Inspiration
When we heard Wild West, for some reason, our minds jumped to "dating app". Let me tell you about it.
What it does
We created a website that helps bounty hunters find their next mark. Our algorithm takes into account various details to match you to the most relevant bounty. We considered the location of the target, styles of execution, and the relationship between a bounty hunter's skill level and the danger level of the bounty. Our website consists of a feed and a profile section. You can update your profile as you grow your skills, accessing bigger and better bounties. The feed is sortable by relevance, name, distance, and reward -- it also refreshes whenever you update your stats.
How we built it
Our back-end work was done in Java with Springboot and Maven, using MongoDB Atlas & Compass. We coded an extensive front-end using the reactive Svelte framework for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/Typescript. Typescript bridged the gap and ran a lot of our business logic. Team-wise, we collaborated on almost every part of the project. Our project is hosted with Vercel at this link: https://buckles-and-beatdowns-98k35qpa4-williams-projects-7527e1a2.vercel.app/
Challenges we ran into
Connecting Svelte's API functions with Springboot's was not an easy task. All of our team members used new languages and frameworks on this project, and debugging was extensive. Like, five hours extensive. Nevertheless, we implemented almost all of the functionalities we were excited about!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The team is definitely proud to have made it over the hurdles that debugging sent our way. A good number of stretch goals and features were implemented, even with time delays. We even got our website hosting set up with less than thirty minutes to go! This whole hackathon was definitely an accomplishment for the team, as we learned loads in an incredibly short timespan.
What we learned
We gained experience with database interaction, new frameworks, front-end technology, and website hosting and deployment. Importantly, we learned how to prioritize our minimum viable product in times of uncertainty. All of us came into this project with different skill levels in these areas, but we are confidently leaving with a renewed grasp on valuable tools and skills.
What's next for Buckles and Beatdowns
While this specific example is frivolous, we believe the model and functionality for Buckles and Beatdowns is easily applied to real-life scenarios. The algorithm could apply to recreational sports, helping you find partners to compete with. The matching, especially location-based, also applies to gig work like campus food delivery or rideshare. If we kept working on the project, we'd add more functionalities like favoriting bounties, uploading your own profile picture, or an accounts system. The possibilities are endless! (Intended GoDaddy Domain: https://bucklesandbeatdowns.select)
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