HOW NOT TO DIE

Description

How Not To Die is a full-stack, collaborative storytelling game disguised as a survival console for interstellar explorers. Built with React, Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL, the app is designed to showcase real-time user interactivity, clean UI/UX, and narrative-driven data flow within a stylized space-console interface.

Players assume the role of deep-space explorers sent to document the conditions of unknown planets. Each player contributes to a shared mystery by writing detailed explorer logs—some humorous, some harrowing, and some that hint at something far more ominous beneath the surface.

Users can:

• Explore planets and uncover immersive, interactive landscapes
• Write personal logs and submit public entries for review
• Read logs submitted by others and vote on which should be added to the official Survival Guide
• Interact with a galaxy map and travel via shuttle to discover new worlds
• Use malfunctioning tools like a “weather scanner” that pulls real Earth data as if it were planetary weather
• Experience unexpected system failures, hidden transmissions, and narrative surprises as they piece together clues

At its core, How Not To Die is a collaborative mystery game. Players work together to build the lore, expand the survival guide, and slowly uncover the truth behind strange signals, vanishing explorers, and the increasingly unstable AI known as VERA. Every log shapes the world, every vote builds the canon, and every clue brings players closer to the central mystery.

Deployed via Render and styled with responsive, atmospheric detail, How Not To Die invites you not just to survive, but to contribute to the mythos of those who do.

Key Features	Technology Stack
Interactive, intuitive UI built with React	Languages: JavaScript (client), TypeScript (server)
Responsive layout for mobile and desktop	Front-End: React
Reusable component architecture with CSS modules	Styling: CSS Modules, Responsive Media Queries
Client-side routing with protected routes	State Management: React Context API
Private user logs with full CRUD capabilities	Routing: React Router
In-app messaging system with persistent threads	Back-End: Node.js, Express.js
Voting system with upvote threshold gating	Database: PostgreSQL, Sequelize ORM
RESTful API endpoints (GET and POST)	Authentication: JWT
Integration with server-side APIs	Security: bcrypt, .env (for API key protection)
Secure user authentication using JWT	Build Tools: Vite
Secure handling of API keys and env variables	Deployment: Render
PostgreSQL database with Sequelize ORM	Version Control: Git, GitHub

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Usage
• Screenshots
• Walkthrough Video
• Live Demo
• Database Schema
• Contributing
• Future Development
• Tests
• Documentation
• Contact

Installation

This app is deployed on Render and can be accessed here. To run the app locally:

1. Ensure you have the following installed:

• Express.js
• Node.js
• npm (Comes bundled with Node.js)
• PostgreSQL

2. Clone the Repository

• bash:

  git clone https://github.com/alexis-menendez/how-not-to-die-demo.git
  cd project-name

3. Install Client Dependencies

• Open an Integrated terminal in /client:
• bash:

  cd how-not-to-die/client
  npm install

4. Install Server Dependencies

• Open an Integrated terminal in /server:
• bash:

  cd ../server
  npm install

5. Create a .env file in the root directory with the following:

• .env:

  DB_NAME=your_db
  DB_USER=your_user
  DB_PASSWORD=your_password
  JWT_SECRET=your_secret
  API_KEY_1=xxxx

6. Ensure PostgreSQL is running. Then create your database and apply any migrations/seeds:

• Open an Integrated terminal in /server:
• bash:

  npx sequelize-cli db:create
  npx sequelize-cli db:migrate
  npx sequelize-cli db:seed:all

7. Start the Server

• Open an Integrated terminal in /server:
• bash:

  cd how-not-to-die/server
  npm run dev

8. Start the Client

• Open an Integrated terminal in /client:
• bash:

  cd how-not-to-die/client
  npm run dev

Usage

1. Once the server is running, navigate to the link that starts with “http://localhost:” found in your terminal after starting the client

2. From there, users can:

   • Register or sign in through the console-style login screen
   • Navigate a sci-fi command dashboard powered by VERA
   • Submit, edit, and manage personal explorer logs
   • Vote on public log entries submitted by others
   • View/send messages from/to other players and story NPC’s
   • Travel to alien planets and interact with environment tools

Screenshots

Walkthrough Video

• Currently unavailable (Coming soon!)

Live Demo

• Client
• Server

Contributing

We welcome contributions! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature or fix.
3. Make your changes and commit them with descriptive messages.
4. Push your changes and create a pull request.

Tests

There are currently no automated tests for this project

Documentation

Note: The original repository ran out of free Git LFS space, so the project was migrated to a new team repository under a paid account with additional storage.

• Current Repository
• Original Repository
• Google Slides
• Google Doc

Acknowledgements

1. Thomas Brittain
2. Diego Mars

Contact

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the team:

Project Lead: Blake Brittain

• GitHub: Blakenb
• Email: Blakenb87@gmail.com

Frontend Lead, Documentation Manager: Alex Menendez – Junior Developer, Junior Project Manager, Junior UI/UX Designer

• Website: Crafted-By-Alex
• LinkedIn: in/alex-d-menendez
• GitHub: alexis-menendez
• Email: alexis.menendez@austincc.edu

Backend Lead: Constance Robin

• GitHub: zomblic
• Email: zomblic@hotmail.com

Frontend Developer: Joeseph Goodwin

• GitHub: Joseph-Goodwin001
• Email: josephgoodwin001@gmail.com

Backend Developer: Johnny

• GitHub: NFToonz
• Email: Johnnyt3.2014@gmail.com