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Jump for your life

Developer - 1 Week - Team Work

Game Design

Product design

Front-end

Back-end

Summary

Jump for Your Life is a dynamic and addictive arcade game created as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) during a one-week project sprint. Developed using vanilla JavaScript, the game challenges players to jump across platforms, avoid hazards, and rack up points while aiming for the highest score.

The Challenge

The challenge was to create a fully functional minigame using only JavaScript within one week. The project required us to handle:

Game mechanics for movement and interaction.
A responsive and engaging user interface.
Logic for tracking and storing player scores.

The Solution

We developed Jump for Your Life, a browser-based arcade game featuring:

Dynamic platforms that increase in difficulty.
Simple and intuitive controls for an enjoyable user experience.
High-score tracking using local storage.

Key Takeaways

Building Jump for Your Life in one week was a rewarding challenge that demonstrated:

The importance of planning and teamwork in a high-pressure environment.
How simplicity in mechanics can lead to a fun and engaging game.
The power of JavaScript for game development, even without external libraries or frameworks.

This project was an excellent exercise in rapid prototyping, collaboration, and delivering a functional product under tight constraints.

Credits: Developed by Diego Silva and Elena Frontiñán.

See Project

The Approach

To ensure we delivered a polished MVP within the timeframe, we took the following steps:

Game Mechanics Design:
- Collaboratively brainstormed core gameplay mechanics, such as jumping, platform interactions, and scoring.
- Designed dynamic platforms, categorized into stable and weak types, to enhance challenge and strategy.
Data Flow and Logic:
- Outlined the game flow and logic using a flowchart, mapping out the interactions between the character, platforms, and scoring system.
Development Workflow:
- Split the work into two main areas: character movement and collision detection, and platform generation and game state management.
- Worked in tandem, assigning specific features to each team member while maintaining constant communication to ensure seamless integration.
Testing and Iteration:
- Conducted playtesting throughout development to fine-tune the difficulty curve and ensure the game was both challenging and enjoyable.
- Iterated on collision detection and platform behavior to create a smooth gameplay experience.

The Result

Jump for Your Life successfully met the MVP goals and exceeded expectations in some areas, including:

Dynamic Gameplay: Players must strategize to navigate stable and weak platforms while collecting points.
Simple, Responsive Controls: Arrow keys enable fluid character movement, enhancing user engagement.
High-Score Tracking: Players’ highest scores are saved locally, encouraging replayability.
Sound Integration: Audio feedback for key events, such as collisions and game-over, adds immersion.

Technologies Used: The game was built entirely with vanilla JavaScript, showcasing how core programming fundamentals can create engaging digital experiences.

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