NeedForOrder

The HTML5 version of NeedForOrder is now free to play on itch.io, or you can download the Android version on the Google Play Store.

Second attempt at game development using the Godot engine with C#. Another abstract/clean/simple 2D-game without great expectations. Another much needed learnirng project, building on the (little) knowledge acquired in the making of StickyBlocks (give it a try: StickyBlocks in itch.io).

Game objective

Reorganize some chaotically placed geometric objects at will following your inner NeedForOrder. You can choose to reorganize randomally placed lines, squares, dots and disks. There is no specific goal: create your pattern/order, lower the entropy. You can also choose to use a background (faded) pattern to inspire and facilitate your need for order.

      

       

My goals:

• Build and complete another little abstract game (completely on my own)
• Learning new Godot specific stuff, for example: better use of collision layer, multi-resolution support, touchscreen inputs support, Android export, place annoying ads in game...
• Learning new C# stuff, I will try to use more C# specific features even if not necessary or more complex: interfaces, delegates, events(when to use events instead of Godot's signals?), "when to use inheritance?", namespaces, setters...
• Try to write more SOLID code, more reusable, more generic (...not high hopes about these...)
• Try a different (from StickyBlocks) game structure planned in UML: using more state machine pattern, some globals (when makes sense), some specific managers classes (inputs manager, UI manager, main manager,...)
• Put more faith in Godot and less in my maths skills (I studied theoretical physics): before going into the rabbit hole of mathematics, try to solve problems using Godot's features!
• Create a base game mechanics (select/drag/drop/rotate/scale) to be reused in the future in different games (for example in a abstract or also not abstract puzzle game).

Progress updates

23/02/2022

• Created and setup the Godot project: 2d/expand/portrait mode
• Created and connected the repository to VSCoce
• Planned the base structure of different classes/nodes in UML
• Created folders and files structure for the base objects
• Created the Main node structure it will contain: list of objects, UI stuff, some manager nodes
• Created some base interfaces for different kind of geometrical object: ISelectable, IMovable, IRotatable, IScalable.
• Created BaseObject node: a KinematicBody2D with a to-be-defined CollisionShape2D
• Started to implemented BaseObject class
• Started to implemented Main: game machine logic and selection input handler
• Created a Globals namespace: GAMESTATE and OBJECTSTATE enums, SCREENINFO struct, RandomManager struct

26/02/2022

• Created LevelBarriers node and class: limits the game area, responsive to Viewport.size_changed signal
• All inputs are handled in Main in a main _UnhandleInput function that first handles in a generic way the selection/unselection of object and then calls InputControlFlow function of the selected object
• Added a Area2D called MouseArea: a small CollisionShape2D under the mouse cursor, follows the mouse position
• Create RotatableObject node: inherited scene of BaseObject with a second KinematicBody2D to be pressed to control the rotation → calls GetOverlappingBodies() in the selection/unselection input-handler function and returns the object on top
• Created RotatableObject as child of BaseObject and as IRotatable: implemented the InputControlFlow function to handle motion/rotation → basically I recreated the selection/unselection/move/rotate functionalities of Godot's editor (or any 2d design software) but with the challenging interactions beetwen objects's motion/rotation and LevelBarriers constraints
• Implemented a _overlapple variable for the objects (modifies with code the collision layer/mask)
• Created nodes and implemented classes of: SquareObject, DotObject, DiskObject

02/03/2022

• Refactored scenes folders, files name...
• Created and implemented GameUI, ScrollGameUI scene as main UI elements, added GameUI as child node of Main scene in a CavasLayer
• Created and implemented ScrollObjectType (as child of ScrollGameUI) and ScrollIconGameUI: change type of object, press and drag left/right the icons of the scrollbar (I did not use ScrollContainer or similar), use tween to change Modulate and scale of selected/unselected icons, emit ChangedObjectType signal to Main
• GameUI input are handled by _input_event signal of the Area2D specific to a ScrollGameUI
• Added PlayableSize in Globals.ScreenInfo struct: GameUI limits the playable size (from GetViewport().VisibleSize to PlayableSize)
• Created LineObject scene: child of RotatableObject with a Line2D, LineObject is defined by the angular coefficient _m ($m$), x-axis intersection _x0 ($x_0$) and y-axis intersection _b ($b$)
• Implemented LineObject random initialization and selection area collsion: choose random _m, _x0 and _b, calculate the two intesection points of this line with Globals.PlayableSize and set this points as Line2D.Points, store the center point of the line and update the SelectionAreaShape shape
• LineObject has a specific CollisionLayer → it did NOT interact directly with CollisionLayer of LevelBarriers; the center point of the line is contrainted to be in the PlayableSize
• LineObject motion: mouse movement is related to movement in the $(x_0, b)$ parameter-space, the main KinematicBody2D does not move, movement is in the $(x_0, b)$ parameter-space and update line points (intersection points with playable area) every frame (a mouse movement along the x-axis changes _x0, along the y-axis changes _b)

06/03/2022

• Implemented LineObject rotation: similar to motion, rotation takes place on the _m parameter; before the rotation setup the rotation center: it is the current line center (respect the intersection points) → so set $(x_0,b)$ equals to the center point (does not change the line and put the center rotation in the correct position)
• Implemented rotation snapping in RotatableObject (to default snaps every 45° with a delta-angle threshold 3°): smooth rotation unless $|TargetAngle - MultipleOfSnappingAngle| < DeltaAngleThreshold$
• Refactored some code/inheritance structure in/of RotationObject, LineObject, BaseObject: create some general function (like InputRotationPressed, InputMovementMotion...) to be called in the HandleInputMotion and HandleInputRotation function → reduced copy and paste code and makes motion/rotation more general
• Created ScrollNumber and ScrollNumberIconGameUI and connected to Main: scroll UI that can change number of objects spawned
• Adeed ScrollNumber to the main UI node GameUI

13/03/2022

• Added RandomizeButton to GameUI and connected to Main: re-randomize objects property, not number of objects spawned
• Implemented RandomnizeObjects in Main and RandomizeObject in BaseObject, calls overriden InitRandomObject and if necessary updates the others object members nedeed to redraw the object (like intersection points in LineObject)
• Created SaveHandler namespace and SaveObjectsHandler as static class, contains: SaveObjects and LoadObjects → I followed Godot 3.4 docs, every time save function it's called it creates new dict (specific to current objects) for every objects and saves it in a JSON file; on load reads that specific file
• On ObjectTypeChanged and NumberChanged signals emitted by ScrollGameUI, Main saves current objects-configuration and loads objects from a file if it exits else calls SpawnRandomObjects; calling the save function a file with name ${ObjectType}{NumberOfObjects}.save is created
• BaseObject, RotatableObject and every specific object has CreateDict and LoadData functions
• Added a Utilities static class in Globals namespace, contains: ObjectTypeToString and GetObjectScenePath functions
• Created ScrollBackgroundIconGameUI and ScrollBackground: scroll icons to change background; contain a texture used as a tile (stretch mode Tile) to fill the background with a specific pattern

20/03/2022

• Created save system for background, saves in ${ObjectType}{NumberOfObjects}Background.save the last background-pattern used and when number/type is changed the corrisponding icon in ScrollBackground it's seleceted; background saving separated to objects saving;
• Added some "wait-till-tween-completed" logic for GameUI scroll-icon input-events
• Now LineObject updates parameters on changes of the visibleRect area size
• Now movable object updates to a valid position on changes of the visibleRect area size
• Setup some Android export stuff: Android export template, Android build template, AndroidStudio for testing and USB testing/debugging
• Setup some stuff to try to intoduce some studid and annoying ads on Android: NativeLib addons, Applovin account/test_device/Ad_unit/banner
• Create AdsHandler (it's easier to use applovin_max autoloaded stuff in GDScript): loadBanner and signal _on_shown_banner and _on_load_banner
• Connected AdsHandler to main: show banner ads only when re-randomize objects (call GDscript from C# with Call function)
• Now selection/unselection/movement support touch input (not in a optimal/generic way but it works): emulate mouse from touch input it's on and add some IsPressed checking
• Create new collisions detection for selection/unselection method ReturnTopObjectMobile for touch input: desktop version uses the MouseArea.GetOverlappingBodies function and upload mouse position every physic frame → not possible for touch input (update MouseArea position only on touch); zero lenght raycast works strange with non-rectangular collision shape; Mobile version uses directly Physics2DDirectSpaceState.IntersectPoint(GetGlobalMousePosition(),...) → MouseArea not needed
• In Main added ReturnTopObject delegate and _returnTopObject private member of type ReturnTopObject: on ready sets _returnTopObject to ReturnTopObjectMobile or ReturnTopObjectDesktop depending on OS.HasTouchscreenUiHint() value
• Change some scale factor/size of collsion shape of objects: they were too small for touch input (at least using my fingers...on my terrible phone...)
• Begun to think graphics/theme/colors stuff: blocknotes theme/doodle theme
• Add touch support for rotation input (NOT ELEGANT solution but it works, added a strange branch in Main input handler function only for rotatable object): mouse_entered and mouse_exited does not work with touch → only for IRotatable objects in Main first check with Physics2DDirectSpaceState.IntersectPoint(GetGlobalMousePosition(),...) if you are clicking on a RotationArea, if true then set _rotatable member of selected object to true
• Added some utility functions (ObjectInterfaces struct) and exported variable (for ScrollGameUI elements)

27/03/2022

• Add color on/off button: ColorButton object
• Connected color change to save system: save color option in background-save file
• ScrollBackground now automatically updates to correct icon when type or number of objects is changed
• Created basic tile for the background patterns and added a offset variable to center the different patterns relative to each others
• Created ColorObject function in BaseObject and refactored in a more object-oriented way InitRandomObject/RandomizeObject; and a corrisponding ColorObjects in Main
• Added in Globals a static class for the main object colors: Globals.Colors
• Add some basic/terrible graphics (created using Krita): icon of tile for background patterns, background patterns tile, randomize button, color button, vertical line, setting icon, objects textures, settings panel and GameUI panel (post-it), RotationArea icon
• Copy and past this shader from a GDQuest's tutorial: color on/off of color button, if off set to a gray-scale-ish
• Some fixes and refactoring of: problem with line collision shape size and input event of GameUI; problem with tween completed/started of GameUI and gamestate flow (added GAMESTATE.PAUSED); save system creates "a lot" of godot's dictionaries "problem" with GC; RotationArea is always the top shape when object selected; RotationArea spawn position; ads frequency; double touch moving from GameUI to PlayableSize area; problem with LineObject rotation
• SettingsPanel: allow to change default/base color and display version number; post-it theme; connected with Main
• Small refactoring of RotationArea collision detection with LevelBarriers

03/04/2022

• Setup draft project itch.io)
• Created app icon for mobile
• Created some gif/screenshots for itch.io page
• Fixed some inputs problems

11/04/2022

• Reduced android export size: compiled godot mono version, created custom android export with all modules disabled (expect webp module), use_lto on, no debug symbols, commented out some ClassDB in register source file, use basic/default R8/ProGuard stuff in build.gradle file -> arm64_v8a + armebi_v7a (release_debug and release) from ~38MB to ~26,1MB export size (mono is 6.1 MB) (still something is unclear to me)
• Created Google Play Console account
• Created and setup app in Google Play Console (internal testing phase)
• Created some gif/screenshots for itch.io page
• Fixed some inputs problems
• Fixed some bugs: background save file, line movement, refactored out of bounds for itch.io HTML5-export problem -> _Notification

17/04/2022

• Created varius icon/cover image: itch.io cover image, google play cover image, google play main image, android app icon
• Fixed some small ads id unit problem
• Publish on itch.io (HTML5 version) and Google Play Store (Android version)