Social Nebula

Social Nebula is a Reddit game where building "Word Chains" grows a star’s mass. Each word orbits your avatar permanently. Hit the milestone to trigger a supernova! Join the daily collaboration.

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Inspiration

Social Nebula was inspired by the classic word-chain games we play IRL to sharpen our memories and quick thinking. I wanted to take that simple, verbal challenge and transform it into a massive, visual social experiment on Reddit. The goal was to turn a '1-on-1' memory exercise into a '1-vs-Thousands' collective effort, where every word contributed doesn't just pass the turn, but literally fuels a growing community star.

What it does

Social Nebula is a persistent, daily game built on Devvit. Users participate in a "Shiritori-style" word chain.

  • The Chain: Logic checks that the new word starts with the last letter of the previous word.
  • The Growth: Every word increases the star's mass and adds the user's Snoo avatar as an orbiting satellite.
  • The Supernova: Reaching milestones (like 20 words) triggers a visual explosion (Supernova) and shifts the nebula’s theme color.
  • Daily Reset: The game resets every 24 hours via a scheduler, challenging the community to build a new galaxy every day.

How we built it

I used the Devvit Web Platform with a React frontend and a TypeScript backend.

  • State Management: leveraged Redis to synchronize the word chain and star mass across thousands of users in real-time.
  • Visuals: used advanced CSS transforms and animations to handle "Orbital Mechanics," allowing user avatars to rotate around a central point without a heavy game engine.
  • Reddit Integration: utilized the Devvit API to fetch real-time user avatars and usernames to personalize the orbits.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was "Responsive Centering." Because the star grows in size, keeping the orbits perfectly centered around a dynamic object across different screen sizes required a "Nuclear Option" of CSS using a 0x0 pivot point and grid-stacking. I also had to manage the real-time "handshake" between the Reddit server and the webview to ensure no words were skipped in the chain.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm incredibly proud of the "Community Solar System" effect. Seeing a screen filled with the avatars of real Redditors orbiting a star they all helped build feels like a true "Reddit moment."

What we learned

I learnt the power of Redis for social gaming it’s amazing how much "Social Experiment" logic can be built with a simple key-value store. I also learnt how to push the boundaries of standard CSS to create an experience that feels like a full game engine.

What's next for Social Nebula

I plan to integrate a Dictionary API to validate words automatically. UI enhancements and AI integration.

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