🎮 Deadline Dread

A survivors-like bullet hell game set in a nightmarish world for web developers. Survive the onslaught of... 'features'!

🎯 Live Demo

Play Deadline Dread Now

🎮 About

Deadline Dread is a web-based survivor/bullet hell game where you play as a developer fighting against an endless wave of bugs, feature requests, and scope creep. Use your arsenal of weapons and upgrades to survive as long as possible in this developer-themed nightmare!

✨ Features

🎯 Core Gameplay

• Survivor-style combat with auto-attacking weapons
• Progressive difficulty - enemies scale with your level
• Level-up system with unique upgrade choices
• Multiple weapon types with different mechanics
• XP and progression system

🔫 Weapons Arsenal

• Homing Weapon - Smart projectiles that track enemies
• Orbiting Weapon - Protective orbs that circle around you
• Pulse Weapon - Area damage bursts
• Code Spray - Shotgun-style weapon with range mechanics

👾 Enemy Types

• Basic Bugs - Standard enemies
• Scope Creep Blob - Splits into smaller enemies when destroyed
• Buffer Overflow - Creates fragment enemies when damaged
• Feature Requests - Various enemy behaviors and patterns

🎨 Visual & Audio

• Retro-style graphics with developer-themed aesthetics
• Smooth animations and particle effects
• Randomized, on-theme canvas backgrounds for each run
• Weapon limit (4) for strategic builds
• Enhanced readability: glow, borders, and dynamic text contrast
• Responsive design that adapts to screen size
• Dark theme optimized for developer eyes

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/jshields-ca/deadlinedread.git
   cd deadlinedread

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start development server

   npm run dev

4. Open your browser Navigate to http://localhost:5173 to play!

Build for Production

npm run build

The built files will be in the dist/ directory, ready for deployment.

🎮 How to Play

Controls

• W, A, S, D - Move your character
• Auto-attack - Weapons fire automatically
• Mouse - Click to select upgrades during level-ups

Gameplay

1. Survive - Avoid enemies and collect XP orbs
2. Level Up - Gain XP to unlock new weapons and upgrades
3. Choose Wisely - Select upgrades that complement your playstyle
4. Adapt - Enemy difficulty increases over time

Tips

• Stay mobile - Keep moving to avoid enemy swarms
• Collect XP - Prioritize XP orbs to level up faster
• Plan upgrades - Choose upgrades that work well together
• Watch your health - Don't get cornered by enemies

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+)
• Build Tool: Vite
• Graphics: HTML5 Canvas
• Deployment: Static hosting
• Version Control: Git with automated releases

📁 Project Structure

deadlinedread/
├── src/
│   ├── main.js          # Main game loop and initialization
│   ├── player.js        # Player class and mechanics
│   ├── enemy.js         # Enemy types and spawning logic
│   ├── weapons.js       # Weapon classes and projectile system
│   ├── upgrades.js      # Upgrade system and definitions
│   ├── config.js        # Game configuration and constants
│   └── style.css        # Game styling and UI
├── public/              # Static assets
├── dist/                # Production build output
├── index.html           # Main HTML file
├── package.json         # Dependencies and scripts
├── vite.config.js       # Vite configuration
└── CHANGELOG.md         # Release history

🔄 Development Workflow

This project follows a structured development and release process:

1. Development - Code changes and testing
2. Versioning - Increment version numbers (patch/minor/major)
3. Changelog - Update CHANGELOG.md with changes
4. Release - Automated releases with release-it
5. Deployment - Build and deploy to live server

See our Development Workflow for detailed process documentation.

�� Version History

• For a complete version history and detailed release notes, see CHANGELOG.md.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions and feedback! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details on how to:

• Report bugs or issues
• Suggest new features or improvements
• Share gameplay feedback
• Contribute code (limited scope)
• Help with documentation

Community Guidelines

• Code of Conduct - Our community standards and expectations
• Security Policy - How to report security vulnerabilities
• Issue Templates - Structured feedback forms for different types of contributions

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Links

• Live Demo
• Changelog
• Contributing Guidelines
• Code of Conduct
• Security Policy
• Project Planning
• Author's Website

---

Made with ❤️ for the developer community from Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Survive the backlog, one bug at a time!