Juice it up · Build Wall Ball

The game works — now make it feel good. First, make a short blip in the Sound tab (slot 0). Then we’ll play it on each hit, speed the ball up a little so long rallies get tense, remember your best score, and let you play again.

Add a best variable at the top:

let best = 0;

Upgrade the paddle hit. Replace your paddle-hit block with this one:

if (bx < 10 && by > paddleY && by < paddleY + PH && bdx < 0) {
  bdx = -bdx * 1.05;   // bounce AND speed up 5%
  hits = hits + 1;
  if (hits > best) {
    best = hits;       // new high score!
  }
  sfx(0);
}

Let space start a new game after you lose. Replace the if (lives <= 0) { return; } at the top of update() with:

if (lives <= 0) {
  if (keyp(' ')) {
    lives = 3;
    hits = 0;
    serve();
  }
  return;
}

And show your best score plus a restart hint. Add print('Best: ' + best, 4, 14, 6); near the top of draw(), and add a second line to the game-over message:

if (lives <= 0) {
  print('GAME OVER', 36, 56, 8);
  print('space to play again', 18, 70, 7);
}

💡

best only changes when hits > best, and nothing ever resets it — so it survives across games as your high score, even when a new game zeroes hits.

That’s the finished game — save and play:

let paddleY = 54;
const PH = 20;

let bx = 64;
let by = 64;
let bdx = 1.5;
let bdy = 1;

let hits = 0;
let best = 0;
let lives = 3;

function serve() {
  bx = 64;
  by = 64;
  bdx = 1.5;
  bdy = rnd(2) - 1;
}

function update() {
  if (lives <= 0) {
    if (keyp(' ')) {
      lives = 3;
      hits = 0;
      serve();
    }
    return;
  }

  if (key('ArrowUp')) {
    paddleY -= 2;
  }
  if (key('ArrowDown')) {
    paddleY += 2;
  }
  paddleY = mid(0, paddleY, 128 - PH);

  bx += bdx;
  by += bdy;
  if (by < 2 || by > 125) {
    bdy = -bdy;
  }
  if (bx > 122) {
    bdx = -bdx;
  }
  if (bx < 10 && by > paddleY && by < paddleY + PH && bdx < 0) {
    bdx = -bdx * 1.05;
    hits = hits + 1;
    if (hits > best) {
      best = hits;
    }
    sfx(0);
  }
  if (bx < 0) {
    lives = lives - 1;
    serve();
  }
}

function draw() {
  cls(0);
  rectfill(124, 0, 127, 127, 6);
  print('Hits: ' + hits, 4, 4, 7);
  print('Best: ' + best, 4, 14, 6);
  print('Lives: ' + lives, 78, 4, 8);
  rectfill(6, paddleY, 8, paddleY + PH, 7);
  circfill(bx, by, 2, 7);

  if (lives <= 0) {
    print('GAME OVER', 36, 56, 8);
    print('space to play again', 18, 70, 7);
  }
}

You built Wall Ball!

Every piece came from an earlier lesson — variables, keyboard input, motion and bouncing, booleans and conditions, functions, and sound. That’s how bigger games get made: small, familiar parts stacked one step at a time.

Make it yours: a taller paddle (change PH), a second ball, or points that count double after 10 hits.
Grab the finished project with the download link on the overview, then tweak it in the editor.

Download the finished project (.json)