My team is deep into the development of our wildland firefighting simulator, now officially titled Wildfire Command. Progress has been exciting, but none of it would be possible without the technologies that make development smooth and efficient. While our toolset is relatively small, each plays a crucial role in bringing the game to life.
Our Tech Stack
- Phaser – A 2D game engine for JavaScript-based development.
- WebStorm – A JetBrains IDE designed for efficient coding.
- GitHub – A version control system for managing our project.
- Google Docs – A planning and design documentation tool.
Each of these technologies has been invaluable, and I’ve come to appreciate their strengths throughout this process.
Development in Phaser and WebStorm
All coding for Wildfire Command is done using Phaser, a popular 2D game framework for JavaScript, within WebStorm, JetBrains’ powerful IDE.
Phaser has been fantastic for handling game logic, animations, and physics. It provides a straightforward way to manage sprites, process user input, and structure game loops. The Phaser documentation has been particularly useful, and while there was a learning curve, understanding how scenes, sprites, and physics interact made development significantly smoother.
WebStorm has also been a standout tool. Its intelligent code suggestions, built-in debugging tools, and seamless Git integration make development incredibly efficient. The UI is structured well—keeping essential tools easily accessible while offering advanced features when needed.
Learning Challenges and Growth
While development is progressing well, I’ve hit a roadblock with sprite management. Specifically, I’m struggling with making fire sprites “sizzle out” once a tile runs out of fuel and is considered burnt. My issue likely stems from not fully understanding groups in Phaser, and I haven’t been able to correctly implement the logic to handle this transition.
Despite the challenge, I’m confident that with time, determination, and more research, I’ll find a solution. After all, this is my first time making a game—overcoming obstacles is just part of the process.
How Phaser Works (In My Own Words)
Phaser is a game engine that provides a structured way to create and run 2D games in the browser. It follows a scene-based architecture, where different game states (like menus, levels, and game-over screens) are handled as separate scenes.
At its core, a Phaser game consists of:
- A Configuration Object – Defines game settings like dimensions, physics, and which scenes to load.
- Scenes – Manage different parts of the game (e.g., main menu, gameplay, game over screen).
- Sprites and Objects – Represent visual elements like characters, fire animations, and UI elements.
- Physics System – Handles movement, collision detection, and interactions.
- Game Loop – Updates the game state and renders changes on each frame.
In Wildfire Command, Phaser is responsible for rendering the game world, managing fire spread logic, and integrating dynamic weather effects to influence fire behavior realistically and integrating with the weather simulation to dynamically influence fire behavior.
Final Thoughts
Overall, development has gone well, and I’ve been happy with my chosen tech stack. If I could start over, I wouldn’t change much—though I might explore alternative game engines just to compare.
For anyone looking to build a browser-based simulation or game, Phaser and WebStorm make an excellent combination. Phaser’s documentation and active community make it approachable, while WebStorm’s features enhance productivity.
What technologies have you been using in your project? Let me know what’s been working best for you!
