Muddini's Adventure

Muddini's Adventure

Muddini's Adventure is a mobile game developed for intersoft AG. In the world of "Muddini's Adventure", players take on the role of a bold and determined "Big Ball Of Mud" named Muddini and dive into a unique adventure. Can you help Muddini navigate through the Code Labyrinth?

This article includes a short documentation of Muddini's Adventure — from the initial idea to the final product, with plenty of fascinating insights into the game design.

The screenshot shows the start screen of Muddini's Adventure.

Muddini: A Loveable Mud Ball!

The image shows a 3D mud ball in voxel style with a friendly face.

Through numerous conversations with intersoft, it became clear to us that the game should be packed with programming jokes and insider references to guarantee the ultimate gaming experience for the intersoft team and all other players.

Originally born in the tangled confines of the legendary Spaghetti Code Labyrinth, the Big Ball Of Mud known as Muddini harbours an irrepressible desire to break free from the chaos. Muddini is a nod to the "Big Ball Of Mud" — a concept that (unfortunately) most programmers encounter at least once in their career. A Big Ball Of Mud is a program with a convoluted software architecture, something experienced developers know to avoid.

One of the goals throughout the game is to keep Muddini as small as possible. If Muddini is too big by the end of the labyrinth, the level cannot be exited. Muddini is an incredibly curious and optimistic mud ball doing its best to figure out why the Spaghetti Code is so confusing and difficult to navigate.

The World of Muddini

The levels players navigate are, unfortunately, often a tangle of "Spaghetti Code" — a term for source code that is unstructured and difficult to maintain. Every software developer has likely encountered code like this at some point. Cleaning it up is usually a challenging task in which it's easy to lose track of the bigger picture. The maze-like structure of the levels is therefore a wonderful metaphor for our world, showing us in a very particular way how life can sometimes be.

The screenshot shows Muddini in a labyrinth with various characters around him.

Another location Muddini can visit is the "Foo Bar". The terms Foo and Bar are frequently used in information technology as placeholder names for routines, functions, processes, variable names and the like. In Muddini's Adventure, the Foo Bar is a bar where Muddini can recharge before diving back into the adventure.

The screenshot shows Muddini sitting in a bar. Above Muddini hangs a neon sign reading "FOO BAR".

Deep in the Labyrinth…

The image shows a blue floppy disk, a stylised bug, a witch's hat and the number eight wearing a crown.

Muddini must be guided to the exit of the labyrinth. Along the way, he keeps growing larger. He must not get too big, or he won't fit through the exit and will lose one of his three lives.

Within this tangle of code, players encounter characters such as Sloppy Disc. Sloppy represents a carelessly written code artefact that makes Muddini grow larger on contact. Muddini quickly realises that the Sloppy Discs are the reason the Spaghetti Code is so difficult to navigate.

Other obstacles include Magic Numbers, Bugs and Layer 8 Problems, which either slow Muddini down or make him larger. A "Magic Number" is a numerical value that appears in a program's source code whose meaning is not immediately clear — it could mean anything, which is why it's called "magic". It's better to avoid such numbers and replace them with clearly named constants whose meaning and origin are explicitly stated.

Bugs are small "creatures" that sneak into programs and cause all sorts of trouble.

The Layer 8 Problem is well known among developers. It builds on the OSI model — a reference framework for communication between processes in computers, spanning seven layers from bit transmission to the finished application. Developers have added an eighth layer: the user. When something doesn't work, it's the user's fault! ;)

The image shows a golden ring, a cloud wearing glasses and a wooden container.

During the adventure, players don't only encounter obstacles — they also meet friendly characters. The "Refacto Ring", for example, helps Muddini become smaller and faster. Refacto Ring refers to the process of "refactoring", which in software development means improving the structure of existing source code. This process is carried out regularly to prevent issues like Spaghetti Code.

Cloudio is another character who helps Muddini traverse the labyrinth. Cloudio is a play on the Latin name Claudio and cloud computing. In the game, Cloudio is an enthusiastic helper who can speed Muddini up and lighten his load. The Container can also help Muddini reach his goal. In the game, the Container is an abstract object that stores elements of the same type in code — a symbol for the container concept in the programming world.

The image shows a stylised stone, an umbrella with a face and a bar of soap labelled "SOAP".

During the adventure, players encounter SOLID, DRY and SOAP. In Muddini's Adventure, SOLID and DRY are a great help — SOLID makes Muddini smaller and DRY makes him roll faster. The only power-up that's even more useful is SOAP, which makes Muddini temporarily immune to enemies. In software development, SOLID, DRY and SOAP are principles that help make software better and more efficient.

The final entity in the labyrinth is the "404". When Muddini comes into contact with it, he is teleported to a randomly chosen location in the labyrinth — which can be either good or bad. Many people are familiar with 404 error pages, the standard page a user is redirected to when the server cannot find a requested page. In the same way, the 404 in Muddini's Adventure is there to redirect players and send them down a new path.

The Game Design of Muddini's Adventure

Muddini's Adventure is a game for everyone. It's easy to learn, but hard to master. There are three difficulty levels: Noob, Medium and Senior. Muddini can be controlled either via the touchscreen or using the phone's gyroscope.

The image shows the UI of the difficulty selection screen.

Collecting objects — both voluntarily and involuntarily — is an important part of the game. The labyrinth is deliberately designed to be very narrow, so avoiding enemies requires considerable skill. Players must think strategically and find a route that perhaps collects a Sloppy Disc first, followed by a Refacto Ring, in order to balance out the unwanted effects.

Each level also has a timer. It is therefore important that Muddini doesn't grow too large while racing through the labyrinth and that time doesn't run out. If the level isn't completed quickly enough, Muddini loses one of his three lives.

The screenshot shows the timer at the top centre. It is white, indicating that there is still enough time to complete the level.

The screenshot shows the timer in the same position, but now it is red, signalling to players that time is running out.

The image shows a stylised excavator with a "D" painted on it.

When Muddini has lost all his lives, he must undergo a full overhaul before he's ready to go again. During this time, he can hang out at the Foo Bar. This process can take up to 2 hours.

To skip the wait, players can collect daily streaks by completing at least one labyrinth per day. A one-day streak rewards the player with one extra life. A three-day streak grants three extra lives. And if a player completes at least one labyrinth every day for a full week, they unlock the D-Bagger, which restores five lives. The D-Bagger is another wordplay — this time on "debugging", the process of identifying, analysing and fixing errors or "bugs" in a computer program.

After installing the game, players can create a free account. Once registered, they can race through the Code Labyrinth against all other players via the leaderboard.

The game can also be played anonymously and casually. There is an option to play as a guest. However, guests cannot prove whether they are the fastest Muddini in the Spaghetti Code, as they are not included in the leaderboard.

Summary

Muddini's Adventure is a journey through the Spaghetti Code Labyrinth. Muddini is controlled either by touch or with the phone's gyroscope. Players start with three lives. Lives are lost if the labyrinth cannot be exited because Muddini is too large, or if the timer runs out. When all lives are lost, players must wait two hours before they can continue playing.

To avoid the wait, players can collect daily streaks by completing at least one labyrinth. A one-day streak grants one extra life, a three-day streak grants three extra lives, and completing at least one labyrinth every day for a full week unlocks the D-Bagger, which restores five lives.

Muddini's Adventure can be played with a free account or as a guest. Players with an account can compare themselves on the leaderboard and see who the fastest "mud ball" in the Spaghetti Code Labyrinth is.

Characters

Protagonists make Muddini smaller and/or faster.

Refacto Ring, Stats: Size 1 | Velocity 2

Cloudio, Stats: Size 5 | Velocity 2

Container, Stats: Size 9 | Velocity 0

Antagonists make Muddini larger and/or slower.

Sloppy Disc, Stats: Size 1 | Velocity 2

Magic Number, Stats: Size 4 | Velocity 2

Pickups & Power-ups help Muddini reach his full potential.

SOLID: Muddini becomes as small as possible.

DRY: Muddini becomes as fast as possible.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this article. Studio Merkas would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to intersoft AG and to all readers. Muddini's Adventure was an extraordinary project in which we as a development studio were able to bring our creativity and breadth of ideas to bear at every stage. intersoft AG embraced our "crazy" ideas at every turn, and we felt genuinely appreciated for our creative work. The studio had an incredible amount of fun creating this unique game, and we can't wait to see how players receive Muddini's Adventure.