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Building Combat Engines for Browser Games

Codeless Game Construction using Construct2 & Construct3

Stephen Gose

This is a collection of twelve (12!) conflict engines for any game genre. Each chapter leads you through various methods for combat encounter development. The chapters have both Construct 3 & 2 encodings and include a general License. It's perfect for novices, experienced web developers, and anyone wanting their bespoke game, artwork, and features.

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About

About

About the Book

This innovative collection of combat engines uses a dynamic tactic menu and narratives. It also supports "Play By Mail", "Play By Email", and Comic Book publishing. You can easily integrate these combat engines into any game genre's conflict encounters -- it is designed to replace the traditional "die-rolls" with more interactive combat participation.

I use this collection of conflict resolution systems in several of my RPG Series and other gaming products. Each system is a "stand-alone" and "In-Game" module that can replace, add to, or substitute any conflict resolution system in any game. 

 • Deployment modes -- single-player, multi-player, client-side only, and client/server.

 • All are turn-based -- meaning each player submits their tactics during a combat round. 

 • 'Game Turn Orders' (GTO) are submitted sequentially or simultaneously.

 • These are NOT tied to any gaming rules. This gives you the freedom to dictate, weapons used (physical or 'abstract' as in magic spells), damage inflicted, and duel termination conditions.

12 Combat Engines:

(also available as a single chapter purchase)

Participation Modes:

  • SPSA - Single Player / Single Avatar.
  • SPMA - Single Player / Multiple Avatar team.
  • MPSA - Multi-Player / Single Avatar.
  • MPMA - Multi-Player / Multiple Avatar teams as in Table-top wargames.

  • Combat Engine #1: "ce1"; "simple 5-second comparison" for spsa, spma, or mpsa; also perfect for card games such as "Black Jack" or "Magic the Gathering"!!
  • Combat Engine #2: "ce2"; with minimal narrative for spsa, spma, mpsa, and mpma; also perfect for creating Adventure Comic Gamebooks.
  • Combat Engine #3: "ce3"; the Original Standard Module from Legends of Renown Deeds
  • Combat Engine #4: "ce4"; "Match3-style" Game Mechanics; for spsa and mpsa.
  • Combat Engine #5: "ce5"; "Guitar Hero" styled combat for spsa, mpsa.
  • Combat Engine #6: "ce6"; "Rock, Paper, & Scissors" a child's game turned deadly for spsa, spma, mpsa, and mpma.
  • Combat Engine #7: "ce7"; "Astral & Cosmic" from the Mages of Renown Game Mechanics; for spsa, spma, mpsa, and mpma.
  • Combat Engine #8: "ce8"; "Click Fest Timing" for gamers on caffeine for spsa and mpsa. 
  • Combat Engine #9: "ce9"; "En Gard" simultaneous pattern comparisons; for spsa, spma, mpsa, and mpma.
  • Combat Engine #10: "ce10"; First Person "Action/Shooter" Game Mechanics.
  • Combat Engine #11: "ce11"; "Wheel of Fortune"; diced percental event substitution.
  • Combat Engine #12: "ce12"; "Los Vegas-style Slot Machine".

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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All packages include the ebook in the following formats: PDF, EPUB, and Web

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This is the student workshop textbook ONLY WITHOUT artwork resources; NO Source Code Files.

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    Non-attendee student resource files

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    Amazon or other Book Distributor purchases! Only LeanPub.com offers workshop resources and source code files. See your workbook Part IV for your reimbursement coupon. Here are the resource files available to workshop attendees.

    $12.99

    • Artwork Assets for Combat Engines
      This is the artwork collection used in Combat Engines
    • Construct2 Workshop Package
      These are the Construct2 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
    • Construct3 Workshop Package
      These are the Construct3 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.

    This book is also available in the following packages:

    • Instruct workshop book, instruction resources, & files

      These are the Instructor's resources to conduct the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.

      • Construct2 Workshop Package
        These are the Construct2 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
      • Instructor Resource Files
        These are the Instructor resource files to conduct the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
      • Artwork Assets for Combat Engines
        This is the artwork collection used in Combat Engines
      • Construct3 Workshop Package
        These are the Construct3 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
      Minimum price
      $24.99
      Suggested price
      $125.00

    • Student Workshop Book & Files

      These are the Construct2 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.

      • Construct2 Workshop Package
        These are the Construct2 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
      • Artwork Assets for Combat Engines
        This is the artwork collection used in Combat Engines
      • Construct3 Workshop Package
        These are the Construct3 Combat Engines for the "Building Combat Engines for Browser Games" workshop.
      Minimum price
      $12.99
      Suggested price
      $129.99

      Buying multiple copies for your team? See below for a discount!

    Team Discounts

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    Get a team discount on this package: Student Workshop Book & Files

    • Up to 3 members

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      Suggested price
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    • Up to 5 members

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      Suggested price
      $199.00

    • Up to 10 members

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    • Up to 15 members

      Minimum price
      $129.00
      Suggested price
      $499.00

    • Up to 25 members

      Minimum price
      $194.00
      Suggested price
      $749.00

    Author

    About the Author

    Stephen Gose

    Avatar is an adorable cartoon sketch of my wife. My 48th anniversary is this coming Sept 1, 2026!

    Stephen Gose, Ph.D. Information Systems (honorary) (and second-generation German) is a retired Professor Emeritus with a 41-year career as a certified network engineer, and "Certified Cisco Academy Instructor" (CCAI) since 2002. He is listed in the Who's Who for Information Technology for his directly related work for the Internet backbones in the Caribbean, Netherlands, Israel, and Russia. He was awarded "Letters of Appreciation" from AT&T, and the German, Israeli, Dutch, and Russian Governments. Steve has nearly three decades of international "teaching and conference lecturing" in both Local-Area and Wide-Area Networks, network security, Internet backbones, software engineering, and program/project management. He is a retired US Army Signal Corps Officer. He earned, in 2014, the ITT Technical Institute's "Instructor of the Year" out of 8,000 instructors across 144 campuses throughout the USA. 

    He graduated from Grand Canyon University with his first B.A. in Religions and Music Education, then a B.S. in Business Admin. from the University of Maryland, and an M.B.A. in International Management from Liberty University.

    He is currently pursuing his Th.D. He has been a licensed minister since 1972 and a missionary to Okinawa, Japan. He earned the US Army Chaplain Outstanding Service Award in 1983. 

    In his spare time(?), Steve enjoys creating online casual games, software engineering, and managing his online gaming businesses. 

    My driving theme: "Always stay humble and kind"

    His website is: https://www.Stephen-Gose.com/

    His game showcase is: http://www.renown-games.com

    His theology website: http://kingdomofgodprinciples.com/

    Game Support Site: http://makingbrowsergames.com/

    Review my profile on LinkedIn.com: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-gose/

    Contents

    Table of Contents

    Preface

    1. Distribution Permission
    2. Forewords
    3. Disclosures
    4. Disclaimer
    5. Workbook Content
    6. > For Patrons from Amazon and other Book Distributors
    7. > About this Workbook
    8. > How to Read & Use this workbook:
    9. > Viewing the eBook:
    10. > External Links
    11. > References Used
    12. Your newly obtained skills …
    13. More Resources
    14. Programming Courses
    15. IPart I — Concept & Design

    1“Code-less” Game Design

    1. Approaching Game Development
    2. Focusing Your Game
    3. 1.1Game Genres Defined
    4. GG Interactive — Game Design Course
    5. 1.2Demand for Abstract Games
    6. 1.3Game Delivery Modes
    7. > Mobile “In Apps Purchases” (IAP) ROI
    8. 1.4Game Tools & Generators
    9. > The Digital Ludeme Project
    10. > Ludii General Game System

    2Combat Engine Designs

    1. Challenges for Game Designers
    2. 2.1Engine Considerations
    3. > Determining Successful “Hits”
    4. > Determining Inflicted Damage
    5. > Combination Experiments
    6. > “Now What!” — Answering Our Question #3
    7. > Summary
    8. 2.2So, Give Me Some Space …
    9. “The Four Virtues of a good tactical turn-based combat system”
    10. > Deeper Dive: Melee Weapons
    11. > Deeper Dive: Ranged Weapons
    12. 2.3Rules of Engagement: Take 5 paces, turn and …
    13. 2.4Yo bro, give me some skin …
    14. > Creating an Avatar’s Visuals
    15. > Creating an Avatar’s metadata
    16. 2.5Been there … done that …
    17. 2.6Finite State Machines (FSM)
    18. > FSM Resolving Combat Outcomes
    19. > FSM Resolving AI behaviors
    20. 2.7Recursive World Feedback
    21. > Probability Data Tables

    3Project Management Overview

    1. 3.1“Loose lips sink ships” … and revenues!
    2. 3.2Game Recipe™ just add Artwork, stir, & season to taste!
    3. > Conflict Resolution & Victory
    4. > Deeper Dive: Developer’s Right or Left-handed Bias?
    5. 3.3Development:
    6. > Step #1: Understanding “Human Limitations” & Requirements
    7. Reaction Time Statistics
    8. Get in and get out!
    9. > Step #2: The “Elevator Speech” & Description
    10. “Elevator Speech”
    11. 3.4Design:
    12. How Browser Games Load
    13. Deconstructing Gameplay
    14. > Deeper Dive: Putting Background Stories in the Wrong Place
    15. Seven Deadly Sins of Strategy Game Design
    16. 3.5Construct’s “Code-less” Encoding
    17. > Deeper Dive: Creating Display Mechanisms — a 4-Step method

    4Part I: Conclusion

    1. How to Succeed at Making One Game a Month
    2. IIPart II: Starting a C2 Production
    3. “ACTUALLY START THE DAMN GAME” …

    5C2 “Combat Engine” Project

    1. 5.1About Your Project
    2. 5.2Project Settings:
    3. 5.3Configuration Settings
    4. 5.4Design Considerations: CMS, PWA, or SWPA?!
    5. > Creating a C2 SWPA Game Version?
    6. > Creating a C2 CMS or PWA Game Version?
    7. 5.5Season to Taste …
    8. 5.6Comparing your code
    9. IIIPart III: Starting a C3 Production
    10. ACTUALLY START THE DAMN GAME …

    6C3 “Combat Engine” Project

    1. 6.1About Your Project
    2. 6.2Project Settings: Color Theme, Start-up & Display
    3. 6.3Configuration Settings: Advanced & Editor
    4. 6.4Design Considerations: CMS, PWA, or SWPA?!
    5. > Creating a C3 SWPA Game Version?
    6. > Creating a C3 CMS or PWA Game Version?
    7. 6.5Season to Taste …
    8. 6.6Comparing your code
    9. IVPart IV: Combat Engines (CE)
    10. How to Use this Collection
    11. Combat Engine License

    7CE #1 — “5-Second Comparison”

    1. 7.1Developer’s Guide
    2. > Gameplay Flow
    3. > The Workhorse — “es_ce1Config”!
    4. > Keyboard commands
    5. > Supporting Functions
    6. > Upload Saved Avatars
    7. >“In-Game Module” (IGM) Example
    8. 7.2Construct Source Code
    9. > Bonus Card Game — “Black Jack” (IGM)

    8CE #2 — “Minimal Narratives”

    1. 8.1Developer’s Guide
    2. > Client/Server — HTML, W3CSS, JQuery, AJAX, & PHP Source Code
    3. > Client-side — Construct Source Code
    4. 8.2Construct Source Code
    5. > Bonus RPG IGM — “The Blood Pit Arena”™

    9CE #3 — “Original Standard Module”

    1. 9.1Developer’s Guide
    2. 9.2Construct Source Code

    10CE #4 — “Match3”

    1. 10.1Developer’s Overview
    2. Developer’s Notes Quoted from “es_IGM”
    3. 10.2Construct Source Code

    11CE #5 — “Guitar Hero”

    1. 11.1Design Options …
    2. 11.2Developer’s Overview
    3. 11.3Construct Source Code
    4. > Bonus Racing Games

    12CE #6 — “Rock, Paper, Scissors” (RPS)

    1. 12.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 12.2Construct Source Code

    13CE #7 — “Astral & Cosmic Magic”

    1. 13.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 13.2Construct Source Code

    14CE #8 — “Click Fest”

    1. 14.1Construct Source Code

    15CE #9 — “En Gard”

    1. 15.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 15.2Construct Source Code
    3. VCE#9 Developer’s Guide

    16Design Overview Topics

    1. 16.1Gameplay Flow
    2. > “Game Clicked” Phase
    3. > “Boot & Load” Phases
    4. > “Splash / Language” Phase
    5. How Languages Got Their Directionality by Steph Koyfman April 28, 2021
    6. Right-To-Left Languages
    7. Top-To-Bottom Languages
    8. Content languages market position report.
    9. Multi-Player Login
    10. > “Game Lobby” Phase
    11. > “Play” Phase
    12. > “Game Finished” Phase
    13. 16.2Navigation
    14. 16.3Game Perspectives
    15. 16.4Adding Your Bespoke Gaming Features
    16. 16.5Player Participation Modes
    17. 16.6Multi-Player Roles

    17Layouts & Event Sheets

    1. 17.1“Swordplay” Layout
    2. > “es_Common” Event Sheet
    3. > “es_swordPlay” Event Sheet
    4. 17.2Administration Folders
    5. > “AdminConfig” Layout
    6. > “es_adminConfig” Event Sheet
    7. 17.3CMS Folders
    8. Business Related Services
    9. Sample “Splash / Language” Layout
    10. > Sample “es_splashLang” Event Sheet
    11. “Main Menu” Layout
    12. > “es_mainMenu” Event Sheet
    13. “Credits” (internal) Layout
    14. > “es_Credits” Event Sheet
    15. Gamer’s “Options” Layout
    16. > “es_options” Event Sheet
    17. “Help” (internal) Layouts
    18. > “es_help” Event Sheet
    19. 17.4Multi-Player Folders
    20. MMoG Login Layout
    21. > “es_mmog_Logon” Event Sheets
    22. > (Include) “es_mmog_Signalling” Event Sheet
    23. > (Include) “es_mmog_Host” Event Sheet
    24. > (Include) “es_mmog_Peer” Event Sheet
    25. > (Include) “es_mmog_Common” Event Sheet
    26. “Game Lobby” Sample Layout
    27. Optional Game Lobby (Group Sample)
    28. MMoG “Prepare To Duel” Layout
    29. > “es_prepToDuel” Event Sheet
    30. “Tavern Brawl” Layout
    31. MMoG Fight Layout
    32. > “es_mmog_Fight” Event Sheet
    33. MMoG Won & Lost Layout

    18CE #10 — “1st Person”

    1. 18.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 18.2Construct Source Code

    19CE #11 — “Wheel of Fate”

    1. 19.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 19.2Construct Source Code

    20CE #12 — “Slot Machine”

    1. 20.1Developer’s Overview
    2. 20.2Construct Source Code

    21What’s next?

    1. “How to publish a game on the web??”
    2. 21.1Game Distribution & Marketing
    3. 21.2Introduction: 8-Step Deployment Method.
    4. 21.3Port to a Console
    5. 21.4Selling Directly — The Advantages
    6. Shareably (SBLY) looking to rent your games
    7. 21.5Book Review Protocol
    8. 21.6Tell the world about your game!

    22Conclusion

    1. Appendix

    More Resources …

    1. “You don’t know JS Yet” by Kyle Simpson
    2. Construct Demos

    Appendix: Game Developer Tool Kits

    1. Artwork Resources
    2. Selling your Game Artwork & Assets
    3. JavaScript Garden

    Additional Appendices

    1. Appendix: “How to Start a WebSocket”
    2. Testing Your Browser
    3. Test sites:
    4. WebSocket Protocol Handshake
    5. > Deeper Dive: WebSocket API
    6. Sample Source Code: Client-side WebSocket
    7. >Step #1: Game index page
    8. >Step #2: Generate Event handlers

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