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Show HN: DoodleOrDie - "a game of telephone with doodles" in Node.JS

25 points by NTH 14y ago

madsushi 14y ago
So which came first: DoodleOrDie or Drawception?
- Cushman 14y ago
  Broken Picture Telephone? Though the game itself is almost certainly older than the internet.
  - dc-tech-fan 14y ago
    It is very simular - but we actually had never heard of or played Broken Picture when we created the game. I wish we knew about it before launching because there have been many times when deciding how the game should work that it would have been much easier to know how Broken Picture did things, such as how long chains should be and how to handle jerky players.
    - billybob 14y ago
      Was excited to see this, as some friends and I independently invented this game on paper once. DoodleOrDie is fun, but jerky/stupid players are really the biggest downfall for me. I don't want to write an elaborate, funny caption and then be asked to draw something for an obscene, misspelled, 3-word one.
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  Doodle or Die by about 6 months 2011-Aug-28: Doodle or Die 2012-Feb-06: Draw Something 2012-Mar-26: Drawception (edit: formatting)
ajanuary 14y ago
If I sign in with twitter, why do I need to pick a password?
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  We want you to have a user name, and the Node module we're using for authentication (EveryAuth) makes it easy to require a user name and password but not easy to require a user name without a password. EveryAuth: https://github.com/bnoguchi/everyauth https://github.com/bnoguchi/everyauth
TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
Drawing does not work for me. I try to hold down mouse and draw, won't let me. Can't select colours properly.
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  What browser and version are you using? I developed the drawing tool using Chrome, tested in Firefox, and people tell us it works on the iPhone and iPad. Also the game is 100% Javascript - if you are disabling Javascript it won't work.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
    Google Chrome. And I assure you, I have JavaScript enabled.
    - dc-tech-fan 14y ago
      Do other drawings load slowly for you? Most images you see are drawn via canvas using the same code that runs when you draw with your mouse. For example: http://doodleordie.com/profile/underwearhero http://doodleordie.com/profile/underwearhero Let me know if those drawings load very slowly or not at all. Anybody else using Chrome on Linux having this issue?
      - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
        Nope, no issues with viewing them. I just can't click and hold to draw. (Well, couldn't, haven't tried again)
dc-tech-fan 14y ago
Wow, excited to see a shout out on HN for something I created! I'll try to answer any questions you have, especially technical questions about running a game with thousands of users on Node. (Edit: spelling)
- Lockyy 14y ago
  I am really liking the new website, I like the "I would just prefer to make an account" to get around facebook/twitter. I would prefer it to be the default, but I'm really happy you've included that for people who don't have either. As a sidenote, is Doodle or Die still infested with pictures of sonic going fast?
  - dc-tech-fan 14y ago
    We have a reporting system to get rid of those few bad apples from 4Chan (amazingly most 4Chan players love the site and play legitimately).
    - Lockyy 14y ago
      Well a fun game can make anyone sit down to enjoy it I guess.
- tlack 14y ago
  Great site! Can you tell us about the technology you use to run it, such as db, npm modules, server configs, etc? Sometimes I wish sites had something like a colophon that described how the site was made.
  - dc-tech-fan 14y ago
    I agree about a colophon! We have a lot of this information on our About Page but maybe that's not the best place for it. http://doodleordie.com/about http://doodleordie.com/about I'll reply to each technology separately to make it easier to reply to questions about a specific tech.
  - 14y ago
mdonahoe 14y ago
I've heard this game called "eat poop you cat" It's awesome in a group setting with pen and paper.
ericflo 14y ago
Somewhat related: a friend and I built a game a lot like this as a Facebook app back in 2009 called Pictionnected. It had a few really passionate users. Didn't really iterate on it, got busy with work, and didn't maintain it when Facebook made some platform changes--eventually killing the app. I deeply regret not sticking with it. I didn't know at the time just how unique it was to have that core set of extremely passionate users. The thing I've been realizing more and more these days is that persistence really is the name of the game. In any case, it's great to see that the idea is still alive and kicking! (Screenshot, for posterity: http://i.imgur.com/pSLNA.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pSLNA.jpg)
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  That is so cool, thanks for sharing the screenshot! I love seeing how different developers show the final chain. There have been many times when I've wanted to give up on Doodle or Die. For example when somebody created a site called Screw Your Doodle to upload offensive images and users were asking for a reporting system that we didn't have yet and I had already been working every night on the site for much of the night...
jcfrei 14y ago
not quite sure I understood what I had to draw, but here you go: http://i.imgur.com/0JrhK.png http://i.imgur.com/0JrhK.png btw. a very funny concept (although it's also quite easy to get lost in those games)
qeorge 14y ago
Big fan of Doodle or Die. Two things I was very impressed with: 1) Ability to play without signing up. When I finally did sign-up, they asked for few permissions from Facebook (only name and email, IIRC). 2) Trolls don't ruin the game. The community is great, and will just play through. Example: http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/564/doodleordiecomce5t8eyus.png http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/564/doodleordiecomce5t8eyus... Its addicting.
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  Awesome, thanks.
addies 14y ago
Wow, great concept. I can see just how addicting this site can become. Sidenote, this is my favourite chain so far: http://doodleordie.com/c/1qp-p7-YK http://doodleordie.com/c/1qp-p7-YK
pigstylus 14y ago
I've been trying to play this on a Galaxy Note running ICS using Chrome for Android. Mostly works, with some expected lag during drawing. The layout of the drawing tools is a bit off (overlapping themselves and the drawing space). Hope an app version is in the works.

25 points by NTH 14y ago

madsushi 14y ago

So which came first: DoodleOrDie or Drawception?

Cushman 14y ago
Broken Picture Telephone? Though the game itself is almost certainly older than the internet.
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  It is very simular - but we actually had never heard of or played Broken Picture when we created the game. I wish we knew about it before launching because there have been many times when deciding how the game should work that it would have been much easier to know how Broken Picture did things, such as how long chains should be and how to handle jerky players.
  - billybob 14y ago
    Was excited to see this, as some friends and I independently invented this game on paper once. DoodleOrDie is fun, but jerky/stupid players are really the biggest downfall for me. I don't want to write an elaborate, funny caption and then be asked to draw something for an obscene, misspelled, 3-word one.
dc-tech-fan 14y ago
Doodle or Die by about 6 months 2011-Aug-28: Doodle or Die 2012-Feb-06: Draw Something 2012-Mar-26: Drawception (edit: formatting)

ajanuary 14y ago

If I sign in with twitter, why do I need to pick a password?

dc-tech-fan 14y ago
We want you to have a user name, and the Node module we're using for authentication (EveryAuth) makes it easy to require a user name and password but not easy to require a user name without a password. EveryAuth: https://github.com/bnoguchi/everyauth https://github.com/bnoguchi/everyauth

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago

Drawing does not work for me. I try to hold down mouse and draw, won't let me. Can't select colours properly.

dc-tech-fan 14y ago
What browser and version are you using? I developed the drawing tool using Chrome, tested in Firefox, and people tell us it works on the iPhone and iPad. Also the game is 100% Javascript - if you are disabling Javascript it won't work.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  Google Chrome. And I assure you, I have JavaScript enabled.
  - dc-tech-fan 14y ago
    Do other drawings load slowly for you? Most images you see are drawn via canvas using the same code that runs when you draw with your mouse. For example: http://doodleordie.com/profile/underwearhero http://doodleordie.com/profile/underwearhero Let me know if those drawings load very slowly or not at all. Anybody else using Chrome on Linux having this issue?
    - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
      Nope, no issues with viewing them. I just can't click and hold to draw. (Well, couldn't, haven't tried again)

dc-tech-fan 14y ago

Wow, excited to see a shout out on HN for something I created! I'll try to answer any questions you have, especially technical questions about running a game with thousands of users on Node. (Edit: spelling)

Lockyy 14y ago
I am really liking the new website, I like the "I would just prefer to make an account" to get around facebook/twitter. I would prefer it to be the default, but I'm really happy you've included that for people who don't have either. As a sidenote, is Doodle or Die still infested with pictures of sonic going fast?
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  We have a reporting system to get rid of those few bad apples from 4Chan (amazingly most 4Chan players love the site and play legitimately).
  - Lockyy 14y ago
    Well a fun game can make anyone sit down to enjoy it I guess.
tlack 14y ago
Great site! Can you tell us about the technology you use to run it, such as db, npm modules, server configs, etc? Sometimes I wish sites had something like a colophon that described how the site was made.
- dc-tech-fan 14y ago
  I agree about a colophon! We have a lot of this information on our About Page but maybe that's not the best place for it. http://doodleordie.com/about http://doodleordie.com/about I'll reply to each technology separately to make it easier to reply to questions about a specific tech.
- 14y ago

mdonahoe 14y ago

I've heard this game called "eat poop you cat" It's awesome in a group setting with pen and paper.

ericflo 14y ago

Somewhat related: a friend and I built a game a lot like this as a Facebook app back in 2009 called Pictionnected. It had a few really passionate users. Didn't really iterate on it, got busy with work, and didn't maintain it when Facebook made some platform changes--eventually killing the app. I deeply regret not sticking with it. I didn't know at the time just how unique it was to have that core set of extremely passionate users. The thing I've been realizing more and more these days is that persistence really is the name of the game. In any case, it's great to see that the idea is still alive and kicking! (Screenshot, for posterity: http://i.imgur.com/pSLNA.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pSLNA.jpg)

dc-tech-fan 14y ago
That is so cool, thanks for sharing the screenshot! I love seeing how different developers show the final chain. There have been many times when I've wanted to give up on Doodle or Die. For example when somebody created a site called Screw Your Doodle to upload offensive images and users were asking for a reporting system that we didn't have yet and I had already been working every night on the site for much of the night...

jcfrei 14y ago

not quite sure I understood what I had to draw, but here you go: http://i.imgur.com/0JrhK.png http://i.imgur.com/0JrhK.png btw. a very funny concept (although it's also quite easy to get lost in those games)

qeorge 14y ago

Big fan of Doodle or Die. Two things I was very impressed with: 1) Ability to play without signing up. When I finally did sign-up, they asked for few permissions from Facebook (only name and email, IIRC). 2) Trolls don't ruin the game. The community is great, and will just play through. Example: http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/564/doodleordiecomce5t8eyus.png http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/564/doodleordiecomce5t8eyus... Its addicting.

dc-tech-fan 14y ago
Awesome, thanks.

addies 14y ago

Wow, great concept. I can see just how addicting this site can become. Sidenote, this is my favourite chain so far: http://doodleordie.com/c/1qp-p7-YK http://doodleordie.com/c/1qp-p7-YK

pigstylus 14y ago

I've been trying to play this on a Galaxy Note running ICS using Chrome for Android. Mostly works, with some expected lag during drawing. The layout of the drawing tools is a bit off (overlapping themselves and the drawing space). Hope an app version is in the works.