Byte-Sized Bakery: Building a Nostalgic Cake-Making Game

The foundation of this project stems from a nostalgia for childhood gaming experiences, particularly those centered around cooking and creation. Through my growing interest in coding, I discovered an opportunity to transform these memories into a digital reality. What began as curiosity about programming's possibilities evolved into a focused project combining nostalgic gameplay elements with modern development techniques.

My ideation process focused on thoughtfully combining key elements from both Pizzatron 3000 and Cooking Mama into a cohesive new experience. The core components were broken down into:

Interactive Elements:

• Created selectable toppings, frostings, and cake bases inspired by Pizzatron's ingredient counter

• Developed a component system allowing for precise placement and combination of elements

Visual Design:

• Implemented a retro kitchen aesthetic drawing from Cooking Mama's warm, inviting environment

• Integrated a personalized touch by animating my own headshot as the main character

Game Mechanics:

• Adapted Pizzatron's time-based order fulfillment system

• Incorporated increasing difficulty through progressively complex cake orders

The development process followed a systematic approach:

Asset Development:

• Identified required visual components: custom avatar, kitchen backdrop, cake components, and packaging

• Generated initial assets using ChatGPT's image-generation capabilities

• Refined all visuals through Canva, with a focus on clean backgrounds and consistent sizing

Game Structure Implementation:

• Created an engaging introduction sequence with music integration

• Developed player information collection system

• Built a dynamic order generation system using control blocks to manage the timing

• Implemented a 60-second gameplay timer with appropriate end-state handling

Technical Integration:

• Utilized control blocks to manage menu item rotation timing

• Created a variable system to track and display customer requests

• Implemented game state management for the intro, gameplay, and completion phases

Test: The testing phase focused on three critical gameplay segments:

Initial Phase (0-30 seconds):

• Verified limited component options (2 choices each for bases, frostings, and toppings)

• Confirmed 3-second order display intervals

• Tested basic order submission mechanics

Advanced Phase (30-60 seconds):

• Validated expanded component options (3-4 choices)

• Verified accelerated 2-second order intervals

• Tested increased difficulty progression

Order Fulfillment System:

• Confirmed box selection in corner triggers order submission

• Tested counter increment functionality

• Verified proper order clearing after submission

Through testing, several critical issues were identified and resolved:

Component Movement:

• Initial Bug: Components either remained static or moved too rapidly

• Solution: Adjusted timing variables and implemented smoother transition controls

• Result: Achieved balanced component movement speed

Variable Display:

• Initial Bug: Incomplete display of add/replace variables

• Solution: Restructured variable initialization and display logic

• Result: Ensured consistent display of all component options

Visual Alignment:

• Initial Bug: Cake components appeared misaligned

• Solution: Implemented precise coordinate system for component placement

• Result: Achieved visually coherent cake assembly appearance

Difficulty Progression:

• Initial Bug: Inconsistent transition between difficulty levels

• Solution: Created separate control structures for each difficulty phase

• Result: Smooth progression from basic to advanced gameplay

Counter Functionality:

• Initial Bug: Score counter not incrementing with boxed orders

Introduction and Game Start Actions:

Backdrop and Initial Setup

• Switch Backdrop: switch backdrop to [Baking Kitchen]

• Show/Hide Sprites: show and hide

• Go to Position: go to x: [ ] y: [ ]

  • Places sprites in the correct starting position on the screen.

Game Variables and Lists

• Set Variables: set [Timer] to [60] and set [New Order] to [ ]

  • Initializes game variables (Timer, New Order).

• Pick Random Numbers: pick random [1] to [3]

  • Randomly generates order components (e.g., cake, frosting, topping).

Game Loops

• Repeat Loops: repeat until [condition]

• Wait: wait [ ] seconds

Interactive Player Prompts

• Ask and Wait: ask [What's your name?] and wait

• Say: say [Welcome to the game, <name>] for [2] seconds

  • Displays personalized text on the screen.

Gameplay Instructions

• Broadcast and Wait: broadcast [New Order] and wait

  • Sends a signal to start generating a new order.

Feedback and Tips

• Conditional Checks: if [condition] then

  • Checks if the player’s selection matches the order requirements.

• Play Sound: play sound [correct] until done

  • Plays sound effects to provide feedback.

Game Over Mechanism

• Switch Backdrop: switch backdrop to [Game Over]

• Hide Variables/Lists: hide variable [Timer] and hide list [New Order]

  • Cleans up the interface by hiding unnecessary elements.

Timer and Order Completion Counter

• Set Timer: set [Timer] to [60]

• Set Variable: set [Completed Orders] to [0]

  • Resets the count of completed orders.

• Change Variable: change [Completed Orders] by [1]

  • Increments the count each time the player completes an order.

Specific Actions for Cake Assembly

Select the Cake Base

• Check User Input: if [Selected Cake] = [New Order]

  • Verifies if the player selected the correct cake base.

Add Frosting

• Conditional Logic: if [Selected Frosting] = [New Order]

  • Ensures the frosting selection matches the order.

Add Topping

• Compare Values: if [Selected Topping] = [New Order]

  • Verifies the player’s topping selection.

Box the Completed Order

• Broadcast and Wait: broadcast [Order Up!] and wait

  • Signals that the current order is ready for assembly

• Change Variable: change [Completed Orders] by [1]