Hacker News·48wOdyc.js
Odyc.js is a lightweight JavaScript library designed to help users create interactive narrative games without requiring extensive programming knowledge. The library aims to make game development accessible to beginners while leveraging JavaScript's capabilities for creating engaging interactive experiences.
80 LEVEL·34wLevel Up Your Coding Skills With This Farming Game
The Farmer Was Replaced is a farming game that teaches programming through automation. Players use a Python-like language to program drones that handle repetitive farming tasks. The game offers continuous progression rather than isolated levels, making it beginner-friendly while still challenging experienced programmers. It launches October 10 with features like multiple drone support, expanded tech trees, and multilingual support.
Hacker News·1yGet the hell out of the LLM as soon as possible
Large Language Models (LLMs) should not be used for decision-making or implementing business logic due to their poor performance in these areas. Instead, LLMs should be employed as an interface for translating user inputs into API calls, with the actual logic handled by specialized systems. This approach enhances performance, debugging, and reliability. LLMs are best utilized for tasks involving transformation, interpretation, and communication, rather than maintaining critical application state.
freeCodeCamp·27wHow to Improve Your Programming Skills by Building Games
Building games teaches essential programming skills that extend beyond game development. Through creating games, developers learn systems thinking, event-driven architecture, performance optimization, and debugging complex states. Games force practical application of math concepts like vectors and trigonometry, while teaching component-based architecture similar to modern frameworks. The hands-on experience with user input handling, reusable code patterns, and creative problem-solving translates directly to building better web applications, backend services, and software systems. Even simple 2D games provide valuable lessons in modular design, UX instincts, and managing code complexity that traditional tutorials rarely offer.
Hacker News·34wDoomscrolling: The Game
A developer created a browser-based game called 'Doomscrolling' where players navigate through a Doom-inspired world using only scroll gestures. The project evolved from a failed attempt with GPT-4 to a successful implementation with GPT-5, incorporating real-time news headlines from RSS feeds as in-game elements. The development process showcased AI-assisted coding techniques, including creating standalone 'labs' for testing visual elements and using computational rendering instead of pre-made sprites.
Hacker News·1yMigrating away from Rust.
The development of Architect of Ruin initially began in Rust with the Bevy game engine due to personal preferences and the positive community around Bevy. However, challenges such as collaboration difficulties, abstraction issues, rapid iteration needs, migration pain, and modding limitations prompted a switch to Unity and C#. The team conducted an experiment evaluating core features implementation, leading to a full port decision. The switch resulted in faster development, better collaboration, and improved maintainability.
Planet Python·1yPython Game Code: The Ultimate Pygame Guide
This guide provides a step-by-step tutorial for creating a Python game called Neon Racer using Pygame. It covers setting up the game window, implementing player movement, adding a scrolling road background, generating obstacles, including pickups for extra points, and handling collision detection and scoring. Each module is integrated into a complete game with detailed code examples to ensure smooth and engaging gameplay.
Hacker News·50wMaking Video Games in 2025 (without an engine)
The post discusses the advantages of creating video games without relying on large commercial engines like Unity and Unreal. It highlights personal experiences of using smaller frameworks and open-source libraries such as SDL3 for game development. The author prefers using C# for its performance, accessibility, and modern features, and stresses the importance of controlling the development stack for small indie teams. Tools for rendering, audio, and asset management are examined, with a nod to cross-platform capabilities and the transition to Linux for development.
Codrops·49wDeconstructing the 35mm Website: A Look at the Process and Technical Details
A technical breakdown of building an interactive 3D camera website using Three.js, covering edge detection with Sobel operators, mesh highlighting through render targets and raycasting, and scroll-triggered film roll animations. The tutorial demonstrates custom shader development, post-processing effects, and advanced WebGL techniques for creating engaging 3D web experiences.
LogRocket·1yGame development for frontend: Building with Excalibur.js
Learn how to build your first 2D browser game using JavaScript and the Excalibur.js game engine. This post covers the basics of setting up Excalibur.js, creating simple game objects like a player, handling user inputs, managing game scenes, implementing collision detection, and using sprite sheets for animations. It also offers practical steps to transition from tutorials to creating your own game by breaking down the game development process into manageable questions.
C/C++ Community·38wHow powerful and versatile is C ?
A developer seeks clarification about common misconceptions regarding C programming language, particularly questioning claims about its crash-prone nature, poor error handling, limited use cases beyond game engines, lack of developer trust, and inferiority to C++ in game development. They want factual information and recommendations for using C in backend development.
The New Stack·34wMeet the 11-Year-Old Whose Code Was Adopted by a Gaming Giant
An 11-year-old programmer from Vietnam, Damir Buldakov, developed a Scratch SDK plugin for Playgama gaming platform that was officially adopted by the company. His JavaScript-based extension allows Scratch developers to connect their projects to Playgama's network of 300 million users. The gaming platform recognized his contribution with a mentorship program and financial award, demonstrating how young developers can make meaningful contributions to major tech platforms.
Codrops·1yCreating Stylized Water Effects with React Three Fiber
Learn how to create a stylized water effect using React Three Fiber, focusing on writing shaders, optimizing 3D assets, and maintaining good performance. This tutorial covers the step-by-step process, including creating 3D terrain, setting up the environment, handling materials, and adding dynamic water animation. Additionally, the tutorial touches on incorporating sound for an immersive experience.
Codrops·46wCoding a 3D Audio Visualizer with Three.js, GSAP & Web Audio API
A comprehensive guide to building an interactive 3D audio visualizer that combines Three.js for 3D rendering, Web Audio API for real-time sound analysis, and GSAP for smooth animations and draggable UI elements. The tutorial covers creating custom GLSL shaders for audio-reactive effects, implementing frequency analysis to drive visual distortions, and building a sci-fi interface with momentum-based interactions. The result is a glowing orb that pulses and morphs in sync with music while users can drag control panels around the screen.
Game Maker's Toolkit·1yHow to find amazing game ideas
Mark, who released 'Mind Over Magnet' on Steam, shares his experiences and lessons learned about the indie game development process. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the production pipeline to avoid common pitfalls and speed up development. The post explores various sources for game ideas, including modifying existing games, exploiting genre conventions, and drawing inspiration from real-life experiences. Mark provides practical tips for generating game ideas and evaluating their potential before committing to development.
80 LEVEL·32wDeliver Mail on Tiny Planet in This Relaxing Web Game
Studio abeto released Messenger, a free web-based game built with WebGL and Three.js where players deliver mail on a tiny spherical planet. The relaxing experience features character customization, 3D emoji interactions, and a soothing soundtrack, demonstrating how modern web technologies can create engaging browser-based gaming experiences.
Low Level Game Dev·24wHow to learn C++
A developer with 10 years of C++ experience shares learning advice: skip expensive courses for free tutorials, focus on building projects rather than just learning syntax, and write simple, practical code instead of using complex language features. The author advocates learning through progressively challenging projects, avoiding over-engineering with templates and OOP, and emphasizes that knowing the language isn't the same as knowing how to code effectively.
Collections·1yCreating a Simple MMO Game with Unity and SpacetimeDB
Learn how to build a simple MMO game using Unity, C#, and SpacetimeDB with this step-by-step tutorial. It covers setting up a Unity project, developing server-client architecture, implementing real-time multiplayer mechanics, and introducing competitive game features. Designed for beginners with some experience in Unity or C#.
Randy·1yI made this game in 30 days
The post describes the author’s experience of developing a game in 30 days, detailing the challenges and progress made. The game involves collecting and selling resources, expanding land, and defending the base at night. It is compared to a mix of Fara and Factoria. The demo is currently playable online, and the author plans to sell the game in early access to fund further development.
Wawa Sensei·44wHow to Create a Minimap in Three.js with React Three Fiber (Drei View)
Learn to create an interactive minimap for 3D web games using React Three Fiber's View component. The tutorial covers setting up multiple camera views within a single canvas, implementing global state management with Valtio to sync character position between main scene and minimap, and adding visual elements like character indicators and zoom controls. The minimap displays a top-down view that follows the player character with optional rotation alignment.
