Always At Morgridge

Inspiration

Ever since Morgridge Hall opened its doors, we've been some its most dedicated regulars. We have explored every corner, studied in every free room, and set records for longest consecutive visit streaks. With this hackathon hosted in Morgridge Hall, we wanted a way to translate our enthusiasm into something creative and interactive. Always At Morgridge is our answer. It is a playful, terminal based experience that captures the energy of the building and brings people together around a shared digital space inspired by it.

What It Does

Always At Morgridge is a lightweight 2D terminal application that connects players to one another in real time. Once connected to the shared server, users can interact, communicate, and participate in a small social world built around the Morgridge Hall community. Key features include:

Posting announcement messages that are visible to all connected players
Initiating one on one chats with other users
Customizing your character to reflect your personality
Solve auto-generated server riddles that encourage participation and collaboration
Enter classrooms and engage in room wide chats

Whether someone logs in to socialize, to explore, or simply to enjoy a fun text based interface, the app provides a lively space where the CDIS community can gather.

How We Built It

Always At Morgridge is built as a Golang command line application. We use Bubble Tea to create expressive and visually appealing terminal interfaces. For real time communication, we rely on websockets to deliver fast and reliable message transmission between the server and connected clients. This combination allows the app to feel responsive and engaging while running entirely inside the terminal.

And if you're wondering why we put it inside the terminal, the answer is simple: because it seemed cool. After all, the terminal is on brand for this community, and it makes the whole experience feel just a little more exclusive.