Block Breaker

Overview

Block Breaker is a classic arcade game implemented in Java using Swing for the graphical user interface. The objective of the game is to break all the blocks on the screen using a paddle and a ball. The game features multiple difficulty levels, various power-ups, and a visually appealing user interface.

This implementation is inspired by the classic Block Breaker game, enhanced with modern design elements and sound effects. It serves as an excellent example of a simple yet engaging game built using core Java libraries.

Gameplay Demo:

gameplay-demo.mp4

Screenshots

A screenshot of the game's Main Menu.

A screenshot of the games of Difficulty menu.

A screenshot of the game's Help Menu.

Features

• Multiple difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard).

• Power-ups including:

• Extend Paddle

• Slow Ball

• Fast Ball

• Shrink Ball

• Extra Life

• Multi Balls

• Score Boost

• Invincibility

• Sound effects for game events like paddle hit, block break, and game over.

• Background music and menu hover sounds.

• Customizable block patterns (Checkerboard, Striped, Triangle, Diamond, ZigZag, Double Triangle, Wave & Random Pattern).

• Pause and resume functionality.

• Game statistics display (score and remaining lives).

• Customizable Paddle (color, width, roundness).

Prerequisites

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or later.

• An IDE (e.g., Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA) or a simple text editor and terminal/command prompt for compilation and execution.

Project Structure

The project is structured into several Java files, each responsible for different aspects of the game:

• Main.java: The entry point of the game. It sets up the game window and main game loop.

• Gameplay.java: Manages the main game logic, including rendering the game elements, handling user input, and updating game states.

• BlockGenerator.java: Responsible for generating and rendering the blocks.

• DifficultyManager.java: Handles the different difficulty settings affecting game parameters like ball speed, initial lives, and paddle width.

• MenuScreen.java: Implements the main menu screen, including navigation and settings.

• RoundedButton.java: Defines a custom rounded button used in menus.

• HelpScreen.java: Displays help and game instructions to the user.

• SoundManager.java: Manages sound effects and background music.

• PowerUpManager.java: Controls the behavior and effects of various power-ups.

• Constants.java: Contains global constants used throughout the game.

Assets:

The /assets/ directory contains game assets including images for the backgrounds and blocks, fonts, and sounds.

• /assets/backgrounds/: Background images used for different levels.

• /assets/blocks/: Block images.

• /assets/font/: Custom font files.

• /assets/icons/: Icons used in the game UI.

• /assets/sounds/: Sound effects and background music.

Compilation and Execution

Using an IDE:

1. Open the project in your IDE.

2. Build the project using the IDE's build tools.

3. Run Main.java as the main class.

Using the Command Line (Windows, macOS, Linux):

1. Clone this repository

git clone https://github.com/exyreams/block-breaker.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

cd block-breaker

3. Compile all .java files:

javac game/*.java

4. Run the game using the Main class:

java -cp game Main

Note:

• In other OS, make sure to replace the .;game appropriately for defining classpath with multiple directory.

• On Linux & MacOS javac game/*.java might give error like javac: file not found: game/*.java, so, in order to make that work, we can simply execute:

find . -name "*.java"  > sources.txt && javac  @sources.txt

Controls

• Move Paddle: Left and right arrow keys (or 'A' and 'D' keys).

• Start/Restart Game: 'Enter' key.

• Pause/Resume: 'Esc' key.

• Main Menu: 'M' key (from the gameplay screen).

Customization

• Adding New Block Patterns:

• Create new methods in BlockGenerator.java to define new patterns.

• Update initializeBlocks() to include your new patterns.

• Modifying Difficulty Levels:

• Adjust the parameters in the Difficulty enum in DifficultyManager.java.

Troubleshooting

• If the game does not start, ensure that your classpath is set correctly, especially if you have resources like images and fonts in external directories.

Contributing

Contributions to enhance the game, add new features, or improve existing ones are welcome. Please feel free to fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a pull request.

License

This project is open-sourced under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute the code as per the license terms. (Note: You need to have a License file added in your project, that describes what a user can & cannot do regarding modifying the project for personal/commercial usage. For more info regarding it, you can check choosealicense.com)

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the classic Block Breaker game.

• Special thanks to the Java open-source community for providing extensive documentation and examples.

Contact

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments about the game, feel free to reach out to me at (Note: It would be good to use contact information from a different source rather than personal ones like emails from google, etc)

• Email: exyreams@gmail.com

• GitHub: exyreams (or project-specific GitHub Issues page link if you have)

I hope you enjoy playing Block Breaker!