One Line Drawing Project Report
1. The Concept
One Line Drawing is a lightweight, web-based puzzle game designed for young adults who enjoy quick brain challenges during short breaks. The main idea is simple: players connect matching fruits or colored dots by drawing clean paths without crossing lines, repeating lines, or going outside the notebook area.
I chose this concept because it is easy to understand at first glance, but still gives players a satisfying "I can solve this" feeling. It also fits well for Facebook or social media sharing because the challenge can be explained quickly: "Can you connect them without crossing the lines?"
2. The Stack
The Stack: HTML5, Vanilla CSS, JavaScript, Canvas API, and Web Audio API.
The AI Assist: Cursor helped with the marketing-focused concept, target user planning, and game direction. OpenAI Codex was used for the coding phase, including UI implementation, game logic, level system, sound effects, hint system, and visual improvements.
3. The 1 Day Sprint:
Morning (Hours 1-3): We started by rethinking the target user. Instead of making a general puzzle game for everyone, we focused on young adults around 19-25 years old who use Facebook or TikTok during short breaks and enjoy quick, clever puzzle challenges. After that, we planned the core game: connect matching items, avoid crossing paths, and finish within a short time limit.
Afternoon (Hours 4-6): The coding phase focused on building the playable game. Codex created the home screen, level selection screen, canvas-based gameplay, fruit matching levels, color dot levels, timer, win/lose screens, and level unlock logic. During testing, we found several problems: levels did not unlock correctly, completed paths did not always trigger a win, and crossing lines sometimes still allowed the player to win. These issues required multiple rounds of debugging.
The Finish Line (Hour 7-8): The final hours were spent improving the user experience. We added a 60-second timer for every level, fail sound, win sound, background music, a hint button that shows one dotted route, and stricter rules: if the player crosses another line or draws outside the notebook, they lose. We also improved the level card design and made the level screen feel more like a mobile puzzle game.
4. The Roadblocks
Roadblocks: The biggest roadblock was game rule clarity. At first, the game looked playable, but the logic was not strict enough. Players could sometimes cross lines and still win, or draw a correct path without triggering the win screen. Another issue was UI quality. The first designs felt too dark, plain, and boring, so we had to redesign the home screen, level cards, and overall game feeling several times.
The hint system also needed adjustment. The first version showed all routes at once, but that made the game too easy and visually confusing. We changed it so the hint shows only one dotted route at a time.
5. Key Takeaways
**What was the part that worked the best?
** The fast iteration process. We were able to test the game visually, find problems, and improve the design and gameplay step by step. The core idea became much stronger after focusing on one clear target user.
**What was the part that worked the worst?
** The first UI direction and some gameplay logic. The early design did not feel polished enough for a mobile-style puzzle game, and the line-crossing rules needed several fixes before they matched the intended gameplay.
My final thought: If I had one more day, I would add more levels, better animations, and more polished background music. I would also improve the level progression system with daily rewards, stars, and a leaderboard to make players want to return and share the game with friends.