Implementing the Game Mechanics
The focus of the previous chapters was solidly on building an application foundation for Space-Truckers. Now, it’s time to shift gears (as it were) and look at the way we want to implement the game for its first phase: Route Planning. As we usually want to do when faced with a single, daunting, complex problem, we break down this part of the game into two principal facets: simulation and game elements. Throughout this chapter, we’ll start by looking at the simulation part of the game before layering the game mechanics on top of the simulation in a way that gives us the freedom to iterate.
It’s a common tactic of reality shows and gameshows where the host will give a wind-up speech that seems to indicate that they’re about to get to the big reveal, but then instead the show cuts to a commercial. This is relevant because we’re going to perform a similar headfake – instead of diving directly into the exciting...
