A well-documented HTML5 Library for use in the contest

A well-documented HTML5 Library for use in the contest

Timaster's picture

Hello, everyone!

I've been following the pixel cup competition with some excitement, and I have noticed that there is a shortage of free libraries for HTML5 game development, particularly those that have good documentation. As I happened to have an HTML5 game I am working on (separately), I decided to document the engine I wrote for it, and release it for use in this contest by anybody who has their eyes on the $1500 HTML5 game bonus. I may or may not participate myself, but I would like my library to be available, because I do not think that the better part of designing a game should go into the engine. Those with less experience in Javascript, less time on their hands, or who are simply excited to start writing a game may find my engine to be a good starting point for their game concept.

One very important thing to mention is that my engine is optimized for Chrome, and therefore, for compliance with the contest's rule that games must run on software that is free-as-in-freedom from the ground up, your game should be tested in Chromium (for those who do not know, Chromium is the open source counterpart to Chrome. For the purposes of HTML5 game development, they should be identical) before you release it for judging.

In the coming couple of days, I will post a sample game that uses all of the aspects of the library here, to make learning the library easier. In addition, I will continue to update the documentation of the library, and may post updates to the library itself as well. In the meantime, I have provided a link to the library as it is right now for anybody who wants to look at it, and see if it suits their needs. If you are at all interested in a library like this, or if you have any comment at all to make about this, please either post something here or email me at timaster@gmail.com. I am interested in finding somebody to use my library who may not be as seasoned a programmer as some others in the contest, so if this looks too complicated for you, YOU are who I want to help! Please don't be shy! Even questions about HTML5 or Javascript development in general are welcome.

I am assuming that anyone who is using a Unix-based operating system is already fairly comfortable with their development environment and programming in general, and so to make life easier for Windows users, the source is in a .zip, the README has a .txt extension, and I will take this opportunity to recommend Notepad++ as the software to use to write your game in if you plan to work in Windows.

Here is a link to download the library: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~timaster/GameState/GameState.zip

Here is a link to a sample game made with my library: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~timaster/GameState/GameState_sample.zip

 

PS: To anyone wondering whether or not this library is posted too late to use in the contest - it is not. I have confirmed with an admin (Botanic) that using this library is ok, even though I've posted it after the 1st of July.