Kanji Wizards · v0.9.9.9.6.1
(The repository is still called kanji-battle; only the name in the game changed.)
Real-time kanji battles in the browser. Five modes:
| Mode | How you cast |
|---|
| 1v1 Kanji Reading | Study 10 words for 60 s, then see the kanji and type its reading (IME kana or romaji). |
| 1v1 Kanji Writing | Look at the kanji (up to 3.5 s) and press CAST! (or Enter): it vanishes and only then the pad / Japanese keyboard appear, with the reading + meaning. Pasting into the answer box is blocked and the kanji can't be selected. Type the kanji with a Japanese IME or draw it on the pad. Only kanji count (kana only at the かな level). |
| Boss Elimination | 1–4 players vs the Black Dragon (its HP grows with the party). Correct answers hit it; a mistake gets you clawed; fire breath every 30 s hits everyone who isn't on fire (5+ combo = immune). |
| 1v1 Rapid | Both players get the same kanji. First correct reading (kana or romaji) deals the damage. Levels are shared: in a room one set for both, in the online queue only players with a level in common are matched. |
| Deck Duel | Pick a hero, draft 10 kanji cards from a pool made of both players' All spells, then spend mana to cast them by writing the kanji. 800 HP each. |
npm install
npm run dev # http://localhost:3000
npm test # unit tests
Production: npm run build && npm start (PORT supported). On Render the build command must include
npm install (e.g. npm install && npm run build) so the postgres package gets installed.
Apps and offline mode (0.9.9.4)
- Install from the browser (PWA) —
public/manifest.webmanifest + the service worker public/sw.js
(generated from src/client/sw.js by scripts/build-client.mjs, with the list of files to keep).
Phones and PCs can install the site as an app (menu → Get the app); it opens without internet.
- Windows app —
desktop/ (Electron). It opens the live site (always the newest version), so the
service worker gives it offline mode too; offline.html is shown only if the very first start has no
internet. Built into KanjiWizards-Setup.exe by electron-builder.
- Android app —
mobile/android/ (a small WebView app, no Google Play needed). Adds Android's
text-to-speech for spoken words, the file picker for profile pictures and invite links. Signed with a
private key (GitHub secrets ANDROID_KEYSTORE_B64 / ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD), so new APKs install over old ones.
Updating: "Update the app" lets the phone's browser download the new APK (an in-app installer was tried in
0.9.9.9.3 and again in 0.9.9.9.5.3 — Play Protect blocks an app that can install apps as harmful, both times).
- Builds —
.github/workflows/apps.yml builds both on every pull request (download them from the
run's Artifacts) and, on main, publishes them as the GitHub release v<version>; the game links to
releases/latest/download/KanjiWizards-Setup.exe and …/KanjiWizards.apk.
- Offline mode —
src/client/offline/. The app keeps a snapshot of your account
(GET /api/sync/snapshot) and, without internet, answers the study calls itself with the server's own
code (src/server/router.ts, StudyService, DailyService bundled for the browser). Changes go to an
outbox that is replayed in order once the server answers again, each call stamped with X-KW-At (the
moment it really happened, at most a week back) — so cards, streaks and daily-challenge times come out
as if you'd been online. Online queue, private games, friends and the admin pages need the server.
- Icons:
assets/icon.svg → node scripts/build-icons.mjs (needs sharp).
Accounts and saving progress
Two accounts are created on first start:
| Login | Password | Role |
|---|
user | user123 | user |
admin | adminn123 | admin — sees 👥 Users in the menu and can ban/unban players |
⚠️ This repository is public, so these default passwords are public too. On the live site set
ADMIN_PASSWORD (and optionally USER_PASSWORD) — the server switches the account to it on start.
Since 0.9.9.9.5 a public server (Render, or NODE_ENV=production) never creates these accounts with the
default passwords, and locks an existing one still on its default password until you set the variable.
Passwords are hashed with scrypt; logins are signed tokens (30 days).
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
