
Ask HN: What game(s) are you working on? - jessehorne
I&#x27;ve very recently started writing a HTML5 game inspired by Teeworlds.
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;a&#x2F;0iyFmBm<p>I&#x27;m curious to hear what you guys are working on.
======
seventhtiger
I'm making a persistent browser game in the vein of web rpgs.

I'm still in game design/database design which in this game are very closely
linked. My goal is to be able to play the full game by invoking SQL scripts,
which I'll turn into apis, and then start the web UI.

As far as theme it's spy fiction with the usual scifi/occult features. You
manage a spy agency on the world map and have agents and resources of various
types. You use the agents and resources to develop investigations and collect
evidence. All the players' agencies are in competition for limited resources
and limited rewards for solving cases.

The investigations are strictly speaking puzzles. Any investigation for which
you already know the solution can be done trivially.

My goal is to create a sort of information race metagame which makes the
players practice real information security and spying. The perfect result
would encourage information sharing within a small trusted group of players
(big enough to tackle complex investigations) but discourage information
sharing in public (if you leak all your investigation solutions to gamefaqs
then every single player can now progress to your level and compete with you
for the next level).

It's a cute idea but I don't know how much players will like it. It already
exists on some level in EVE and I'm not sure opsec is that fun.

~~~
jessehorne
I find the idea very interesting and I'm excited to see where it goes.

------
encypruon
Nice to see someone doing something Teeworlds-related. It's become difficult
to find a vanilla server with ok players on it since the DoS-attacks on 0.6
and the release of 0.7. If you've been playing CTF in the past few years there
is a good chance you've met me playing as "nameless tee".

I've started to make a Tron clone where the playing field is a polyhedron
instead of a plane[1] but as usual with my projects it's been lying around
unfinished in a corner for quite a while now.

There is also a puzzle game about creating clones that repeat player movements
starting with their first[2]. It was created for a game jam together with one
other person and has also not been touched since then, although we agreed that
it might be worth polishing.

[1] [https://imgur.com/a/lYJ3F4t](https://imgur.com/a/lYJ3F4t)

[2]
[https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzIzNTUxMzIuZ2lm/347x500/9j4LcL.gi...](https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzIzNTUxMzIuZ2lm/347x500/9j4LcL.gif)

~~~
jessehorne
I haven't played in a long time, but I always played as "JesseH". I never got
into CTF that much but enjoyed FNG and block of course. :D I tried to find a
server with decent ping recently but it seems like no one is playing on them.
It seems the active community is dwindling.

Your game is looking extremely interesting!

------
sideshowb
A spy themed social deduction game for 6+ players and one smartphone

explainer video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxaSwbv7y4k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxaSwbv7y4k)

link:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.org.tropic....](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.org.tropic.espionage)

~~~
kalado
Man, I love party games. I'll try it out next opportunity.

~~~
sideshowb
I forgot to say, I blogged about notation for social deduction games here
[https://omnisplore.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/spy-
thriller/](https://omnisplore.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/spy-thriller/)

and I'm open to collaborating to take spy thriller further.

------
Darmody
As usual I have several projects started, none of them finished and probably
most of them will remain that way.

One is a browser game make with node.js (there's no code yet so this could
change) and websockets. It's about space exploration with a lot of RPG
features like killing for loot, skills, professions, huuuuuuuuugue
marketplace. Of course it's a real time multiplayer game. Trading with other
players is a MUST. Every player has a limited number of professions (from
simple ones like agriculture and mining to nuclear weapons manufacturing or
software programming) and most of them need things that only others can
provice, hence the need of trading.

Imagine an Eve Online without the 3D, where you only manage stuff and the
stuff you do works even when you're offline.

The second game is a mixture of a rogulike, Skyrim with graphics like
Graveyard Keeper. I won't lie. This is a tough game to code. I have the music
covered but not the graphics but I'm not worried about that as the game would
run with a basic tileset until late development. The problem is making it
work. I don't have any kind of experience in this kind of game so I don't
know. Maybe I'll use an existing engine (thinking in Godot), maybe I'll make
my own or maybe I won't do anything at all. There would be no ROI in a very
long time and would make unable to spend my time on more profitable things.
We'll see.

~~~
jessehorne
I'd love to contribute to the first one you mentioned! How could I do that?

~~~
Darmody
Sorry, it's a personal project and I have no plans to release anything. But
you're very welcome to start your own game and take all my potential players.

~~~
jessehorne
Will do!

~~~
Darmody
Don't forget to tell us. You've got a player right here.

~~~
jessehorne
How do you imagine player movement and such to work?

~~~
Darmody
There's no "player movement" as you only manage things. That's what I meant
with "Imagine an Eve Online without the 3D, where you only manage stuff and
the stuff you do works even when you're offline."

Just imagine you're sitting at your desk and set up a space exploration
company. There you have a nice interface from where you manage your ships,
your workers and everything.

------
trykondev
Last year I released Omnicube, a really hard block-sliding puzzle game set on
a talking cube in space. I initially released it for Windows & Mac, and now
I'm working on redesigning the UI to make it more appropriate for mobile
devices.

The game mechanics are very well-suited for mobile devices (click & drag to
move blocks), but the puzzle grids are 14x14 and with the surrounding UI in
its current form, the screen is a bit too busy and it makes it difficult to
click on the block you want to click on using touch controls on smaller
screens like a phone. So I'm trying to create a simplified UI in preparation
for releasing the game on mobile.

The game is currently available for PC & Mac on Steam[1], itch.io[2], and the
Windows Store[3]. I'm sure there are some puzzle aficionados here on HN, and I
would be delighted if you'd check it out!

[1]
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/800860/Omnicube](https://store.steampowered.com/app/800860/Omnicube)

[2] [https://trykon.itch.io/omnicube](https://trykon.itch.io/omnicube)

[3] [https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/store/p/omnicube/9njcwkrx4mm...](https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/store/p/omnicube/9njcwkrx4mmh)

------
msigwart
I'm working on a social drawing game called ScribbleX
([https://www.scribblex.com](https://www.scribblex.com)). It's available for
free on iOS and Android.

The concept is pretty simple: Take a piece of paper and divide it into three
parts. Now, Player 1 draws a face on the first part of the paper, folds it
over and passes it to Player 2. Player 2 then draws the body, folds it again
and passes it to Player 3. Player 3 draws the legs or feet on the third part
of the paper.

In the end, you unfold the paper and a funny creature reveals itself! Now
imagine this, just on your smartphone – the possibilities are endless ;)

------
krapp
I'm not working on a specific game, and will probably never finish anything
worth releasing, but I am working through Godot and Unity tutorials on Udemy
and the roguelike tutorial[0] I found on /r/roguelikedev. Mostly to relearn
Python.

Currently I'm working on tileset loading (and eventually autotiling) with C
and SDL2 and hopefully will have random dungeon generation ported over from
the python version eventually.

[0][http://rogueliketutorials.com/tutorials/tcod/part-0/](http://rogueliketutorials.com/tutorials/tcod/part-0/)

------
thedevindevops
Ironically a sci-fi-style programming/hacker game, nothing fancy, dwarf
fortress style graphics. Programming challenges to bring online damaged ship
systems and optimise their performance. Dev has stalled a bit recently as
initially it was going to be a desktop app but now I'm leaning towards
converting it to online.

------
jmiskovic
I've recently played The Witness (highly recommended) and now I'm trying to
capture that feeling of seemingly chaotic things lining up perfectly, inside
an Android app.

It's hard to demonstrate without having it in hands, but here's some
screenshots: [https://imgur.com/a/BNbv613](https://imgur.com/a/BNbv613)

~~~
marapuru
Are you using the motion sensors to let the player 'move' the perspective to
align the items in such a way that they line up perfectly in the end?

If that is the case, awesome. Great game idea! If it's not the case, maybe
it's worth looking into. And also I'd like to know how you do let the player
play this game.

~~~
jmiskovic
Yes, I'm using the motion sensors which gives really nice sense of depth. I'll
post the Google Play link to this thread once I have first version up.

------
aww_dang
[https://playerkillers.exchange](https://playerkillers.exchange)

Browser based action RPG with optional cryptocurrency rewards. Kill 3 players
or 33 NPCs to cashout in NANO. Bid back your NANO to resume your saved game.
Authentication happens via your wallet address.

~~~
muzani
would be funny if it used XP

------
cableshaft
My focus at the moment is renovating Proximity 2 (which I released on Xbox 360
and iPhone almost a decade ago) and cleaning up a bunch of stuff in it,
including the code. I've been trying to make a sequel for awhile, being
distracted by life and what tech to use, whether it should be 3D, what
features it should have, etc, and the fact I'd have to start from scratch (I
thought) since I had done it in XNA (and old native iOS) originally, but then
stumbled upon Monogame and got the XNA game running again in less than 24
hours, so I'm going to get it back out there in the world.

It's a lot harder to find the time while juggling work and family
responsibilities and a new serious hobby of board game design (I have one game
signed by a publisher and have gotten interest in several other designs of
mine), though, but I've made good progress.

Adding 1080p support, adding localization support, adding support for more
players, adding more modes and maps, adding a single player mode, adding
achievements, cleaning up the UI, and hopefully sneak in a few other things.
Maybe online multiplayer, but not sure if I can support that yet (maybe a
later version of it will have it).

This year has just been too crazy to hope to get it finished, but I'm hoping
to get it released on at least one platform (probably PC to start) by the end
of the year next year, then as many more platforms as I can after that.

Here's a video of the Xbox game if you're curious:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqe0hS7AvOE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqe0hS7AvOE)

------
prometheus76
I'm working on a 2D maze game where you have to fly a ship that has asteroids-
style motion and controls through a maze without hitting a wall. Hit a wall,
you start maze over. As levels progress, inertia increases, walls narrow.
Later levels include a maze that rotates in various ways as you are flying
through it.

Most of the programs I've written up to this point have been quite small, so
this is my first large, ambitious project. I'm having a good time so far.

------
chatwinra
As per some of the other commentators not too sure what's the hook for the
game you're working on?

I'm developing a Real time strategy game inspired by the immune system and the
science behind that.

It's called H.O.P.E Nanocell squad and is inspired by saturday morning
cartoons, and RTS games like Tooth & Tail and Dawn of War 2.

[https://www.indiedb.com/games/hope1](https://www.indiedb.com/games/hope1)

~~~
jessehorne
I'm learning to do things I've never done in a game before and the GIF I
linked to shows a test I ran. If you're curious about what I'm actually going
for, there are videos of Teeworlds gameplay on youtube! Check it out.

------
muzani
Not exactly a game but I'm working on a random character generator that
procedurally generates content from tropes.

[http://random-character-generator.com](http://random-character-generator.com)

Though not originally planned to be a game, it could well be one. The engine
can basically do anything that a d100 table would do _and_ make sure the
results doesn't conflict. Not just characters but teams, dungeons, building
designs, town districts, plots and plot hooks, and so on.

One day, I'd love to be able to generate a full plot - hero, villain, intro
scene, the call to adventure, training montage, conflict, initial defeat,
climactic last battle against all odds, victory and rewards. What I'd like to
do is have the users fill in a few blanks like monster type, conflict type
(e.g. war, comedy, romantic) and then have the algorithm search for a story
that meets those conditions, as well as the dramatic inflection points.

The bottleneck now is the speed of adding content. I'm currently retiring the
current prototype to build it properly, and allow others to make their
customized story content.

------
kalado
I don't really get your game. Is the block floating away and you need to keep
it in the screen by shooting the hook? If yes, what decides when your hook
gets loose?

I am developing my first ever game! I think the mobile gaming market is
missing actual games that try something new and that are not built around
milking money and putting some standard game mechanics around it.

My game is called Neon Sling: This video shows a much older built than I have
right now but shows the core gameplay:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGhmjATLaSk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGhmjATLaSk)

You can also play a more recent build from the play store:

[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.OlafEsSaad...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.OlafEsSaadi.NeonSling)

I think it is a lot of fun, although there is not much progression at the
moment.

This is what I am gonna add till release: A "tutorial", I want to unlock new
mechanics with every level and explain them first. Right now you start with
every mechanic available and it is confusing for new player who don't even
know what to do at all.

Second I want to add different ball/background skins that change the gameplay
up. For example, the time power up would add one more second or each combo
gives 5 points more. You can buy these unlocks with the points that act as
your score. The idea was that you can experiment with different combinations
to find the one which gets you the highest score. Also leaderboards are
missing.

I would love if anyone wants to try it out, give feedback and/or ideas!

~~~
seventhtiger
Love the geometry war aesthetic and snappy gameplay.

------
packetpirate
I'm working on Grave Wave, a top-down zombie shooter with a dark synthwave
aesthetic. I've got most of the core gameplay worked out, but am currently
working on overhauling the game's graphics and migrating towards more of a
level-based, story-based game instead of a wave-based shooter. The latest
build can be found here:

[https://packetpirate.itch.io/gravewave](https://packetpirate.itch.io/gravewave)

Eventually I'm planning to get it onto Steam, but there's a lot more work to
be done.

The songs are just placeholders during early development. I'm planning to
overhaul those after the graphics.

More up-to-date gameplay can be seen on my Twitter:

[https://www.twitter.com/packetpirate](https://www.twitter.com/packetpirate)

------
b3b0p
Hopefully I'll start something soon. I got [0] "Making Games for the NES" in
the mail over the weekend.

[0]
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1075952727](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1075952727)

------
gargarplex
Cryptosnipe, a skill-based sweepstakes bot. Currently for Keybase; outcomes
are decided by skillful deployment of powerups in conjunction with Keybase's
provably fair randomness feature:

[https://blog.codefor.cash/2019/08/09/announcing-v0-2-of-
crou...](https://blog.codefor.cash/2019/08/09/announcing-v0-2-of-croupier-the-
keybase-sweepstakes-bot/)

The most exciting thing is that while people have built bots to play the game,
the game is still actively playable through its human UX.

Roadmap:
[https://github.com/codeforcash/croupier/issues](https://github.com/codeforcash/croupier/issues)

------
flignats
I actively develop an online cryptocurrency treasure hunt game: REQLoot.

It's a very simple game mechanic with some complex supporting features. There
is a game play area of ~500k pixels with hidden tokens behind some of them.
Users earn 'stamina' throughout the day in attempt to find the larger prizes.

It's been getting nice traction with ~100 daily active users and growing.

[https://reqloot.com/#/hunt](https://reqloot.com/#/hunt)

------
ponyous
I'm working on a VR game that let's you feel like you have telekinetic powers.
You can manipulate the objects in distance. You have to activate as many
objects as possible in scene to progress.

------
Jemaclus
I'm building a MUD in Go from scratch. It's similar to the Merc/Diku muds from
way back when, and I'm supporting area files from those distributions so I can
just load in existing areas. This is really just for fun. I'll probably never
actually put it out there.

I'm also building a Tradewars 2002 clone, trying to get everything as close as
I possibly can to the original. Again, probably won't get it to deployment,
but it's a fun thing to work on when I'm on a plane or don't have much else to
do.

------
AwesomeFaic
I designed, prototyped, and tested a co-op tabletop game where players take
part in a bar crawl on a randomly generated main street. There are player
abilities, random events, and no two games are the same in terms of layout,
bartenders, bouncers, etc. The goal is for everyone to drink from each bar and
make it back before sunrise. Currently 3D printing the last version of the
prototype and sending out copies to interested playtesters who I previously
connected with.

I'm also actively developing a social web game where players work together to
build a story by submitting words and voting in a common word bank. One of my
servers is down right now so I don't have a playable link, but the game (and
domain) is Rauk.us and is connected to an associated Twitter account that
shares completed "stories" (@Rauk_us). I'm aiming to have the game back up
next week. Developed in Node.js with Socket.io for real-time gameplay.

I've also designed & developed multiple commercial releases in the digital
space (i.e. Steam + Itch.io), but since those are past projects I'll leave
them out.

