BrewOps: Silly HTCPCP based game

This is a submission for the DEV April Fools Challenge

What I Built

BrewOps is a delightfully useless HTCPCP-based game where you run a coffee shop like a datacenter.

Instead of making coffee, players construct and send protocol requests using a Swagger-style interface. Each order must be translated into a valid HTCPCP request and routed to the correct coffee pot (server node).

The game simulates:

• protocol-based brewing (BREW, GET, PROPFIND, WHEN)
• infrastructure management (coffee pots as servers)
• real-time failures and debugging

It’s inspired by RFC 2324 and tries to answer:

what if a joke protocol actually ran a "production" system?

Of course, things go wrong. Sometimes very wrong.
Like when a machine suddenly responds:

418 I'm a teapot

Demo

https://brewops-297860143070.us-west1.run.app

Code

khar20 / brewops

HTCPCP-based game

Run and deploy your AI Studio app

This contains everything you need to run your app locally.

View your app in AI Studio: https://ai.studio/apps/58002a14-bebb-4b6d-a445-75d604ac7cd8

Run Locally

Prerequisites: Node.js

1. Install dependencies: npm install
2. Set the GEMINI_API_KEY in .env.local to your Gemini API key
3. Run the app: npm run dev

View on GitHub

How I Built It

This project was heavily developed using Google AI Studio, following a “vibecoding” approach.

AI was used as a co-developer and design assistant to:

• prototype the HTCPCP-inspired request/response system
• design and iterate on the Swagger-style request builder
• build and refine UI components
• debug logic and interaction issues
• rapidly test gameplay ideas and UX improvements

The game combines:

• real-time simulation (timing, expiration, brewing)
• protocol construction logic
• UI systems (request builder, topology view, syslog)

AI enabled fast iteration across multiple interconnected systems that would otherwise be time-consuming to build and refine manually.

Prize Category

Best Google AI Usage

AI was used not just for generating code, but as a core part of the development process.

• Rapid prototyping of gameplay systems
• Iterative refinement of UI/UX
• Exploration of different interaction models
• Debugging and improving system behavior

This project demonstrates how AI can accelerate turning a niche, humorous concept into a functional interactive simulation.

Best Ode to Larry Masinter

This project is a tribute to Larry Masinter and the HTCPCP specification.

The game:

• implements real protocol methods (BREW, GET, PROPFIND, WHEN)
• uses authentic status codes, including 418 I'm a teapot
• embraces the humor and absurdity of the original RFC

It goes beyond referencing the protocol by attempting to simulate how it would behave in a real system, including failures, misconfigurations, and unexpected behavior.