Hello everyone! It's time for a quick update on my journey in developing a modern successor to Tetris Attack for VisionOS. I'm thrilled to share some of the milestones I've recently achieved and a few thoughts on the process.
Basic Gameplay: Taking Shape
The core gameplay is slowly but surely coming together. Here's what's been accomplished so far:
- Displaying a Board of Blocks: The foundation of our game, the block board, is now up and running. This visual element is key to any puzzle game, and seeing it come to life is quite exciting.
- Cursor Movement via Keyboard Input: I’ve implemented a system where players can move a cursor around the board using their keyboard. This is an essential part of the gameplay interaction.
- Swapping Adjacent Blocks: Players can now swap adjacent blocks, bringing us one step closer to the classic puzzle experience.
Balancing Development with Life
While this progress might seem modest, it represents a significant amount of work, especially considering my tight schedule. Balancing full-time work, personal life, and this passion project means that development happens mainly during nights and weekends. Despite the slow pace, each step forward is rewarding.
Leveraging Past Experience
One of the key accelerators for this project has been my ability to reuse code from previous attempts at modernizing Tetris Attack. This is a valuable tip for anyone starting their venture: leverage your unique advantages. In my case, having the core engine of Tetris Attack gameplay already coded from past projects means I can progress much faster in adapting it to VisionOS.
Next Steps: Enhancing the Gameplay
Looking ahead, I'm excited to work on:
- Match Detection: The ability for the game to recognize and respond to matching blocks.
- Block Gravity: Implementing physics so that blocks fall naturally, filling in gaps.
- Chain and Combo Detection: Adding layers of strategy and skill to the gameplay.
Once these elements are in place, we’ll have the core gameplay loop established. Then, it will be time to introduce VR/MR-specific features, which will truly differentiate this game in the spatial computing realm.
Stay Tuned!
I can't wait to share more as the game develops. Your support and interest mean the world to me. Together, we're not just revisiting a classic – we're redefining it for a new era of gaming.
