As a weekend project, I created a minimal arcade game called Ball Orbit, where the player taps to jump between spinning orbits. Sounds easy, right? Turns out, there’s a lot to consider — from game loops to collision logic.
Here’s a quick overview of the key things I learned:
🎮 Game Loop Basics
javascript
function gameLoop() {
updateGameState();
renderGame();
requestAnimationFrame(gameLoop);
}
Using requestAnimationFrame() helped keep the animation smooth and optimized for different browsers.
🎯 Tap Timing and Physics
To simulate the jump between orbits:
javascript
if (userTapped && isAngleCorrect(currentAngle, targetAngle)) {
jumpToNextOrbit();
}
Timing input to match rotational angles made the game more challenging and fun.
🌀 Minimal UI, Maximum Focus
Keeping the UI super clean (just the ball and orbits) helped players focus on the core mechanic — timing.
Let me know if you want the full source code or a breakdown of specific parts (collision, scoring, etc.).
I might post a follow-up if there’s enough interest.