A modular Drupal RPG and Trading Game engine - Wk 1 of 4

By techbot |

The goal is to use Drupal to

  • Host a game
  • Create map-grids as content types
  • Add items to map-grids
  • Add NPCs to map-grids
  • Add game attributes to user profile
  • Use Drupal Groups to implement factions
  • Host VueJs pages for the various buildings (form based fields and widgets) that inhabit each map


The game engine will be compatible with turn-based and real time loops. Later PhaserJs will be used for the real time graphics based modules.

Roadmap:

I will use Behaviour Driven Development as much as possible. I have setup Behat and PHPSpec.

  1. Start off with a simple Rock, Paper, Scissors game.
    1. A single player game with php acting as opponent, player move initiates computer move.
    2. So no polling or even ajax required.
    3. One or two variables at most (eg Health and Strength or Wins and Losses).
  2. Add scores and more attributes as Drupal user fields. Stamina, credits etc.
  3. Expand the battle loop: more functions (e.g. buy potion). Introduce Ajax.
  4. Introduce Map-grids (text-based). Each map-grid is simply an array of buildings and empty spaces.
  5. Introduce PhaserJs to depict each map-grid (graphically and in real time). Use Nodejs and polling to travel across the map-grids
  6. Drupal Distribution - I think

An example feature: This is my first feature beyond rock paper scissors.

Feature: Attack Battle
  in order to play game
  As a player
  I need to attack another random NPC player

  Rules :
  - Both players begin with 100 health
  - Both players begin with 10 strength
  - Each round both players roll one dice and add it to the strength to make an attack
  - Player with lower attack loses health points equal to difference in attack
  - First player whose health = 0 loses

  Scenario: Adding dice to strength 
  - Given I roll a dice of 6
  - And my strength is 10
  - When I update
  - Then my attack should be 16