Hi Dev Community! 👋
I’m thrilled to share with you the journey of building Where Am I?, a mobile app designed as a free alternative to GeoGuessr and CityGuessr. It’s a location-guessing game that immerses players in street walk videos from around the globe. As a solo developer, this project has been a labor of love, and I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together from a tech perspective.
The Idea
The inspiration for Where Am I? started during the COVID-19 pandemic. With everyone stuck indoors, I wanted to create a game that offered a sense of exploration and adventure. Initially, the app was a simple prototype with basic features. It gained traction with over 50,000 downloads and amazing user feedback. Encouraged by the positive response, I decided to rewrite the app from scratch, making it more robust, feature-rich, and scalable.
Tech Stack
To bring this project to life, I chose the following technologies:
Frontend: React Native
Where Am I? is a cross-platform mobile app built with React Native. This allowed me to deliver a seamless experience for both Android and iOS users using a single codebase. The frontend was developed with a combination of JavaScript and TypeScript to ensure type safety and scalability.
Key libraries and tools:
- Expo: Simplified the development process and provided access to native APIs.
- React Navigation: For smooth navigation between screens.
- Reanimated: For fluid animations and transitions.
- Redux: To manage the global state, including user progress, leaderboards, and campaign data.
Backend: NestJS (Node.js Framework)
The backend is powered by NestJS, a progressive Node.js framework built with TypeScript. NestJS provided a modular structure, making the backend easier to maintain and scale.
Backend highlights:
- RESTful APIs: Exposed endpoints for user authentication, leaderboard management, and campaign data.
- PostgreSQL: The relational database for storing user data, scores, and game content.
- Redis: For caching frequently accessed data like leaderboards.
- JWT Authentication: Secured user sessions with JSON Web Tokens.
Cloud & Hosting
- AWS (Amazon Web Services): Hosted the backend and database for scalability and reliability.
- Cloudflare: Handled CDN and DDoS protection to ensure fast and secure gameplay.
Key Features
- Immersive Gameplay: Watch high-quality street walk videos and guess the location.
- Campaigns: Explore themed challenges like "Southern Europe's Sunlit Secrets" or "Unlock the UK's Royal Secrets."
- Multiplayer Modes: Compete with friends in duels or join global tournaments.
- Leaderboards: Track your progress and aim to become the "King/Queen of the World."
- Collectibles: Earn badges and unlock monuments as you play.
Challenges & Lessons Learned
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: React Native made cross-platform development easier, but handling platform-specific quirks required extra attention.
- Video Optimization: Ensuring smooth playback of street walk videos on both high-end and low-end devices was challenging. I used adaptive bitrate streaming to address this.
- Scalability: With an ever-growing user base, designing a backend that scales while maintaining fast response times was crucial. Redis caching was a game-changer here.
- Localization: Adding support for languages like Spanish (ES) and Portuguese (PT) helped make the app accessible to a broader audience.
Why "Where Am I?" Stands Out
While GeoGuessr and CityGuessr are fantastic games, Where Am I? offers a unique twist:
- Completely Free: No paywalls or subscriptions.
- Mobile-First: Designed specifically for Android and iOS devices.
- Immersive Campaigns: Themed challenges that take players on curated adventures.
- Community-Centric: Player feedback drives new updates and features.
What’s Next?
The journey doesn’t stop here! I’m actively working on:
- Custom Multiplayer Modes: Letting players create their own rules and challenges.
- New Campaigns: Expanding the game with more countries and themes.
- Augmented Reality (AR): Exploring ways to integrate AR for an even more immersive experience.
Try It Out!
If you’re looking for a fun, educational, and free GeoGuessr alternative, give Where Am I? a try. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas for future updates.
- Website: whereamigame.app
- Google Play: Download on Android
- App Store: Download on iOS
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions about the tech stack or the development process, feel free to drop them in the comments below. 🙌
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