Multiplayer Wordle

A real-time, multiplayer Wordle game built with Go, featuring queue-based matchmaking and a WebSocket protocol.

Features

• Multiplayer: Two players compete to guess the same hidden word.
• Real-time feedback: Both players see each other's guesses and feedback.
• Queue-based matchmaking: Players are matched automatically for quick games.
• Turn-based: Players alternate turns, each with a time limit.
• WebSocket protocol: Efficient, bidirectional communication between client and server.
• Configurable word list and game settings.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.20 or later

Installation

git clone https://github.com/tomlaws/wordle.git
cd wordle
go mod download

Running the Server

go run cmd/server/main.go

or to provide a custom configuration

go run -ldflags="-X main.Port=8080 -X main.MaxGuesses=6 -X main.WordListPath=assets/words.txt -X main.ThinkTime=60" cmd/server/main.go

Configuration

• Port: The server listens on port 8080 by default.
• Max Guesses: The maximum number of guesses in a game is 6 by default.
• Word List: The default word list is located at assets/words.txt.
• Think Time: Each player has 60 seconds per turn by default.

Running the Console Client

go run cmd/client/main.go

Running the Web Client

Setup

Install dependencies:

cd web
npm install

Start in Development Mode

Launch the development server with hot reloading:

npm run dev

The app will be available at http://localhost:5173 by default.

Build for Production

Generate an optimized production build:

npm run build

The output will be in the web/build directory.

Usage

• Start the server and client as above.
• The client will connect to the server, join the matchmaking queue, and start a game when matched.
• Enter your guesses when prompted. Each guess must be a valid 5-letter word.
• The first player to guess the word wins. If neither guesses correctly in 6 rounds, the game is a tie.

Design

See GAME_DESIGN.md for full details on architecture, game flow, and design decisions.

Standalone Version

Running the Standalone

go run cmd/standalone/main.go

or to provide a custom configuration

go run -ldflags="-X main.MaxGuesses=6 -X main.WordListPath=assets/words.txt" cmd/standalone/main.go

Configuration

• Max Guesses: The maximum number of guesses is 6 by default.
• Word List: The default word list is located at assets/words.txt.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by Wordle.
• Built with Go and the Gorilla WebSocket library.