Voxel HopperAI · Claude 3.5

Core Game Loop and Mechanics

Moment-to-Moment Gameplay: The player controls a voxel chicken character on a strict 3D grid (1x1x1 unit cells). The core loop is:

1. Observe the terrain ahead (grass, road with cars, water with logs)
2. Tap to hop forward one block, or swipe left/right to hop sideways one block
3. Avoid cars on roads and only step on logs when crossing water
4. Score increases by 1 for each new forward row reached
5. Game ends on collision with car or stepping on water without a log

Progression:

• Score increases linearly with forward progress
• Terrain difficulty can gradually increase (more roads/rivers, faster hazards) as score increases
• No levels - pure endless survival with high score tracking

Win/Lose Conditions:

• Lose: Collide with a car OR step on a water block without a log underneath
• Win: No win state - aim for highest score possible

Engagement Drivers:

• "One more try" endless gameplay loop
• Simple controls with skill-based timing (dodging cars, timing log jumps)
• Visual satisfaction of hopping through colorful voxel world
• High score chasing and improvement over time

Starting Scope

First Iteration Must Include:

• 3D orthographic/isometric camera following player on Z-axis
• Player character (voxel chicken) with hop animation
• Grid-based movement (tap forward, swipe left/right)
• Three terrain types: Grass (safe), Road (with cars), Water (with logs)
• Procedural row generation ahead of player
• Cars moving horizontally on roads
• Logs moving horizontally on water
• Collision detection (car hits, water without log)
• Score tracking (1 point per new forward row)
• Game over screen with score and restart
• Simple sound effects (hop, collision, score)

Future Iterations Can Add:

• Difficulty progression (faster hazards, more complex patterns)
• Power-ups or collectibles
• Multiple character skins
• Particle effects (splash, dust)
• More terrain variety (trains, lily pads, etc.)
• Leaderboards
• Background music

Game Perspective

3D Isometric (Orthographic Camera)

• Fixed orthographic camera at 45-degree tilt angle looking down
• Camera positioned above and behind the player
• Camera smoothly follows player's Z-position (forward movement) only
• Camera does NOT follow X-position (left/right), allowing player to move across the visible grid
• Maintains consistent isometric view throughout gameplay
• Grid aligned to world axes for clear spatial understanding

Game World and Level Design

Grid Structure:

• Infinite 3D grid extending forward (Z-axis)
• Each cell is exactly 1x1x1 world units
• Player always occupies one grid cell at a time
• Grid is 7 cells wide (X-axis: -3 to +3) to fit mobile screen
• Terrain generates in horizontal rows (perpendicular to Z-axis)

Terrain Generation:

• Rows generate procedurally 10-15 rows ahead of player
• Each row is one of three types:
  • Grass (40% probability): Safe, no hazards, green voxel blocks
  • Road (35% probability): Dark gray asphalt, spawns 1-3 cars moving left or right
  • Water (25% probability): Flat blue surface, spawns 2-4 logs moving left or right
• Never generate water or road in first 3 rows (safe starting area)
• Avoid generating 3+ consecutive water/road rows (too difficult)

Hazard Behavior:

• Cars: Rectangular voxel blocks (2x1x1 units), various colors (red, yellow, blue)
  • Move horizontally at 2-4 units/second
  • Randomly spawn moving left or right
  • Spacing: 3-5 units apart on same row
  • Wrap around screen edges to create continuous flow
• Logs: Brown rectangular voxel blocks (2x1x0.5 units, float on water)
  • Move horizontally at 1-3 units/second
  • Randomly spawn moving left or right
  • Spacing: 2-4 units apart
  • Player can stand on logs and moves with them
  • Wrap around screen edges

Starting Configuration:

• Player spawns at position (0, 0, 0) - center of grid
• First 3 rows are grass (safe zone)
• Camera positioned to show ~8 rows ahead of player

Edit Mode Design

Editable Properties:

• Player Speed: Hop animation duration (0.1-0.5 seconds)
• Car Speed Range: Min/max speed for cars (1-6 units/second)
• Log Speed Range: Min/max speed for logs (0.5-4 units/second)
• Terrain Probabilities: Grass/Road/Water spawn rates (must sum to 100%)
• Grid Width: Number of columns (5-9, default 7)
• Hazard Density: Number of cars per road row (1-4), logs per water row (2-5)
• Color Palette: Player color, grass color, road color, water color, car colors

Constraints:

• Hop duration minimum 0.1s (prevent too-fast gameplay)
• At least 30% grass probability (ensure some safe zones)
• Grid width 5-9 (too narrow = impossible, too wide = doesn't fit screen)
• First 3 rows always grass (safe start)

Control Design

Mobile (Primary):

• Tap anywhere on screen: Hop forward one block (Z+1)
• Swipe left: Hop left one block (X-1)
• Swipe right: Hop right one block (X+1)
• Swipe detection: Minimum 30px movement, maximum 200ms duration
• Input queuing: Allow one queued input during hop animation
• Tap to restart: On game over screen

Desktop (Secondary):

• Up Arrow / W: Hop forward one block
• Left Arrow / A: Hop left one block
• Right Arrow / D: Hop right one block
• Space: Hop forward (alternative)
• Enter: Restart on game over screen

Input Handling:

• Ignore inputs during hop animation (except one queued input)
• Prevent movement outside grid boundaries (X: -3 to +3)
• Clear input state on game over
• Disable game inputs when game over screen is visible

Art Style and Visual Theme

Overall Style:

• 3D Voxel/Blocky Aesthetic: Everything built from cubic blocks, reminiscent of Crossy Road
• Bright, Saturated Colors: Cheerful palette with high contrast
• Flat Shading: No gradients on block faces, solid colors only
• Hard Directional Shadows: Strong, crisp shadows cast at 45-degree angle to enhance depth
• Minimalist: Clean, uncluttered visuals focused on gameplay clarity

Color Palette:

• Player (Chicken): White/cream voxel blocks with simple features
• Grass: Bright green (#4CAF50)
• Road: Dark gray (#424242)
• Water: Bright blue (#2196F3), flat surface
• Cars: Varied bright colors (red #F44336, yellow #FFEB3B, blue #2196F3, orange #FF9800)
• Logs: Brown (#795548)
• UI Text: White with black outline for readability
• Background: Light blue sky gradient (#87CEEB to #E0F7FA)

Asset Sizes & Scale:

• Grid cell: 1x1x1 world units
• Player: 0.8x0.8x0.8 units (slightly smaller than cell for visual clarity)
• Cars: 2x1x1 units (elongated rectangles)
• Logs: 2x1x0.5 units (flat platforms)
• Grass/Road blocks: 1x1x0.2 units (thin platforms)
• Water: Flat plane at Y=0

Rendering Approach:

• Use Three.js for 3D rendering
• BoxGeometry for all voxel elements
• MeshLambertMaterial for simple lighting
• DirectionalLight for hard shadows
• OrthographicCamera for isometric view
• No texture maps needed - solid colors only

Animation:

• Player hop: Smooth arc motion (parabola) over 0.2 seconds
• Slight squash/stretch on landing for juice
• Cars/logs: Smooth linear horizontal movement
• Camera: Smooth lerp following player Z-position (0.1 smoothing factor)