Unholy Dink

[ WIP - Expect bugs, possibly sweeping changes (2026-04-01) ] 

Snakes Pickleball.  Why'd it have to be snakes pickleball?!

Because, monkeyfighter, it's PICKLEBALL!

(Note:  Description bound to change as I think of something actually clever instead of just chucking oblique movie references that have nothing to do with the game.)

(Note, the second:  Might be a bit of a challenge to play in the browser.  Imagined as "a portrait game for a phone" as described by the friend who asked me to make it in the first place.)

I've tried to make the game at least in the spirit of the Official USA Pickleball Rulebook.  If you find obvious deviations, please let me know!  If the deviations are fun, let me know that, too.

Controls:

• go into options and set 5/7/11 points (11 is pickleball standard, but 5 is a nice, short "pickup game" length)
• tap on your desired destination in your part of the court to move
  • double-tap to move faster (your speed attribute affects all of this); this will deplete your stamina and affect your shot quality (your stamina attribute affects all of this)
  • you CAN move out of bounds to get to shots
  • obey the rules!  in pickleball, there are only specific times when you're allowed "in the kitchen" (the near-net area of the court)
• tap the "rhythm pad" to hit the ball
  • tap closer to the rhythm block within the outer ring of the pad for "perfect" shots (perfect shots should not ever go into the net or out of bounds)
  • tap when the ball is within your swing range (represented by the colored square for now); closer to your player sprite will offer greater chance for success/perfect
• you can "call your shot" by tapping in the opponent's field; just swinging will pick the best path depending on forehand or backhand and where the opponent is on the court (mostly back toward the opponent)
  • this applies to service as well; called shots with "perfect" result will go where you placed them

Known Bugs:

• all the debug cruft around the outer edges; feel free to look at it and interact with it if you like... good for feedback if you have it, too
  • there are buttons as well!  the left one changes from "tap to move" to "swipe to move"
    • maybe don't use that one... i only included it because my family testers kept swiping at my phone when i asked them to play it  o_O
  • the three on the right control the opponent difficulty and how frequently they'll hit "perfect" shots
    • XXX difficulty isn't quite hard enough yet, i don't think; feedback needed
    • using this toggle is encouraged at this stage

AI Disclosure:  I use agent coding tools as an accelerator to produce the boring glue/plumbing that otherwise tanks my motivation and ruins my momentum.  No robots were harmed in the making of this game.