Snow Ball

"Guide a 3D snowball on a zigzag ice path in a thrilling hyper-casual game, dodging falls and collecting snowflakes to test your reflexes and skills!"

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Inspiration

We wanted to create a hyper-casual game that’s easy to learn yet challenging to master, offering quick, engaging gameplay sessions. Snowball is inspired by the beauty of snow-clad mountains and the excitement of zigzag motion-based challenges. The idea of creating an interactive game that blends fun mechanics with the aesthetics of winter landscapes drove us to develop this project.

What it does

Snowball challenges the player to control a 3D snowball rolling down a zigzag ice path. By tapping the screen, the player changes the ball's direction to keep it on the platform and avoid falling. Along the way, the player collects snowflakes to increase their score. If the ball falls off the platform, a results screen displays the distance covered, current score, and highest score achieved.

How we built it

We used Unity for the game's development and relied on Amazon Q Developer Service to enhance and optimize our Unity code. This time, we used JetBrains Rider IDE, which integrated seamlessly with Amazon Q Developer Service, providing an efficient and user-friendly experience. The Q Developer Service's chat feature was instrumental in creating the movement mechanics, collision handling, and scoring system. It also helped us debug and improve our understanding of key logic implementations.

For deployment, we utilized Amazon Amplify, which allowed us to host and deliver the game seamlessly.
The game’s visual design is centered around a static background image of a snow mountain, giving players the feeling of height and thrill as they navigate the snowball along a precarious ice path.

Challenges we ran into

  • Designing the zigzag path required precise tuning to ensure a balance between challenge and playability.
  • Creating the static background perspective to give the illusion of height while keeping the gameplay smooth and immersive was tricky.
  • Ensuring smooth gameplay and precise controls while maintaining the visual appeal of the environment.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully implemented the intuitive tap-to-change-direction mechanic, making the game accessible to players of all ages.
  • Developed a visually appealing design that captures the essence of a snowy mountain while maintaining smooth gameplay.
  • Optimized the game mechanics using Amazon Q Developer Service integrated with JetBrains Rider IDE, which significantly improved our development process.
  • Launched a fully functional, hyper-casual game within a limited timeframe, thanks to the seamless deployment with Amazon Amplify.

What we learned

  • Leveraging Amazon Q Developer Service with JetBrains Rider IDE provided a streamlined and efficient way to write, optimize, and debug code for Unity projects.
  • Hosting games on Amazon Amplify is efficient and straightforward, providing an ideal platform for web-based game deployment.
  • The importance of balancing aesthetics with gameplay to deliver an enjoyable user experience.

What's next for Snowball

  • Implementing a leaderboard system to allow players to compete for the highest scores.
  • Adding power-ups like speed boosts, shields, or bonus multipliers for collecting snowflakes.
  • Expanding the game with different themes and additional paths, such as desert or forest environments.
  • Enhancing the static background to incorporate subtle animations for added immersion.

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