Level Up Your Discord Server With an Awesome Game Bot

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Switching from Unity to Discord as a Game Engine
3. Creating a Discord Bot with the API
4. Integrating the Sokoban Game into the Discord Bot
5. Implementing Reaction Commands for User Input
6. Enhancing the Visuals of the Game
7. Creating a Custom Icon for the Bot
8. Enabling Multiple Users to Play Simultaneously
9. Fixing Color Assignments for Individual Users
10. Conclusion

Switching from Unity to Discord as a Game Engine

In the world of game development, Unity has been a popular choice among professionals. However, lately, there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the direction Unity is heading. New features are being locked behind paywalls, even for pro members, and each update introduces more bugs and divides the community. As a professional game developer, I found myself looking for a more capable game engine, and surprisingly, I turned to Discord. While Discord is not a game engine itself, its API allows for the creation of bots that can utilize Discord's functions, such as messages and reactions. This sparked an idea in me - why not Create a game in Discord that emulates the experience of playing games in a terminal?

Creating a Discord Bot with the API

Before diving into the game development aspect, I needed to familiarize myself with Discord's API and how to Interact with it using a programming language. After some research, I discovered a helpful wrapper library called JDA (Java Discord API). Armed with JDA, I was able to set up a bot that could listen for user commands and return messages. The API allowed me to access the content of messages, enabling me to check for specific keywords or commands and perform actions Based on them.

Integrating the Sokoban Game into the Discord Bot

With the basic bot functionality in place, I started working on integrating my existing Sokoban game, created as a Java console application, into the Discord bot. The game's logic remained unchanged, but I had to modify how user input was handled and how the updated GRID was returned. Instead of waiting for user input in a console application, I transformed the game's update loop into a method that only ran when a command with a specific prefix was received. The game's responses, which were previously printed to the console, were now sent as Discord messages in the Channel where the command was received.

Implementing Reaction Commands for User Input

While the command-based input system worked, it felt slow and tedious to Type in long commands for simple actions like moving. To tackle this issue, I decided to implement reaction commands using Discord's emoji functionality. By adding specific reactions to each bot message, users could simply press a button to trigger an action. When a user added a reaction, the bot would detect it and execute the corresponding command. This made the gameplay experience much more convenient and natural.

Enhancing the Visuals of the Game

One aspect that needed improvement was the visual presentation of the game. The default text formatting and bright white background of Discord messages were not visually appealing. To address this, I introduced embeds, which allowed for more structured and visually pleasing messages. Embeds could have titles, text fields, and other formatting options. I developed a method that could build and send embeds with the necessary information for each game state. With the introduction of embeds, the game started looking much more polished.

Creating a Custom Icon for the Bot

To give the bot a unique identity, I decided to create a custom icon using GIMP, a free image editing software. The icon served as a representation of the bot and added a personalized touch to the overall Discord experience. By designing a distinctive icon, the bot became more recognizable and Memorable to users.

Enabling Multiple Users to Play Simultaneously

Initially, the bot had a limitation where multiple users controlling the bot would interfere with each other since they shared the same game instance. To resolve this issue, I leveraged the object-oriented nature of my game code and introduced HashMaps to link users with their respective game instances. With this modification, each user could have their own instance of the game, ensuring that their commands did not affect other players. The introduction of HashMaps allowed for a smooth multiplayer experience.

Fixing Color Assignments for Individual Users

While each user had their own game instance, there was still a problem with color assignments. The color of the game was shared across all instances because it was stored in the bot object rather than individual game objects. To address this, I changed the way color was stored and assigned, ensuring that each user had their own unique color scheme. This adjustment improved the overall user experience and added a personal touch to the game.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Journey of using Discord as a game engine was a unique and rewarding experience. By leveraging Discord's API and integrating my Sokoban game, I was able to create a fully playable game within Discord. The implementation of reaction commands, the enhancement of visuals, the addition of a custom icon, and the enabling of multiple users to play simultaneously all contributed to an engaging and enjoyable gaming experience. While Discord may not be a conventional game engine, it demonstrated its versatility and potential in the realm of game development.