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Projects / A two-player versus game on one keyboard

A two-player versus game on one keyboard

Level 2: two to three weeks, real architecture. Use with: build-a-game, ship-on-github. Resume line when done: Built {project_name}, a local-multiplayer browser game — live at {url}

Brief

Two friends, one keyboard: WASD versus arrow keys, first to five rounds takes the match. Pick a versus shape you would actually replay: sumo push-out on a shrinking platform, quick-draw duel, snake versus snake, tug-of-war. Rounds are short (under 30 seconds) so losing means "again", and the tension of sharing a keyboard is part of the game. Finished means a full match flows from menu to winner screen to rematch, and it has been played by two real people sitting next to each other, arguing.

Personalize

Milestones

  1. Design note in the README: the versus shape, both control schemes, what wins a round, what wins a match.
  2. Both players on screen, moving at the same time from one keyboard. Verify held-key combos work on your real hardware.
  3. The core duel works: one player can beat the other and the game knows it.
  4. Round structure: win detection, a round-over moment, score shown, next round starts on a key press.
  5. End of week one: a full best-of-five match is playable start to finish.
  6. Menu with a controls diagram both players can read before round one, plus a start key for each player so nobody starts it alone.
  7. Match winner screen with the score history and a rematch button that resets everything cleanly.
  8. Juice pass: round countdown, hit feedback, a winner celebration worth trash-talking over.
  9. Playtest one: your two named rivals play a full match while you only watch. Log every confusion and every "wait, that's unfair".
  10. Fix the unfairness first (symmetric spawns, no side advantage), then the confusion. Second playtest, then ship.

Done means