Identify and archive authentic records alone or among others, before impermanence erases them and the rest of the internet forever.
Pick your level. Higher difficulties feature faster decay and subtler fabrications. Can you preserve truth under pressure?
Critically analyze decaying sections under time pressure to identify and preserve the legitimate archives before they vanish forever.
Race against other archivists or work together to identify and preserve authentic records before time runs out.
See how you rank against archivists around you. Filter by level and mode to find your rivals and chase the ultimate preservation record.

DUST - Truth Under Decay

Inspiration

Misinformation spreads rapidly when people are overwhelmed with content and short on time. Most media-literacy tools are static or lecture-based, while misinformation itself is dynamic, emotional, and urgent.

We wanted to build something that mirrors the real problem: time pressure, uncertainty, and imperfect decision-making. That idea became DUST.

What It Does

DUST is a real-time fact-checking game where players inspect decaying web pages and archive what they believe is true before the page collapses.

Game Modes

Solo Mode

Progressive difficulty
Faster decay over time
Increasingly subtle misinformation

Multiplayer Race

Head-to-head timed rounds
Competitive scoring

Co-op Mode

Shared time pressure
Combined team score
Separate leaderboard from solo play

Scoped Leaderboards

Solo leaderboards are separated by level.
Co-op has its own leaderboard.

Core Scoring System

** Score = ∑ (correct picks × combo multiplier) + clutch bonuses − penalties **

Combo multipliers reward accuracy streaks.
Clutch bonuses reward strong late-game decisions.
Penalties discourage reckless or random selections.

Core Game Systems

Decay Engine
Implements time pressure and progressive difficulty scaling.

Archive / Reveal Loop
Players select content, reveal correctness, and receive scoring in a tight loop.

Multiplayer Presence

Reconnect handling
Default wins on disconnect
Rematch logic

Challenges

Keeping state transitions deterministic across playing, revealing, and gameover phases
Preventing leaderboard inconsistencies across game modes
Handling multiplayer edge cases such as disconnects and rematches
Balancing difficulty so later levels feel challenging but fair

Accomplishments

Delivered a polished real-time full-stack game under hackathon constraints
Implemented mode-aware leaderboard architecture
Built a save-status UX that reflects true backend completion
Successfully shipped both competitive and collaborative multiplayer modes

Lessons Learned

Data modeling decisions (such as leaderboard scope keys) directly impact correctness.
Explicit and idempotent mutations simplify real-time system evolution.
Spec-driven development reduces regressions and improves shipping speed.
Small UX details around persistence and feedback build user trust.