Okay, here we go! Today I’m sharing my experience building a “super toe football game.” It was a fun little side project, and I learned a ton along the way.
It all started with me just messing around. I had this crazy idea of a football game… but with toes. Yeah, I know, sounds weird. But I thought it could be hilarious and challenging to make.
First thing I did was sketch out the basic gameplay. I grabbed a notebook and started drawing stick figures with giant toes kicking a ball. The core mechanic was simple: use different “toe flicks” to aim and power your shot. I wanted different toes to have different stats – like a big toe for power and a pinky toe for curve. Pure silliness, right?
Then came the coding part. I decided to use Unity. I’m kinda familiar with it, and it seemed like a good fit for a 2D, physics-based game. I started by creating a simple scene with a field, a ball, and two goals. Getting the ball to move realistically was a challenge. I messed around with Unity’s physics engine for ages, tweaking gravity, friction, and bounciness until it felt somewhat right.
- The Toe Flick Mechanic: This was the trickiest part. I wanted the player to be able to “draw” a line to indicate the direction and power of the kick. So, I implemented a line renderer that showed the player’s intended shot path. Then, based on the length and angle of the line, I applied force to the ball.
- AI Opponent: No game is complete without someone to play against. I created a super simple AI that just randomly kicked the ball towards the goal. It wasn’t very smart, but it was enough to provide some challenge.
Next, I added some basic UI elements. I needed a score counter, a timer, and some buttons to control the game. I also added some sound effects – mostly just stock sounds from Unity, but they added a little bit of polish. I also added music. free music from the web. The whole project was for fun, so I didn’t focus much on making the graphics or sound super professional.
I spent a lot of time playtesting and tweaking the game. The physics were always a bit wonky, and the AI was either too easy or too hard. But that’s part of the fun, right? I showed it to a few friends, and they actually enjoyed it! They even gave me some good ideas for improvements, like adding different types of balls and power-ups.
Challenges I Faced
- Physics Hiccups: Getting the ball to behave realistically was a constant battle. It would sometimes glitch out, bounce erratically, or even get stuck in the goal.
- AI Balance: Making the AI challenging but not frustrating was tough. I ended up settling for a simple AI that made predictable mistakes.
- Time Constraints: This was a side project, so I only had a limited amount of time to work on it. I had to prioritize features and cut corners in some areas.
In the end, the “super toe football game” wasn’t perfect. But I was happy with what I accomplished. It was a fun and challenging project that taught me a lot about game development. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll revisit it and add those power-ups!