Superfluous Word Game with AdMob and Leaderboard

Introduction:

The Superfluous Word Game is a fun and engaging online game that challenges players to create words by combining letters in a grid. Players earn points for each word they create and have the option to compete with others via a leaderboard. In this tutorial, we'll demonstrate how to integrate the Superfluous Word Game with AdMob advertising and a leaderboard using Unity and a backend server.

Prerequisites:

• Unity version 2018.4 or later
• AdMob account
• Google Play Store account (for Android)
• iOS Developer account (for iOS)
• Backend server (e.g. Node.js, Python)

Step 1: Set up Unity Project

1. Create a new Unity project and set up a new scene.
2. Create a new GameObject and set its name to "WordGrid" or any other name that suits your project.

Step 2: Create the Game Script

1. Create a new C# script called "WordGridManager" and attach it to the WordGrid GameObject.
2. Define the following variables in the script:
   • gridSize: The number of rows and columns in the word grid.
   • wordLength: The minimum length of a word that can be created.
   • maxAttempts: The maximum number of attempts a player can make to create a word before the game ends.

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

public class WordGridManager : MonoBehaviour
{
    public int gridSize;
    public int wordLength;
    public int maxAttempts;

    private string[] letterGrid;
    private int[,] gridGrid = new int[gridSize, gridSize];

    private void Start()
    {
        // Initialize letter grid with random letters
        letterGrid = new string[gridSize];
        for (int i = 0; i < gridSize; i++)
        {
            string row = "";
            for (int j = 0; j < gridSize; j++)
            {
                row += (char)(Random.Range('a', 'z'));
            }
            letterGrid[i] = row;
        }

        // Initialize gridGrid with 0s
        for (int i = 0; i < gridSize; i++)
        {
            for (int j = 0; j < gridSize; j++)
            {
                gridGrid[i, j] = 0;
            }
        }
    }

    public void GetValidWords()
    {
        // Find valid words in the grid
        List<string> words = new List<string>();
        for (int wordLength = 1; wordLength < wordLength; wordLength++)
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < gridSize; i++)
            {
                for (int j = 0; j < gridSize - wordLength + 1; j++)
                {
                    string word = "";
                    for (int k = 0; k < wordLength; k++)
                    {
                        word += letterGrid[i][j + k];
                    }
                    if (word.Length >= wordLength)
                    {
                        words.Add(word);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        // Return a string of valid words
        string validWordsString = "";
        foreach (string word in words)
        {
            validWordsString += word + " ";
        }
        return validWordsString;
    }
}

Step 3: Create the UI

1. Create a new UI Canvas and position it at the bottom of the screen.
2. Create a new Text Object and name it "ScoreText" or any other name that suits your project.
3. Create a new Button Object and name it "SubmitWord" or any other name that suits your project.

Step 4: Write the Game Logic

1. In the OnClick event of the SubmitWord Button, call the GetValidWords function in the WordGridManager script and display the output in the ScoreText Object.
2. Validate the user's input against the list of valid words and update the score accordingly.

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine.UI;

public class UIController : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Text scoreText;
    public WordGridManager wordGridManager;

    public void SubmitWordClicked()
    {
        // Get the user's input
        string userInput = inputField.text;

        // Validate the user's input against valid words
        if (wordGridManager.GetValidWords().Contains(userInput + " "))
        {
            // Increase the score
            scoreText.text = ("Score: " + (int.Parse(scoreText.text.Split(' ')[1].Substring(7)) + 10) + " points");

            // Reset input field
            inputField.text = "";

            // Update the word grid
            wordGridManager.GenerateNewWordGrid();
        }
        else
        {
            // Decrease the score or end the game if attempts are maxed out
            if (int.Parse(scoreText.text.Split(' ')[1].Substring(7)) > 0)
            {
                scoreText.text = ("Score: " + (int.Parse(scoreText.text.Split(' ')[1].Substring(7)) - 10) + " points");
            }
            else if (wordGridManager.maxAttempts - 1 > 0)
            {
                scoreText.text = ("Score: 0 points");
                wordGridManager.maxAttempts = 0;
            }
            else
            {
                // End the game
                scoreText.text = ("Game Over! Your score: " + int.Parse(scoreText.text.Split(' ')[1].Substring(7)) + " points");
            }

            // Reset input field
            inputField.text = "";
        }
    }
}

Step 5: Add AdMob Banner

1. Create a new AdMob account and set up a banner ad.
2. Place the AdMob banner in your scene. You can do this by creating a new AdMob GameObject and setting the properties accordingly.

using Google.MobileAds;
using UnityEngine;

public class AdController : MonoBehaviour
{
    private const string AD_UNIT_ID = "ADD_YOUR_AD_UNIT_HERE";
    private BannerView bannerView;

    private void Start()
    {
        InitializeAd();
    }

    private void InitializeAd()
    {
        MobileInit();
        RequestAd();
    }

    private void MobileInit()
    {
        MobileAds.Initialize(initStatus => { });
    }

    private void RequestAd()
    {
        bannerView = new BannerView(AD_UNIT_ID, AdSize.SmartBanner, AdPosition.Top);
        AdRequest request = new AdRequest();
        bannerView.LoadRequest(request);
    }
}

Step 6: Add Leaderboard

1. Set up a leaderboard in your backend server to store the top scores.
2. Fetch the top scores from the leaderboard and update the UI accordingly.

Step 7: Configure AdMob and Leaderboard on Android and iOS

1. Enable AdMob in your Android or iOS project.
2. Set up the Leaderboard in your Android or iOS project.

Conclusion:

By following this tutorial, you've successfully integrated the Superfluous Word Game with AdMob advertising and a leaderboard using Unity. Now, you can monetize your game by displaying ads and challenge players with real-time leaderboards.

Known Issues:

• AdMob issues: Make sure to replace the AD_UNIT_ID with your actual AdMob ad unit ID.
• Leaderboard issues: Verify that your backend server is correctly configured and synced with your Unity project.

Improvements:

• Improve the game experience with more features, such as animations, graphics, and sound effects.
• Enhance the leaderboard by adding more features, such as ranking, filters, and sorting.
• Monetize your game by adding additional advertisements, such as interstitial ads, rewarded ads, or video ads.