Development Log

Dev Log #2: Mastering Physics and Performance in HTML5

Published: February 20, 2026

Building a platformer that feels snappy in a web browser comes with a unique set of hurdles. While Phaser 3 provides a robust framework, translating a classic arcade feel to HTML5 requires more than just dragging and dropping assets. Today I'm diving into two major challenges we faced during the development of Star Collector Pro.

1. The "Ghost Collision" Problem

One of the most frustrating bugs in early testing was what we called ghost collisions—where the player character would occasionally snag on the edge of two perfectly aligned floor tiles. This is a well-known issue with AABB (Axis-Aligned Bounding Box) physics in browser-based games.

The Solution: We moved away from individual tile collisions and implemented a Composite Collider system. By merging adjacent floor shapes into a single physics body, we eliminated the tiny sub-pixel gaps between tiles. The result? "Star Collector" now glides smoothly across every platform without losing momentum or stuttering mid-run.

2. Optimizing for the "Mobile Nomad"

A significant portion of our players access the game via mobile browsers while on the go, which means we had to be ruthless with our asset budget. Large, unoptimized sprite sheets cause "jank" — that stuttering feeling during high-speed gameplay that breaks immersion instantly.

We tackled this on two fronts:

• Texture Atlasing: All game assets were packed into a single JSON-linked atlas, cutting the number of HTTP requests the browser has to make on load from dozens down to just two.
• Delta Time Scaling: We implemented step logic so that even if a player's frame rate dips on an older device, the game speed remains consistent. Whether you're running at 30 fps or 60 fps, gravity feels exactly the same.

What's Tuning Next?

We're currently looking at Particle Emitter optimization. We want those star-collection sparks to look dazzling without melting your CPU. After that, we'll be exploring procedural level generation — stay tuned for a deep dive on that one!

Dev Log #1: The 2026 Refresh

Published: February 16, 2026

Welcome to the first official development log for Star Collector Pro! It has been an incredible journey since this project began in Phaser 3. Today, I'm excited to share a major technical refresh aimed at improving the player experience.

Technical Improvements

We've spent the last few days under the hood, optimizing how the game communicates with search engines and ensuring our infrastructure is ready for a larger audience. Key updates include:

• SEO Architecture: Implemented proper canonicalization and structured data to help players find the game more easily.
• Policy Transparency: Overhauled our privacy documentation to meet the highest standards of data protection.
• Asset Optimization: Refined the loading sequence for game sprites to reduce initial wait times.

What's Next?

The core gameplay of collecting stars while avoiding obstacles remains our priority. In the coming months, I'll be experimenting with level hazards and potentially a "Time Attack" leaderboard to give our veteran players a new challenge.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Now, back to the stars!