Solo dev experimenting with a browser-based dragon flight game (Three.js, no engine)

Discussion
1

Hey all,

I’ve been experimenting with a small indie project called Loong. It’s a browser-based 3D flight game built directly on top of Three.js, no Unity or Unreal. This project is building directly on what I learned from a previous browser game I made (SnakeCubed / https://snakecubed.com/), especially around movement feel, camera behavior, and how much complexity the browser can realistically handle before things start to feel off.

Loong started as more of an engine and control experiment, but the core gameplay loop ended up being fun enough that I’m exploring it further. The focus right now is momentum-based flight, spatial awareness, and atmosphere rather than combat or UI-heavy systems. It’s more about smooth traversal, reacting to the environment, and learning to control speed and orientation intuitively.

Here’s a short video showing the current state:

SnakeCubed was more reaction and pattern-based, while this is pushing more continuous spatial control. A lot of this project is me testing how far that kind of feel translates in a browser without it turning mushy or fatiguing.

I’m still early, but I’m trying to decide where to push this next:

  • lean harder into arcade-style flight

  • keep it heavier and more physics-feeling

  • or expand it into more of an exploration or puzzle-driven experience

Would love thoughts from other indie devs, especially anyone who’s worked on flight mechanics, camera systems, or non-traditional control schemes.

2 Likes
2

That’s interesting.

As you mentioned flight mechanics, there is something strange in the camera motion. When the camera passes through the tail, the viewpoint snaps - as if it shifts too much within one frame. Would it be helpful for players’ orientation in 3D if camera motion is smoother?

Here are a few demos:
https://codepen.io/boytchev/pen/VwgWMyP - with 3 camera modes (soft, hard and static)
https://codepen.io/boytchev/pen/RwErNZM - hover/drone view only

BTW sometimes extra smooth motion could trigger nausea (motion sickness) faster than hard and jumpy motion. So it might be better to make camera motion configurable, so players could pick the motion they feel more comfortable with.

As for the three directions to push further, they are not mutually exclusive. You can target all of them. I’d suggest to also consider 4th direction - VR. Flying in VR is a whole new experience, incomparable with anything seen on 2D screen.

2 Likes