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Building a Tower Defense Game with PixiJS and AWS Services

Building a Tower Defense Game with PixiJS and AWS Services

Link to project - https://github.com/SrujanLokhande/EnergyFlowDefence.git

Published Jan 14, 2025

Introduction

For the AWS GameBuilder Hackathon, I developed a web-based tower defense game that combines the power of PixiJS for rendering with AWS services for backend functionality. This post details the technical journey, challenges faced, and solutions implemented.

Technical Stack

Frontend

  • PixiJS: Handles game rendering and interactions
  • Vite: Build tool and development server
  • Event-Driven Architecture: Custom event system for game state management

Backend

  • Amazon DynamoDB: Stores player scores and leaderboard data
  • AWS Lambda: Processes score submissions and retrievals
  • API Gateway: Provides RESTful endpoints for client-server communication

Core Game Features

Tower Defense Mechanics

  • Multiple tower types with unique abilities:
    • Basic Tower: Balanced damage and range
    • Rapid Tower: Fast attack speed
    • Sniper Tower: High damage, long range
    • AOE Tower: Area damage effects

Wave System

  • Progressive difficulty scaling
  • Special boss waves every 5th round
  • Dynamic enemy spawning patterns

Resource Management

  • Economy system for tower construction
  • Resource rewards for defeating enemies
  • Strategic placement decisions

Technical Implementation

Game Architecture

// Event-driven system for game communications
eventManager.subscribe(GameEvents.WAVE_COMPLETED, (data) => {
``// Handle wave completion
this.gameHUD.showWaveComplete(data.wave);
});

AWS Integration

// DynamoDB integration for leaderboard
async updateScore(playerId, score) {
try {
const response = await this.makeRequest({
action: 'updateScore',
playerId: playerId,
score: score
});
return {
success: true,
data: response
};
} catch (error) {
return {
success: false,
error: error.message
};
}
}

Challenges and Solutions

DynamoDB Integration

Initially faced challenges with DynamoDB authentication, particularly with session ID requirements. Resolved by implementing proper credential handling and connection management.

Game State Management

Created a robust state management system using custom events for handling different game phases:
  • Menu state
  • Preparation phase
  • Active gameplay
  • Wave completion
  • Game over

Learning Outcomes

  1. AWS Services Mastery:* Built and deployed Lambda functions for serverless backend
    • Configured DynamoDB tables and access patterns
    • Set up API Gateway with proper CORS and security
    • Managed IAM roles and permissions
  2. Cloud Architecture Skills:* Implemented serverless architecture using AWS services
    • Created RESTful APIs with Lambda integration
    • Handled cloud-based data persistence
    • Managed API authentication and security
  3. AWS SDK and Integration:* Worked with AWS SDK for JavaScript
    • Connected web client to AWS backend services
    • Implemented proper error handling for cloud services
    • Managed asynchronous operations with AWS
  4. Game Development:* Used PixiJS for game rendering
    • Created event-driven architecture
    • Implemented state management

Code Snippets

Tower Placement System

createTower(type, gridX, gridY) {
const tower = this.towerFactory.createTower(type, gridX, gridY);
if (tower) {
this.addTower(tower);
return tower;
}
return null;
}

Wave Management

spawnWaveEnemies(composition) {
const queue = this.createSpawnQueue(composition);
while (queue.length > 0) {
const batch = queue.splice(0, this.config.batchSize);
for (const type of batch) {
this.enemySystem.spawnEnemy(type);
}
}
}

Future Improvements

  1. Add tower upgrade paths
  2. Implement more enemy types
  3. Add a special abilities system
  4. Enhance visual effects
  5. Implement multiplayer features

Conclusion

Building this tower defense game was an exciting journey that combined modern web technologies with AWS services. The event-driven architecture proved highly effective for game state management, while AWS provided robust backend services for leaderboard functionality.
#GameDev #AWS #JavaScript #PixiJS #WebGaming
 

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