How do I develop this game?

[malik]

Hello Hackers,

I have a game idea, I will like to develop it as soon as possible.

Though, it isn’t an action game. But let’s say it is a game that involves deep thinking or else the opponent will win. I guess it is a good idea, because some people nowadays wants to improve their thinking capacity, the game will really help.

Today, I was surfing the net so I came across a game that is similar to what I am trying to build, it is papergame’s tic tac toe. I played it and enjoyed it!

The game involves two players, if others aren’t available there will be a robot to play with.

Without further ado, I want to build something related to that. So my questions are:

• Should I start with web version/mobile version or do both? It will require internet connections; since it is involves duo players.
• If web/app what’s the programming language to use? I want amazing features like invite friends, high scores etc just like papergames’s.
• If I should start with web, won’t people copy the idea and try to be faster than me?

I will be waiting to get response to my questions.

Thanks in advance!

[austin]

Hey Malik! Glad to see you’re hacking away.

Should I start with web version/mobile version or do both? It will require internet connections; since it is involves duo players.

First things first, start simple. Don’t worry about mobile right now – you can make a web-based version and make it mobile-friendly later on.

If web/app what’s the programming language to use?

Javascript, absolutely. It’s the language of the web. There are other languages you could use, but you have to know the underlying Javascript those languages are translated into anyway, so it’s not worth it to worry about those right now. MDN is your best friend when it comes to learning the ins and outs of JS.

I’m assuming you can make this as a frontend-only app – in other words, you can make this a simple HTML/CSS/JS page, with no backend. If you do wind up needing a backend, I can recommend JS/Node.js, and Ruby/Rails.

If I should start with web, won’t people copy the idea and try to be faster than me?

This is a concern with any project you make, but two things to keep in mind are:

1. It’s up to you when you release it. I’d recommend sooner, rather than later, because it’s better to get feedback early on and find out what works and what doesn’t, rather than spending a year or two making something in the dark. Besides that,

2. It ultimately doesn’t matter if someone copies your idea. Think about Google – they were competing with a bunch of other search engines, and at any point, someone could’ve come along and eaten their lunch. Facebook was competing with Myspace, the 800-pound gorilla of social networks at the time. Still, they succeeded. Why? I think it’s because they had unique talents and ideas that made their approach different than imitators. Even if someone copies your code and decides to make a “clone” of the project, the two projects will diverge pretty quickly.

tl;dr don’t worry about imitators or copycats. Better to spend your time hacking, because in the end, the end results will be different even if they’re built on the same idea.

I want amazing features like invite friends, high scores etc just like papergames’s.

Again, start simple. Make a tic-tac-toe game that two people can play on the same computer, side-by-side. Then, add multiplayer over the internet. Then, add high scores, friend lists, etc…you want to walk before you can run. If you don’t, it’s easy to get discouraged and say “I can’t do this” – I’ve done it myself, trying to make games when I first started learning to code, and it turned me off of programming for a few years.

To give a more visual representation:

(Source: https://medium.com/@awilkinson/skateboard-bike-car-6bec841ed96e)

Best of luck! Post in the community forum with updates! I’m curious to see your progress.

[malik]

Thanks for this awesome reply Austin!

Sure thing, I will be posting my updates here!

I’m through with HTML and CSS already, I guess with this task I will get hands in JavaScript!

Thanks once again!

[gistsystem]

Hi @malik , go for it and @austin answered your questions / concerns brilliantly. It is your unique vision for your game and overall users experience that will win even if someone decides to copy the concept or code. They can’t copy what you bring as YOU. Keep us all posted with progress. All the best

[malik]

Many thanks!

I’m so grateful.