Introduction

This project marks my first foray into game development using Unity and C#, created in 2023. It showcases my journey into understanding core game mechanics, such as state machines, grid management, and dynamic game logic. Inspired by the famous Candy Crush game, I implemented a match-three game loop that reflects my growing proficiency in C# programming and Unity's powerful game engine. This project is a testament to my learning process, experimentation, and passion for creating engaging and interactive games.

Difficult

One of the main challenges I encountered while developing this project was the creation of the grid system, which was my first time implementing such a structure. I had to ensure the grid dynamically updated, responding to player interactions while keeping the game logic clean and efficient. Handling the candy positions, making sure that no candy would overlap or be placed in incorrect cells, was tricky, especially when ensuring smooth transitions and that candies always fit within the grid boundaries. Another significant challenge was building the state machine, as it was my first time implementing this design pattern. Managing the different game states (like swapping candies, checking combos, and refilling the grid) and ensuring the game moved between states without errors was complex. At first, managing these state transitions felt overwhelming, but it ultimately helped me organize the game logic and make the entire gameplay experience more structured and modular. Finally, managing the candy movement between grid cells was also a challenge.The candies should not only move visually, but also have their positions correctly updated in the game’s logic. These challenges, though tough, provided valuable learning experiences and allowed me to better understand state management, animation, and dynamic game mechanics in Unity.

Game Core

Grid

The grid system dynamically updates based on the player’s interactions and game logic. Key functionalities include:

• GridControllerManager – Maintains the logical representation of the grid, tracking candy positions and updating the board after every move.
• GridManager – Spawn the grid with custom size.
• RefillManager – Adds new candies into empty slots while preventing infinite loops and ensuring no immediate matches occur upon refill.
• CheckComboManager – Detects and processes valid matches, applying effects like cascading combos, special candy activations, and score multipliers.
• CandySpawner (ScriptableObject) – The candies are spawned using a ScriptableObject, which contains all the possible candy types. This allows for easy addition of new candy types and customization of candy attributes.

This system ensures high performance, preventing unnecessary calculations while keeping the game responsive. It also supports dynamic board sizes and different candy types, making it adaptable for future game expansions.

This modular and scalable game loop serves as a solid foundation for any match-three puzzle game.