This project intends to reimplement the board game "Codenames" using libgdx as the game framework, artemis-odb as the Entity Component System (ECS), KryoNet for networking, and Kotlin as the programming language.
The intent is to be able to play on the couch via devices rather than a physical game.
It also is serving as my "Hello World" entry into game development. I'm a professional web and mobile app developer but all of these technologies are brand new to me. I want to make an original game and multiplayer CodeNames seemed like a nice place to start learning the basics before I take on something larger.
- Udemy course on libgdx + kotlin
- First implementation attempt: Libgdx + Colysues
- Used Colysues node server as authoritative server
- Implemented a redux like state management system (what I know from web/mobile world) for syncing (Found some kotlin redux implementations)
- Didn't like that client logic was in kotlin and server logic was in node (duplicate dev effort) so re-implemented Colyseus in java
- Initially used JSON for serialization, then moved over to message pack
- Didn't love the idea for an autoritative server for my use case and how I'd need to host it on something like heroku (which I had working w/ Colyseus)
- Found out Kryonet existed and moved on to a game hosted locally
- Second attempt: Libgdx + ECS
- Found out that ECS was a thing. Coming from a react-redux background liked how I could break things into components and systems feel like middleware. Very much at home.
- Implemented project with Ashley for ECS.
- Implemented basic KryoNet server.
- Didn't like how I did serialization, all syncing between client & server was very manual and tedious based on my implementation.
- Found Ore Infinium Using libgdx, artemis-odb, and kryonet
- Switched over to Artemis-ODB over Ashley, still didn't love serialization
- Third (and current) attempt: Libgdx + ECS + automatic serializing
- Found DaanVanYperen's artemis-odb extensions
- Found Argentum Online based game using libgdx, artemis-odb, and kryonet using above extensions
- With two libgdx + artemis-odb + kryonet examples learned more from existing approaches
- Implemented serializing in such a way where simply creating an entity with the appropriate component would cause it to appear in all worlds (server & clients)
- Now I can "almost" develop without thinking about network connectivity for a good chunk of the game
- Screens
- How to deal with multiple screens & artemis-odb world?
- Menu (no world/internet connectivity)
- Game Board (world/network connectivity exists)
- Game Word List (world/network connectivity exits)
- Specifically, how do I deal with toggling between Board & Word list (100% different UI). Should world change on client? Server only has one world running how do I deal with that?
- How to deal with multiple screens & artemis-odb world?
- Scene 2d (tables) and ECS intermingling?
- When joining a game, the menu is not rendered but buttons are still clickable. So if you click in the same region as the "Host game" button you'll try and host again, causing game world to crash.
- Determine optimal approach for navigating across various game screens
- Support more than hardcoded localhost newtork play
- Support join game screen where user can enter IP and PORT to connect to
- Display IP for client running server
- Confirm behavior on Android
- Confirm behavior on iOS
- Items previously working in Round 1 now need to be addressed again
- Restore ability to toggle over to list of words and what team they belong to (for the two cluegivers)
- Ability to leave game
- Ability to reset game (make a new one)
- Animate card on press
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