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Game Logic

Core Gameplay

The game follows a Whack-a-Mole mechanism:

  • Moles appear from randomized hole positions
  • The player clicks on visible moles to score points
  • Score updates in real time with combo-based multiplication
  • Missed clicks reset the combo streak
  • Game speed increases as time decreases
  • Hit feedback is enhanced using camera shake
  • Gameplay supports start menu, pause, resume, and restart flow

System Components

Mole Spawning

  • Randomized hole-based spawning using a holes array
  • Coroutine-based pop-up and hide cycle
  • Variable pop speed controlled by GameManager
  • Hide duration changes dynamically as difficulty progresses
  • Only active moles are enabled depending on selected difficulty

Interaction Detection

  • Raycast-based click detection on visible moles
  • Background click detection through MissDetector
  • Input is ignored when the game is paused
  • Input works only while the game is active

Scoring System

  • Base score is awarded for each successful hit
  • Combo multiplier increases when hits happen within a short reset window
  • Final score added per hit is calculated as amount * combo
  • Combo is reset on missed clicks
  • Score and combo text are updated on the UI in real time

Sound System

  • Pop-up sound when a mole appears
  • Whack sound when the mole is hit
  • Miss sound for background clicks
  • Combo sound when combo streak increases
  • Menu background music, button click sound, start sound, and game-over sound

Difficulty Adjustment

  • Three selectable difficulty levels:
  • Beginner
  • Challenger
  • Insane
  • Each difficulty changes:
  • Pop speed
  • Maximum speed
  • Hide time
  • Number of active moles
  • High score is stored separately for each difficulty

Pause and Session Control

  • Start menu panel shown before gameplay begins
  • Game can be paused using the Escape key
  • Pause panel provides Resume and Restart options
  • Restart returns the user to the start menu and resets game state
  • Resume and restart button flows use realtime waiting so sound can play even when paused

Visual Feedback

  • Camera shake is triggered on successful mole hits
  • Hit effect includes squash animation before the mole hides
  • Feedback improves the responsiveness and feel of the gameplay loop

Game Logic Implementation

Core Scripts

The gameplay logic is implemented using four primary Unity C# scripts:

1. GameManager.cs

Handles:

  • Score tracking
  • Timer countdown system
  • Combo system and combo reset timing
  • Difficulty selection and scaling
  • Per-difficulty high score saving using PlayerPrefs
  • Start menu, pause panel, and game-over panel management
  • Resume and restart button handling
  • Menu background music and gameplay audio transitions
  • Camera shake trigger on successful hit
  • Game state checks using IsGameActive() and IsPaused()

Location: GameManager.cs

2. MoleMovement.cs

Handles:

  • Random hole selection system
  • Coroutine-based mole pop-up and hide animation
  • Dynamic speed adjustment from GameManager
  • Click detection using Physics2D.Raycast
  • Hit animation using squash effect
  • Whack sound and pop-up sound effects
  • Score triggering via GameManager
  • Camera shake trigger on hit
  • Auto-stop behavior when game ends
  • Pause-aware interaction handling

Location: MoleMovement.cs

3. MissDetector.cs

Handles:

  • Detection of missed clicks on the background
  • Raycast-based click validation
  • Combo reset on invalid click
  • Miss sound feedback
  • Operation only when game is active

Location: MissDetector.cs

4. CameraShake.cs

Handles:

  • Camera shake effect for successful hits
  • Coroutine-based shake animation
  • Repositioning the camera back to its original location
  • Use of Time.unscaledDeltaTime so shake works consistently

Location: CameraShake.cs

Gameplay Flow

flowchart TD
    A[Start Menu] --> B[Difficulty Selection]
    B --> C[Start Game]
    C --> D[GameManager Setup]
    D --> E[Enable Active Moles]
    E --> F[Mole Spawn Coroutine Starts]

    F --> G{Player Action}
    G -->|Hit Mole| H[Add Score]
    H --> I[Increase Combo]
    I --> J[Play Whack Sound]
    J --> K[Trigger Camera Shake]
    K --> L[Hide Mole]

    G -->|Miss Click| M[Play Miss Sound]
    M --> N[Reset Combo]

    F --> O{Pause Pressed?}
    O -->|Yes| P[Pause Menu]
    P --> Q[Resume or Restart]
    Q -->|Resume| F
    Q -->|Restart| A

    L --> R{Timer Finished?}
    N --> R
    R -->|No| F
    R -->|Yes| S[Game Over Panel]
    S --> T[Save High Score]
    T --> U[Return to Menu / Restart]

Diificulty Scaling Logic

The difficulty system affects both game speed and the number of active moles.

Beginner

  • Slower pop speed
  • Longer hide time
  • 1 active mole

Challenger

  • Medium pop speed
  • Reduced hide time
  • 2 active moles

Insane

  • Fast pop speed
  • Very short hide time
  • 4 active moles

This scaling helps keep gameplay replayable and more engaging across skill levels.

Supporting Systems

Combo System

  • Tracks consecutive successful hits
  • Multiplies score depending on streak length
  • Shows combo text only when combo is greater than 1
  • Hides combo text automatically after a short duration
  • Resets on a miss

UI Panels

  • startMenuPanel
  • pausePanel
  • gameOverPanel

These panels help manage the full gameplay session flow from menu to end screen.

Audio Management

The game uses a shared audio system to handle:

  • Menu background music
  • Start game sound
  • Button click sound
  • Game over sound
  • Combo sound
  • Whack sound
  • Pop-up sound
  • Miss sound

This improves the feedback quality and makes the prototype feel more polished.

Summary

The updated gameplay logic now goes beyond a basic whack-a-mole loop and supports:

  • Dynamic mole spawning
  • Combo-based scoring
  • Miss detection
  • Pause and restart support
  • Difficulty selection
  • Per-difficulty high scores
  • Camera shake feedback
  • Improved audio and UI flow

These updates made the game more interactive, polished, and technically complete compared to the earlier version.