensure a fair and consistent experience for all players. This was also my first time building a game using phaser.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are incredibly proud of the seamless integration of our game with the Reddit platform, made possible by Devvit. We successfully built a full-featured real-time battle system that is both engaging and stable. The depth of the robot customization, with over 100 possible combinations, is a major achievement that we believe adds significant replay value. The ability to save player data and update a live leaderboard gives the game a competitive edge that keeps players coming back.

What we learned

This project taught us a lot about the intricacies of real-time multiplayer game development. We learned how to manage real-time game state, resolve conflicts, and handle network resilience. The process also deepened our understanding of the Devvit platform and how to leverage it for community-driven applications. We gained valuable experience in balancing game mechanics, from damage calculation to skill cooldowns, to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience.

What's next for future-wars

Looking ahead, we plan to enhance the game with more features to deepen the gameplay experience. This includes introducing a team battle mode for cooperative play, a tournament system for structured competition, and spectator mode so players can watch others' battles. We also plan to add a replay system so players can analyze their past matches and improve their strategy.

Built With

• css
• devvit
• html
• reddis
• typescript
• vite