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🎮 How to Build Your Own Web Game from Scratch for Free Using AI

Build Cool Web Games Quickly and Easily with These AI Tools - No Coding Experience Required!

Author

Robin Do
May 06, 2024

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web-game-example

Source: Internet

Introduction to Web Game

Want to create a cool web game like 2048 but don't know how to code? No problem! This guide will show you how to build an awesome math puzzle game using just two tools: ChatGPT and Replit. ChatGPT is an AI assistant that will help you come up with ideas and write all the code. Replit is a website where you can host and test your game. By following the steps, even total beginners can go from having zero coding skills to a fully playable game. It's easy, and fun, and you'll learn some basics of web development along the way!

I. Set Up Your Tools to Build Game

Alright, let's get started! To build a cool web game, we need two things:

  1. ChatGPT This is an AI assistant that will help us come up with game ideas and write the code. Think of it as your super smart friend who knows a ton about coding and game development.

  2. Replit Account This is a website where we'll host and test our game. It's like a playground where we can see our game in action and make changes easily.

II. Use ChatGPT to Generate Game Ideas

Now that we have our tools ready, it's time to come up with a game idea! And who better to help us than our AI buddy, ChatGPT?

Brainstorming using ChatGPT

Let's ask ChatGPT for some game ideas similar to 2048, but with a focus on simple math puzzles. We can say something like: 

Hi ChatGPT, I'm interested in creating a simple web-based math puzzle game like 2048, using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The game should involve combining numbers or tiles. Could you help me brainstorm some ideas for this type of game?

ChatGPT will then suggest a bunch of different game concepts for us to choose from.

use-chatgpt-generate-game-ideas

III. Develop Game Mechanics Using ChatGPT

Alright, let's define the mechanics for our "Sum Square" game idea! We'll start with the basic rules and then simplify things for our initial version.

1. Define Basic Rules

We can ask ChatGPT something like: 

Hey ChatGPT, for the 'Sum Square' game, here's how it should work: Players slide numbered tiles on a grid to combine them into larger sums. Each swipe adds a new tile to the board, and the goal is to reach a specific target sum before the board fills up. We also want to introduce special tiles like 'x2' which doubles the sum of the tiles it combines with, and '-1' tiles that decrease the sum. Can you explain how this gameplay would work in more detail?

ChatGPT might then provide an explanation like:

define-basic-rules-for-your-game-using-chatgpt
define-basic-rules-for-your-game-using-chatgpt-2

2. Simplify for Initial Version

While those mechanics sound fun, we should keep our first version simple. We can ask ChatGPT: 

That's great, but for our initial version, let's just focus on the core mechanics of moving tiles and combining numbers without any special tiles. Can you give me a simplified version of the rules for that?

ChatGPT might then provide a more concise explanation, such as:

simplify-initial-version
simplify-initial-version-2

To summarize:

  1. Define Basic Rules by discussing with ChatGPT how tiles should move, combine, and the special tile mechanics for "Sum Square"

  2. Simplify for Initial Version by asking ChatGPT to focus only on the core mechanics of moving tiles and combining numbers without any special tiles

With these simplified game mechanics defined, we're ready to move on to the next step: generating the code for our game with ChatGPT's help!

IV. Generate Game Code

Now that we've nailed down the basic mechanics for our "Sum Square" game, it's time to make it come to life with some code! Let's ask our AI buddy, ChatGPT, to generate the necessary HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files for us.

Request HTML, CSS, and JS Code

We can prompt ChatGPT with something like: 

Can you provide the complete HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code for a simple version of our game? I plan to host this code on Replit. This version should include a 4x4 grid and basic functionality for moving and merging tiles.

ChatGPT will then provide us with three separate code files:

1. HTML (index.html):

The HTML file will contain the structure of our game board, like this: 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>2048 Game</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<div id="game-container">
  <div id="help">?</div>
  <div class="grid">
    <div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div>
    <div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div>
    <div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div>
    <div class="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div><div the="cell"></div><div class="cell"></div>
  </div>
  <div id="message-box"></div>
</div>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

2. CSS (style.css):

The CSS file will handle the styling and visual appearance of our game, such as: 

body {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  height: 100vh;
  background: #faf8ef;
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

#help {
  position: absolute;
  top: 20px;
  right: 20px;
  width: 25px;
  height: 25px;
  background: #bbada0;
  border-radius: 50%;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 20px;
  color: #ffffff;
}

.grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 100px);
  grid-gap: 10px;
  background: #bbada0;
  padding: 10px;
  border-radius: 10px;
  box-shadow: 2px 2px 10px #888888;
  margin-top: 50px;
}

.cell {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  font-size: 30px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #776e65;
  border-radius: 5px;
}

.cell[data-value="2"] { background: #f2b179; }
.cell[data-value="4"] { background: #f59563; }
.cell[data-value="8"] { background: #f67c5f; }
.cell[data-value="16"] { background: #f65e3b; }
.cell[data-value="32"] { background: #edcf72; }
.cell[data-value="64"] { background: #edcc61; }
.cell[data-value="128"] { background: #edc850; }
.cell[data-value="256"] { background: #edc53f; }
.cell[data-value="512"] { background: #edc22e; }
.cell[data-value="1024"] { background: #edc22e; }
.cell[data-value="2048"] { background: #edc22e; }
/* You can continue adding more colors for higher numbers if needed */

#message-box {
  text-align: center;
  color: #ff0000;
  font-size: 24px;
  padding: 20px;
}

3. JavaScript (script.js):

And finally, the JavaScript file will contain the interactive elements and logic of our game, like: 

document.addEventListener('keydown', handleInput);
document.getElementById('help').addEventListener('click', function() {
  alert("Move the tiles with your arrow keys. Combine the same numbers to reach 2048!");
});

const grid = document.querySelector('.grid');
const messageBox = document.getElementById('message-box');
let tiles = Array(16).fill(0);

function createTile() {
  let emptyIndexes = tiles.flatMap((val, index) => val === 0 ? index : []);
  if (emptyIndexes.length === 0) {
    checkGameOver();
    return;
  }
  let randomIndex = emptyIndexes[Math.floor(Math.random() * emptyIndexes.length)];
  tiles[randomIndex] = Math.random() > 0.9 ? 4 : 2;
  draw();
}

function draw() {
  grid.innerHTML = '';
  tiles.forEach(tile => {
    const cell = document.createElement('div');
    cell.textContent = tile === 0 ? '' : tile;
    cell.className = 'cell';
    cell.dataset.value = tile; // Assign the tile value for CSS coloring
    grid.appendChild(cell);
  });
}

function handleInput(e) {
  if (!['ArrowUp', 'ArrowDown', 'ArrowLeft', 'ArrowRight'].includes(e.key)) return;
  e.preventDefault();

  let oldGrid = tiles.slice(); // Copy for comparison later
  switch (e.key) {
    case 'ArrowLeft':
      moveLeft(); break;
    case 'ArrowRight':
      moveRight(); break;
    case 'ArrowUp':
      rotateGrid();
      moveLeft();
      rotateGrid(3);
      break;
    case 'ArrowDown':
      rotateGrid();
      moveRight();
      rotateGrid(3);
      break;
  }

  if (oldGrid.toString() !== tiles.toString()) {
    createTile();
  }
}

function moveLeft() {
  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
    let row = tiles.slice(i * 4, i * 4 + 4).filter(val => val);
    row = mergeRow(row);
    tiles.splice(i * 4, 4, ...row, ...Array(4 - row.length).fill(0));
  }
}

function moveRight() {
  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
    let row = tiles.slice(i * 4, i * 4 + 4).filter(val => val).reverse();
    row = mergeRow(row);
    tiles.splice(i * 4, 4, ...Array(4 - row.length).fill(0), ...row.reverse());
  }
}

function mergeRow(row) {
  for (let j = 0; j < row.length - 1; j++) {
    if (row[j] === row[j + 1]) {
      row[j] *= 2;
      row.splice(j + 1, 1);
    }
  }
  return row;
}

function rotateGrid(times = 1) {
  for (let t = 0; t < times; t++) {
    let newTiles = Array(16).fill(0);
    for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
      for (let j = 0; j < 4; j++) {
        newTiles[j * 4 + (3 - i)] = tiles[i * 4 + j];
      }
    }
    tiles = newTiles;
  }
}

function checkGameOver() {
  if (!tiles.includes(0) && !canMove()) {
    messageBox.textContent = "Game Over!";
  }
}

function canMove() {
  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
    for (let j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
      if (tiles[i * 4 + j] === tiles[i * 4 + j + 1] || tiles[j * 4 + i] === tiles[(j + 1) * 4 + i]) {
        return true;
      }
    }
  }
  return false;
}

createTile();
createTile();
draw();

These are just snippets, but ChatGPT will provide us with the complete code files for our initial version of "Sum Square."

V. Host Your Game in Replit

Awesome, we've got our game code ready! Now it's time to set up our project on Replit so we can host and test our "Sum Square" game.

1. Set Up Your Project on Replit

First things first, let's create a new project on Replit. Here's how:

set-up-project-on-replit

  1. Go to Replit.com and log in (or sign up if you don't have an account yet).

  2. Click on the "+" button at the top-right corner, and choose "HTML, CSS, JS" from the menu.

    • This will create a new project for us to build our game.

      set-up-project-on-replit-2

  3. Give your project a cool name like "Sum Square" and click "Create Repl".

    set-up-project-on-replit-3

That's it! You've got ChatGPT and Replit set up and ready to go. In the next step, we'll start coming up with game ideas and building our masterpiece.

Pro Tip: If you get stuck at any point, just ask ChatGPT for help. It's always happy to lend a hand!

Replit will now create a new project (called a "Repl") with the necessary files for us to work with.

2. Implement the Code

Next, we need to put our game code into these files:

  1. Go back to the ChatGPT conversation where you generated the code.

  2. Copy the HTML code and paste it into the index.html file in Replit.

  3. Copy the CSS code and paste it into the style.css file.

  4. Copy the JavaScript code and paste it into the script.js file.

You may need to delete any existing code in these files first.

Once you've pasted in all the code, it's time to test it out!

Simply click the "Run" button at the top of the Replit window, and your game should load up in the preview pane on the right.

implement-code

If everything looks good, you're ready to move on to the next step: testing and iterating on your game further!

VI. Test and Iterate Your Web Game

Alright, now for the fun part - testing out our "Sum Square" game! We'll hop into Replit's Webview to see our game in action, and then make any adjustments or improvements as needed.

1. Playtest

  1. In the Replit window, look for the "Webview" pane on the right-hand side.

  2. Your game should be loaded up and ready to play!

  3. Use your mouse or keyboard to swipe the tiles around and see how the game mechanics work.

  4. Try to combine tiles and reach different sums to test out the core gameplay.

As you're playing, pay close attention to how everything is functioning. Does it match the mechanics we defined earlier? Are there any bugs or issues you notice?

2. Make Adjustments

If you spot something that isn't quite right or could be improved, it's time to tweak the code! Here are a few examples of adjustments you could make:

  • Add a Reset Button: Let's say you want to be able to start a new game easily. You could ask ChatGPT to update the code and add a "Reset" button that clears the board and sets up a fresh game.

    make-adjustments

  • Change How Tiles Combine: Maybe you want to tweak the way tiles combine when they collide. For example, instead of just adding their values together, you could have them multiply. Ask ChatGPT to modify the tile combination logic in the JavaScript file.

  • Implement a Score System: To make the game more engaging, you could track the player's score and display it on the screen. Prompt ChatGPT to add a score variable and update it based on the player's moves and tile combinations.

    make-adjustments-2

To make any of these adjustments (or others you come up with), simply ask ChatGPT to update the relevant code files with the new features or changes. Then, copy and paste the updated code into Replit, and click "Run" to see the new version of your game in action!

Remember, this is an iterative process. You can keep testing, tweaking, and refining your game until you're completely happy with how it looks and plays.

You can play my Sum Square Here.

Another demo game built by our leader: you can visit Here.

(You need to create an account, use this template, and then run the code to uuuuuuuuexperience the game.)

VIII. Scale and Enhance Your Game

Woohoo, your "Sum Square" game is up and running! But why stop there? Let's take things to the next level by adding more features, enhancing the design, and even preparing to publish your game for the world to enjoy.

1. Add Features

Once you've got the core gameplay nailed down, it's time to start thinking about extra features that could make your game even more engaging. You could ask ChatGPT to help you implement things like:

  • Score Tracking: Keep a running score for the player based on their tile combinations and moves.

  • Undo Moves: Add an "Undo" button that lets players take back their last move, in case they make a mistake.

  • New Game Modes: Get creative and introduce different game modes with unique rules or objectives, like a "Timed Mode" or a "Multiplier Mode."

The possibilities are endless! Just ask ChatGPT for ideas and coding help to bring your new features to life.

2. Enhance Design

Let's be honest, those basic colors and shapes we started with aren't going to win any design awards. If you want to make your game look truly impressive, you can lean on ChatGPT's knowledge of CSS to create a more polished and visually appealing design.

You could ask ChatGPT to:

  • Implement different color schemes or themes

  • Add background images or patterns

  • Incorporate animations or transitions for a smoother experience

  • Customize the tile styles with unique shapes or icons

Don't be afraid to get creative and make your game really stand out from the crowd!

3. Prepare for Publishing

If you're feeling proud of your "Sum Square" creation and want to share it with the world, you'll need to move it from Replit to a more permanent hosting solution. This will allow anyone to access and play your game online.

Some great options for hosting your game include:

  • GitHub Pages: A free hosting service from GitHub that's perfect for static websites and web apps.

  • Netlify: Another popular choice that makes it easy to deploy and host your game with just a few clicks.

  • Vercel: A platform that simplifies the process of hosting and scaling your web applications.

Once you've chosen a hosting service, ask ChatGPT to help you set up and deploy your game code to make it publicly accessible.

IX. Share and Get Feedback

You've built an awesome game, but don't stop there! Share it with friends, family, and online communities to get valuable feedback.

Start by sending your game link to people you know and trust. Ask for honest opinions on what works well and what could be improved. Don't take criticism personally - use it to make your game better.

Next, find online forums or groups for game developers and enthusiasts. Introduce yourself, share your game, and specifically ask for feedback and suggestions. These communities are filled with knowledgeable, passionate people who want to help.

As you receive feedback, keep an open mind. If multiple people point out the same issue, that's a good sign you should address it. Use ChatGPT to help implement changes or new ideas suggested by the community.

Getting input from others is crucial for taking your game to the next level. So share your hard work, listen to feedback, and keep iterating to create the best possible experience for players.

Conclusion

With the help of ChatGPT and Replit, anyone can build awesome web games like 2048, even without any coding experience. Just follow the steps - brainstorm ideas, define mechanics, generate code, test, and iterate. Start small, get feedback from others, and keep making improvements. Before you know it, you'll have a polished, fun game to share with the world!

If you are interested in other topics and how AI is transforming different aspects of our lives, or even in making money using AI with more detailed, step-by-step guidance, you can find our other articles here:

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