Alien Head Game Development Guide

This document outlines the Alien Head clicker game, where players collect unique alien head skins.

Overview

Alien Head is a clicker game inspired by popular idle games. Players earn points by clicking an alien head and collect unique alien head skins through gameplay.

Core Features

• Click-to-Collect Mechanic: Players earn points by clicking an alien head
• Item Drops: Skins drop every 3 hours or upon reaching milestones
• Inventory System: Manage collectible alien head skins with rarity levels
• Clean UI/UX: Simple, engaging, and minimalist design with loading screen
• Steam Integration: Marketplace, trading, achievements and cloud saves
• Achievement System: Multiple achievements with progress tracking

Project Structure

The project is organized into two main directories:

Development Directory (Root)

alien-head/
├── src/                # Source code
│   ├── index.html     # Main game interface
│   ├── styles.css     # Game styling
│   ├── app.js         # Core game logic
│   ├── steamCloud.js  # Steam cloud save integration
│   └── steamManager.js# Steam features management
├── backgrounds/       # Background images
├── node_modules/     # Development dependencies
├── steam_store/      # Steam store assets
├── main.js           # Game entry point
├── package.json      # Project configuration
└── build_steam.ps1   # Steam build script

Distribution Directory (GAME/)

GAME/
├── src/              # Game source code
├── Alien Head Game.exe  # Game executable
├── *.dll             # Required Windows libraries
├── backgrounds/      # Game assets
└── package.json      # Runtime configuration

Development vs Distribution

• Development (Root Directory)

  • Used for active development
  • Contains all source code and tools
  • Includes Steam integration files
  • Has full npm dependencies
  • Contains documentation and build scripts

• Distribution (GAME Directory)

  • Ready-to-run game package
  • Contains only necessary runtime files
  • Includes NW.js runtime
  • No development tools or documentation
  • Can be packaged into single executable

Getting Started

Development

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Run the development version:

   npm start

Building Distribution

1. The GAME directory contains the distributable version
2. Use Enigma Virtual Box to package into single executable:
   • Input: GAME/Alien Head Game.exe
   • Add the entire GAME folder recursively
   • Output: Alien Head Game.exe

Steam Integration

• Steam API integration in src/steamManager.js
• Cloud saves handled by src/steamCloud.js
• Store assets in steam_store/
• Build script in build_steam.ps1

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!