๐ŸŽณ Skittles

Contents

    Type of project

    Game

    Project overview

    Skittles is a physics-based bowling game. You control a ball at the start of a lane and launch it forward to knock over a row of skittles (pins).

    Itโ€™s a great introduction to using physics to make games interactive and playful.

    Try it out

    1. Open Flock XR and go to the Demo menu.
    2. Select ๐ŸŽณ Skittles
    3. Press Play.
    4. Use the controls:
    A โ†’ move the ball left
    D โ†’ move the ball right
    SPACE (4) โ†’ launch the ball
    Try to knock over as many skittles as you can with each launch.

    Explore the code

    Open the code and look for these parts:

    Sky and ground
    A block that sets the sky colour.
    A map created with a planks material to look like a bowling lane.

    Instructions
    A print text block that shows the controls on screen at the start.

    Skittles (pins)
    A for loop that creates multiple cylinders.
    The loop changes the X position each time so the pins are placed in a row.
    Each pin has dynamic physics, allowing it to fall when hit.

    Bumpers
    Two long thin boxes placed on the left and right of the lane to give the feel of a bowling alley.

    The ball
    A small box that represents the bowling ball.
    The ball has dynamic physics so it can move and collide with pins.

    Controls and launch
    A forever loop checks for input:
    – Left and right buttons move the ball sideways.
    – The launch button applies a forward force to the ball.
    After a short delay, a new ball is created so you can try again.

    Remix ideas

    Try extending the project with your own ideas:

    Change the skittles into cones, spheres, or characters.

    Randomise the colours of the skittles each time the game starts.

    Increase or decrease the launch force to change difficulty.

    Add a score counter that increases when a skittle is knocked over.

    Limit the number of balls and show a โ€œGame overโ€ message.

    Change the looks of the bowling alley to match a theme.

    A similar project you could create

    Create a tower knockdown challenge:
    – Replace the skittles with towers of stacked boxes.
    – Hold forward/backward controls to move the ball up and down.
    – Give the player a limited number of shots to knock all towers down.
    This uses almost the same ideas as Skittles โ€” repeated objects, physics, and applying force โ€” but includes an extra vertical element that needs extra accuracy.

    Updated on December 18, 2025