Rope Ascend

A minimalist 2D physics platformer inspired by Worms Armageddon's iconic Ninja Rope, built around the pure joy of a grappling rope. Swing, shorten/lengthen the rope, and chain momentum to climb an endless, procedurally generated chasm while a hazard rises from below. Aim to reach your personal best height.

Demo/Quick Start

• Open index.html in a modern desktop browser; no build step required.
• If your browser blocks local file access for assets, serve the folder with a static server:
  • Python: python3 -m http.server 8000 then visit http://localhost:8000
  • Node (serve): npx serve -p 8000 then visit http://localhost:8000

Controls

• LMB (hold): Fire and hold rope; release to detach
• W: Shorten rope
• S: Lengthen rope
• A / D: Apply swing force (clockwise / counterclockwise)
• Menu: SPACE or ENTER to start
• Game Over: R or SPACE to restart; M or ESC to return to menu
• Logging: Press L during play to download a recent gameplay log (rope_log_*.json)

Features

• Focused core loop: Shoot, latch, swing, release, repeat
• Matter.js physics with rope constraint and swing forces
• Procedural infinite chasm with sparse, strategic platforms and optional ceilings
• Rising hazard that constantly pressures upward movement
• Score and high score stored locally via localStorage
• Pixel-art rendering with simple sprites and procedural textures on platforms
• In-game debug overlay with state, rope, streaming, and hazard info

Tech Stack

• Language: Vanilla JavaScript (ES5/ES6)
• Rendering: HTML5 Canvas
• Physics: matter-js@0.19.0 (via CDN)
• No build tooling: Single index.html entrypoint with <script> tags

Project Structure

assets/        # Sprites (player, kunai, obstacle tiles)
css/           # Styles for centered layout and canvas
docu/Readme.md # Game design document (concept and mechanics)
js/            # Game modules (input, physics, rope, world, etc.)
index.html     # Entry point (loads matter.js and game modules)

Key modules:

• js/main.js — Game loop, state orchestration, module wiring
• js/input.js — Mouse/keyboard input manager
• js/physics.js — Matter.Engine setup and world helpers
• js/player.js — Player body and state
• js/rope.js — Rope attach/detach, length control (W/S), swing forces (A/D), pivot handling
• js/world.js — Procedural world generation, chunk streaming, platforms/ceilings/walls
• js/hazard.js — Rising hazard logic and visuals
• js/scoring.js — Height-based scoring, high score persistence
• js/camera.js — Upward-following camera with threshold
• js/renderer.js — All draw calls, sprites, rope rendering, UI and debug overlay
• js/logger.js — Rolling gameplay log and JSON download on L

How to Play

1. Click the canvas once to ensure it has focus
2. Press SPACE/ENTER to start
3. Aim with the mouse and hold LMB to fire/hold the rope
4. Use A/D to pump the swing; use W/S to shorten/lengthen the rope
5. Release LMB at the apex to launch; reattach quickly to chain swings
6. Avoid the rising hazard and climb as high as you can

Tuning and Configuration (for tinkerers)

• Rope max range: maxRange in js/rope.js
• Rope length change rate: lengthChangeRate in js/rope.js
• Swing force: swingForce in js/rope.js
• Hazard speed: riseSpeed in js/hazard.js (or call setRiseSpeed() at runtime)
• World generation density/spacing: see generatePlatforms and related helpers in js/world.js
• Chunk size: chunkWidth, chunkHeight in js/world.js

Troubleshooting

• Nothing happens on keypress: click the canvas to focus it
• Sprites not visible: ensure assets/ is present and served; check browser console for 404s
• CDN blocked/offline: replace the Matter.js CDN in index.html with a local copy
• High score not saving: confirm localStorage is enabled in your browser/profile

Development Notes

• The design document lives in docu/Readme.md and outlines the vision, loop, and controls
• Logs: press L in-game to download a recent rolling log of inputs, rope state, and nearby geometry
• The renderer uses cached procedural textures for platforms/ceilings to reduce draw overhead

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. For larger changes, please open an issue first to discuss scope.

Acknowledgements

• Inspired by the Ninja Rope from Worms Armageddon
• Physics powered by Matter.js