By Starlight - Detailed Game Explanation

Overview

"By Starlight" is a top-down space exploration and combat game that blends cozy discovery with action gameplay. You pilot a small triangular ship through a starfield dotted with space stations, collecting orbs, avoiding hazards, and defending yourself against enemy ships.

Core Gameplay Mechanics

Movement System

• Arrow Keys / WASD: Move your ship in any direction
• Physics-based movement: The ship has momentum - when you press a direction, you accelerate rather than instantly moving
• Friction: When you stop pressing keys, the ship gradually slows down (98% friction per frame)
• Max Speed: Limited to 4 units/frame normally, 8 when boosting

Boost Ability

• SPACE key: Provides a speed burst in your current direction of movement
• Creates orange particle trails that stream behind your ship
• 3-frame cooldown between boosts
• Particles fade over time and move opposite to your boost direction

Combat System

• Mouse Aiming: Your ship constantly rotates to face your mouse cursor
• Click to Shoot: Fires cyan projectiles toward your mouse position
• Projectile Speed: 8 units/frame
• Fire Rate: 15-frame cooldown (about 0.25 seconds at 60fps)
• Projectile Lifespan: 100 frames before disappearing

Game Elements

Orbs (Collectibles)

• Purpose: Primary collectible objective
• Spawning: 5 orbs spawn at a time in random locations
• Respawning: When all 5 are collected, a new set immediately spawns
• Visual: Golden, pulsing spheres with glowing auras
• Points: 10 points each
• Collection Range: 15 units from player center

Space Stations (8 Total)

Each station is a unique location with its own story:

1. The Listening Post - Communications array with mysterious transmissions
2. Greenhouse Orbital - Gardens with lavender and earth
3. The Sleeper's Rest - Hibernation pods with blue lights
4. Stargazer's Haven - Observation dome with telescopes
5. The Drift Market - Abandoned marketplace with trinkets
6. Memory Archives - Crystalline data banks preserving moments
7. The Wanderer's Beacon - A lighthouse in space
8. Solace Station - Wind chimes and peaceful atmosphere

• Discovery: Approach within 60 units to discover and read the station's story
• Points: 50 points per station discovered
• Visual: Glowing circular structures with distinct colors
• One-time: Each station can only be discovered once

Meteoroids (12 Total)

• Behavior: Drift continuously in random directions
• Speed: 0.5-2.0 units/frame
• Rotation: Slowly rotate as they move
• Size: 15-35 units diameter
• Damage: Deal 2 hull damage on collision + knockback effect
• Wrapping: When they leave the play area, they wrap to the opposite side
• Indestructible: Cannot be destroyed, only avoided

Enemy Ships

• Spawning: New enemies spawn every 240 frames (reduced by 10 frames per enemy destroyed, minimum spawn rate)
• Max Enemies: 5 simultaneous enemies on screen
• Health: 3 hit points each
• AI Behavior:
  • Chase player when within 400 units (aggro range)
  • Accelerate toward player at 0.2 units/frame²
  • Max speed: 2.5 units/frame
  • 97% friction applied each frame
• Combat:
  • Shoot red projectiles at player
  • 60-frame cooldown between shots
  • Projectiles travel at 5 units/frame
  • Deal 10 hull damage on hit
• Collision Damage: Deal 5 hull damage if they touch the player
• Points: 25 points when destroyed
• Visual: Red diamond-shaped ships with health bars

Score System

• Orbs: 10 points each (infinite, continuously respawning)
• Stations: 50 points each (8 total, one-time)
• Enemies: 25 points each (infinite spawning)
• Maximum Station Points: 400 (8 × 50)
• Score continues infinitely through orb collection and enemy destruction

Hull Integrity (Health System)

• Starting Health: 100%
• Damage Sources:
  • Meteoroid collision: -2% per hit
  • Enemy ship collision: -5% per hit
  • Enemy projectile hit: -10% per hit
• No Healing: Health cannot be restored
• Game Over: When hull reaches 0%

Technical Details

Camera System

• Follows the player ship, keeping it centered on screen
• World coordinates converted to screen coordinates
• Camera position: player.x - canvas.width/2, player.y - canvas.height/2

Play Area

• Approximate world size: 1500 × 800 units
• Player spawns at center (750, 400)
• Meteoroids wrap around edges
• Enemies spawn off-screen and enter the play area

Visual Effects

• Stars: 200 parallax background stars (move at 50% camera speed)
• Glows: Radial gradients around ships, stations, and orbs
• Particles: Boost creates fading orange particles
• Shadows: Meteoroids have dark glows
• Pulse Animation: Orbs pulse using sine wave (0.05 rad/frame)

Collision Detection

• Circle-based collision (distance formula)
• Player size: 8 units
• Orb collection: 15 units
• Station discovery: 60 units
• Enemy/meteoroid/projectile: size + player.size

Game Progression

1. Early Game: Focus on collecting orbs and discovering stations safely
2. Mid Game: Enemies begin spawning, requiring combat awareness
3. Late Game: Enemy spawn rate increases, requiring skilled maneuvering
4. Endless: No win condition - survive and score as long as possible

Strategy Tips

• Boost wisely: Use boost to escape dangerous situations or quickly collect orbs
• Kite enemies: Keep distance while shooting to avoid damage
• Prioritize threats: Enemy projectiles are more dangerous than collisions
• Station timing: Visit stations when the area is clear of enemies
• Movement patterns: Use momentum and friction to dodge effectively

Game Over

• Displays final score, stations discovered, and enemies destroyed
• Restart button reloads the page for a fresh game
• All progress resets (stations, score, enemies)

The game combines exploration, collection, and combat into a cohesive space adventure with infinite replayability!