I'm considering continuing to iterate on my collaborative game idea for my Live Web midterm. The idea of using Node.js and sockets to allow for user-to-user interaction through the browser just screams "multiplayer game" to me.
Aesthetically, I'm going for a 2D 'pixelated'-style game where players each control a unique character that has its own set moves. I'm still figuring out the overall mechanics: will players collaborate against one or many opponents, or fight against each other? Maybe a mix of both as teams duke it out?
The process would work like this:
- User goes to website
- Server recognizes user and assigns an ID to user
- Client-side recognizes ID and assigns a character, which is dynamically created and appended to HTML
- Users are then either divided into teams, or left without teams (depending on the game mechanics)
- Game starts when everyone is ready
- If anyone disconnects, character is removed from game and user ID is removed
I also spoke with Alex and I'm considering teaming up with her to create real-time "video chat" between ITP and the screen downstairs on Waverly Place. We would use sockets and PeerJS to provide a real-time window between both screens and allow for instant communication.
Additionally, we're interested in adding a Redial-esque experience to the screen downstairs. Since there is no way to provide audio through the screen (it's behind glass) we could have users call a number to connect to the video chat, and talk through their phones. The phone could also become a controller for the interface on the browser/screen.
This could be a great midterm project, and I would continue working on my game on the side as well - potentially for the final, once I have solidified the mechanics and learn to better use the tools provided by socket to make the game a seamless, interactive multiplayer experience.