🔧 From WWC Mafia to The Hideout — Building a Secret Multiplayer Game Hub

Hey everyone 👋

About two months ago I posted about a real-time game I built called WWC Mafia — a quick, anonymous social deduction game inspired by Mafia/Werewolf that required no signup, just click and play.

Since then, I’ve kept building — and things got weird (in a good way 😄).

🧪 The Experiment Evolves

What started as a single game mode inside WWC is now a side project of its own: The Hideout.

It’s not a product, not monetized — just an experimental multiplayer platform for fast, anonymous party games.

🕵️ What It Does

• Lets you join party games (Mafia, Spyfall, Undercover) through secret links
• No signups, no search — just a URL or QR code
• Real-time chat and role-based turns using WebSockets
• Ghost chat system (eliminated players talk privately)
• Waiting room for pre-game chat and late joins

It's intentionally a little mysterious — more like a digital speakeasy than a public game site.

🧰 Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js + React
• Backend: Node.js + Express
• Real-time: Socket.IO
• State: In-memory for now (looking into Redis later)
• Hosting: Vercel (frontend), Render (backend — might upgrade)

💡 Why I’m Making This

I like building things that feel alive — multiplayer, real-time, weird little online worlds.

Some of the goals for this were:

• Push my understanding of WebSocket-based game loops
• Figure out how to handle state transitions (join → lobby → game → postgame)
• Keep it simple but expressive
• Experiment with hidden-access mechanics

It’s also fun to design something that doesn’t want to be found unless you’re invited.

🔍 What I’m Still Exploring

• Cleaner game logic across different party games
• Moderation / kick-vote system
• Host tools and player roles
• Maybe storing rounds for playback/debugging
• UI improvements (still very prototype-looking)

🧠 Lessons Learned So Far

• Real-time multiplayer is chaotic and rewarding
• Socket events need strict structure or things break fast
• Keeping it anonymous keeps the vibe casual (but also needs safeguards)
• Shipping early gets you unstuck

🤖 If You're Curious...

You can check out WWC Mafia here: (https://worldwidechat.vercel.app)
and if u have any improvements or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.🙂

Thanks for reading. If you’re into multiplayer games, WebSocket stuff, or just weird online social projects — I’d love to see what you’re building too.

– Hito (aka H1-T0)