Phaser is a popular JavaScript game development framework that allows developers to create 2D games for the web and mobile platforms. With TypeScript, a typed superset of JavaScript, developers can build more robust and scalable games. In this tutorial, we will explore how to build games with TypeScript and Phaser.


Prerequisites

Before we begin, you should have the following:

  1. Node.js and NPM installed
  2. A text editor or IDE of your choice
  3. Basic knowledge of TypeScript and JavaScript
  4. Basic understanding of game development concepts


Step 1: Setting Up Your Environment

The first step is to create a new project and install the necessary dependencies. We will use NPM to manage our dependencies. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

mkdir phaser-game
cd phaser-game
npm init -y
npm install --save phaser typescript

This will create a new project directory named phaser-game, initialize a new package.json file, and install Phaser and TypeScript as dependencies.


Step 2: Configuring TypeScript

Now that we have installed TypeScript, we need to configure it. Create a new file named tsconfig.json in the root of your project directory and add the following:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "es6",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "sourceMap": true,
    "outDir": "./dist"
  },
  "include": [
    "./src/**/*.ts"
  ],
  "exclude": [
    "./node_modules"
  ]
}

This configuration sets the target to ES6, uses the CommonJS module system, generates source maps, and outputs the compiled JavaScript to the dist directory.


Step 3: Creating a Simple Game

Let's create a simple game to test our environment. Create a new file named index.html in the root of your project directory and add the following:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Phaser Game</title>
  <script src="./dist/main.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

This is a basic HTML file that includes the compiled JavaScript file.

Now, create a new file named src/game.ts and add the following code:

import 'phaser';

class MyGame extends Phaser.Scene {
  constructor() {
    super({ key: 'MyGame' });
  }

  preload() {
    this.load.image('logo', 'https://phaser.io/images/phaser3-logo.png');
  }

  create() {
    const logo = this.add.image(400, 150, 'logo');
    logo.setOrigin(0.5, 0.5);
  }
}

const config = {
  type: Phaser.AUTO,
  width: 800,
  height: 600,
  scene: MyGame
};

const game = new Phaser.Game(config);

This code defines a new Phaser scene named MyGame, which loads an image and adds it to the scene. We then define a configuration object and create a new Phaser game instance.


Step 4: Compiling and Running Your Game

To compile your TypeScript code, open your terminal and run the following command:

npx tsc

This will compile your TypeScript code and output the JavaScript files to the dist directory.

Now, open the index.html file in your browser and you should see your game running.


Step 5: Adding Interactivity

Let's add some interactivity to our game. Update the create method in the MyGame class to the following:

create() {
  const logo = this.add.image(400, 150, 'logo');
  logo.setOrigin(0.5, 0.5);

  this.input.on('pointerdown', () => {
    logo.angle += 15;
  });
}

This code adds an event listener to the pointerdown event, which rotates the logo by 15 degrees whenever the user clicks or taps on the screen.


Step 6: Adding Physics

Phaser has built-in physics engines that make it easy to add realistic physics to your games. Let's add some physics to our game. Update the MyGame class to the following:

class MyGame extends Phaser.Scene {
  private logo!: Phaser.Physics.Arcade.Image;

  constructor() {
    super({ key: 'MyGame' });
  }

  preload() {
    this.load.image('logo', 'https://phaser.io/images/phaser3-logo.png');
  }

  create() {
    this.logo = this.physics.add.image(400, 300, 'logo');
    this.logo.setCollideWorldBounds(true);
    this.logo.setBounce(0.2);

    this.input.on('pointerdown', () => {
      this.logo.setVelocityY(-300);
    });
  }

  update() {
    if (this.logo.body.velocity.y > 0) {
      this.logo.angle += 5;
    }
  }
}

This code creates a new physics-enabled image and adds it to the scene. We set the image to collide with the world bounds and have a bounce value of 0.2. We also add an event listener to the pointerdown event, which sets the image's vertical velocity to -300. Finally, we update the angle of the image in the update method based on its velocity.


Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have explored how to build games with TypeScript and Phaser. We started by setting up our environment, configuring TypeScript, and creating a simple game. We then added interactivity and physics to our game. With this knowledge, you can continue to explore Phaser and build even more complex and engaging games. Happy game development!