Crossword Builder Game

A serverless, web-based, multiplayer crossword-building game.

This is not an officially supported Google product. This project is not eligible for the Google Open Source Software Vulnerability Rewards Program.

Description

This game is similar to Scrabble™ and Words with Friends™, but with its own board layout, letter distributions, and scoring rules. Players take turns forming words on a grid using tiles drawn from a bag. The game relies on the honor system to prevent each player from peeking at the bag contents or at their opponents' tiles.

Features

• 15x15 game board with bonus squares (Double/Triple Letter, Double/Triple Word).
• Standard tile bag (approx. 100 tiles) with letter distributions and point values.
• Player racks holding up to 7 tiles.
• Word validation using a configurable dictionary (default permissive).
• Scoring based on tile values and board bonuses.
• Special seven-tile "bingo bonus".
• Blank tiles assignable when placed on the board by players.
• Player actions: play word, exchange tiles, pass turn.
• Game state managed in local storage.
• Turn progression via sharable "turn URLs".
• Customizable game settings for new games (board layout, letter values, dictionary, etc.).
• Pseudorandom Number Generator (PRNG) for consistent shuffling based on a seed.
• Support for multiple active games.

How to Play

1. Start a new game or load an existing game using a turn URL.
2. If starting a new game, configure settings using the "⚙️" (Game Setup) button, or use defaults.
3. Players take turns. On your turn:
   • Drag tiles from your rack to the board to form words.
     • If you prefer to exchange tiles and pass your turn, drag tiles to the exchange ("♻") area below the rack.
   • Alternatively, use the keyboard to select and move a tile.
     • Tab to navigate among selectable tiles.
     • Space to select the tile.
     • Arrow keys to move the selected tile among possible drop locations.
     • "Up" from the rack is the bottom of the board, regardless of responsive layout.
     • "Left" from the rack is the right side of the board.
     • "Down" from the rack is the exchange area.
     • A second press on Space to drop the tile where you have positioned it.
     • Alternatively, Escape to drop the tile where it was picked up, undoing any arrow key movement.
     • Reloading the page likewise returns any selected tile to its pick-up location.
   • The first word must cover the center square.
   • Subsequent words must connect to existing tiles.
   • All new tiles in a turn must form a single line (horizontal or vertical).
   • All resulting sequences of tiles (horizontal and vertical) must form valid words.
   • You may move tiles from place to place within the board, your rack, and the exchange area.
   • The "❌" (Recall Tiles) button returns all your unplayed tiles to your rack.
   • Click "✅" (Play Word) and confirm to play the tiles that you have placed on the board.
   • Alternatively, click "♻" (Pass/Exchange) and confirm to pass or exchange the tiles in the exchange area.
4. After your turn:
   • The game will generate a "turn URL" containing recent turn data in the #fragment.
   • Send this URL to the other player or players.
   • You may continue to move your tiles while you await your next turn.
5. When you receive a turn URL from another player:
   • Open the turn URL in your browser to update your game state.
   • Any tiles that you have placed where another player played a word automatically revert to your rack.
6. When the bag is empty and one player plays their last tile:
   • Each player's score is reduced by the total value of their remaining tiles.
   • The score of the player who played last is increased by the other players' tile values.
   • The player with the highest score wins.

Development

This game is implemented purely with HTML, CSS, and TypeScript, designed to run entirely in the browser without a dedicated backend server. Game state and the local player's identity are stored in the browser's local storage.