[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":13},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f7JC8_pyLTco1G8BumTGj146R9x49tsAKaPj7kCWU0-w":3},{"title":4,"description":5,"date":6,"category":7,"icon":8,"coverImage":9,"contentHtml":10,"_path":11,"_id":12},"How I Built a Space Shooter Game with AI in 1 Day","From concept to playable demo: building a classic space shooter game in 24 hours using AI tools.","2026-04-14","Tutorial","🚀","\u002Fblog\u002Fai-game-dev-7-days-cover.svg","\u003Ch1>How I Built a Space Shooter Game with AI in 1 Day\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\u003Cp>A complete journey from zero to playable space shooter in 24 hours using AI-powered tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>The Challenge\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Build a complete, playable space shooter game (like the classic "Space Invaders" or "Galaga") in just one day using AI tools for every stage of development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Timeline Overview\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Time\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Phase\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Output\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>0-2h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Concept & Design\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Game mechanics, visual style\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>2-4h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Art Generation\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Player ship, enemies, backgrounds\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>4-8h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Core Development\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Game engine, player controls\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>8-10h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Enemy Logic\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>AI behaviors, spawning\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>10-12h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Polish\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Effects, UI, sound\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>12-24h\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Testing & Iteration\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Bug fixes, balance\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 1: Concept & Design (2 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Game Mechanics:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Player controls a spaceship at the bottom\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Move left\u002Fright, shoot bullets\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Enemies spawn at top and move down\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Destroy enemies before they reach the bottom\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Score system and lives\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Visual Style:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Retro pixel art aesthetic\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Dark space background with stars\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Colorful enemy ships\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Bright laser effects\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tools used:\u003C\u002Fstrong> ChatGPT\u002FClaude for brainstorming game mechanics\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 2: Art Generation (2 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Assets Created:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Player Ship\u003C\u002Fstrong> (1 sprite)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Generated base design with AI\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Cleaned up and resized in Photoshop\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Exported as PNG with transparency\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Enemy Ships\u003C\u002Fstrong> (3 types)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Basic enemy (green)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Fast enemy (red)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Tank enemy (purple)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Background\u003C\u002Fstrong> (1 image)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Star field with nebula\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Seamless looping design\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>UI Elements\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Heart icons for lives\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Score display font\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Game over screen\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Prompt example for player ship:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode>"Pixel art spaceship, top-down view, blue and white colors, \nretro game style, transparent background, 64x64 pixels"\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tools used:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Alibaba Wanxiang (通义万相) for sprite generation\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 3: Core Development (4 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tech Stack:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>HTML5 Canvas\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Vanilla JavaScript (no framework needed for this scope)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>No external game engine (keep it lightweight)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Core Systems:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode class=\"language-javascript\">\u002F\u002F Player movement\nfunction updatePlayer() {\n  if (keys.left) player.x -= player.speed;\n  if (keys.right) player.x += player.speed;\n  \u002F\u002F Boundary checks\n  player.x = Math.max(0, Math.min(canvas.width - player.width, player.x));\n}\n\n\u002F\u002F Shooting\nfunction shoot() {\n  bullets.push({\n    x: player.x + player.width \u002F 2,\n    y: player.y,\n    speed: 10\n  });\n}\n\n\u002F\u002F Game loop\nfunction gameLoop() {\n  update();\n  draw();\n  requestAnimationFrame(gameLoop);\n}\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>AI Assistance:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Used Cursor\u002FCopilot for boilerplate code\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>AI helped with collision detection logic\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Quick debugging with AI pair programming\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 4: Enemy Logic (2 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Enemy Types:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Type\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Speed\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Health\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Behavior\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Basic\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>2px\u002Fframe\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>1 HP\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Move straight down\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Fast\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>4px\u002Fframe\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>1 HP\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Move straight down\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Tank\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>1px\u002Fframe\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>5 HP\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Move straight down\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Spawning System:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode class=\"language-javascript\">function spawnEnemy() {\n  const types = ['basic', 'basic', 'basic', 'fast', 'tank'];\n  const type = types[Math.floor(Math.random() * types.length)];\n  enemies.push(createEnemy(type));\n}\n\n\u002F\u002F Spawn every 1-2 seconds\nsetInterval(spawnEnemy, 1000 + Math.random() * 1000);\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 5: Polish (2 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Visual Effects:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Explosion particles when enemies die\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Muzzle flash when shooting\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Screen shake on player hit\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Animated starfield background\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Sound Effects:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Shooting sound (generated with AI)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Explosion sound\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Game over sound\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Background music (optional)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>UI Polish:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Score counter (top-left)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Lives display (hearts, top-right)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Game over screen with restart button\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Start screen with instructions\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tools used:\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Suno for background music\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>BFXR for retro sound effects\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Phase 6: Testing & Iteration (12 hours)\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Bug Fixes:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Fixed collision detection edge cases\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Prevented enemies from spawning off-screen\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Fixed bullet pooling (performance)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Added pause functionality\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Balance Adjustments:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Tuned enemy spawn rate (not too hard)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Adjusted player speed (responsive but not OP)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Balanced score values\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Performance:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Object pooling for bullets (no garbage collection spikes)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Sprite batching for rendering\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>60 FPS stable on modern browsers\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Final Results\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Development Stats:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Total time:\u003C\u002Fstrong> 24 hours (including breaks)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Lines of code:\u003C\u002Fstrong> ~800\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Assets created:\u003C\u002Fstrong> 10 sprites, 1 background, 5 UI elements\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Sound effects:\u003C\u002Fstrong> 4 sounds + 1 BGM track\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Game Stats:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>File size:\u003C\u002Fstrong> 2.3 MB (all assets included)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Performance:\u003C\u002Fstrong> 60 FPS\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Browser support:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Mobile:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Touch controls added\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Cost Breakdown:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>AI tools: ~$20 (monthly subscriptions)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Hosting: Free (GitHub Pages \u002F itch.io)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Total:\u003C\u002Fstrong> $20\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Code Structure\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode>game\u002F\n├── index.html\n├── style.css\n├── js\u002F\n│   ├── main.js\n│   ├── player.js\n│   ├── enemy.js\n│   ├── bullet.js\n│   └── game.js\n├── assets\u002F\n│   ├── sprites\u002F\n│   ├── background\u002F\n│   └── audio\u002F\n└── README.md\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Ch2>Lessons Learned\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3>What Worked Well\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AI for art\u003C\u002Fstrong> - Massive time saver for sprite generation\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Simple mechanics\u003C\u002Fstrong> - Classic games are simple for a reason\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Vanilla JS\u003C\u002Fstrong> - No build step, instant iteration\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AI coding assistant\u003C\u002Fstrong> - Cursor\u002FCopilot caught bugs early\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Ch3>What Could Be Better\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Sound quality\u003C\u002Fstrong> - AI-generated SFX are okay but not great\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Animation\u003C\u002Fstrong> - Could add more frames for smoother movement\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Enemy variety\u003C\u002Fstrong> - More behavior patterns would add depth\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Ch2>Play the Demo\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The game is now live on:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>itch.io:\u003C\u002Fstrong> [Link to game page]\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>GitHub:\u003C\u002Fstrong> [Link to source code]\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Next Steps\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Planning to add:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cinput disabled=\"\" type=\"checkbox\"> Power-ups (spread shot, shield, speed boost)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cinput disabled=\"\" type=\"checkbox\"> Boss battles every 10 levels\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cinput disabled=\"\" type=\"checkbox\"> High score leaderboard\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cinput disabled=\"\" type=\"checkbox\"> Mobile touch controls (done)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cinput disabled=\"\" type=\"checkbox\"> Sound on\u002Foff toggle\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Want to build your own game? Check out our \u003Ca href=\"\u002Ftools?category=code\">AI Coding Tools\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca href=\"\u002Ftools?category=art\">AI Art Tools\u003C\u002Fa> collections.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Play the demo: \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fplay\u002Fspace-shooter\">Space Shooter\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u002Fblog\u002Fai-game-dev-7-days","ai-game-dev-7-days",1778833534821]