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UW Guesser 🦢

UW Guesser is an interactive location guessing game dedicated to the University of Waterloo campus. Inspired by GeoGuessr, it tests students' and alumni's knowledge of campus landmarks, hidden corners, and iconic buildings.

Built with Next.js, Socket.io, and MongoDB, it features real-time multiplayer modes, global leaderboards, and a smooth, immersive user experience.

🚀 Features

Game Modes

  • Single Player: classic mode to test your knowledge at your own pace.
  • Multiplayer 1v1: Challenge a friend in real-time.
  • Triangle Trouble: A unique triangulation game mode.
  • Tutorial: Learn how to play and master the map.
  • (Coming Soon): Multiplayer Teams, Ranked Mode.

Core Systems

  • Real-time Gameplay: Powered by Socket.io for instant multiplayer synchronization.
  • Leaderboards: Global ranking system to track top players.
  • Immersive Transitions: Custom GSAP-powered cloud animations.
  • Dynamic Map: Interactive map for location pinning.

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

Backend

  • Server: Custom Node.js server (integrated with Next.js via ts-node)
  • WebSockets: Socket.io for real-time state management.
  • Database: MongoDB for user data and game history.

Infrastructure

  • Image Hosting: Cloudinary
  • Runtime: Node.js

📂 Project Structure

├── app/                  # Next.js App Router pages (routes)
│   ├── game/             # Main game interface
│   ├── leaderboard/      # Leaderboard page
│   ├── modes/            # Game mode selection
│   ├── tutorial/         # Tutorial page
│   └── ...
├── components/           # Reusable React components
│   ├── hero/             # Landing page components
│   ├── CloudTransition/  # Custom transition effects
│   └── ...
├── server/               # Backend logic
│   ├── handlers/         # Socket.io event handlers (Game, Queue)
│   └── index.ts          # Server entry point
├── public/               # Static assets (images, icons)
└── server.mts            # Main server startup script

⚡ Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v18+ recommended)
  • npm or yarn
  • MongoDB instance (local or Atlas)

Installation

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/ApilaashY/Waterloo-Guesser.git
cd Waterloo-Guesser

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the root directory and add your keys (MongoDB URI, Cloudinary credentials, etc.).

Running the Development Server

To run both the Next.js frontend and the Socket.io backend simultaneously (required for game functionality), use:

npm run dev:socket

Note: Do not use npm run dev alone, as it only starts the frontend and will fail to connect to the game server.

Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

👥 Authors

  • Senthil Kirthieswar
  • Apilaash Yoharan

Made with ❤️ for uWaterloo