This post is a Celestial Combat devlog and also be found here.

Some of the code for Celestial Combat has been structured to provide a easy facility for switching major subsystems of the game on/off. Additionally, unit testing is not time-efficient given the benefits vs effort involved: we offer a cheaper solution in the form of scenario tests.

Feature toggles

You have the option of toggling game functionality via the URL you use to access the game. The toggles are activated by the presence / absence of URL query strings: for instance, to turn off all game audio:

  • http://localhost:3000/?mute

or if you want to turn off all audio AND skip the title screen:

  • http://localhost:3000/?mute&game

See src/client/startupOptions.ts for a full list of feature toggles.

    AudioMuted          = 'mute',
    GamePadInUse        = 'gamepad',
    SkipTitleScreen     = 'game',
    GeometryEditorInUse = 'editor',
    TestSectorInUse     = 'test'

Scenario tests

Using the scenario feature toggle, you can establish a controlled environment where you can set exactly what the starting state is and see the emergent behaviors of your system unfold.

  • yarn watch
  • Edit src/client/TestScreen/ScenarioSystem.ts to create the scenario’s initial conditions

For example:

function init() {
    // Create enemy solar system with 1 star and 1 unpopulated planet
    const star = Entity.create('Star', {x: 5000, y: 5000});

    const planet = Entity.create('Planet', {
        star,
        orbitDistance: 1600 + 2 * 800,
        orbitRotation: 0
    });

    planet.team = enemyTeam;
    planet.updateFlagColor();

    // Create an attacker that targets this planet and will attempt to land
    // to lay claim to it
    const fighter = Entity.create('Fighter', {
        x:                        15000,
        y:                        15000,
        isFighterAutoAccelerated: true,
        team:                     focusTeam,
        attackTarget:             planet
    });

    Focus.setFocus(fighter);
}

You may then observe the scenario unfold at: http://localhost:3000/?test&game , and tweak entity / component values and logic accordingly until the desired behaviors are achieved.