Tidy Albatross

An engaging endless runner game with an environmental message - help an albatross clean a polluted beach while navigating obstacles and collecting rewards.

Game Concept

🐦 The Story

Players control an albatross flying over a beautiful but polluted beach. As you soar through the sky, you collect trash and debris while avoiding obstacles, making the beach cleaner with each successful run.

🎮 Gameplay Mechanics

Technical Implementation

Game Engine Architecture

Built entirely with vanilla JavaScript and HTML5 Canvas for optimal performance and cross-platform compatibility.

// Core game loop
class Game {
  constructor() {
    this.player = new Albatross();
    this.obstacles = new ObstacleManager();
    this.collectibles = new TrashManager();
    this.score = new ScoreSystem();
  }
  
  update(deltaTime) {
    this.player.update(deltaTime);
    this.obstacles.update(deltaTime);
    this.collectibles.update(deltaTime);
    this.checkCollisions();
    this.updateScore();
  }
  
  render(ctx) {
    this.clearCanvas(ctx);
    this.renderBackground(ctx);
    this.player.render(ctx);
    this.obstacles.render(ctx);
    this.collectibles.render(ctx);
    this.score.render(ctx);
  }
}

Visual Design System

Artistic Style

Responsive Graphics

// Adaptive rendering based on device capabilities
const renderQuality = {
  mobile: { particles: 50, effects: 'basic' },
  tablet: { particles: 100, effects: 'enhanced' },
  desktop: { particles: 200, effects: 'full' }
};

function adjustGraphics() {
  const device = detectDevice();
  applySettings(renderQuality[device]);
}

Game Features

🏖️ Dynamic Beach Environment

🎯 Scoring & Progression

🔧 Accessibility Features

Physics & Game Mechanics

Flight Physics System

class Albatross {
  constructor() {
    this.velocity = { x: 0, y: 0 };
    this.gravity = 0.8;
    this.lift = -12;
    this.drag = 0.95;
  }
  
  flap() {
    this.velocity.y = this.lift;
    this.playSoundEffect('flap');
    this.createFeatherParticles();
  }
  
  update(deltaTime) {
    // Apply physics
    this.velocity.y += this.gravity * deltaTime;
    this.velocity.x *= this.drag;
    
    // Update position
    this.position.x += this.velocity.x * deltaTime;
    this.position.y += this.velocity.y * deltaTime;
    
    // Boundary checking
    this.constrainToBounds();
  }
}

Collision Detection

Audio Design

Sound Engineering

// Dynamic audio system
class AudioManager {
  playCollectionSound(itemType) {
    const sound = this.sounds[itemType];
    const source = this.audioContext.createBufferSource();
    source.buffer = sound.buffer;
    
    // Add random pitch variation
    source.playbackRate.value = 0.8 + Math.random() * 0.4;
    source.connect(this.gainNode);
    source.start();
  }
}

Performance Optimization

Rendering Optimizations

Memory Management

// Object pooling for trash collectibles
class TrashPool {
  constructor(size = 100) {
    this.pool = [];
    this.activeObjects = [];
    
    // Pre-create objects
    for (let i = 0; i < size; i++) {
      this.pool.push(new TrashItem());
    }
  }
  
  getTrash() {
    return this.pool.pop() || new TrashItem();
  }
  
  returnTrash(trash) {
    trash.reset();
    this.pool.push(trash);
  }
}

Development Process

Iterative Design

  1. Prototype - Basic movement and collision system
  2. Core Mechanics - Add scoring and obstacle avoidance
  3. Polish Phase - Visual effects, audio, and juice
  4. Optimization - Performance tuning and bug fixes
  5. User Testing - Feedback integration and balancing

Tools & Workflow

Key Development Challenges

1. Performance Across Devices

Challenge: Maintaining 60fps on low-end mobile devices Solution: Adaptive quality settings and efficient rendering techniques

2. Touch Controls

Challenge: Responsive controls that feel natural on touchscreens Solution: Multiple input methods with customizable sensitivity

3. Procedural Generation

Challenge: Creating interesting, balanced level layouts algorithmically Solution: Weighted random generation with difficulty curves

4. Cross-Browser Compatibility

Challenge: Consistent behavior across different browsers Solution: Polyfills and feature detection with graceful fallbacks

User Engagement Metrics

Retention & Engagement

Player Feedback

Environmental Impact Theme

Educational Messaging

Technical Learnings

Game Development

Web Technologies

Future Enhancements

Planned Features

Technical Improvements

Play Tidy Albatross View Source Code

Tidy Albatross showcases game development skills, environmental consciousness, and the ability to create engaging user experiences with web technologies.