Building Tile Slide

Introduction

About Tile Slide

• Arrow Tiles (→, ←, ↑, ↓): These tiles dictate the movement direction. When an arrow tile is clicked, it moves in the indicated direction, pushing any adjacent tiles in that path.
• Block Tiles ([]): These act as both obstacles and aids, depending on their positioning. Blocks can be pushed by arrow tiles, assisting in directing other tiles toward the hole.
• More special tiles are in the works :D

Game Mechanics

• Interactive Movement: Clicking an arrow tile initiates its movement in the specified direction, creating a chain reaction that pushes other tiles along the way.
• Strategic Planning: Players must thoughtfully plan each move to ensure that all tiles are guided into the hole without running out of moves.
• Progressive Difficulty: As players advance, levels introduce more arrow tiles, blocks, and complex board layouts, enhancing the puzzle's difficulty and engagement.

Harnessing AWS Amplify for Hosting

• Seamless Deployment: Amplify's streamlined deployment process allows us to push updates and new features rapidly without disrupting the user experience.
• Scalability: Automatically scales to handle varying traffic loads, ensuring smooth gameplay during peak times.
• Integrated Authentication: Simplifies user sign-ups and logins, providing a secure and effortless authentication system.
• Real-Time Data Synchronization: Enables real-time updates for leaderboards and multiplayer interactions, enhancing player engagement.

• Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD): Ensures that our game remains up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes through automated pipelines.
• Hosting Flexibility: Supports both static and dynamic content, perfectly aligning with Tile Slide's interactive interfaces.
• Cost-Efficiency: The pay-as-you-go pricing model helps manage operational costs effectively as our user base grows.

How I Used Amazon Q

1. Generating CSS Snippets
   • I frequently relied on Amazon Q to produce concise and well-structured CSS snippets.
   • This saved me time spent writing repetitive styles manually and helped maintain a consistent design language throughout my app.
2. Brainstorming Game Ideas
   • Whenever I needed fresh puzzle concepts or unique tile behaviors, I used Q to explore creative solutions.
   • It offered prompt-based brainstorming, suggesting mechanics like “cracked tiles” and alternative ways to position obstacles.
3. Brainstorming Additional Game Features & Refinements
   • Beyond the core puzzle mechanics, Q provided ideas on how to expand and refine game elements—like introducing new tile types or special power-ups.
   • This iterative process helped me evolve Tile Slide into a more robust and intriguing puzzle game.
4. Suggesting AWS Services Integration
   • I relied on Q to identify which AWS services would best suit my project's needs, from DynamoDB for leaderboard storage to CloudWatch for monitoring.
   • It also provided clear reasons and best practices for using each suggested service, cutting down on guesswork.
5. Steps & Walkthrough for AWS Service Configuration
   • Q offered step-by-step instructions for integrating services like API Gateway, Lambda, and DynamoDB, detailing every setting to adjust.
   • This comprehensive guidance allowed me to configure each AWS component in a structured manner without missing crucial details.
6. Rapid AWS Configuration
   • Setting up multiple AWS services (IAM, Lambda, DynamoDB, etc.) typically takes time, but Q condensed the entire process, enabling me to finish in about an hour.
   • Its concise instructions and direct code insertion tips accelerated my workflow immensely.
7. Learning About AWS Features Through the Console
   • While working in the AWS console, I asked Q about service-specific features—such as advanced IAM configurations or DynamoDB indexing.
   • It explained these features in plain language, helping me gain deeper insight into how I could leverage them fully.
8. Discovering AWS Free Tier Offerings
   • Q guided me in understanding what is included in the free tier, so I could optimize resources without incurring unexpected costs.
   • This was especially useful for testing new services, ensuring I stayed within budget during the development phase.
9. Converting CSS into SCSS
   • Q transformed my basic CSS files into structured SCSS, allowing me to use variables, nesting, and mixins for better maintainability.
   • This conversion greatly improved the organization and scalability of my style sheets.
10. Generating Template HTML for Components

• I used Q to produce boilerplate HTML for modals, buttons, and other UI elements.
• Having quick-start templates for these components ensured consistency across the entire interface.

Some Key Highlights of Q That I would like to mention

1. It is easy to work with project files.
2. It was great to generate code according to my file code. It understood the code in various files and suggested code that worked well.
3. I did not use any other LLM to assist or confirm my code, which was a first. I could rely entirely on Q and didn't encounter a need to go to any other LLM like Chatgpt or Copilot.
4. A recommendation: The code is provided first, followed by an explanation of what the code does. The user should be given the preference on what to show first because if I am generating code, I would like to know what the generated code is doing according to Q so that I can confirm that Q is going in the right direction.

How We Built It

• Amazon S3: I store game assets (images, sound files) in S3 for quick, reliable access.
• AWS Amplify: Amplify seamlessly hosts my site. I also explored GitHub integration for continuous deployment.
• IAM: I configured user permissions and roles to secure my Lambda functions, DynamoDB databases, and API endpoints.
• Amazon API Gateway: Manages the REST endpoints that my game calls to fetch and store data.
• AWS Lambda: Handles the logic for creating and retrieving leaderboard entries, triggered via the API Gateway.
• Amazon DynamoDB: Stores player scores and progress for the multiplayer/leaderboard feature.
• Amazon CloudWatch: Monitors all API requests, logs errors, and helps me quickly troubleshoot.
• AWS Polly: Generated the voice-over for my demo video, adding a professional narration to showcase the gameplay.

Potential Future AWS Integrations

• Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service):
  • Purpose: Manages and decouples microservices by handling message queuing, ensuring reliable communication between game components.
  • Benefits: Enhances scalability and reliability, especially during high-traffic gameplay periods.

Benefits of AWS Integration

• Enhanced Performance: AWS services like DynamoDB and Lambda ensure that the game runs smoothly, even under heavy loads.
• Scalability: Easily accommodate a growing number of players without compromising performance.
• Security: AWS provides robust security features to protect user data and ensure a safe gaming environment.
• Innovation: Leveraging advanced AWS services allows us to introduce cutting-edge features, keeping Tile Slide ahead in the competitive puzzle game market.

Conclusion