Catan Online

projects

Full-featured multiplayer Settlers of Catan in the browser

LiveSource

Dice Probability

About

Building a complete board game from scratch forces you to think about state in a way that CRUD apps never do. The hex grid geometry was the first challenge — pointy-top hexagons have specific offset math that is easy to get slightly wrong. Keeping game state server-authoritative so players cannot cheat required careful thought about what information each client should receive and when. The Web Audio dice sounds were a last-minute addition that made the whole thing feel more alive.

Highlights

  • Hex grid geometry implemented from scratch
  • Server-authoritative game state — no client-side cheating
  • Full Catan rules: resource production, trading, building, robber
  • Web Audio API for dice rolls and game events
  • Real-time multiplayer via Socket.IO