Brick Breaker Game

This was my most ambitious project yet — combining everything I learned from the clicking game and snake game, plus new challenges around physics and multi-object collision detection.

Technical Concepts Mastered

• Physics Simulation — Ball velocity, angle reflection, and momentum transfer
• Multi-Object Collision Detection — Checking ball against paddle, walls, AND every brick each frame
• Level System Architecture — Generating brick layouts, tracking progress, increasing difficulty
• Lives & Game State — Managing multiple game states (playing, paused, game over, level complete)
• Mouse Input Tracking — Smooth paddle movement following cursor position

The Hardest Part

Getting the ball to bounce correctly off the paddle at different angles. I learned that where the ball hits the paddle should affect its trajectory — hitting the edge sends it at a sharper angle than hitting the center. This made the game feel much more skill-based and satisfying.

Architecture Insights

Unlike the simpler games, Brick Breaker needed proper separation:

• Game state object — Tracking ball, paddle, bricks, score, lives, level
• Update function — Moving objects, checking collisions each frame
• Render function — Drawing everything to canvas
• Event handlers — Mouse movement, clicks, state transitions

This taught me how real games are structured.

Key Takeaway

Complex projects are not built in one go — they are layered. I started with just a ball bouncing, then added a paddle, then bricks, then scoring, then levels. Each layer built on the last. AI helped me at each step, but understanding the layers was my job.