Getting Started with the Shark
So, I had this weird idea kicking around in my head: a shark… but it boxes. Don’t ask me why, it just popped in there one day. Sounded kinda funny, so I thought, why not try and make something out of it? First thing, I grabbed a notebook, you know, the old paper kind, and just started doodling. Sketched out what a boxing shark might look like. Gave him some oversized gloves on his fins. Looked ridiculous, which was perfect.
Building the Basics
Okay, doodles done. Time to actually make this thing move. I decided to use a simple game engine I’d messed with before, nothing too fancy. Fired up the computer. First job was getting the shark model in there. Found a basic shark model online – saved me some time. Then, the tricky part: sticking boxing gloves on its fins and making it look somewhat believable. Spent ages just tweaking the glove positions. Then I started coding the basic movement. Made him swim around a bit, just left and right, up and down. Simple stuff.
Making the Shark Box
This was the core bit. How does a shark even throw a punch? Fins aren’t exactly arms. I spent a good while just trying different animations. Made him sort of flick his fins forward quickly. It looked clunky at first. Scrapped that. Tried making him twist his body, using the momentum. That looked a bit better. Added some quick jab animations and a bigger ‘haymaker’ move where he’d lunge forward slightly. Still needed work, but it was starting to look like something.
- Got the basic shark swimming.
- Figured out how to attach gloves.
- Tried a few punching animations.
- Settled on a body-twist mechanic.
Hitting Snags
Naturally, things didn’t go smoothly all the time. The collision detection was a nightmare. Sometimes the punches would go right through the target, other times they’d register hits from miles away. Spent nearly a whole weekend just trying to get the hitboxes right. It was frustrating. Felt like throwing the computer out the window a couple of times. But, you know, you just gotta step away, grab a coffee, and come back to it. Eventually, I managed to get it working reliably enough by simplifying the shapes used for detecting hits.
Adding the ‘Game’ Part
A boxing shark needs something to punch, right? I added a simple punching bag first. Just a static thing hanging there. Made it swing when hit. That felt pretty satisfying. Then I thought, let’s make it a bit more interactive. Added some simple targets that pop up, like little fish wearing protective headgear (again, keeping it silly). Coded some basic scoring. Hit the target, get a point. Miss, well, you just miss.
Finishing Touches (For Now)
So, after all that fiddling, I got it to a point where it felt like a basic, playable thing. The shark swims, it throws these fin-punches, and it can hit targets. Added some goofy sound effects for the punches and when a target gets hit. It’s not gonna win any awards, that’s for sure. It’s still rough around the edges. But going from that silly doodle to seeing the shark actually landing a punch on screen felt pretty good. It’s a simple little project, born from a weird idea, but building it piece by piece was the fun part. That’s the journey for this boxing shark thing so far.
