Sneak Peak

✨ Features

Progressive Difficulty System

The game intelligently adapts to your skill level:

• Pipe velocity increases gradually as your score climbs

• Velocity increment: +0.5 every 10 points

• Maximum speed cap at -7 pixels/frame

• Smooth difficulty curve ensures extended gameplay sessions

  
  

Combo System

• Combo counter activates after passing 2+ pipes without touching the ground

• Bonus scoring: Base 0.5 points + (combo multiplier × 0.5)

• Example: 5-combo grants 3 bonus points per pipe (0.5 + 5×0.5)

• Visual feedback with yellow combo indicator

• Max combo tracking displayed on game over screen

  
  

Persistent High Score System

Your achievements are permanently saved:

• Automatic high score detection and storage

• Loads previous best score on game startup

  
  

Particle Effect Engine

• Yellow particles: Successful pipe navigation

• Cyan particles: Shield absorption of damage

• Red particles: Collision/game over events

• Physics-based particle behavior with gravity simulation

• 30-frame lifespan with alpha fade for smooth disappearance

• Random velocity vectors create organic-looking effects

  
  

🎮 Game Mechanics

Physics Engine

The game implements a realistic gravity-based physics system:

Gravity: 1 pixel/frame²
Jump Velocity: -9 pixels/frame
Horizontal Pipe Speed: -4 to -7 pixels/frame (adaptive)
Bird Dimensions: 51×36 pixels
Pipe Dimensions: 64×512 pixels
Gap Size: boardHeight/4 (160 pixels)

Collision Detection

Axis-Aligned Bounding Box (AABB) collision system:

• Precise hitbox detection for bird-pipe interactions

• Separate collision detection for power-up collection

• Shield system uses per-pipe collision tracking to prevent multi-frame triggering

Scoring System

Multi-layered scoring rewards skilled play:

1. Base Score: 0.5 points per pipe (1 point per pipe pair)

2. Combo Bonus: (combo × 0.5) additional points when combo > 2

3. Power-Up Bonus: +5 instant points from green power-ups

Example scoring at 10× combo:

• Base: 0.5

• Combo Bonus: 5.0

• Total per pipe: 5.5 points

🔮 Power-Up System

Shield Power-Up (Blue "S")

The Guardian Angel

• Visual: Cyan bubble surrounding the bird

• Duration: 5 seconds OR until collision

• Effect: Absorbs one pipe collision without triggering game over

• Mechanics:

  • Per-pipe collision tracking prevents multi-frame bugs

  • Creates spectacular cyan particle burst on absorption

  • Timer displayed in top-left corner

  • Strategic collection can enable risky maneuvers

Use Case: Navigate through tight gaps or recover from positioning mistakes

Points Power-Up (Green "+")

The Score Booster

• Visual: Green circle with "+" symbol

• Effect: Instant +5 points added to score

• Mechanics:

  • Immediate score addition upon collection

  • Green particle explosion confirms collection

  • No duration—instant gratification

🎯 Controls

Control Philosophy

Minimal, intuitive controls ensure accessibility while maintaining gameplay depth. Single-button jump mechanic (SPACE) puts emphasis on timing and positioning rather than complex input combinations.

🏗️ Technical Architecture

Class Structure

FlappyBird (Main Panel)

The central orchestrator extending JPanel:

• Implements ActionListener for game loop

• Implements KeyListener for user input

• Manages all game state and rendering

• Coordinates between subsystems

Inner Classes

Bird Class

- Position tracking (x, y)
- Dimensions (width, height)
- Image reference
- Shield status and timer
- Represents player entity

Pipe Class

- Position and dimensions
- Image reference
- Passed flag (scoring)
- Shield usage tracking (collision system)
- Represents obstacle entities

PowerUp Class

- Position and size
- Type identifier (shield/points)
- Collection status
- Represents collectible entities

Particle Class

- Position and velocity vectors
- Size and color
- Lifespan counter
- Physics update method
- Represents visual effect entities

Game Loop Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      Game Loop (60 FPS)         │
│   Timer: 1000/60 milliseconds   │
└────────────┬────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   actionPerformed() Method      │
└────────────┬────────────────────┘
             │
    ┌────────┴────────┐
    ▼                 ▼
┌─────────┐      ┌──────────┐
│ AutoPlay│      │  Manual  │
│  Logic  │      │  Control │
└────┬────┘      └─────┬────┘
     └──────┬──────────┘
            ▼
    ┌───────────────┐
    │   move()      │
    │   Update      │
    │   Physics     │
    └───────┬───────┘
            ▼
    ┌─────────────── ┐
    │updatePowerUps()│
    │   Collect &    │
    │   Move Items   │
    └───────┬─────── ┘
            ▼
    ┌─────────────────┐
    │updateParticles()│
    │   Animate       │
    │   Effects       │
    └───────┬─────────┘
            ▼
    ┌───────────────┐
    │   repaint()   │
    │   Render All  │
    └───────────────┘

💻 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or higher

• Any Java IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, VS Code) or command line

Required Assets

Place these image files in the same directory as your Java files:

├── flappybirdbg.png    (Background: 360×640)
├── flappybird.png      (Bird sprite: 51×36)
├── toppipe.png         (Top pipe: 64×512)
└── bottompipe.png      (Bottom pipe: 64×512)

Compilation & Execution

Using Command Line:

# Compile
javac App.java FlappyBird.java

# Run
java App

Using IDE:

1. Create new Java project

2. Add App.java and FlappyBird.java to source folder

3. Add image assets to source folder

4. Run App.java

📁 Code Structure

File Organization

FlappyBird+/
├── App.java                 # Entry point, JFrame setup
├── FlappyBird.java          # Main game logic
├── highscore.txt            # Generated at runtime
├── flappybirdbg.png         # Asset: Background
├── flappybird.png           # Asset: Player sprite
├── toppipe.png              # Asset: Top obstacle
├── bottompipe.png           # Asset: Bottom obstacle
└── README.md                # This file

Key Methods

Game Loop Methods:

• actionPerformed() - 60 FPS update cycle

• move() - Physics and collision processing

• draw() - Rendering pipeline

• paintComponent() - Swing rendering entry point

Gameplay Methods:

• placePipes() - Pipe and power-up spawning

• autoPlayLogic() - AI decision making

• collision() - AABB collision detection (overloaded)

• updatePowerUps() - Power-up movement and collection

• applyPowerUp() - Power-up effect application

Utility Methods:

• createParticles() - Particle effect generation

• updateParticles() - Particle physics and cleanup

• saveHighScore() - Persistent storage

• loadHighScore() - Data retrieval

• getPowerUpColor() - Visual theming

• getPowerUpSymbol() - Icon rendering