Game Server Template

A real-time multiplayer game server template for creating interactive big-screen experiences with TouchDesigner visuals and mobile phone controllers.

Built with Express, Socket.io, and React (Mantine UI).

How It Works

[TouchDesigner - Big Screen]  <──WebSocket──>  [Game Server]  <──WebSocket/REST──>  [Phone Controllers]

🎥 Watch Demo on YouTube

1. Players connect via their phone browsers — they get a joystick + buttons to control the game
2. The server manages all game state in memory, batches player inputs, and syncs stats
3. TouchDesigner renders the game on a big screen / LED wall, sending back scores, lives, and game events
4. Leaderboards track daily and all-time high scores via SQLite

Key Features

• Real-time WebSocket communication with Socket.io
• REST API for player management and leaderboards
• In-memory game state with SQLite persistence
• Mobile-friendly player controller (joystick + buttons)
• Auto-pilot and manual control modes
• Leaderboard with daily and all-time rankings
• Optional character image upload
• Docker containerization

Quick Start

Local Development

npm install --legacy-peer-deps
npm run dev:full

Open http://localhost:3032 for the React app.
The Express server runs on http://localhost:3031.

With Docker

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/character/upload	Upload image + create player session
POST	/api/player	Create player without image
GET	/api/character/:id	Get player session info
POST	/api/character/:id/username	Set player username
GET	/api/leaderboard/daily	Daily leaderboard
GET	/api/leaderboard/alltime	All-time leaderboard

WebSocket Protocol

Connect via Socket.io with query params:

Param	Value	Description
clientType	mobile	Client type identifier
characterId	<id>	Player session ID
username	<name>	Player display name

Documentation

• Local Development Setup
• Production Deployment
• Template Customization Guide
• Architecture Overview

Scripts

Command	Description
npm run dev:full	Start Express + React dev servers
npm run dev	Express only (with nodemon)
npm run client:dev	React dev server only
npm run build	Production build (React)
npm start	Production server
npm test	Run tests
npm run lint	Run ESLint
npm run format	Run Prettier