ChickGammon | Devpost

Inspiration

ChickGammon was inspired by classic board games like backgammon and the whimsical idea of guiding a chicken across a treacherous landscape filled with obstacles. We wanted to create a fun, quirky puzzle game that combines elements of chance, strategy, and storytelling to keep players engaged. The advent of AI tools also opens up the ability to generate new levels with interesting challenges that may not have been thought of before.

What it does

ChickGammon challenges players to roll dice and move their chicken forward and backward strategically while avoiding obstacles like traps, predators, and other environmental hazards. Between levels, players encounter splash screens that enhance the storyline, adding humor and depth to the gameplay experience.

How we built it

We developed ChickGammon using AWS for backend infrastructure, providing scalability and reliability for our game data. The game logic and visuals were built using Phaser.js, while AWS services Amplify and Q Developer ensured seamless storage and retrieval of game progress, assets, and player data.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was balancing the randomness of dice rolls with player skill to ensure the game felt fair yet exciting. We also faced technical hurdles with implementing splash screens and syncing storyline progression with gameplay data in real time. Optimizing asset delivery for fast and smooth performance across devices was a key challenge we worked to overcome.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of creating a game that’s not only fun and visually appealing but also technically robust thanks to AWS. The seamless integration of game logic, story progression, and cloud infrastructure showcases the potential of using scalable tech solutions for indie game development. The future potential of the game, perhaps in a daily updated (think Wordle) style format has the team excited. We’ve also discussed the possibility of opening up other axes (Y and Z… others??) to make the game expand in ways the users may not anticipate, further capturing interest and keeping engagement hot.

What we learned

We gained valuable experience in leveraging AWS services for game development, particularly in handling real-time data, asset management, and scalability. Additionally, we learned how to create engaging gameplay mechanics that balance chance and strategy while ensuring players remain immersed in the experience.

What's next for ChickGammon

The future of ChickGammon includes adding multiplayer functionality, introducing new levels and obstacles, and expanding the storyline to keep players entertained. We’re also exploring ways to implement user-generated content, enabling players to design their own puzzles and share them with the community.