Inspiration
What inspired us was a collective passion for making learning easier, specifically with language as learning them can be difficult and intimidating. We share a competitive nature, learning a skill in order to beat our friends in a game is highly motivating for us. Also, we know that our brains learn best when making errors and then being presented with the correct response, so we wanted to make a game where players are expected to not know the right answer and have fun while being incorrect.
What it does
Once 2-4 players join a lobby using a pin code, they select a language and the game begins. At the start of each round, the players are presented with a sentence in the language they had selected and have 30 seconds to try to translate it into English and submit their response. Correct responses are given 2 points, incorrect responses are put into a pool of potential translations along with the predetermined correct translation. Players who had an incorrect response choose an answer from the pool. If they pick the correct translation they are given three points, and if they are fooled by someone else's incorrect translation that someone is given the point instead. The players are presented with what the correct translation was, they move on to the next round, and after 5 rounds the game ends and the players are shown a final scoreboard.
How we built it
The moment we solidified our game concept, we meticulously mapped out the gameplay loop and essential features, considering factors like language compatibility, player count, duration, and scoring mechanics. In the technical phase, we opted for Python with Flask for backend operations and JavaScript with React for frontend development. Through iterative prototyping and player feedback, we refined mechanics and ensured a seamless user experience. Simultaneously, we encountered challenges when implementing real-time multiplayer functionality, which required us to delve into socket programming and threading for managing the game loop efficiently. This proved to be our biggest hurdle, as ensuring synchronization and smooth communication between clients posed significant complexities. We spent considerable time debugging and optimizing this aspect, fine-tuning our approach through rigorous testing and iteration. Despite the challenges, our perseverance ultimately paid off, resulting in a robust multiplayer experience that added depth and excitement to the game.
Challenges we ran into
One of the main challenges we encountered was coming up with a compelling topic and finalizing the last touches of the game. Initially, brainstorming for a unique concept that would resonate with players proved to be a daunting task.
What's next for Fool Me Twice
The first thing we would want to add would of course be more languages, so that users can learn a variety of different languages, not just Russian and Spanish. Also, currently it only supports primary English speakers to learn other languages and we would like to have support for people from anywhere to learn English. Our UI could use some love for the game to look more professionally made and it would be nice to have more time to play test in order to smooth out the game play.
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