Inspiration

🐵 Monkey Jump — 2D Platform Climber Game

📌 About the Project

Monkey Jump is a fun and addictive 2D jump-and-climb game where the player controls a cute monkey and tries to reach as high as possible by jumping between wooden platforms.
The goal is simple: keep climbing, don’t fall, and beat your high score.

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💡 Inspiration

I wanted to create a simple but engaging game that anyone could play instantly.
My inspiration came from classic endless jump games where the gameplay feels easy at first, but gradually becomes challenging as you climb higher.

I chose a cute monkey character because it makes the game friendly, joyful, and visually appealing — especially for mobile players.

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🧠 What I Learned

This project helped me learn and practice many important game development concepts, including:

• Game loop & frame update logic
  
• Player movement + jump physics
• Platform spawning (procedural generation)
• Collision handling
• Camera follow system
• UI elements like score and level display
• Debugging unexpected gameplay bugs

I also learned how to make gameplay feel smooth and responsive using clean logic and tuning parameters.

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🛠️ How I Built the Project

I built the game step-by-step:

1) Player Jump System

I created a simple jump system where the monkey jumps upward with velocity and then falls back down due to gravity.

Gravity is applied continuously:

[ v_y = v_y - g\Delta t ] [ y = y + v_y\Delta t ]

Where:

• ( v_y ) = vertical velocity
• ( g ) = gravity strength
• ( \Delta t ) = time between frames

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2) Platform Generation (Endless Level)

To make the game endless, I generated platforms dynamically.
When the player climbs higher, new platforms spawn above, and the old platforms below are removed/recycled.

I used random X positions within a safe range:

[ x = x_{min} + rand(0,1)\cdot(x_{max} - x_{min}) ]

This keeps the level fresh every time you play.

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3) Collision & Landing Logic

When the monkey falls and touches a platform, the game detects collision and triggers a jump bounce.

I ensured the player can land only when falling:

• if ( v_y < 0 ) and collision happens → land/jump
• if ( v_y > 0 ) → ignore collision (prevents sticking)

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4) Score System

The score increases as the monkey reaches higher positions.
A simple method is to track the highest Y reached:

[ Score = \max(Score,\; y_{player}) ]

This encourages players to continuously beat their own record.

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⚡ Challenges I Faced

✅ 1) Jumping Outside Platforms

One major issue was that the player could jump even when not properly standing on platforms (edge case collision).
To fix this, I improved collision detection to check:

• player is falling
• player bottom is within platform bounds
• platform is directly under player

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✅ 2) Balancing Difficulty

If platforms are too close → too easy.
If too far → frustrating.

So I had to adjust:

• platform spacing
• spawn positions
• jump force
• gravity strength

until gameplay felt fun and fair.

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✅ 3) Recycling Platforms Smoothly

Removing platforms too early caused weird gaps.
Removing them too late caused performance issues.

So I added a recycle threshold — platforms below a certain Y are reused or deleted.

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🚀 Final Outcome

In the end, I successfully created a smooth 2D jumping game with:

• Endless climbing gameplay
• Random platform generation
• Cute monkey character
• Score tracking and challenge element

This project improved my confidence in building complete game mechanics and solving gameplay bugs through iteration and testing.

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✅ Future Improvements (Next Updates)

In the future, I want to add:

• Power-ups (double jump, shield, magnet)
• Obstacles / enemies
• Better animations and sound effects
• Skins system (different monkey costumes)

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🎮 Monkey Jump was a great learning experience and a fun project to build!

Built With

• 2d
• javascript