Categories.LIVE Server

This is the backend server component for Categories.LIVE, a real-time multiplayer word game inspired by Scattergories. The server handles game logic, room management, and real-time communication between players.

Server Architecture

Core Components

• Game Engine: Manages game state, rounds, scoring, and letter selection
• Room Management: Handles creation and management of game rooms, including public/private rooms
• Socket.IO Integration: Enables real-time bidirectional communication
• GPT-4 Integration: Provides AI-powered answer validation

Key Features

• Real-time multiplayer support with Socket.IO
• Dynamic room creation and management
• Public and private game rooms
• Single-player mode
• AI-powered answer validation using GPT-4
• Live chat functionality in rooms
• Automatic game state management
• Configurable game settings
• Random room joining capability

Game Flow

1. Players can create or join rooms
2. Each game consists of 3 rounds
3. Rounds follow this sequence:
   • 3-second lobby countdown
   • 90-second answer period
   • Answer collection and GPT-4 validation
   • Score calculation and display
   • Results shown for 60 seconds
   • Return to lobby for next round

Technical Implementation

The server is built with:

• Node.js for the runtime environment
• Express for the web server
• Socket.IO for real-time communication
• OpenAI's GPT-4 API for answer validation

Key files and their responsibilities:

• app.js: Main server entry point and Socket.IO setup
• game.js: Core game logic and state management
• room.js: Room creation and management
• client.js: Client connection handling
• gpt.js: OpenAI integration for answer validation
• prompts.txt: Database of game categories