Marshmallow Sofa (by Astraforge)

Host starting screen
Mobile starting screen
Player mobile screen, Host (TV) screen, lobby owner screen (first to join lobby)

Inspiration

Our inspiration was a game that one of our team members has played around the campfire since childhood. It is a camping tradition for larger groups of friends and family. We were also inspired by the properties of games by JackBox and the game Gartic Phone for how our game would function on multiple devices at the same time.

What it does

This game brings friends and family together to laugh. Since the players must create an original prompt, it is lots of fun to reference inside jokes between players. When people get together online or in person, they can play a fun game with minimal resources. All that is required is a laptop and a device for each player (all connected to the internet). It is easy to use and a very good time.

How we built it

Hosted in Google Firebase, this game was built using Angular for front end, ExpressJS for the backend server, and utilizing the socket.io package for our web sockets. Graphics, icons, and art were done in Apple Procreate.

Challenges we ran into

Lack of expertise led to difficulty producing the desired result in the allotted time. Since some members were teaching others, it was difficult for them to teach while getting their own tasks done.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Impeccable UI/UX, as well as a quirky game name and smooth gameplay.

What we learned

One of our members learned some back end developing skills, and we all got better at team communication so we could think together to make our game the best it could be.

What's next for Marshmallow Sofa (by Astraforge)

We plan to add more features such as

light mode (daytime background and lighter colors)
drop menu to choose number of rounds to play in a row
button to exit game at any point
accidentally close tab and be able to rejoin game as yourself
custom original soundtrack for host screen (no awkward silence, just chill beats)
player submission status (see when other players have submitted their responses)
animate campfire and twinkling stars