Whatify World

Inspiration

I’ve always loved “what if…?” conversations. What if the Library of Alexandria never burned? What if the Cold War turned hot in 1962? I wanted to create an experience that generates these timelines instantly, tells the story like a documentary narrator, and shows the ripple effects on a living world map.

What it does

Type any What if…? and Whatify: 1) generates a believable alternate history (intro + sequenced events), 2) narrates it with an AI voice so there’s no dead air, 3) lights up the map as each event unfolds, with an always-visible “Now Playing” banner and a bottom sheet for full text on mobile.

How I built it

Frontend: Next.js + React + Tailwind. The map is a lightweight SVG/Canvas world outline with GPU-friendly effects (pulsing markers, arcs, vignette) and a mobile-first layout (map full-screen, controls sticky, bottom-sheet details). Generation: prompt → streaming intro + events (NDJSON). Intro triggers narration immediately; events queue up without overlap. Narration: Web Speech API fallback for zero-latency start; optional backend TTS for higher fidelity. An audio gate on mobile ensures instant playback after the first tap. State/UX: deterministic reset (AbortController + queue.reset) so I can generate new timelines repeatedly without refresh.

What’s next

Save/share timelines with slugs. Multi-voice cast (narrator + quotes). Rich map layers and branching timelines.

Built With

• cursor
• elevenlabs
• github
• gpt