Hello World for Solana Game Development: Tiny Adventure

Introduction

This beginner-friendly guide walks you through building a simple on-chain game using Solana and the Anchor framework. Learn how to create Tiny Adventure, a game that tracks player movement on the blockchain.

Key Features

• Anchor Framework: Leverage Rust-based Solana development.
• PDA Accounts: Use Program Derived Addresses for deterministic game state.
• Minimal Instructions: Initialize, move left, and move right.

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of Solana concepts
• Anchor framework familiarity
• Solana Playground account

Step 1: Setting Up the Project

Initialize Your Workspace

1. Create a new Anchor project in Solana Playground.
2. Replace the default lib.rs with this code:

use anchor_lang::prelude::*;
declare_id!("11111111111111111111111111111111");

#[program]
mod tiny_adventure {
    use super::*;
    pub fn initialize(ctx: Context<Initialize>) -> Result<()> {
        ctx.accounts.new_game_data_account.player_position = 0;
        msg!("A Journey Begins!");
        msg!("o.......");
        Ok(())
    }
}

Step 2: Defining Game Data Structure

GameDataAccount Struct

Add this to lib.rs to store player position:

#[account]
pub struct GameDataAccount {
    player_position: u8,
}

Step 3: Implementing Game Logic

Movement Instructions

Add these handlers to your program:

pub fn move_left(ctx: Context<MoveLeft>) -> Result<()> {
    let account = &mut ctx.accounts.game_data_account;
    account.player_position = account.player_position.saturating_sub(1);
    print_player(account.player_position);
    Ok(())
}

pub fn move_right(ctx: Context<MoveRight>) -> Result<()> {
    let account = &mut ctx.accounts.game_data_account;
    account.player_position = (account.player_position + 1).min(3);
    print_player(account.player_position);
    Ok(())
}

Step 4: Building and Deploying

Deployment Steps

1. Build your program in Solana Playground.
2. Deploy to Devnet using the IDE interface.
3. Fund your wallet with solana airdrop 5.

👉 Get Devnet SOL here

Step 5: Client Implementation

Interact with the Game

Use this client code to derive PDAs and call instructions:

const [pda] = await PublicKey.findProgramAddress(
    [Buffer.from("level1")],
    program.programId
);

await program.methods.initialize().accounts({
    newGameDataAccount: pda,
    signer: wallet.publicKey,
}).rpc();

FAQ Section

Q: How do I reset the game?

A: The player position resets to 0 when reinitializing the GameDataAccount.

Q: Can multiple players use one PDA?

A: Yes, but consider using player-specific seeds for multiplayer games.

Q: How to expand this game?

A: Try adding:

• SOL rewards
• Token collections
• 2D movement grids

Next Steps

Continue your journey with Tiny Adventure Part Two to learn about SOL rewards.

Resources

• Solana Course
• Anchor Docs
• Game Examples

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1. Maintains all technical accuracy
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3. Integrates keywords naturally ("Solana game development", "Anchor framework", "PDA")
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