I have been dabbling with Javascript and Phaser 3 games framework for a few weeks now. My first big takeaway in returning to programming in 3 decades, is the beauty of Object Oriented Programming (OOP). I do not profess to understand the concept in any depth but even with a few weeks of dabbling in it, I can see its beauty and how it simplifies coding. The second big takeaway is the 'free' availability of such powerful framework such as Phaser 3. Coupled with the power of micro processors sitting in side today's average personal computer, it is clear that simple games of the 70s and 80s can be written literally in a couple of hours (excluding, of course, the time taken to draw the graphics, create the sounds and music).
So what shall I choose as my first programming project? The objective is not to write complete polished games but to re-experience the joys of programming of my youth years. Something that's reasonably easy to get basic results, but can be developed and refined.
And I have found the perfect subject matter - Danmaku. Danmaku in Japanese is 弾幕 which literally translated means bullet curtain. It is a sub-genre of the shoot-em-up game category. In English it is more commonly referred to as Bullet Hell. The wiki entry is here.
At the very basic, it would be really straightforward to code, but involve a lot of basic programming principles. However, one can make it as complex as one's imagination would allow.
Searching the internet and youtube reveals many examples of people coding their own Danmaku patterns but the majority of them are written in C or its derivatives or on game engines such as Unity and Godot.
While some may say that I am 'cheating' by using a framework like Phaser 3, I will (sometimes) dip into the underlying mechanics as well as try to write as compact code as possible.
Please join me in my Javascript/Phaser 3 programming journey to Bullett Hell!
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