288 lines
8.2 KiB
Markdown
288 lines
8.2 KiB
Markdown
# ✅ Project Status Report
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## Multiplayer Tic-Tac-Toe Platform
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**To:** CTO & Technical Interview Panel
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**Date:** November 28, 2025
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**Version:** v0.2.0
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---
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## **1. Objective**
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Design and implement a lightweight, scalable, server-authoritative multiplayer game system using **Nakama + Go plugins
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**, supporting authentication, matchmaking, authoritative gameplay, leaderboards, and a functional UI — deployable to
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Google Cloud for demonstration.
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---
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## **2. Current Completion Summary**
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| Requirement | Status |
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|----------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
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| Install Nakama + PostgreSQL | ✅ Completed |
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| Custom Go server plugins | ✅ Completed |
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| Server-authoritative Tic-Tac-Toe | ✅ Completed |
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| Real-time WebSocket communication | ✅ Completed |
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| Device-based authentication | ✅ Completed |
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| JWT-based session management | ✅ Completed |
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| Match creation & joining | ✅ Completed |
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| **Matchmaking queue support** | ✅ Completed |
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| **Game state validation & turn enforcement** | ✅ Completed |
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| **Leaderboard system** | ✅ Completed |
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| **UI Game Client** | 🟡 Partially Implemented |
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| Google Cloud deployment | 🟡 Not Started |
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✅ **Backend is fully authoritative and complete**
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🟡 **UI functional but missing polish, UX, and failure handling**
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---
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## **3. Core Technical Architecture**
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* **Backend Framework:** Nakama 3.x
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* **Business Logic:** Custom Go runtime module
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* **Frontend:** React + Vite + Nakama JS
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* **Database:** PostgreSQL 14
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* **Transport:** WebSockets (real-time)
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* **Authentication:** Device-ID based auth → JWT session returned
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* **State Management:** Fully server-authoritative
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* **Build & Deployment:** Docker-based
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---
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## **4. Authentication**
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### Backend
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* Device authentication, auto-account creation
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* JWT returned and used for RT connections
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### UI
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* Generates a device UUID and authenticates via `client.authenticateDevice()`
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* Stores and manages session state in React context
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---
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## **5. Game Server Logic (Go)**
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Significant enhancements made:
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### **✔ Initial State Broadcast**
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* When the second player joins, the server immediately sends the full authoritative state.
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### **✔ Complete Turn + Move Validation**
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Rejects:
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* out-of-bounds moves
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* occupied cells
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* wrong player's turn
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* invalid payloads
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### **✔ Forfeit Handling**
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* When a user disconnects or leaves, match ends in `forfeit`
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* Final state broadcast to remaining player
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### **✔ Authoritative State Updates**
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* Only broadcasts when state actually changes
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* Robust structured logging
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Result:
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**Absolute server authority, zero trust in client.**
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---
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## **6. Real-Time Networking**
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Communication validated end-to-end:
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* `match_create`
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* `match_join`
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* `matchmaker_add` / `matchmaker_matched`
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* `match_data_send` for moves (OpCode 1)
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* Server broadcasts state (OpCode 2)
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Python simulators and UI both confirm:
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* move ordering
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* correct enforcement of turn rules
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* correct state sync
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* stable WebSocket behavior
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---
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## **7. Matchmaking System (Go + UI)**
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### **Backend (Go)**
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* Implements `MatchmakerMatched` hook
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* Ensures both players:
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* have valid `mode`
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* match modes
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* exactly two players
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* Creates authoritative matches server-side
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* RPC `leave_matchmaking` added
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### **UI**
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* Integrates matchmaking: mode selection → queue → ticket → matched → auto-join
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* Uses Nakama JS `socket.addMatchmaker()`
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**Status:** Fully functional end-to-end
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---
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## **8. Leaderboard System (Go + UI)**
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### **Backend (Go)**
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* Leaderboard auto-created on startup
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* On win:
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* winner identified
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* username resolved
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* score incremented (+1 win)
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* metadata logged
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### **UI**
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* Implements leaderboard view using `client.listLeaderboardRecords()`
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* Read-only UI display works
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### **Remaining**
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* UI sorting, layout, styling
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* No leaderboard write actions needed from UI
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---
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## **9. UI Implementation Status (React + Vite)**
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### **What Is Implemented**
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- ✔ Authentication flow (device auth)
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- ✔ WebSocket session handling
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- ✔ Matchmaking (classic/blitz modes)
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- ✔ Automatic match join
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- ✔ Move sending (OpCode 1)
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- ✔ State updates (OpCode 2)
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- ✔ Board rendering and interactive cells
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- ✔ End-of-game messaging
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- ✔ Leaderboard display
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### **Partially Implemented**
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- 🟡 Match mode UI selection wired but not visually emphasized
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- 🟡 Context handles all RT states but missing error handling
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### **Not Implemented / Missing**
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- 🔴 Reconnect flow (UI does not recover session after WS drop)
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- 🔴 No error UI for: matchmaking failure, move rejection, disconnects
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- 🔴 No UI for leaving match or returning to lobby
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- 🔴 No rematch button / flow
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- 🔴 No transitions, animations, or mobile layout
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- 🔴 No global app shell (Routing, Home Screen, etc.)
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**Summary:** UI is *functional* and capable of playing full authoritative games, but lacks UX polish and failure
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handling.
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---
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## **10. Testing & Validation**
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### Backend
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* Extensive scenario tests: draws, wins, illegal moves, disconnects
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* Matchmaking simulation across N clients
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### UI
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* Verified:
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* matchmaking
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* game correctness
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* leaderboard retrieval
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* state sync
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* Missing:
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* stress testing
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* reconnection scenarios
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* mobile layout testing
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---
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## **11. Google Cloud Deployment**
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Planned architecture remains:
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| Component | GCP Service |
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|---------------|-------------------------------|
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| Nakama server | Compute Engine VM (Docker) |
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| PostgreSQL | Cloud SQL (shared tier) |
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| Game UI | Cloud Run or Firebase Hosting |
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| Networking | Static IP + HTTPS |
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| Auth secrets | Secret Manager (optional) |
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Estimated setup time: **6–8 hours**
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---
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## **12. Risks & Considerations**
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| Risk | Mitigation |
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|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
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| UI lacks error/reconnect logic | Add retry + reconnection flows |
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| No rematch or lobby UX | Add match lifecycle UI |
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| No mobile layout | Add responsive CSS |
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| Cloud deployment pending | Prioritize after UI polish |
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| Matchmaking UX is minimal | Add feedback, loading states |
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None of these affect core backend stability.
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---
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## **13. Next Steps**
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### **UI Tasks**
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1. Add reconnect + error-handling UI
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2. Create lobby → gameplay → results, flow
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3. Add rematch capability
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4. Add responsive + polished UI
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5. Add loading indicators & animations
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Estimated remaining effort: **6 to 8 hours**
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---
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## **Executive Summary**
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### Issues faced
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Several unexpected integration challenges during UI setup contributed to the additional day of work. These included:
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- Aligning the UI’s matchmaking flow with the new authoritative Go-based matchmaking logic.
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- Handling Nakama JS WebSocket behaviors, especially around session timing, matchmaker ticket handling, and match join events.
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- Ensuring OpCode handling and server-produced state updates matched the server’s authoritative model.
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- Resolving environment-related issues (Vite dev server, Node version mismatches, and WebSocket URL configuration).
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- Debugging cross-origin and connection-reset issues during early WebSocket initialization.
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These challenges required deeper synchronization between the backend and frontend layers, resulting in an additional **+1 day** of engineering time.
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### Project Progress
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The system now features a fully authoritative backend with matchmaking, gameplay logic, and leaderboards implemented
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completely in Go. The UI is functional and integrates correctly with all backend systems, supporting end-to-end
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matchmaking and gameplay.
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Key remaining work involves UI polish, recovery/error handling, and deployment setup. No major architectural risks
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remain.
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**The project is now fully playable, technically solid, and ready for final UI enhancements and cloud deployment.**
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